…in Morocco. I didn’t realize the Roman Empire came as south as Volubilis, Morocco. This town was started in the 3rd century BC by indigenous Berber people and eventually flourished under Roman rule. It was abandoned in the 11th century AD. The site is still being excavated.
Just experienced something so amazing, I have to write about it before I forget! Back in the 9-10th century, an oasis was created out in a remote area on the way to the Sahara. Essentially an underground river was created by digging “khattaras”. From the outside they look like dunes, mounds or huge anthills. In actuality, the ground was dug until water was found – I naively thought it was a well. Oh no, it is much more. The first khattara, closest to the oasis, may have been 12 feet deep. When that dried another one was dug next to it but deeper and so forth. Underground, they are all connected – hence an underground river. People had to go down the holes regularly to remove soot, dirt, etc that may impede the flow of water to the oasis.
The source of water? River from mountains far far away.
Unfortunately, the khatarras have all dried up – allowing scenes from Mission Impossible 5 to be shot here.
If we were allowed to, would have loved to explore how far we could go into the “tunnel”.
What an amazing morning – we visited the second largest functioning mosque in Africa (also 14th largest in the world). The minaret was the world’s tallest until neighboring Algeria built one slightly taller (competition?). The mosque took 10,000 artisans 7 years to build. They worked in shifts 24 hours a day. Everything is handmade/carved and all materials were sourced from Morocco – except for the chandeliers which came from Italy.
At one time, up to 105,000 people can pray at the mosque – inside and on the esplanade. An amazing fact – this mosque was built extending over the Atlantic Ocean. Yes, OVER, the ocean. It is a beautiful site to see the waves from the esplanade.
At the center of the prayer hall, there is a retractable cedar roof. It is massive and operated by a remote control. This mosque is a unique combination of ancient artistry and modern technology. Interesting fact – the minaret has two elevators rather than the traditional steps.
Fun fact: I could see the minaret from our hotel room in the middle of the night – we were pretty far away…..
Here is a photo dump from the visit.
This year our travels will take 7 of us all around Morocco (including 2 nights in the Sahara!) and 5 will continue onto Madrid for a few days. On our way to the airport – stay tuned for our adventures…..
Took a day trip to the Highlands and visited Inverness. Train ride was amazing – saw the transitions from the low to highlands, gorgeous sunrise and lots of sheep and cows!
Gagan and I took a tour of an active highland distillery – fascinating and very educational. Actually learned the real way to taste whiskey – I’m still not converted, but it didn’t taste as terrible as before!
Pics in the next post!
Sounds so cliche, but I feel like we are walking around a movie set in Edinburgh. It is amazing. Living around DC, our history goes back to around the late 1700s or early 1800s. Here, we are looking at the 1100s!
The most amazing thing is they have preserved that look. No crazy high rises mixed in within the city. Streets are all cobblestone. Newer buildings are not ultra modern looking near the historic sites.
I love the mix of history and nature. We hiked to Arthur’s Seat – or close to it for some of us! The views were breathtaking. Gudu has gone to Carlton Hill this morning while the rest of us have a leisurely morning. He sent pics of ruins set in beautiful green hills. Sorry to have missed it!
To say Edinburgh is “quaint” is an understatement. People have been super nice and hospitable. Stores in the city area and malls shut down around 6 pm – imagine it lends to a good work life balance. I wonder how life is outside the tourist areas.
I truly understand why people say Edinburgh is one of their favorite cities to visit.
Pics from the past two days to follow.
Perhaps one of the most memorable moments for me on this trip was when we were leaving. Trust me, I don’t mean it in a bad way….
Through out the day, family members came over to spend time with us before we had to leave. Visits began early and continued through out the day. Multiple family members came to the airport to see us off. They stood outside watching us until we were finished with checking in and seeing our bags off. They stayed and watched until they knew we were okay and off to security.
For the first time, the kids got to experience what we did multiple times while growing up. They felt the warmth, sincerity and unconditional love from so many people. Simmi was in awe of how many people came to see us off. Gagan and I were feeling super blessed that family came from out of town just to spend a few hours with us.
It was a bittersweet see-off. Wonderful memories and new relationships formed – especially for the kids. So blessed the kids had the opportunity to experience India and family and finally understand what we always talk about. AND they now know what we mean by “it smells just like India”!!
I have learned the meaning of this word all too much in the past two days. Indore is riddled with “jam” everywhere. Getting from point a to point b has become near impossible by car, auto, 2-wheeler and even foot.
Jams being caused by anticipated arrival of politicians, religious functions, construction…. Apparently the population of Indore when from 1,000,000 14 years ago to 4,000,000 today.
