City Gal On The Go
Antigua is a Spanish colonial city, similar to other colonial cities in Central America. Colorful buildings line the streets. I’d recommend staying at Hotel Meson de Maria. There’s a cool expat bar called Cafe No Se, which sells their own brand of Illegal Mezcal.
Lake Atitlan is sits in a volcanic crater in southwestern Guatemala. Several interesting towns surround the lake and are easily accessible by water taxi. We stayed in Panajachel, one of the larger towns, at the Casa Colonial Hotel. I recommend visiting Santa Cruz la Laguna, one of the smaller towns — take a tuk tuk
Tiger’s Nest, a Buddhist monastery built into the side of a mountain in the Himalayas, was a bucket list experience for me. I remember seeing a photo of it when I was younger and imagining how lucky I would be if I ever got to see it. I’d developed a horrible respiratory infection in India,
Bhutan is a Buddhist kingdom in the Himalayas. It’s also home to Tiger’s Nest, an important Buddhist monastery built into the side of a mountain. The Bhutanese believe in ‘high value, low impact’ tourism, meaning they allow a limited number of visitors, and charge a tourist tariff of around $250 USD per day. Historically, Bhutan
A trip to India wouldn’t be complete without visiting Agra, home to the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, the most iconic buildings in India.
I absolutely loved Varanasi — it’s such a unique and spiritual place — one of the most holy places for Hindus in India, who come to bathe in the Ganges River. I also loved that I could walk along the ghats by myself during the day and at night without getting lost. I recommend staying
Amer Fort is beautiful palace located just outside of Jaipur. It’s a bit touristy, especially if you arrive later in the day, but definitely worth visiting. If you’re in Jaipur, I recommend you also visit City Palace and the Monkey Temple.
Monkey Temple (Galtaji) is an ancient Hindu temple, and was one of my favorite places in Jaipur. Slightly off the beaten path, it was practically empty, and my driver brought tomatoes to feed to the monkeys. If you’re in Jaipur, I recommend you also visit City Palace and Amer Fort.
I arrived at City Palace early in the morning, when there were hardly any people. It was stunning, opulent, and exactly what I pictured seeing in India. If you’re in Jaipur, I recommend you also visit Amer Fort and the Monkey Temple.
I didn’t get to see much of Delhi, as the pollution gave me a respiratory infection which forced me to stay indoors. However, I found this mosque to be a welcome respite from the chaos of the city.
Death Valley is a national park in the Mojave Desert, in eastern California on the Nevada border (about an equal drive from Los Angeles and San Francisco). It’s home to Badwater Basin salt flats, the lowest elevation in America (86 meters / 282 feet below sea level), as well as sand dunes and rainbow mountains.
Bhaktapur is located about 45 minutes east of Kathmandu. It’s a pedestrian city — quieter, slower, and better preserved than Kathmandu. However, it also seemed to have been hit much harder by the earthquake than Kathmandu. If you plan to stay in Bhaktapur, I recommend staying at the Peacock Guest House.