Devin Castle was built on one of the finest pieces of real estate in Europe – atop a cliff 212 metres above the Danube, at the confluence of the Danube and the Moravia rivers. My friend and I took a boat from Bratislava to the ruins of Devin Castle in May, on one of the … Continued
There are various reasons why I decided to travel. I once wrote that I decided to travel the world because I wanted to escape a sheltered environment, and discover the rest of the world. I also wanted to prove that one’s race, gender, background, or financial status did not prevent one from obtaining a great … Continued
The Wagah Border Ceremony between India and Pakistan To say that the border closing ceremony at the Wagah border between India and Pakistan was the most bizarre day of my life is an understatement. Witnessing this daily tradition between the two countries to me felt like an anthropological experiment, like I had just walked into … Continued
Murree, Pakistan’s Most Popular Holiday Destination: If you are a teacher in any Pakistani school and ask your pupil to write an essay on “A trip to Northern areas”, I bet 90 % of the pupil will write an account of their trip to Murree. And if you have ever wondered which place is considered … Continued
Part 5: Heading West – Elusive Taipans The wind whipped across the plains, covering camp with yellowed dust. We quickly made breakfast, packed and soon set out over the flat ground. The earth was deeply cracked and extremely dry. In the cracks and below where we trod rested the Inland Taipan, perfectly adapted to life … Continued
Sighisoara, Romania – Go Back in Time for a Romantic Anniversary My first trip to Sighisoara was also my first ever independent trip, back in 2000, when I was a freshman. I have always been fascinated by Medieval castles or citadels and I was hooked from the moment I saw the citadel from the train, … Continued
Part 4: Heading West- Birdsville and Taipan Plains The escarpments slowly faded in the rearview mirror the further west we traveled. Spinifex grasses began to stretch into the horizon, following the flat flow of land. It seemed as though the air outside of the ute had become drier, brighter. The earth was tanned and cracked … Continued
In the first installment of this two-parter, Chih-Yu and I had begun a day-long mini-odyssey across the borough of Queens via the 7 train, armed with only a credit card and an adolescent sense-of-adventure. To catch you up in-a-hurry, Queens is home to the Mets, and also a vast, mysterious patchwork of neighborhoods, home to … Continued
Part 3: Heading West – Perentie After two hours sleep, another hour or so nursing our wounds from being lost for a night in the bush and a couple sandwiches, we were ready to continue our Perentie search in earnest. Dust filtered on the breeze and through the short trees, landing on the red rocks … Continued
Brazil: Fishing for Piranhas The jungle is alive with the choir of singing bugs. While floating our way down The Paraguay River on a boat in The Pantanal in southern Brazil, our guide, Pedro informs us that most of the time the choir of cicadas, katydids and crickets is almost deafening to the point that … Continued