Travel

Day 1 I landed in Quito and started the journey with Mitad Del Mundo which apart from being a monument near the equator line has some nice short scientific demonstrations. Expect to spend about 2-3 hours there. Then I headed to Telefrico (“aerial lift”). The ride is nice and gives a beautiful view of Quito city. Highly recommended. Lastly, I headed to Quito Old Town. Overhyped. There is nothing special about it. In fact, I would recommend the readers to start early in the morning and go to Mindo Cloud Forest first. I had an overnight bus journey from Quito to Lago Agrio afterward. ...

Day 1 We started our journey with Chihuly Garden and Glass, it consists of amazing glass sculptures of various sizes. Worth every penny. Highly recommended for everyone. From there we continued to Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Visitor Center, half of it feels like a publicity stunt but the other half is insightful and worthy of a visit. We skipped the Space Needle and did the Space Wheel, instead. Grab to-go boxes and eat them while having a nice view of the city’s skyline. ...

Day 1 Post-immigration clearance at about 6 PM, I took the Airlink Train to go to Patpong market. One can try a wide variety of local cuisines or a Thai body or facial massage there. There are tons of stalls selling unbranded goods of all variety. Overall, a good start the journey. From there, I headed to Khao San road which is the backpacker’s paradise of Bangkok. The area is on party 24-hours a day. I did some window shopping and felt that goods being sold on Bangkok streets were significantly expensive than Amazon and Dollar Tree in the US. I stayed at Rainbow Hostel at the end of Khao San road to avoid the noise during the sleep time. The place was good but not great. Thailand, just like India uses water in the toilets, if you are a westerner who has never used water before then carry your own toilet paper around. ...

Philadelphia is a historic city on the east coast of the United States. It was the capital of the U.S. before Washington D.C. I spent two and a half days in and around Philadephia in January 2016. Day 1 I started the day with Indepence Hall National Historic Site. Liberty Bell Center gives a good overview of this historic American cultural icon. From there, I continued onto the tour of Independence Hall. Only a guided tour is permitted inside and it is really good. ...

Among all islands in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico (“Rich Port”) is among the few to have historical and geographical places of interest, alongside the beaches. It is a U.S. territory. Flights from the mainland United States are treated as domestic flights. It has tropical weather, so, a visit in the latter part of the year is recommended. Public transport is poor outside of the main city of San Juan, so, if you want to explore the island, a rental car is highly recommended. Here is a recommended four-day itinerary. ...

Alaska is vast, in a 4-day trip, one can either do the northern Arctic part or the southern part. We did the latter. Here is the itinerary we followed. Day 0 - Land in Anchorage, and drive four hours to Denali national park. Day 1 - Take the Kantishna bus tour of Denali national park. Driving inside the park is not allowed. ...

An interactive map of where all one can easily travel an Indian passport. I have added separate layers for those of you who have a Schengen, a UK, or a USA visa. Short link: bitly.com/visa-indians Data Sources: Wikipedia Another sheet

Day 1 - Reach the Outpost Camp (3.8 miles, 10.4K ft) Day 2 - Started at 8 AM Reached consultation lake at noon Reached trail crest at 2:20 PM Reached summit at 6 PM Returned to Outpost Camp by 11:35 PM Day 3 - Head back to Whitney Portal Conditions It was all snow covered - knee-deep snow in some places. 99 switchbacks are not possible under such conditions, so, we climbed up the chute. The trail is dangerous beyond trail crest, don’t go alone. Do ...