As I wrote earlier I had taken a quick trip down to Mysore and Bangalore from Hyderabad with my cousins. For all of us it was our first time in Karnataka and against my better judgment we ended up taking a day tour of each of the places. Alas, however that doesn’t mean I am without photos, although probably without as many good stories. Beyond … [Read more...]
Category: Asia
New Travels to the Middle East
So people have been asking me what’s been going on and I’ve slowly been answering it in various forms randomly in phone calls or on Social Media. But yesterday I learned that my Visa arrived which was a great surprise. I mailed it to the embassy the previously Friday and it returned on Thursday. I actually thought there was something wrong … [Read more...]
My trip to Bangalore and Mysore – or why (most) day tours are terrible
He looked at me, his nose scrunching at the idea and a look of dejection ran down his face. I could tell he was not pleased with my suggestion. “But, But, But, how will we see…everything?” – he asked. I sighed, past experience dictated it would not work out, but I knew I didn’t really had it in me to fight. Sometimes with new travelers only through … [Read more...]
Quick Trip Report: Hyderabad India
I’ve been terrible about posting India photos I know. Getting into a car accident right after coming back sorta threw the normal schedule out of alignment and for some reason I haven’t quite brought it back to normal. I haven’t even sent out my email of photos from the trip (sorry!), so hopefully at least I can try to make up some by trying to … [Read more...]
Photo Essay: Prophet’s Birthday in Hyderabad India
It was a warm January over there in Hyderabad this year. We were there mostly to try to catch up with family, go shopping, and relax and enjoy the escape from the terrible “polar vortex that hounded the US”. The Prophet Muhammad's (SAWS) birthday is not something that is generally celebrated with a lot of fanfare. In many … [Read more...]
Notes from an Indian Train
It’s been 20 years… Wow 20 years…seems almost unbelievable. I really can’t believe its been that long. I had to recheck my math to verify that. But yes strangely in fact 20 years since my last train ride in India. And you would probably think so much has changed in that amount of time, but maybe not as much you would imagine. To be honest I’m … [Read more...]
Breakfast with Bedouins – Petra Jordan
It was early. The kind of early that does not align well with vacation plans, even "vacations within a vacation" as I tended to describe this trip. Only moments prior the sweet cacophony of the Adhan, a mainstay of Muslim countries, punctured the arid desert air of Wadi Musa and the surrounding valleys. With my cat like maneuvers honed … [Read more...]
Wandering in the Jungle – Andhra Pradesh
“Time spent in India has a extraordinary effect on one. ” – Tahir Shah He clearly never spent much time at an Indian bus station, or perhaps that effect might be anger, frustration, or confusion. I jest…sort of. It’s 600am and we are wandering through the crowds of the city bus terminal in Hyderabad. Buses, cars, rickshaws, carts and people of … [Read more...]
Photo Essay: Wandering through As-Salt Jordan
One of the things a lot of tourists don’t end up seeing is the absolutely beautiful city of As-Salt that sits nearby as basically a suburb of the larger Amman. What even fewer realize is that As-Salt was actually the first capital and probably one of the most beautiful cities in all of Jordan. So I wanted to share a few of the photos and … [Read more...]
Indian Visa Process: BLS International
I get a lot of emails for support on getting a Indian Visa, and a lot of notes about my difficulty from before. So I figured I would try to pull together some tips and a guide for getting the Visa to help avoid some of the issues. These steps focus on a Tourist Visa applied for in USA, since that is where I have the experience. I have … [Read more...]
Visiting the Bone Setter – India
An old city injury requires an old city solution. Or at least that sounds like justification enough. For those who don’t know, I’m pretty accident prone. Ok I’m very accident prone; as I’ve been known to fall down going up stairs, find mysterious wounds on me, or walk into the occasional wall. I’ve even been told that I’m better on skis than I … [Read more...]
First Time Travelers Guide to Tokyo Japan
I start to realize that after having been to the city several times there are many things I had to learn along the way to make the most of my stay and help prevent from getting lost or in trouble. I was also recently running off a list of things to some coworkers who are heading there recently on how to get by and maybe it would help some other … [Read more...]
