Category Archives: Asia

Asia, Travel Blog

Enchanting Bukhara – A Treasure of the Silk Road

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After an 8 hour train journey, we arrived at Bukhara. As detailed in the previous blog, most of it was through the desert (as you can see in the map below). The train journey was hot and tiring but we were really looking forward to our stay at Bukhara.

Our route from Khiva to Bukhara along the border of Turkmenistan

Bukhara has been a center for trade and culture for over 5000 years and a key city of the Persian empire. It is considered one of the oldest cities in Central Asia itself and the old part of it has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Under the rule of Amir Timur, it became a major religious center. Spelled Buxoro in Uzbek, it is today the seventh-largest city of Uzbekistan in terms of population. There are many monuments in Bukhara which stand testimony to the cultural behemoth that the city used to be. And in this blog, we will be exploring this beautiful city. We continue our journey on Day 3 from the Khiva blog.

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Asia, Travel Blog

Time Traveling in Khiva, A Hidden Treasure of Uzbekistan

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Here’s a quick background of Khiva before we dive into the travel account. Khiva sits right at the border between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. In the local Uzbek language, it is written as Xiva (note this because it will come in handy during train bookings). It gained prominence as a key stop for caravans on the Silk Road. Khiva comes under the Khwarezm region of Uzbekistan and was once the capital of the Khanate of Khiva.

The term Khanate is derived from the Khans who used to rule here – Khans are usually part of the Mongol lineage (think Genghis Khan etc), though not always. The city then became infamous for being a slave market in the 17th century where a large number of Persians and Russians were enslaved and sold. After the Soviet collapse, it became a part of the new country of Uzbekistan in 1991.

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Asia, Travel Blog

The Roughest Start We’ve Ever Faced | Central Asia

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A trip to Central Asia was part of our plan for 2020. The itinerary included Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It was a 15-16 day plan (like our usual summer breaks) with a lot of travel to remote and local places. Little did we know that our lives would change completely before we actually ended up making the trip.

For starters, the world shut down for almost 2 years due to the pandemic. While we could never have guessed that it would take so long for the world to return to normalcy, we did figure out that travel would be impacted for atleast 6-7 months. So, we squeezed in a tiny vacation to Seychelles and got back just 8 days before India announced its lockdown. The more important change was that we had a new travel companion – our baby P! He would turn two in July 2023. This would be his second international trip (we had visited Turkey when he was 1 year and 4 months old).

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Asia, Travel Blog

A Guide to Amman and some Amazing Jordanian Food

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Amman is the capital city of Jordan. It is the largest city in the country and lies sprawled across hills and valleys. Our first reaction upon landing in Amman was that of awe – we felt like we were somewhere in Europe with lush green meadows and great roads. The stereotypical “Middle-east” image in our minds was shattered.

The city of Amman lies spread across seven hills
The city of Amman lies spread across seven hills
Throughout Jordan we found good roads, especially in Amman
Throughout Jordan we found good roads

It lies on the ancient King’s Highway – the main trade route connecting Africa with Mesopotamia. Neolithic human settlements have been found in the areas around Amman dating back to 7000 BC. The city was named Philadelphia by the Greek when they took over the region around 250 BC.

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Asia, Travel Blog

A Visit to a World Wonder and the Red Planet – Petra, Wadi Rum

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Two of the most iconic places in Jordan are Petra and the Wadi Rum desert.

Petra

Petra is one of the most prominent symbols of Jordan. The name Petra is derived from the Greek word “petros” for “rocks”. The rock in the region is rose in colour, giving it the name “Rose City”.

The capital city of the Nabataeans, one of the nomadic Bedouin tribes around the 4th century BC, Petra is considered to be an archaeological wonder. The city is a masterpiece in rainwater harvesting and stone carving – the smart Nabataeans turning the mountainous barren terrain to their advantage by converting it into an oasis. They used dams and canals to control flash floods and stored water for the dry season.

It entered the list of the New 7 Wonders of the World in 2007 – we ticked off our second Wonder of the trip, having covered the Egyptian Pyramids just a few days back (blog coming soon). Petra has appeared in many movies, the most remembered one being Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. This has, in fact, become a strong tourist hook for the ancient city, with Indiana Jones hats being a popular item in the souvenir shops at the entrance!

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Asia, Travel Blog

From Jerash to the Dead Sea – the best of History and Geography

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Jordan is a history-lover’s paradise. With its location at the crossroads of Asia, Europe and Africa, Jordan is indeed a melting pot of history and cultures. Archaeological remains dating back to 10000 years ago have been unearthed here. It is also religiously significant – being situated in the Levant region (with Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Palestine as neighbours) – there are many sites of religious significance here. It is also home to the Dead Sea. Let’s explore some of these places.

A Greco-Roman City – Jerash

On our first day in Jordan (complete itinerary here), we visited Jerash – one of the most well-preserved Greco-Roman cities in the world. It is situated north of Amman – a one-hour drive. The city, originally known as Gerasa, was an important point in the trade route of the region. It flourished for centuries – its decline started when sea routes started gaining prominence. A major earthquake in the year 749 destroyed much of the city.

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Asia, Travel Blog

A Guide to Punakha – home to the most beautiful Dzong in Bhutan

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The erstwhile capital of Bhutan, Punakha is one of the most beautiful regions of the Himalayan kingdom. Two of the main rivers of Bhutan – the Mo Chhu and Pho Chhu (Chhu means river in Dzongkha – the language of Bhutan) converge here. There are more plains here and the temperatures moderate to warm – making it ideal for farming.

After our stop at Dochu La, we made our way to Punakha. The road snaked its way down the thick forests and opened up into paddy fields. We stopped at the side of the road and Karma asked us to join him as he walked onto a narrow path in between the fields. We were close to Chimi Lhakhang – the temple of the Divine Madman. Yup! The same one who created the national animal. We made our way through the village of Sopsokha and then the rice fields till we reached the old temple.

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Asia, Travel Blog

A Guide to Thimphu – Dzongs, Archers, Food and much more

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Thimphu is the capital and the largest city in Bhutan. It is home to the Royal family and is the commercial centre of the country – it is a place where you can experience a blend of Bhutanese culture, tradition and modern lifestyle.

We arrived at Thimphu on Day 2 of our trip (check out the complete itinerary here). Our first stop was the Simtokha Dzong – the oldest dzong in Bhutan built in 1629.

Simtokha Dzong - the oldest in Bhutan located in Thimphu
Simtokha Dzong – the oldest in Bhutan
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Asia, Travel Blog

A Guide to Paro and the Legendary Tiger’s Nest Monastery

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Our Bhutanese adventure started at Paro’s international airport. Landing here is, in itself, an adventure as it is considered one of the most dangerous airports in the world. The plane spirals into the valleys with no flat land in sight – it is almost like a video game! Finally, seconds before the actual landing, with the plane still tilted, we catch a glimpse of the runway.

Before we know it, we touch down at the Paro airport. After we got down the plane, we could see tall mountains on both sides of the runway – no wonder it was considered to be one of the most dangerous airports in the world. In fact, only a handful of pilots in the world are certified to fly to this airport! Truly an adrenaline pumping start to the trip.

The Paro airport runway was surrounded by mountains on all sides
The runway was surrounded by mountains on all sides
The Paro airport itself looks like a heritage building
The airport itself looks like a heritage building
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