Whenever Rolf tells people how he learned to windsurf on Israel’s Sea of Galilee, he’s usually met with a bemused pause, as if a Bible-themed punch line should come next.
Jurassic Tennis
Jeu de Paume once dominated every level of French society. Today, only about 200 players remain. From the 16th arrondissement of Paris, Rolf reports on the lingering vestiges of the game that gave birth to modern tennis.
Le Musée du Fumeur
Smoking will soon be banned from indoor public spaces in Paris. Is a museum dedicated to the classic French habit a celebration or eulogy?
India’s isle of ghosts
On a journey through western India, Rolf explores the former Portuguese outpost of Diu, which brims with history’s phantoms.
In New Orleans: The Allure of Disaster Tourism
Is it weird to want to visit the flood-ravaged Lower Ninth Ward during Mardi Gras season?
The Other Patagonia
During his stint as writer-in-residence for a global Land Rover expedition, Rolf explores the recently completed Carretera Austral (Southern Highway) through Chile’s Aisen province.
A Desert By Any Other Name
The desert coast of Peru is as gorgeous as it is baffling.
Jolly Good Excuse For a Party
From the shores of a Thailand resort town, Rolf explores what happens when you mix rich men, elephants, and polo gear.
Fear and Loathing in a Five-Star Hotel
He’d navigated the Mekong river, wandered the Libyan Desert, and been stranded in Siberia. Then – in one last adventure after two years of vagabonding – Rolf traveled to Bangkok to face the specter of world-class luxury.
Raising My Parents in Mongolia
When Rolf’s parents accompany him on a trip to Mongolia, he suddenly finds the whole parent-child dynamic reversed. But who’s teaching whom a lesson?
Super Bowl Exile
Rolf reports from Thailand on the difficulty of taking part in a time-honored American custom — watching the Super Bowl — while traveling in Asia.