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,…
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…
I have an ever-growing and never-ending bucket list of destinations. When short on time, I make quick trips to most convenient location on my bucket list. When time is not a problem, I add places around my favored destination to my itinerary. Vietnam was one such destination for me. Cambodia; especially the temple complex at…
My fascination for Japan started when I was studying World History in school; especially the second world war. Hearing about this small island nation getting attacked by two nuclear bombs but building itself back up since then, left me awestruck. The love for Japan and Japanese culture grew as I started watching anime in my…