Elderly people attend an aquatic exercise at a private pool in Bangkok, Thailand, April 28, 2016. Many Thai families look after elderly relatives at a cost that countrywide adds up to just under a third of household income. The number of families facing this issue will balloon as the population ages at a rate among the fastest in Southeast Asia. (Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

Only the most intrepid urban explorers cross the tattered ruins of the old Iron Curtain to endure the excessive bureaucracy, military paranoia and freezing winds of the East to hunt for the ghosts of an empire. Rebecca Litchfield is one who couldn’t resist the haunting allure of the ruins of the Soviet Union.

In this image released on April 18, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook, and Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town perform “Wine, Beer, Whiskey” at the 56th Academy of Country Music Awards on April 18, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Brent Harrington/CBS Handout via Reuters)

The hair of CSKA Moscow cheerleaders flies high as they perform during the Euroleague Basketball game between Alba Berlin and CSKA Moscow in Moscow, Russia, 04 February 2022. (Photo by Yuri Kochetkov/EPA/EFE)

Guests attend the Hollywood Forever 2023 Dia De Los Muertos Celebration at Hollywood Forever on October 28, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)

“Old Mursi woman”. Old woman by the huts of her village. Location: Marenke, Omo valley, Ethiopia. (Photo and caption by Jorge Fernandez/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

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