Tag Archives: Religious Practice I was already in love with India when I made my first visit to Varanasi. That magical northern city exceeded my already-high expectations and left an indelible impression. The spiritual capital of India, Varanasi (Benares, Banaras, Kashi), sits on the left bank of the Ganga (Ganges) in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Dating back […]  It is heartbreaking watching the situation in India with the Kappa and Delta B.1.617 variants of COVID-19 sweeping through the population and devastating communities. First detected last October, the variants – and the societal factors enabling them – have caused a huge second wave of infections and resulted in around 4000 deaths per day at […]  Bad lighting and dancing shadows lend an eerie air of animation to the figures on the walls all around us. Intricately carved pillars and beautifully restored wall-reliefs contrast with uneven stones and rough scaffolding: it truly is surreal walking after dark through structures built over 2000 years ago. My Nile river boat was rafted up […]  Sri Lanka was a delight! I hadn’t done any homework prior to travelling there, so it was also a delightful surprise. I expected (and got) colonial architecture and Hindu temples (see: Temples, Rains, and Ruins), but the number and variety of Buddhist sites in the country (eg: Dambulla Cave; Avukana Buddha; and Sigiriya) surprised me. […]  Travel in Europe is such a joy! Everywhere you go, there are beautifully-maintained, fresh and green outdoor public spaces, and well-preserved and integrated historical buildings. Take Rapperswil on Lake Zurich in Switzerland, for example. Part of the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona, this is a town I probably would never have heard of, had we not been […] |
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