I have always been curious about hitchhiking. Having grown up in India and lived for a bit in the US, it always struck to me as something alien. Now that I have done it once and lived to tell, I wonder if it is something I will do again. In any case not now but…
Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, India, is a relatively new city founded in the early 18th century by the then Maharajah of Jaipur state. Maharajah Sawai Jai Singh II moved his capital from Amber. Jaipur is considered the first planned city in India. It is called the pink city and is famous for its architecture and…
Kaymakli(Kaymaklı) along with Derinkuyu are two of the most popular underground cities near Cappadocia. While Derinkuyu is considered the deepest, Kaymakli is supposed to the widest. The history of Kaymakli dates back to 8th century BCE. The city like all other underground cities was used to protect its inhabitants from raids. Kaymkali remained inhabited through the Roman,…
Istanbul, formerly known as Constantinople and Byzantium is a transcontinental city with centuries of history. Lying strategically around the Bosporus strait, she has seen a lot of war and had her owners change multiple times. Sitting on the silk road, I am sure the stones of this city have stories to tell of the bygone…
For centuries, Constantinople, now known as Istanbul, remained as the centre of the world. The city which lies on two continents – Asia and Europe, has been of great significance. It flourished as a centre for trade and the gateway between Asia and Europe. Of course, I have read and known about this city for…
Though I visited Jordan as a part of a tour (why tour?), I separated from the group to explore Petra by myself. You can read more about my experience at Petra here. Below are some tips to explore the site. My fellow female traveller, be aware of the romance scams at Petra to stay safe…
I read about Petra (means rock in Greek), also called Baṭrā in Arabic, long before it was voted as a new World Wonder. This UNESCO World Heritage site has a long history and trysts with multiple civilizations. Today, the ancient city sees over one million visitors a year. After years of anticipation, the moment I…
The first time I read about Jordan, especially about Petra, was when I was ten. Agatha Christie introduced me to Petra through her ‘Appointment with Death’. Hercule Poirot solving the case of Mrs. Boynton in the very short time he had, imprinted itself in my memory. As I kept learning and reading more about world…
From the capital of Vietnam – Saigon, I was heading to the capital of Cambodia – Phnom Penh. The friendly border between these two countries and the short distance between the capitals encouraged me to travel by land, in a bus instead of flying. Anyone who has crossed borders by land, will agree about the…
I was on a time constraint during my Vietnam trip and hence could not experience the public transport system as much as I would have liked to. Despite that, I tried my best to sample the options in front of me. I took flights between major cities but was able to do a couple of…