PHOTO GALLERY: Halloween Extraordinaire in St Petersburg, Florida Happy Halloween! For some unknown reason, the residents of St Petersburg, Florida celebrate Halloween with a special fervor. In the wealthy Northeast District particularly, home owners decorate their houses and properties with elaborate Halloween displays. Visitors can choose to be ‘killed’ by decapitation or the Electric Chair […]
My Eventful Arrival in India – Troubles Galore Without Leaving the Airport!
My Eventful Arrival in India – Troubles Galore Without Leaving the Airport! Anyone who’s been following my recent travels knows that because I’ve been so scared to visit India for 15 years, I finally devised a Sneaky Plan for an Easy Trip to India. A plan in which I hoped, for my very first trip […]
Travel Tips: Learn About Tibet & Tibet Culture in Dharamsala
Travel Tips: Learn About Tibet & Tibet Culture in Dharamsala In 1950 China invaded Tibet. As a result of the invasion and resultant occupation, Tibet’s national and spiritual leader, HH the Dalai Lama was eventually forced to flee. He relocated to Dharamsala, India in 1959, where he established his home base and the headquarters of […]
PHOTO GALLERY: Dharamsala India
PHOTO GALLERY: Dharamsala, India Dharamsala is a small mountain town in the Indian Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh. Dharamsala is primarily world famous as the base of the Tibetan government in exile and home of the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s secular and spiritual leader. HH the Dalai Lama escaped from Chinese oppression in Tibet in 1959 […]
Travel Update: Change of Itinerary for my ‘Sneaky Plan’ Trip to India
Travel Update: Change of Itinerary for my ‘Sneaky Plan’ Trip to India In my recent post Sneaky Plan for an Easy Trip to India I explained why I’ve been dying to visit India for many years but always equally terrified to go because of India’s horrific noise, chaos, crowds and the dangers & hassles posed to […]
Travel Tips: Five Delicious Local Foods in Nepal to Try
Travel Tips: Five Delicious Local Foods in Nepal to Try Wherever I travel in the world I’m in the habit of eating local foods almost exclusively (and I eat them at local restaurants & shops, not tourist restaurants, guest houses or hotels). Nearly every country has delicious local cuisine and, for me, eating them at […]
PHOTO GALLERY: Pewa Tal Lake in Pokhara – Nepal
PHOTO GALLERY: Scenic Pewa Tal Lake at Pokhara – Nepal Pokhara is one of Nepal’s most visited destinations. It’s particularly famous for gorgeous Phewa Tal (Lake). The large, shallow lake is surrounded on three sides by low mountains, the foothills of the Annapurna Range of Himalayan Peaks. The southern end of the lake is flat […]
10 Important Tips for Visiting Kathmandu, Nepal
10 Important Tips for Visiting Kathmandu, Nepal If you’re heading to Nepal, this post provides some very useful information for your arrival in Kathmandu, the nation’s capital. For my recent trip to Nepal, despite reading up and preparing beforehand as I usually do, I didn’t find any guidebooks or online sources that mentioned these super-useful […]
Travel Tales: Waking Up in a Medieval Town
Travel Tales: Waking Up in a Medieval Town I was awakened at dawn by live accordion music. Whhaaat the..? Before I could make any sense of it, a loud bell rang out three clear notes. The accordion continued its melodic song. Despite my weariness this was just too bizarre to sleep through. I rolled out […]
PHOTO GALLERY: Pashupatinath Temple – Kathmandu
PHOTO GALLERY: Pashupatinath Temple – Kathmandu Pashupathinath Temple is the most important Hindu temple in the entire nation of Nepal. Located along the scenic banks of the holy Bagmati River on the eastern outskirts of Kathmandu, it is also a major site for Hindu cremation ceremonies, which take place almost daily. Both royalty and […]