The truth of a place is revealed by its scent. Forget political boundaries -- if you want to know what two places or lifestyles have in common, compare their smells. Tracing a fence along the back of the Allentown Fair last week, past the carny trailers, I smelled India. It was both a surprise and...

Damascus, Syria Yes, it is the last in my five-part series on the senses, and this post will address the fact that we vagabonders smell. We do sometimes have an odor about us, especially after a long day in the tropical or desert heat, but what often stands out more are the other things we...