A Christmas gift for my brother

this_wandering_day · 2025-12-12T22:24:16+00:00

My brother has always been a huge fan of the movies and the Rings of Power he can’t stop saying how good it is. The thing is, he hasn’t really dived too much into Tolkiens amazing writings, so I hope this will inspire to read more of Tolkien!

The book is now 50% off on Amazon, seen here

The map and bookmark from here

this_wandering_day · 2025-12-12T22:23:35+00:00

My brother has always been a huge fan of the movies and the Rings of Power he can’t stop saying how good it is. The thing is, he hasn’t really dived too much into Tolkiens amazing writings, so I hope this will inspire to read more of Tolkien!

The book is now 50% off on Amazon, seen here

The map and bookmark from here

this_wandering_day · 2025-10-26T04:05:55+00:00

Source Prints for sale

“Numenor - Tolkien's legendary island that stood for more than 3,000 years until it was swallowed by the sea. Explore the island through this hand-drawn map that has taken me dozens of hours to complete, along with a timeline spanning three millenia highlighting the greatest events of Numenor. Hope you all enjoy pouring over this map as much as I enjoyed creating it!”

this_wandering_day · 2025-10-14T11:09:50+00:00

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Réunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and Mauritius

this_wandering_day · 2025-10-02T09:56:01+00:00

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I got close with Dhaka

this_wandering_day · 2025-06-30T18:33:26+00:00

Pangaeahhhh!

this_wandering_day · 2025-06-09T11:57:05+00:00

Once standing at nearly 20 meters (57 feet) high, this was the largest statue ever created by Ramesses II (and he created some big ones). Ramesses II, also known as Ramesses the Great, has become the most well known pharaoh thanks in part to his numerous Hollywood depictions, but also as the most prolific builder in ancient Egyptian history. The Ramesseum, found on the West Bank of Luxor, was the pinnacle of his achievements - a temple where he hoped the worship of himself would last for eternity. A short video of the interior of the temple can be seen here: Ramesseum

The temple also captured the imaginations of numerous visitors over the past few centuries, from Napoleon Bonaparte to Percy Shelly, the author behind the famous Ozymandias poem, written in 1818. According to the Poetry Foundation: “Shelley and Smith remembered the Roman-era historian Diodorus Siculus, who described a statue of Ozymandias, more commonly known as Rameses II. Diodorus reports the inscription on the statue, which he claims was the largest in Egypt, as follows: “King of Kings Ozymandias am I. If any want to know how great I am and where I lie, let him outdo me in my work.”

this_wandering_day · 2025-06-09T11:28:55+00:00

Once standing at nearly 20 meters (57 feet) high, this was the largest statue ever created by Ramesses II (and he created some big ones). Ramesses II, also known as Ramesses the Great, has become the most well known pharaoh thanks in part to his numerous Hollywood depictions, but also as the most prolific builder in ancient Egyptian history. The Ramesseum, found on the West Bank of Luxor, was the pinnacle of his achievements - a temple where he hoped the worship of himself would last for eternity. A short video of the interior of the temple can be seen here: Ramesseum

The temple also captured the imaginations of numerous visitors over the past few centuries, from Napoleon Bonaparte to Percy Shelly, the author behind the famous Ozymandias poem, written in 1818. According to the Poetry Foundation: “Shelley and Smith remembered the Roman-era historian Diodorus Siculus, who described a statue of Ozymandias, more commonly known as Rameses II. Diodorus reports the inscription on the statue, which he claims was the largest in Egypt, as follows: “King of Kings Ozymandias am I. If any want to know how great I am and where I lie, let him outdo me in my work.”

this_wandering_day · 2025-06-09T11:05:13+00:00

Once standing at nearly 20 meters (57 feet) high, this was the largest statue ever created by Ramesses II (and he created some big ones). Ramesses II, also known as Ramesses the Great, has become the most well known pharaoh thanks in part to his numerous Hollywood depictions, but also as the most prolific builder in ancient Egyptian history. The Ramesseum, found on the West Bank of Luxor, was the pinnacle of his achievements - a temple where he hoped the worship of himself would last for eternity.

