Travel

Lisbon has a quintessential old European city charm to it. Compared to Madrid , it is more rundown though. Day 1 - Baixa-Chiado area Check out the main square (Baixa-Chiado), see the oldest running bookstore , and learn the history of the various parts by doing a walking tour . A big earthquake came in 1755 in Lisbon. Apart from the red-light district, most of the city was destroyed and that made people start questioning God. One Church, Convento De Carmo, has some last ruins to indicate the impact of the earthquake. ...

Guatemala is a hidden gem in Central America. Just like its English-speaking neighbor Belize , it is a picturesque country worth visiting. Day 1 - Ride to Antigua After landing at the Guatemala International Airport, I took a taxi to Antigua. It’s only an hour away and is much safer than the capital city, Guatemala City. Antigua is a UNESCO world heritage site. It has cobblestone roads and is surrounded by volcanoes. It is a backpacker’s paradise. ...

The drive from Albuquerque to Phoenix is full of national parks and natural wonders. We intentionally did this drive over one-and-a-half days. We started on the afternoon of the first day. The first stop was the Church Rock hiking trail in Red Rock Park. It’s a relatively flat, 2.6 miles hike. We stayed overnight at Gallup and the next day, our first stop was Tee Pee Trading Post . ...

From Santa Fe , we drove to Albuquerque and stopped at quite a few amazing spots on the way. The first stop was Bandelier National Monument . It’s one hour loop. The hike is short, with occasional ladder climbs, and has small caves at the end. Next, we headed to the Spence Hot Springs . It’s open to the public and free. The hike is a bit involved with a fair bit of a climb. Unfortunately, it was a complete disappointment. The pool was small. The water wasn’t very warm except inside a small cave where it all came from. I would recommend skipping it. ...

Continuing the drive from Carlsbad , New Mexico, we drove to Santa Fe. There isn’t much to do in Santa Fe. The drive is perfect. And the drive to Albuquerque is full of great hikes.

Continuing the journey from Shakespeare ghost town , we visited Las Cruces (“The Crosses”), New Mexico, and El Paso, Texas. El Paso is a border town and for foreigners, I would recommend carrying a US visa or green card as there are temporary CBP checkpoints set up in its vicinity. I wouldn’t recommend spending more than a few hours in Las Cruces. If you are planning to eat then do check out the town/pueblo of Mesilla next to Las Cruces before leaving. Our next stop was El Paso, Texas. Right across the Rio Grande is the Mexican city of Juárez. ...

Driving from Phoenix , Arizona to El Paso , Texas. Lordsburg is a small town to stop over for a night. And here, we came across this hidden gem of a ghost town . It is only 7$ per person. The tour guide, a native of Ohio, who married the daughter of the owner, lives in this abandoned ghost town. He carries guns for the critters as there are tons of rattlesnakes around. ...

We started with the Wrigley’s Mansion . The mansion of the famous Wrigley’s chewing gum. The self-guided tour is free. And the paid tour costs 17$. Then head to Roosevelt street, the downtown area of Phoenix. There are lots of eateries and art galleries here. I would highly recommend having lunch here. Afterward, we drove to Papago Park. Phoenix Zoo is located here. Our goal was to do a small hike to Hole in the Rock . ...

Indian passport remains weak, as per Henley’s 2021 index, India has visa-free access to only 59 countries and that excludes the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the Schengen zone. Before ruminating on that, it is worth asking why China, which is 5 times richer than India in terms of per capita GDP is not doing significantly better either. The island countries of the Caribbean with a population of less than a million have better access than China. Even war-torn Venezuela has a better passport including visa-free access to Western Europe. ...

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is famous for the Carlsbad cavern. While Lava Beds National Monument is famous for its labyrinth of caves, Carlsbad is famous primarily for a single huge cave. There are several small caves around that require permits and specialized gear to visit. I would highly recommend coming here early in the morning. You need to book a reservation in advance. The Carlsbad cave is huge. And while some people take the elevator, I recommend going down as well as up via the hike to have the fullest experience. It takes about 45 mins to hike up/down. And then there is a big room to explore at the bottom. There are ~50 marked stops to the bottom. Expect to spend about 3-4 hours in the cave. ...