Train to the Clouds – Day 4
Quito is a world-class city. And consequently it has major rush hour traffic problems. It is surrounded by hills and volcanoes and large apartment complexes now climb steeply up most… Read more »
Author Archives: Varya
Train to the Clouds – Day 3
This morning our Black Monster steam locomotive cuts a narrow swath through an idyllic landscape. We clatter along through rich agricultural land, rectangles and strips of land growing various produce,… Read more »
Train to the Clouds – Day 2
Our train is passing through a landscape of primeval heavy woods, fed by the waterfalls and constant dripping moisture from the forest canopy absorbing the water coming from the Pacific… Read more »
Train to the Clouds – Day 1
The excitement of pulling out of a foreign train station, with the station bell ringing and the steam engine puffing/blowing its black smoke song, is like no other. A train… Read more »
Guayaquil in One Day
After 14 hours of traveling, my cab ride through the quiet, shuttered streets of downtown Guayaquil at 1 am gave the impression of a clean manageable town. The largest… Read more »
Visiting Ecuador
Varya is visiting a country she has never explored, Ecuador, armed with a few lessons of beginning Spanish. She will fly into Guayaquil and board the “Train to the… Read more »
Cambodia 2017
Battambang is a former French colonial district capital in Cambodia and I have long wanted to visit it to explore its architectural heritage. My friend Melanie and I decided to… Read more »
Exploring Mawlamyine/Moulmein
I feel a strong pull toward understanding the history of the British Raj in South and Southeast Asia. If one believes in reincarnation, you could hypothesize that I was the… Read more »
Down to Hpa-An
At 6:30 am we are awakened by a great clashing of symbols and drums. It goes on for quite a while and eventually I put on my clothes and go… Read more »
Around Yangon
Tonight is the robe ceremony at many pagodas throughout Myanmar and specifically at the largest and most imposing temple, Shwedagon, in the center of Yangon. It has recently been regilded… Read more »