CherylFeb 4, 20213 minAnd the Winner Is? Pushkar's legendary camel fairIt’s said Lord Brahma created Pushkar’s sacred lake by dropping a lotus flower into the middle of India’s Thar desert not long after the...
CherylJan 22, 20213 minYou're a Traveller, Not a Pack-Mule! How to Travel Light Even When Hitting Different Climatic ZonesLooking for the road less travelled? Then ditch the rolling suitcase and sideline the expedition pack. Unless you’re in the personal...
CherylOct 3, 20203 minHoly Cow!The cow has discerning taste. Ignoring a selection of colourful scarves, carved trinkets and jewelry, it homes in on a bag of potato...
CherylSep 17, 20202 minHumps and Lumps—Our Camel Safari in an Indian Desert. Relax, don't hold on so tight, my camel handler advises me. Easier said than done. I’m white-knuckled and stiff as a board; gravity is...
CherylAug 16, 20205 minVaranasiIndescribable is rarely a genuine descriptor; unless you’re taking about India’s most holy of cities—Varanasi. Nothing matches the...
CherylJul 4, 202011 minPhalluses and Fertility in The Land of the Thunder DragonMy husband has been scrolling through websites for what seems like hours, searching for the right tour company to make our dream a...
CherylJul 4, 20202 minTrekking to Bhutan's Sacred Tiger's NestI'm halfway through my trek and completely out of breath when I see it for the first time—The Tiger's Nest. Clinging to a cliff side 800...
CherylMay 14, 20204 minFoggy Recollections of an Armenian VillageI’m wearing every last bit of clothing I packed, and yet, the dampness seeps through, chilling me to the bone. But the Wings of Tatev...
CherylMay 3, 20204 minThe Disappearing Aral Sea Hulking, rusting ships, part of a former fishing fleet, lie incongruously in their desert graveyard. We're in Moynaq, Uzbekistan, once a...
CherylApr 14, 20204 minLife Spills Out into the Streets of Centro HavanaThe friendly baker next door shouts ¡Hola, amigos! as we leave our apartment each day. Four weeks into our stay in Centro Havana, we feel...
CherylApr 11, 20204 minThe Daily Hassle of Buying Basic Necessities in HavanaJostling for space, we peer through the window of a grocery store in Havana, Cuba. Seeing large containers of water we join the growing...
CherylApr 8, 20205 minEscape From Spain-Yes, I'm a Boomer and Yes, My Kids Were Right-I Should Have Come Home SoonerIt doesn’t sink in until we see that our fellow travellers are wearing Tyvek suits, gloves, masks and face shields—we have waited too...
CherylJan 19, 20204 minJourney to Lahic, One of the Oldest Human Settlements in AzerbaijanAzerbaijan’s Baku International Bus Terminal, a massive multi-complex packed with stores, is more labyrinth than transit hub. The ticket...
CherylJan 3, 20204 minToro Toro, BoliviaIt's 7am, and we're waiting outside the Toro Toro National Park offices in a town of the same name. There are more guides than tourists...
CherylDec 26, 20194 minTunisia, North AfricaMy heart is racing. It's day two of our trip and already I've lost two daughters and a son-in-law. When planning our trip to Tunisia, I...
CherylDec 14, 20193 minBaku, AzerbaijanBaku is lush, verdant, green — and surrounded by desert. Home to 4 million people and a forest of giant trees set amid manicured lawns,...
CherylDec 3, 20192 minKarni Mata--Temple of RatsIt's festival time and the small Indian town of Deshnok in Rajasthan, India is awash in colour as pilgrims, dressed in their finest saris...
CherylAug 17, 20193 minSalar de Uyuni (Salt Flats), BoliviaOur oldest daughter, Shannon, is skeptical as she scans tour agency reviews. “This one is a no-go,” she says. “The driver got drunk,...
CherylJul 14, 20192 minMadidi National Park Monsoon rains beat on our roof and flood the streets of Rurrenabaque, a tiny town considered to be the gateway to Bolivia’s rain forest....