The travel journalIndependent travel journalism
Traveller · Photographer · Local explorer
I have walked the Annapurna region every season for nine years, first as a porter’s daughter and now as a photographer. I write about the villages between the trailheads.
The Gandhi Memorial
A stone pillar in Lumbini marks the place associated with Gandhi's final days in Nepal. Here is how it happened, what stands in the memorial garden, and what visitors usually miss.
31 min read
The Monastic Zone
The Monastic Zone is a two-square-kilometre complex north of Lumbini’s main gate, with international monasteries, a canal, formal gardens, a sacred pond and long stretches with little shade. Here is what to see, how long to allow, what it costs, and how guides should organise the walk.
32 min read
The Ramak Van Buddha Park
Ramak Van is not the principal shrine of Lumbini's sacred garden. It is a separate park on the far side, reached by a walk of roughly 15 to 20 minutes past the Maya Devi Temple. Entry is free. Its 101 bronze figures, 200 tonnes of metal, 49 carved stones and 2015 earthquake scars make it the site where Lumbini's international Buddhist story becomes most literal and most difficult.
29 min read
The Japanese Daijokyo
Japan's newest and most architecturally distinct monastery in Lumbini sits at the far end of the monastic zone, beyond the Chinese and Thai complexes. It is free to enter, peaceful, and easy to underrate. Here is what the timber buildings, meditation hall, stupa, gardens, guest sessions and practical arrangements actually involve.
28 min read
The World Peace Pagoda
The World Peace Pagoda is free to enter inside Lumbini's monastic zone. Built around a 1959 foundation and supported by Swiss and Austrian partners, it has 365 steep steps, bronze reliefs, a peace message in eight languages and the best wide view in the park. Here is what to expect, when to climb and what to avoid.
27 min read
Paris and the Loire Valley
Four days in Paris and two more for the Loire Valley, with the right museums, sensible routes, real entrance prices and the details that save time.
45 min read
The Myanmar Monastery
A detailed guide to Lumbini's largest monastery, covering its Burmese and Tibetan architecture, chanting, post-earthquake reconstruction, visitor rules, costs, transport, food, and the long walk from the monastic zone gate.
27 min read
Barcelona and Catalonia
Barcelona is a large, busy Mediterranean city with a compact historic core, major Gaudí sites, beaches, markets and a serious problem with tourist pressure. This guide covers four useful city days, a separate day for Montserrat, current costs, transport, food, group organisation and the details that are easy to get wrong.
38 min read
Kyoto and Osaka: Two Cities, Two Temples
A practical guide to Kyoto, Osaka and the day trips around Kansai, with temple entry fees, morning timings, food queues, transport rules and the places tourists usually walk past.
41 min read
New Orleans and the Mississippi Delta
A detailed guide to the French Quarter, Marigny, above-ground cemeteries, live jazz, Creole food, the Garden District, the Mississippi River and the practical realities of visiting New Orleans.
39 min read
Lumbini
Lumbini is not one temple but a working sacred landscape spread across roughly four kilometres of the Terai plain. This guide covers the Maya Devi Temple, the Ashoka Pillar, the international monasteries, the Sacred Garden, the Peace Pagoda, Buddha Park, the ancient pond, tickets, transport, food, season, timing and the operational details guides need.
31 min read
Bangkok and the Chao Phraya
A four-day guide to Bangkok's royal temples, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, the Chao Phraya express boat, working canals, Chinatown, markets and transport, with prices, timings, etiquette and the details guides need.
46 min read
Rara Lake
Rara lies at 2,990 metres in Karnali, far beyond the end of the road. This is a detailed guide to the four-day walk, permits, camps, weather, fishing rules, conservation area and the practical decisions that separate a good trip from an unsuitable one.
34 min read
Kathmandu
Kathmandu is Nepal's political, commercial and cultural centre, but it is also a difficult city to move through. This guide covers the three palace squares, the earthquakes of 1934 and 2015, Thamel, Patan, Bhaktapur, the new ring road, arrival by air and bus, food, costs and the operating details guides need.
44 min read
New York City
A four-day minimum guide to New York, built around the Statue of Liberty, major museums, Central Park, the High Line, Brooklyn, Washington Heights and Coney Island, with current prices, timings, warnings and advice for guides.
37 min read
Havana and Viñales
A detailed, ground-level guide to Havana, Viñales, the western tobacco farms, Cayo Coco, Varadero, Cienfuegos and Trinidad, with prices, timings, transport advice, permits and the problems travellers should expect.
42 min read
Agra, Fatehpur Sikri and the Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is the reason most people come to Agra, but the city behind it, the Mughal fort, the riverside garden and the abandoned capital at Fatehpur Sikri make a fuller journey. This guide covers the practical details, history, missed corners, costs, crowds, food and operating advice for one of India's most demanding visitor routes.
35 min read
The Swiss Alps: Jungfrau, Bernese Oberland and Zermatt
A practical guide to reaching Europe's highest railway station, viewing the Aletsch Glacier, walking Zermatt's five valleys, staying above Lauterbrunnen and choosing trains worth their price.
30 min read
Jungfrau, Bernese Oberland and Zermatt
A detailed guide to the Jungfraujoch railway, Lauterbrunnen, Mürren, Schynige Platte, Grindelwald, Zermatt, the Matterhorn and the walking routes between them, with prices, timings, history, weather advice and planning notes for travellers and group leaders.
33 min read
Kopan Monastery and the Tibetan Border
A practical guide to Kopan Monastery, the morning puja, Namche Bazaar, the old Tibet trade, the Nepal China border road, Tengboche and the awkward journey to Lukla. Includes permits, costs, timings, altitudes, weather failures and enough detail for a guide to run the trip.
30 min read
Langtang and the Tamang Heartland
A practical account of the closest serious trek to Kathmandu, covering the bus, the steep trail through Tamang villages, Kyanjin Ri, Tserko Ri, permits, teahouses, food, altitude and the mistakes that make this route harder than it needs to be.
37 min read
Uluru, the Red Centre and the Northern Territory
Uluru cannot be climbed, but its base walk, surrounding country and spiritual importance remain open. This detailed guide covers the trails, permits, costs, road times, fuel, heat, Anangu requests, Kings Canyon, Alice Springs and the realities of visiting Australia’s Red Centre.
39 min read
Angkor and Siem Reap
Angkor is not one temple but a working landscape of courts, monasteries, causeways, villages and conservation zones around Siem Reap. This guide covers the reliefs, the quieter sites, the Tonle Sap, the practical costs, the crowds and the three-day discipline needed to see Angkor properly.
47 min read
Lysefjord and the Norwegian Fjords
A practical two-day guide to the Lysefjord in Rogaland, covering Preikestolen, the 984-metre rock face, the 200 NOK Kjerag fee, the two-hour boat, Haugesund, coastal ferries, Flørli, campsites, weather and the costs that surprise visitors.
27 min read
