A reveler and a child street vendor pose for a photo during the Banda de Ipanema Carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, January 31, 2015. Rio's over-the-top Carnival is the highlight of the year for many local residents. Hundreds of thousands of merrymakers are beginning to take to the streets in open-air “blocos” parties. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo)

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.

Vanessa Silva, 38, feeds macaws that fly to her apartment window every day looking for food, in Caracas, Venezuela, on November 24, 2014. A group of gold-and-royal blue birds poked their heads through Silva’s window, as if saying “I’m here, is anyone home?” “I’d seen them flying when I was down on the street, and I thought ‘Oh how pretty,’” the 38-year-old said, a macaw eating out of her hand. (Photo by Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)

A selection of hand-made leis, traditional Hawaiian necklaces made of flowers and worn mostly on special occasions, fill a cooler at Lin's Lei Shop in the Chinatown district of Honolulu, Hawaii December 22, 2015. Hawaii, whose economy depends heavily on tourism, sees a brief lull in visitors each year in January and February. But in addition to the usual tourist destinations, the state shows a unique overlay of mainland U.S. culture atop tropical beauty year-round. (Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Kritchaya “Lolita” Boonhor (R) curls her eyelashes in ladyboy Candy's (L) room while she chats her about her boyfriend, in Bangkok, Thailand, 27 November 2017. Most things in life are a question of negotiation. Lolita is a woman, that was not to be negotiated. What needed to be negotiated was how she was perceived by those around her. And that negotiation was one that took time and effort. (Photo by Lola Levan/EPA/EFE)

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)

British actress Jess Impiazzi on Sunday, February 5, 2023 has found reasons to smile again as she opens up about her strengthened relationship with footie ace Jermaine Pennant. (Photo by Olivia West/The Sun)

Peter Carberry riding Gabbys Cross falls off during the Randox Grand National Chase during day three of the Randox Grand National Festival at Aintree Racecourse on April 15, 2023 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)