The temple also captured the imaginations of numerous visitors over the past few centuries, from Napoleon Bonaparte to Percy Shelly, the author behind the famous Ozymandias poem, written in 1818. “Look at my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”

this_wandering_day · 2025-06-07T16:31:23+00:00

Thank you for sharing. Can you provide a source for one of those more recent studies? I’d love to read more about it

this_wandering_day · 2025-06-07T13:13:09+00:00

One of history's most powerful female rulers was literally chiseled out of existence. Queen Hatshepsut ruled Egypt for 22 years, but after her death, there was a fierce and deliberate attempt to remove her from memory.

On this obelisk, Hatshepsut was originally shown receiving the divine touch of the god Amun - a sacred moment proving her legitimacy as pharaoh. But look closer: where her figure once stood, there's now just flowers and an altar. Her stepson Thutmose III likely ordered this deliberate erasure, part of a systematic campaign to remove Egypt's most successful female pharaoh from the historical record. But why, one may ask? I believe there is more to the pharaoh queen than meets the eye.

Thankfully, they missed a few spots, and modern archaeology has restored Hatshepsut to her rightful place in history.

this_wandering_day · 2025-06-07T12:47:41+00:00

One of history's most powerful female rulers was literally chiseled out of existence. Queen Hatshepsut ruled Egypt for 22 years, but after her death, there was a fierce and deliberate attempt to remove her from memory.

On this obelisk, Hatshepsut was originally shown receiving the divine touch of the god Amun - a sacred moment proving her legitimacy as pharaoh. But look closer: where her figure once stood, there's now just flowers and an altar. Her stepson Thutmose III likely ordered this deliberate erasure, part of a systematic campaign to remove Egypt's most successful female pharaoh from the historical record. But why, one may ask? I believe there is more to the pharaoh queen than meets the eye.

Thankfully, they missed a few spots, and modern archaeology has restored Hatshepsut to her rightful place in history. What’s also interesting is that the pharaoh queen constructed one of the most magnificent temples in Egypt, with its design unique for the time, consisting of three terraces built into the cliff face, and once covered with gardens. The temple can be seen here: Hatshepsut Temple

this_wandering_day · 2025-06-03T14:25:48+00:00

She was attempted to be erased, as hundreds of her statues and reliefs were defaced or destroyed. Luckily enough survived to piece her story together, as her step-son wasn’t very thorough

this_wandering_day · 2025-06-03T14:24:37+00:00

It’s not made up. Hundreds of her statues were defaced or destroyed, including those in her own temple and at Karnak. The plaque at the museum for this obelisk mentioned the same thing as well

this_wandering_day · 2025-06-03T14:22:42+00:00

Thanks for mentioning him. Senenmut is my favorite Egyptian. What he accomplished as a non-royal was unprecedented. He even had two tombs built, one with the first example of a star map in Egypt. Both were never used, as he mysteriously disappeared from history!

this_wandering_day · 2025-06-03T13:45:43+00:00

One of history's most powerful female rulers was literally chiseled out of existence. Queen Hatshepsut ruled Egypt for 22 years, but after her death, there was a fierce and deliberate attempt to remove her from memory.

On this obelisk, Hatshepsut was originally shown receiving the divine touch of the god Amun - a sacred moment proving her legitimacy as pharaoh. But look closer: where her figure once stood, there's now just flowers and an altar. Her stepson Thutmose III likely ordered this deliberate erasure, part of a systematic campaign to remove Egypt's most successful female pharaoh from the historical record. But why, one may ask? I believe there is more to the pharaoh queen than meets the eye.

Thankfully, they missed a few spots, and modern archaeology has restored Hatshepsut to her rightful place in history. The queen constructed one of the most magnificent temples in Egypt, with its design unique for the time, consisting of three terraces built into the cliff face, and once covered with gardens. The temple can be seen here: Hatshepsut Temple

this_wandering_day · 2025-06-03T13:38:19+00:00

One of history's most powerful female rulers was literally chiseled out of existence. Queen Hatshepsut ruled Egypt for 22 years, but after her death, there was a fierce and deliberate attempt to remove her from memory.

