The Traveling Pancy

Bhutan is known as the Land of the Thunder Dragon, a reference to the violent thunderstorms that strike its valleys from the surrounding Himalayan peaks, blasting in like a dragon. The country was all but closed off to the world until the early 1970’s when it allowed a small number of tourists to visit; three…

We rose early, breakfasted and met our guide for the short ride to Pashupatinath, one of the holiest Hindu temples in Nepal. The sun had not been up long enough to burn through the early morning haze. As we neared the temple complex, we smelled the pungent aroma of smoke. Pashupatinath is also a funerary…

While we were in lightheaded awe at Everest Base Camp, the rest of our group was at Bhaktapur, a UNESCO world heritage city in the Kathmandu valley. When our helicopter guide heard we had missed this excursion, he offered to stop at Bhaktapur before taking us to our hotel, telling us the medievil city was…

We often dined with Laura, a solo female traveller in our group. Like us, she was well travelled, had an affinity for adventure and as a result had a great many interesting stories to share, making her good company. While in Jaipur, she mentioned how excited she was to be going back to Nepal. Twenty…

At long last, I get to visit a country that has been on my bucket list for ages. As a young teenager, I was intrigued with the Bob Seger song ‘Kathmandu’. I remember hearing the lyrics and wondering where in the world is this place with the unusual name that Seger signs about. In the…

Disappointed that we did not ride elephants to Amber Fort, we were looking for an opportunity to interact with these magnificant animals. We were delighted to discover that we could spend the afternoon at Dera Amer Farms, an ethical elephant sanctuary 45 minutes outside Jaipur. We shuttled through the chaotic streets of Jaipur dodging motorcycles,…

We arrived in Jaipur, India, reaching our hotel, the Rambagh Palace, just as dusk was settling. The hotel portico was lit with torches. Exiting the shuttle, we were escorted by a troupe of Indian musicians, dancers and mimes in colorful dress swishing and swaying as they led us around the hotel to the registration entrance….

Dichtomous India, land of contrasts. Old and new; traditional and modern; rich and poor. Congested roads with cows, elephants and camels lumbering alongside automobiles, pedicabs and bicycles; teeming crowds of people with women in saris along side women in blue jeans, men in dhoti and turbans next to men in suits and ties. Our destination…

Hoi An Ancient Town is touristy, but nontheless charming. Much to our delight after days of rain and overcast, the sun was shining brightly evaporating most of the puddles, when we caught the shuttle into town. We had a guided walking tour planned to see the highlights of this UNESCO World Heritage site with ample…

We woke to another morning of mist and heavy overcast.  During our morning walk along the coast of the South Sea, we debated whether or not to make the excursion to My Son Sanctuary.  It was a 75 minute shuttle ride and we had been warned not to expect anything as impressive or well preserved…