The temple of villain! Few years back, while I was travelling to Uttar Pradesh for one of my friend’s wedding, who was a wildlife conservation officer near Kanpur. The trip was really enjoyable. One of our botanist friend Avinash was explaining the … Continued
Bunny Men in Macedonia Tamara Lazaroff On a borrowed bicycle I’m cutting through a burnt-out field. In the distance I can see two old men – one short, and one tall and lean – carrying big bunches of weeds like bouquets draped in their arms. They are walking towards me as if in slow … Continued
The sky was insane that day. I thought as I looked upwards, the dab of white clouds meshed with the remaining grey ones overhead. There was no sight of the sky, the normal tint of blue disappeared quickly. Nothing would get me out of the water, certainly not rain. I had come too far, I … Continued
For decades, every traveler who has crossed the New Mexico border has been greeted by a sign declaring they’ve just entered “The Land of Enchantment.” (La tierra del Encanto in Spanish). After spending ten weeks in a 400-square foot casita in Taos last summer, I understand. For the most part, I lived sparely and simply, … Continued
There is nothing quite like the moment you begin to know who you are. You’ll think you have it figured out a hundred times before you ever even start to. Each time you will look back at the last, and think of how silly you were. Then soon enough, you’ll be lost all over again. … Continued
All Warfare is Based on Deception When my parents set out to adopt a child, China seemed like the natural place to turn. One-child limitations imposed on some members of the population led families to leave their infant daughters on the streets to be found to try again for a male child. After a bit … Continued
I am not usually one to consult psychics—I would rather leave my future a mystery. In this case, however, a rune stone reading sounds like fun. It will be part of the enjoyment of visiting Norstead, a Viking re-enactment village on the island of Newfoundland. During the informative tour, I listened to tales about the … Continued
I was only in Georgetown for a day, but I knew I needed to complete my research for my article on Malaysian food. I kept getting lost in Penang— the winding streets reminiscent of an ancient walled city, where the one thing you could count on is that, map in hand, you would still end … Continued
The sandstorm engulfs me like a swarm of angry wasps. Each gust fires a thousand grains of dust at my helmet and fills my ears with a noise like static, as I crouch by a drystone wall. My thirty-eight year-old Royal Enfield motorbike sits abandoned by the roadside. My hands sting as they cover my … Continued
I am a contradiction. I became aware of this for the first time when I was asked at a job interview some years ago to describe myself. I am happy, I am sad; I am guarded and open all at once. I love change and look forward to it but I also hold on tight … Continued