Between every two pines
is a doorway to a new world.

                         -- John Muir

“In 1993 three Australians and one Englishman took their kayaks to two rivers in what used to be called Soviet Central Asia. As far as we can ascertain, it was the first time kayaks had been taken into Uzbekistan and Kirgizstan, and probably the first time kayaks had been taken down the Chatkal and Pskem rivers.”
Dancing with the Bear by Liam Guilar is a free online book that recounts their journey. It offers a reminder that not all roads have been taken, that there are still unique adventures to be had.

The Travel Film Archive sells commercial access to travelogues and educational and industrial travel films, “…from the boulevards of 1920′s Paris to the streets of San Francisco in the 60′s…from the Sudan to Palestine to Pakistan” and every place in between. All of the footage, much of it in color, was shot on film between 1900 and 1970. The library includes work by renowned travel filmmakers Burton Holmes, Andre de la Varre, and James A. FitzPatrick, as well as footage shot by journeyman cameramen. Although the films are not rentable by individuals, the catalog available on line is a joy to visit, especially for anyone nostalgic for locations and lifestyles lost to time. Here, to take one example, is New York City as it was a little more than a half century ago:

Website: The Travel Film Archive