Batu Caves for the Thaipusam Festival: Worth It?
I guess it’s pretty typical. You tend not to see the tourist attractions of your own city, because you take it for granted. I mean, I’ve been to the famous Batu Caves temple in...
Tagged: religion
We Nearly Bought a Goat in the Delhi Goat Market!
I did not expect to see much sign of Eid-ul-Adha in New Delhi, when I found myself there last year of the eve of the holiday, instead of back home. Although Muslims are a significant...
Seeking Sanctuary on a Sarnath Day Trip
My Sarnath day trip was an impromptu decision. That day, I actually intended to explore more of old Varanasi – specifically the festival that was going to be observed in the Kashi Vishwanath temple....
My Varanasi Day Tour with a Shiva Devotee – The Burning Ghat
A procession approached us, headed to Varanasi’s burning ghat, while we were drinking our chai. It was a group of people surrounding a smaller group of pallbearers. On the litter that they bore was...
My Varanasi Day Tour with a Shiva Devotee – Shiva City
Varanasi. Benaras. Kashi. Anandavana. Rudravasa. Avimukta.* Arriving in Varanasi Varanasi hit me like a ton of bricks. I had braced myself for the intensity of movement, of very many people in a very small...
A Kumari Contemplates Kathmandu Durbar Square
The tour guide seemed to hope greatly. An older man, he insisted on showing me his credentials as an authorised independent guide with quiet dignity. And he continued giving me his pitch on why...
Annapurna in the Monsoon Day 6: The Shrine of Dovan
We would ascend another 1000m on the sixth day, aiming to spend the night in Deurali at 3230m ASL. Along the way, near Dovan, we would pass by a local temple, said my guide....
Annapurna in the Monsoon Day 5: Entering the Sanctuary
Day 5 of the trek roused itself as from the fog of slumber. The sun rose muffled by cloud all over the peaks, and the balconies of the inn were damp with the night’s...
Dancing with Pulau Carey Guardians on Mah Meri Spirits’ Day
“Why don’t you ask the shaman directly? He’s at ease now, since we’re waiting for low tide,” the organiser said. He led me over to the rough wooden platform, bedecked in nipah frond origami decorations,...
“What do you say when you pray?”
I paused in the dim light, still seated on the floor where I was praying. The room was near-darkness, in the hour before sunrise. My room-mate Belle had sleepily asked the question from where...
The Man Who Asked Me For Food in Den Haag
It took me some moments to realise what he was asking. He wanted some money for food. We were at the far end of Wagenstraat, near the canal. This part of the street was...
How I Got to Tour the Reverent Side of Pattaya
Reverent, sober Pattaya? I will let you have two minutes to finish the mental snickering. . . . OK let’s move on. Better known for the tourist strip prosaically called “Walking Street”, specialising in...