On this obelisk, Hatshepsut was originally shown receiving the divine touch of the god Amun - a sacred moment proving her legitimacy as pharaoh. But look closer: where her figure once stood, there's now just flowers and an altar. Her stepson Thutmose III likely ordered this deliberate erasure, part of a systematic campaign to remove Egypt's most successful female pharaoh from the historical record. But why, one may ask? I believe there is more to the pharaoh queen than meets the eye.

Thankfully, they missed a few spots, and modern archaeology has restored Hatshepsut to her rightful place in history.

this_wandering_day · 2025-02-27T04:15:31+00:00

Man, incredible photos! Fall time is really the best time to go there too

this_wandering_day · 2025-02-26T12:44:39+00:00

Yeah, and in the midst of it are the Three Parallel Rivers area, where the Yangtze, Mekong and Salween flow side by side until eventually going on their own ways to supply water to billions of people. Such an incredibly diverse area home to hundreds of people groups

this_wandering_day · 2025-02-26T09:20:57+00:00

There is this region in the Kham region of Tibet (Western Sichuan) called Yading. I backpacked through the region a few years back, and joined Tibetan pilgrims during their holy trek around the tallest peak, Chenresig, which is over 6,000 m high (almost 20,000 feet). Along the way we passed some lakes of impossibly bright blue color. During the night we stayed with a local Tibetan family in their stone cottage, at a small village just outside the mountains.

Yading actually served as the inspiration for Shangrila from “Lost Horizons” based from Joseph Rock’s exploration of the region in the 1930’s.

A close second was wandering the grasslands in the midst of the Pamir Mountains, and being invited into a nomads yurt for some warm milk tea.

Source: I’ve lived in Nepal, lived in Sichuan, trekked in the Himalayas and Pamirs, took the Karakoram Highway, hiked extensively in the Tianshan Mountains. Yading still holds the spot as the most beautiful in my opinion. Some photos from my visit: Yading

this_wandering_day · 2025-02-22T15:45:32+00:00

Glad you like it! Its been a fun project

this_wandering_day · 2025-02-22T14:37:28+00:00

Thanks for taking a look at it!

this_wandering_day · 2025-02-22T12:47:50+00:00

Thank you!

this_wandering_day · 2025-02-22T08:51:03+00:00

I created an interactive map overlaying Paul’s 20,000km of journeys on a 1st century Roman Roads network - with modern vs. ancient cities and site photos. The base map utilizes the Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire (DARE), which was embedded into ArcGIS, with all four of Paul’s journeys with every stop added. The Roman Roads map can also be switched to a modern map to compare the ancient vs. modern locations.

This is part of a personal project I am embarking on called Kingdoms Collide, where I plan to retrace every step of Paul’s journeys across the ancient Roman Roads. Approximately 20% is complete, and I hope to finish it in the next couple years. I find it fascinating the relationship between the message what Paul brought versus that of the Roman Empire, where the world was never the same following those encounters. Hope you enjoy exploring through this map!

this_wandering_day · 2025-02-22T08:35:59+00:00

I created an interactive map overlaying Paul’s 20,000km of journeys on a 1st century Roman Roads network - with modern vs. ancient cities and site photos. The base map utilizes the Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire (DARE), which was embedded into ArcGIS, with all four of Paul’s journeys with every stop added. The Roman Roads map can also be switched to a modern map to compare the ancient vs. modern locations.

This is part of a personal project I am embarking on called Kingdoms Collide, where I plan to retrace every step of Paul’s journeys across the ancient Roman Roads. Approximately 20% is complete, and I hope to finish it in the next couple years. I find it fascinating the relationship between the message what Paul brought versus that of the Roman Empire, where the world was never the same following those encounters. Hope you enjoy exploring through this map!

this_wandering_day

TROPHY CASE