Category Archives: Every Day Life In the traditional town of Bungamati – or Amarapur – in the fertile Kathmandu Valley about nine kilometres to the south of Kathmandu, people live and farm simply, much as they have for generations. These are the Newars (Newari): the historical inhabitants of the region. This settlement site has probably existed since at least the […]  When I spend time in the crush of Indian streets, rubbing shoulders with holy men and drinking masala chai with the locals, I always come away with some new realisation about myself, or the world. My first visit to Varanasi was not my first trip to India, but it was revelatory. Most of my time […]  India is a real experience in sensory overload. That is true of all the places I’ve visited in the country, but especially true in Varanasi. Varanasi – previously known as Benares, Banaras, and Kashi – is considered the spiritual capital of India. It is one of the world’s oldest continually inhabited cities, and has been […]  It was raining. But that didn’t stop the residents of Bergen, Norway’s second-largest city, from coming out into the streets and public spaces to celebrate their cultural heritage. I was very lucky with the Sunday I had by myself exploring the delightful city: a local troupe was performing traditional folk dances under the protective roof […]  Colombo, the commercial capital of Sri Lanka, is a multi-religious, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural city of 5.6 million. Thanks to its large natural harbour and its strategic position along the East–West sea trade routes, the city has a long and colourful history, some of which is still evidenced in the historic colonial buildings dotted between temples and […] |
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