Chiang Mai, Thailand New Year’s Eve in Chiang Mai Our impressions of Chiang Mai Hip and bustling: Chiang Mai was easily one of the most happening, but manageable cities that we’ve traveled to on our trip thus far. The city was overflowing with young people (locals and tourists alike) and had a great cafe and beer […]
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Ayutthaya and Sukhothai, Thailand Sukhothai Historical Park The lowdown Wat Yai Chaimongkol in Ayutthaya Getting around Sukhothai Triple threat in Sukhothai Riding through rice paddies in Sukhothai Ayutthaya and Sukhothai are two of the most ancient cites in Thailand. Both former capitals of the Kingdom of Siam in the 13th and 14th centuries (first Sukhothai
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Mumbai, India Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Museum Our impressions of Mumbai Beautiful mix of Indo-Saracenic and Art Deco architecture: Mumbai, particularly where we stayed and walked around, is full of grand Indo-Saracenic architecture, a style used by architects during the British Raj (colonialism) that combined elements of Mughal and Gothic styles. These buildings range
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Varanasi, India Walking along the Ganges in Varanasi Our impressions of Varanasi Eye-opening: Varanasi is one of the most awe-inspiring and eye-opening places that we’ve traveled to thus far. The sheer number of amazing scenes we witnessed – people bathing in the Ganges, cremations, seemingly spontaneous aartis – opened our eyes and minds to a different
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Jaisalmer, India Doug and Papaya in the Thar Desert The lowdown Patwon Haveli Our room at the Mandir palace Sleeping under a royal portrait The palace at night Jaisalmer, also known as the “Golden City” due to its sandstone architecture, sits in the heart of the Thar desert. We were both excited about the prospect
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Udaipur, India Gangaur Ghat street in Udaipur Our impressions of Udaipur Romantic: Nicknamed the “Venice of the East”, Udaipur is situated on and surrounded by lakes. Combine this with the fact that the Aravalli hills frame the city and you have the recipe for a romantic place. All of our dinners were enjoyed by candlelight
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Agra, India Taj Mahal Our impressions of Agra Much more to offer than the Taj: We were initially planning on spending a night and a morning in Agra so we could wake up early, see the Taj, and go on to our next stop. This would have been a mistake for two reasons: 1) the
Jaipur, India Amber Palace Our impressions of Jaipur Spectacular royal architecture and sights: Of all the cities in the “Land of Kings” (Rajasthan), we felt its capital city, Jaipur, had the most to offer in the way of royal architecture and sites (and that is saying something). We were amazed at how many spectacular and
Rishikesh, India Banks of the Ganges in Rishikesh Our impressions of Rishikesh Laid back: The vibe in Rishikesh was unlike anywhere else we went in India. Though it is still a city of 100,000+ people, Rishikesh felt much more relaxed and calm than what we had become accustomed to. Life and people move a little
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Delhi, India Life unfolding in Old Delhi Our impressions of Delhi Unreal street food: A big reason we were so excited to come to India was the food. We cook a lot of Indian dishes at home and have extensively read and watched clips about the street food in Delhi. For us, the Delhi street