Ikaria.

Chios to Samos.

Samos.

I wrote an article on PayPal for the June issue of Gear magazine. It's not online. This is the first story I've written for a publication that puts half-naked women on the cover.

In a hilltop chapel in Karlovasi, which I visited accidentally by getting off the ferry too soon.

Naxos, Greece.

When I got off the ferry to Chios, I couldn't figure out why this two-bit politician had his face on every telephone pole on the island.

But then in the medieval village of Pyrgi (pop. 1,300)...

...someone told me that this politician was the prime minister of Greece, who just happened to be visiting that night.

A less-than-overwhelming crowd showed up in the town square to listen to his speech.

When it was over, the kids pulled down his posters and ripped them up. It's never too early to get involved in politics.

Mail from a reader in Spain who last wrote on 3.4, electronically translated:

Date: Wed, 16 May 2001 01:18:36 +0200
Subject: Retificacion

Hello David
Unfortunately not to be written in Ingles.
By pure chance, I sent a mail to your name and not like I intended to a Club of Futbol.
and by means of the Gooegle.com finder encontre your pagina Lightningfield and as is my surprise that you added my e-mail in, something asi as curiosities are not asi?

And as I see that you like fotografia, I send one to you mia of a trip Katmandu.

Thanks and I hope that you excuse

Jose Bargiela
Vigo
Spain

Seagulls circle all night long over the Blue Mosque.

Izmir.
It's a long story.

I wrote something for Interactive Week: Love Your Enemy. It's a profile of Ian Clarke creator of Freenet and where are the commas on Turkish keyboards? I took the photo that's in the print edition. Part of the story is already out of date -- Ian overhauled his home page so it's no longer editable.

I had the name of the village wrong in the last entry. Sorry. I fixed it.

Founded around 400 AD, abandoned in the 1950s, when the whole village was found to be in danger of collapse. It's collapsing, slowly.

Old cave houses.

Cave hotel.

No photos today. Posting from a carpet shop in Selcuk, Turkey. The keyboard is a mine field of odd characters with odd accent marks. The 'i' key produces this: �. There is also a button with a crescent moon on it, which may indicate sleep mode, or perhaps it tells you when to pray to Mecca. I met a Canadian, originally from Hong Kong, whose name is Ringo. He has brothers named John and George. Also a sister, whose name is not Paul. His favorite Beatles album is 'Yellow Submarine.' I stayed in a cave hotel, where I ran into someone I know from New York.

Soccer victory fireworks.

From Joyce's balcony.

Natural sponge store.

Fun with Greek street junk.

Hot springs. Very hot springs.