An anthropologist finds a "living stone-age museum " On a chilly September night in 1982, three men approached a police checkpoint at the village of Lotsum, along the tense cease-fire line between India and Pakistan in the Himalayas. The travelers looked like ordinary Kashmiri peasants, and the guards let them pass. But one of them was not what he seemed. French Anthropologist Michel Peissel had disguised himself in garb like that of his two local guides, staining his face with ...

The Irish Travelers of North Augusta, S.C., stopped their pickups in the middle of the road last week to commiserate over the "outing" of Madelyne Gorman Toogood. The woman caught thrashing her 4-year-old on a surveillance video in Indiana is also, as it turns out, an Irish Traveler. And though they don't know her, they know what her arrest means: 15 minutes of grueling fame for a community that thrives on secrecy. "I'm not going to tell you they're all ...

China Lifts Ban on Visitors Who Are H.I.V. Positive Days before travelers worldwide are to begin arriving for Shanghai’s world exposition, China  has lifted a two-decade ban on travel to the country by people who carry the virus that causes AIDS or who have other sexually transmitted diseases. The action also removed a longstanding ban on travel to China by people with leprosy. The government approved amendments to a 1986 law governing quarantines and a 1989 law regulating entry by foreigners, removing prohibitions ...

One of the fringe benefits of being a Middle East correspondent is that my travels in the region have allowed me to start a decent little collection of oriental rugs. This may sound like a travel fantasy from the age of empire, but rugs are among the most practical pieces of furniture for the modern nomad looking to create a portable home. Originally designed to fit on pack animals, modest-sized rugs easily fold into airplane carry-on luggage; their irregular, ...

Chances have increased slightly that the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge will reopen in time for the Friday morning commute, transportation officials said Thursday evening.The 73-year-old bridge spans the San Francisco Bay and carries an average of 280,000 vehicles daily, according to the state transportation department. In the wake of the bridge's closing, commuters flocked to the Bay Area's rail system as an alternative. On Wednesday, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) said it had carried the most passengers ever. About ...

A 20-inch machete from Costa Rica. New power drills with the tags still hanging. A pile of brass knuckles and nunchucks. Tubs of golf clubs, baseball bats and 10-pound exercise weights. These objects -- collected at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport security checkpoints -- are among millions of items confiscated by the Transportation Security Administration from travelers' carry-on bags each year. After the U.S. government expanded the list of items prohibited on airplanes in response to the attacks of September ...

Mexico and the United States both secured narrow 1-0 victories in their North and Central America and Caribbean (CONCACAF) zone games to maintain their momentum towards qualification for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Trinidad and Tobago were sunk in the Port of Spain by a lone goal from Ricardo Clark, who shot powerfully past goalkeeper Clayton Ince after 62 minutes to seal the first away victory of the round for the American travelers. The win leaves Bob ...

Swiss diplomats are trying to meet with three American hikers being held in Iran, the Swiss Embassy in Tehran said Monday. The embassy would not say whether Iranian authorities had responded to their request or if diplomats had met the Americans. Four American friends -- seasoned travelers -- were hiking through Iraq's Kurdistan region last week before three of them crossed the unmarked border with Iran, where Iranian authorities detained them. Kurdish officials identified the hikers as Shane ...