Caption: Itinerary on this trip through The Maldives, Sri Lanka, India and Nepal: 12 Sept 2023 I flew to the middle of the Indian Ocean, trying to land on the Maldives, made up of many small islands scattered across many…
19th September 2023 Colombo 3 days of in the sun and sea, my nose burned red and my lips cracked. This was the world where I chased the fish, giant turtles, sharks and nearly dolphins. I joined them in their…
21 September 2023 After seeing Sigiriya, I rode a tuk-tuk for 18 km to Dambulla, then a bus to Anuradhapura which was a further hour away. Anuradhapura was once the old capital of Sri Lanka when it was invaded by…
23 September 2023 Trincomalee From Anuradhapura, it was a 3-hour bus ride to Trincomalee on the east coast of the island. All along the way was the jungle, with houses nestled in it. Some coconut and banana trees and paddy…
26 September 2023 Train ride from Kandy to Ella From Trincomalee on the east coast, I took the local buses towards Dambulla, in central Sri Lanka. After staying a night, I boarded another bus for Kandy. After another night there,…
29-30 September 2023 Merissa From Ella in central Sri Lanka, I headed south towards the southern coast, to Mirissa. Many foreigners came to rendezvous with the beaches and whale watching. Along the way, some rivers nearly burst their banks. This…
2-3 October 2023 Mumbai So, on this trip, I first flew to Malé in The Maldives, from Kuala Lumpur on 13 September 2023, then onward to Sri Lanka, on the 18th of September, and now commencing this extravaganza trip in…
6 October 2023 AhmedabadAfter 2 days in Mumbai, I took a night train to arrive in Ahmedabad at 6.30 a.m. Stepping into the arrival hall, many were still sleeping snugly on the floor, like on their warm beds. They made…
8-9, October 2023, Udaipur, India From Ahmedabad, I continued northward by train. 6 hours later, I reached Udaipur. This part of India was getting into late summer and becoming cooler. I did not realize I was further away from the…
10-11, October 2023, Jodhpur, India From Udaipur, I headed north to Jodhpur, another city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. At my guesthouse, which was at a foothill, the towering Mehrangarh Fort rose in the sky, like a monstrous structure.…
13-15, October 2023, Jaisalmer, India I continued my adventure in the Indian state of Rajasthan. From Jodhpur, I took a bus ride for 5 hours to Jaisalmer, near the Western border with Pakistan. It looked yellow, right in the center…
16-19th October 2023, Day 1 Jaipur, India From Jaisalmer, I now went eastward for 13 hours to Jaipur on an overnight train. It was not pleasant as I slept in a 6 bunk-bed compartment on a bed I had to…
20-21st, October 2023 Agra, India From Jaipur I now rode the train to Agra, arriving the evening of Thursday. Everyone comes to India to see the Taj Mahal. I was rubbing my hands with great anticipation. Of all days, I…
22-23th, October 2023 New Delhi, India From Agra I now took the train to New Delhi, the capital of India, to see what has become of India. First, a look at her past – the Red Fort of New Delhi,…
24-26th, October 2023 Varanasi, India From New Delhi, I took the train to Varanasi, the holy city of the Hindus. As I walked toward the guesthouse at about 6 am, people were already on the streets, holding little jugs and…
26th October – 1 November 2023 Pokhara, Nepal It was hard to emerge from Varanasi after the incense, the orange robes, tilak, rituals, and the drumbeats. That is a fitting clomax to my discovery of India, though barely scratching the…
2-3 November, 2023 Katmandu, Nepal. During the 5 days in Pokhara I did try to rise as high and as early as I could, to get a closer look at the Himalaya peaks, and to see Nepal from high up.…
4th November, 2023 Katmandu, Nepal. There are 3 main squares around Kathmandu. I have visited the Durbar Square. One in the bag, 2 more awaited. So, the next day I set out for more. These Katmandu squares have the penchant…