There are plenty of blogs about the Taj Mahal, and many of them are rather negative. I visited the Taj in November 2016 and thought it was a beautiful monument. But, like many visitors, I was less than thrilled with my experience of it. Here are some of the things I loved and hated about the […]
Category: Ancient Architecture
Kashmir’s Martand Sun Temple: Intriguing Ruins Of A Lost Dynasty
In early November 2011, I was fortunate to go on a 10-day trip to Kashmir, a state at the very north of India, that has since been overrun by terrorism and violence. During our sightseeing tour of Kashmir, our guide, Parvaiz bhai, took us way off the usual tourist route to see some gems of […]
Patan Durbar Square: An Enthralling Glimpse Of Nepal’s City Of Fine Arts
Of all the places I visited on our FAM tour of the Kathmandu valley at the Himalayan Travel Mart 2018, I found Patan the most fascinating. Located about 8 km south of Kathmandu, on a plateau across the Bagmati River, Patan is called the city of fine arts. It is one of 3 royal cities […]
Bhaktapur Walking Tour: Following The Red Brick Road In Nepal’s Cultural City
An adorable spaniel sat at the entrance of a shop, gazing out solemnly at the people milling about in Bhaktapur’s Durbar Square. It looked very different from the other dogs who made their home here. Being a dog lover, I would have loved to stop and click photos of every pooch in Nepal. Had I […]
Kathmandu Temple Tour: Doorways To Nepal’s Art And Culture
Before I visited Nepal for the Himalayan Travel Mart 2018, I thought the only things there were to see in this country, that abuts the north-eastern states of India, were temples and mountains. I didn’t opt for the FAM tour that included mountains because I don’t trek, but I did get a tour of Kathmandu’s […]
Kathmandu, Bhaktapur And Panauti: My FAM Tour Of Nepal For #HTM2018
The lightning flashed and crackled outside the window. I was flying Nepal Airlines flight RA 202 into Kathmandu and we were caught in a thunderstorm. A massive rain cloud was shooting forks of lighting as large and scary as Thor’s Mjolnir. It was an electrical party in the sky with the clouds all around us […]
Verinag Springs, Kashmir: Origin Of The Jhelum
The kids squealed. As they threw dough balls into the spring waters, the carp sprang up to snap it up. The spring waters were a Maldivian turquoise and clear as crystal. Our visit to Verinag Springs in Kashmir in November 2011 was quite a thrill. It was a great place for the kids to witness how […]