Slaughter of the Innocents

At the end of our stay in Nepal, the last country on our Asia itinerary, here comes yet another cultural-religious shock. I never doubted for a minute Asia would disappoint in shaking up our European outlooks on anything from religion to food taste, moulded nice and safe for years within our comfort zone. This was

Nepali DNA

Astrologers, fortune-tellers and soothsayers – liars with a vivid imagination or individuals with psychic and paranormal skills? The science-oriented Western world perceives them as the former kind; the Oriental civilizations treat them more like doctors or weather forecasters, who have the skills and knowledge to prevent natural catastrophes and personal tragedies. I decided to find

Rajasthani Razzle-Dazzle

I remember when I heard the mysterious tinkling of Indian women’s jewellery for the first time. It was a chilly early February morning in the Old Delhi. In the morning silence of squalid narrow streets of Main Bazaar silver foot bracelets with little bells and copious bangles on henna-painted hands make a fairytale-like impression. These

Holy Cow!

It’s common knowledge that India is one of the most spiritual countries in the world. But, truly speaking, we didn’t feel much of it until we came to Pushkar, a relatively small town as for Indian standards, where people breathe in spirituality with the air. For us it was a perfect oasis of peace and

Eco-By-No-Means-Logical

When you hear Laos, the first image most people have in mind is the jungle. This country is said to have maintained it the most pristine in the whole Southeast Asia. This is why we went up these extra few miles to northern Laos, where the hill-tribe treks were supposed to be more eco-friendly and

When in Vietnam…

Studying hotel leaflets does not belong to my favourite activities while travelling, but sometimes you can find little ‘gems’ like the one below. It’s an excerpt from a longer article written by Amy Morison, also published on http://www.livehoianmagazine.com, presenting some characteristic Vietnamese traits, accompanied with my personal comments regarding our naturalisation process.

Minorities in the Rice

They say it’s better to be in the minority. Afterall, the minority in the world has power, money and is educated. The mainstream is boring and predictable whereas subcultures or minority groups are colourful and vibrant. The minorities also get the publicity either good or bad, but certainly they are good for tourism. There is