I have lived in cities for so long that it’s only when I leave that I realize how much I feel smothered by them. Drab worlds of concrete and steel, the press of bodies rushing to and fro, the sharp tang of exhaust fumes and rot choking my lungs… You almost get used to it. …
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Five Things to Do in Mtskheta
While Tbilisi is the capital of Georgia and has been so for centuries, there was a time when the title belonged to another city. From the 3rd century B.C. to the 5th century A.D., the ancient kingdom of Kartli (or Iberia, as it was known in the West) occupied this territory with Mtskheta as its …
Tbilisi Hack Free Tour REVIEW
I love exploring cities on my own. Arriving in a new place, getting a map or guidebook, picking a direction to wander, and just… meandering through the city is one of my favorite things to do. But as fun as it can be to explore a destination by yourself, sometimes having an insider’s perspective can …
How to Unwind in Pune
Pune is a city of many facets. Historically, it is the former seat of the Maratha Empire formed by Shivaji — a warrior-king from the 17th century. Academically, it is known as the ‘Oxford of the East’ due to the several well-respected educational institutions located there. These days, it’s a seat of power for the …
The Terracotta Warriors of Xi’an
A group of farmers worked the earth outside of Xi’an. It was early spring, and they’d need the additional water source for coming summer. But they found something there, buried underground, which would come to be considered one of the greatest archeological discoveries in history. The year was 1974, and the farmers had unearthed one …
The Land of the Rohirrim
I remember when I first read Lord of the Rings. I was in 7th grade, and even though I’d heard about the books before then, for some reason I didn’t get to Middle Earth until I was in Middle School. Dry prose and dense narrative did nothing to dissuade me — within pages I was …
Atop the Walls of Jaisalmer
I write this from the shores of Lake Te Anau, on the saturated fringes of Fiordland National Park. Here in the midst of lush forests and craggy fiords, I find myself missing the desert. Dunes, the endless expanse of featureless scrub-lands, baggage trains of camels… and I miss that crumbling fort at the edge of the …
Flying Fox Zipline in Jodhpur
For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.” – Leonardo da Vinci I’ve been on ziplines before. Once between the slopes of Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains in British Columbia, the other time in the Herb Hillz …
Colors of Rajasthan: Six Highlights in Jaipur
I reached Jaipur after almost 24 hours straight of traveling, having left the hill station city of Darjeeling the preceding morning. I was shambling by the time I got into an airport taxi, and couldn’t find the energy to care when the driver charged me a couple hundred rupees extra. But even as fatigued as I was, …
The Fort over the Blue City of Jodhpur
A palace that might have been built by Titans and colored by the morning sun.” – Rudyard Kipling I came by night through the teeming bazaar, so I didn’t see the azure city until the following morning. The fort I glimpsed only from a distance — as the train I rode chugged into town under …