The Traveling Pancy

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…

We landed in DaNang, Vietnam mid afternoon. It was wet, more mist than rain and very humid with a similar forecast for the next few days, identical weather to the entire nine days we were in Vietnam twenty years ago. I inwardly groaned – does the sun never shine here? Time to unpack the rain…

When we booked the Ancient Crossroads trip pre-COVID, our itinerary had us visiting Mynamar. Connected to the Silk Road via sea routes to China and overland, Mynamar, known as Burma at the time, was noted for its prized etched beads. But political turmoil and a government coup intervened so Vietman replace Mynamar in the itinerary,…

After an almost nine hour flight, a two hour advance in time and a one hour transfer from the airport, we arrived at the Bangkok Four Seasons well after dark, exhausted. Staff welcomed us with fragrant leis of white and red roses, then thankfully, whisked us off to our room. Observing from floor to ceiling…

The term Silk Road conjures up images of the overland trade route between Southeast Asia, China, India, Arabia, Egypt and Europe, but commerce also happened by sea. The Maritime Silk Road was established and operated primarily by sailors from Southeast Asia and the Arabian pennisula. Not only did this route move silk, spices, foodstuffs and…