Tiger footprints. We stop in our tracks. Excitement rises. Our guide kneels and studies them, and concludes they are old ones. Disillusion comes with a hidden sense of relief.
There is a gun-carrying guard with us, but still.
India Travel
Traversing Living-root Bridges in Meghalaya (India)
Living-root bridges? Bridges made of natural materials that last hundreds of years?
Yes, they exist!
Joining a Jain Pilgrimage to the Palitana Temples in Gujarat (India)
“Don’t wear leather items like shoes or a belt.”
“Wear clean and ironed clothes. Adinath will see this and you will receive more energy for walking.”
“Chant ‘Adinath-Adinath’ at every step, which will give more energy too.”
Searching for the White Rat in the Karni Mata Temple of Deshnok (India)
Can you imagine walking among thousands of rats without freaking out? I couldn’t, but I did anyway.
There is no other option when visiting the Karni Mata Temple where rats are sacred.
Visit the Munnar Tea Plantations in Kerala and Watch the Tea Harvest (India)
The world around us is an ocean of green: undulating hills blanketed with dark green and soft green tea plants. India is the second-largest tea producer in the world (after China) and the Munnar Tea Plantations, in the southwestern state of Kerala, is one of India’s major tea producing centers.
This is a sea of tea plants.
Joining a Hindu pilgrimage to the Amarnath Cave (India)
The goal of our Hindu pilgrimage is almost in sight: an ice stalagmite. A holy stalagmite. I flop down on an ice-cold stone and vigorously rub my feet that have turned blue and lost all feeling after I climbed stone steps without number in subzero temperatures.
Barefoot, that is.
Taking the Narrow Gauge Train to Darjeeling, (India)
It’s still dark when we walk downhill to the train station. Although the train will only leave at seven, we have been advised to arrive an hour early.
There are only a few seats on the Toy Train of the famous Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.