Agra doesn’t have much of a variety of attractions. It has an old Mughal fort built by Shah Jahan (seeing a theme from the last post about Delhi?) and the world-famous Taj Mahal. Construction on the Taj began in 1632 on the orders of – you guessed it – Shah Jahan. It is a mausoleum […]
Continue ReadingNew Delhi, Old Delhi
Delhi, India’s capital, is one of the country’s most cosmopolitan and historical cities. The first day off the train, I did little more than lounge around the hostel and eat a delicious butter chicken at Moti Mahal, a famous restaurant in Delhi. That night, the father of a friend from university in England picked me […]
Continue ReadingMumbai – The First Port of Call
Mumbai, known until a few decades ago as Bombay, is India’s second-largest city and a major cultural center. It is the capital of the state of Maharashtra, and the Marathi people who live here are proud of their heritage. The Maratha Confederacy was one of the more powerful states in India before the arrival of the […]
Continue ReadingA Short Trip to Canada
On my way to begin this summer’s adventure, I arranged an all-day layover in Toronto, my first ever visit to Canada. After catching the UP Express train from the airport to downtown (return ticket just under $12 Canadian if you make the round trip within 7 hours), I stopped for lunch at Richmond Station, on […]
Continue ReadingThe Next Adventure
Another summer means time for another adventure. This time, I’ll be in Central Asia. I’ve booked plane tickets, flying into Mumbai (formerly Bombay) in India and returning from Almaty in Kazakhstan. I have convenient long layovers in Toronto and Frankfurt, and will hopefully be able to see at least a little of those cities. Ironically, […]
Continue ReadingCape Town – the Final Stop
I made it to Cape Town! It’s been three quick months across Africa, but I’m happy to have finally arrived. Just before Cape Town, I made a quick stop in Stellenbosch, the wine capital of Africa. Of course, I toured multiple wineries. Several offered fantastic countryside views. Cape Town is a world apart from the […]
Continue ReadingNamibia
I’ve had a fantastic time in Namibia. I meant to split this fantastic country into several blog posts, but it’s been hard to find time to write. My first few days in Namibia’s capital, Windhoek, were spent enjoying some of the best food I’ve had so far on this trip. Then it was time to […]
Continue ReadingAcross the Continent
The next leg of my trip – intended to be from Victoria Falls to Mozambique – encountered several unexpected problems and quickly became a haphazard string of bus routes that left me in Namibia, on the opposite coast of Africa. From Bulawayo I caught a series of busses and combis (minibuses) to Great Zimbabwe, the […]
Continue ReadingVictoria Falls
My journey across Tanzania and Zamia was far too eventful – from railway strikes to crazy taxi drivers – but I made it to Victoria Falls. It’s truly one of the natural wonders of the world. The Zambezi River plunges over 300 feet into a deep gorge along a huge fissure. The mists can be […]
Continue ReadingZanzibar
My four relaxing days on Zanzibar passed quickly – made faster by the relaxed atmosphere and plenty of sleep. The island’s historical core is Stone Town, a veritable maze of winding alleyways and narrow streets not navigable by car, though motorbikes still whip around blind corners at astonishing speed. My first stop was the old […]
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