We have lost so much time sitting in traffic, making u-turns, purposefully going the wrong way against oncoming traffic, etc. It has been entertaining listening to our auto drivers screaming instructions to everyone.
This is not the Indore I remember. It’s too scary to walk on the roads – 7 of us walked single filed while dodging traffic yesterday. Note to future travelers – add 2 hours to every visit/errand you plan to do just for traffic.
Hard to believe our Nepal-India touring is done. Sadly we are leaving Goa for our last few days in Indore before heading home.
We have visited many places, seen many sights and met many incredible people along the way. People who have shown kindness, humility and graciousness in their own ways. People I hope to remember for many years.
I won’t forget the Soaltee Kathmandu dining staff who actually did a farewell for us before leaving – cake with a message wishing us a safe journey. The Soaltee Nagarkot staff who were so helpful in helping us get medical care.
In Amritsar, Chef Mani was very generous with his food knowledge. He also me the secret to his incredibly yummy Amritsari Chole. We are connected on WhatsApp and he’s offered to help with any food questions we have in the future. One of his staff members, Dipali, packed us fruits and snacks for our travels.
At the Golden Temple, I will remember the kind children who were asked to give up their spots for Jeet and me to do seva. They patiently waited and told me to take my time.
In Goa, we became friends with some of the servers – Debashish and Suraj in particular. At times, they work 20 days continuously without any time off. Both jokingly said they would come to the US and visit us. I said absolutely and gave them my phone number – I don’t think they expected that.
On the hotel beach, a group of ladies were selling fresh coconut water, other fruits and offering massages. We bought coconut water from them at 6 pm and they said it was their first sale of the day. Jeet and I told them we would be back. The next morning we walked to the beach and they saw us from far away and started waving. We bought 5 more coconuts from them and they were so thankful and happy to have made a sale in the morning.
All of our drivers and guides were so kind and generous with their time. Our last driver in Goa, Isaac, drove 20 minutes back to the Goa airport to deliver Simmi’s purse she left on our rented bus. He didn’t need to do that by any means, but he did it without any hesitation.
I won’t forget the lady simmi and I met in a street side shop selling clothes in Goa. We were chatting and she told us her daily routine. Very rigorous and no breaks – day starts at 7 am and goes on until 2 am. I didn’t bargain with her – as long as she continued to educate her children. She promised to and then told us all about her three children and their interests.
We meet so many people along the way in life – some leave a lasting impression. I am thankful to have met so many of those people on our journey.
What a full day! Nepal is truly a gem in many ways. Our guide called Nepal a melting pot – and it really is. There are descendants from the natives or “Newar”, China, India, Tibet and more. There are distinct facial features of different lineage.
We’ve noticed Nepali people are very modest and friendly all around. The rich and not-so-rich live in the same areas. Women are highly regarded and considered equals (or as our guide said, women importance is 51% and male is 49% 😊) – thus making women safe and comfortable overall.
Juxtapositions are everywhere! Ancient history blended in with modern day amenities all around. At one second we are crossing a traffic filled road lined with all types of shops, and the next, we walk into an ancient stupa or temple.
One of the most interesting things I have learned is how earthquakes have hit Nepal regularly throughout history. Many of the sites we have seen have been partially destroyed by various earthquakes at some point or the other. Countries around the world have helped restore specific structures. Norway, Austria, Tibet are some of these countries.
Wishing everyone a very happy, healthy and peaceful 2025! Here are some pictures from my camera:
A wonderful day to a wonderful night! So happy Gagan was able to come back to Kathmandu finally and show us his old stomping grounds. Watching Gagan take it all in made my day.
We had a nice rooftop dinner (brrrr) and came back to the hotel to find live music under the stars. The singer was amazing and seemed to know my playlist because he sang all of my favorites.
If you look carefully, you can see the snowy peak of the Himalayas in one of the pics.
The Commanders are stalling our transfer to the flight to Kathmandu 😂
What an experience! Went to Phoenix mall and it did not disappoint. This mall is supposed to be the best in all of MP. So many international stores and restaurants. Lots of name brands from India as well.
Waited 14 long years to have the Haldiram chili potatoes – just as good as I remembered!
After more than 40 hours, we reached home. Everyone struggled but managed to stay awake until tonight. Pics from Indore airport:
Boarded and ready to fly to Indore – finally!
After a 12 hour layover in London (and crashing in the AmEx Lounge), we are boarded for Delhi! It has been 23 hours since we left silver spring. Still have an 8 hr flight, 5 hours layover and another 2 hour flight…..
WordPress/blog tool lessons at the gate.
1 hour before we board! Reality still hasn’t set in entirely. It’s been so long since we have travelled like this – packing for India, long long flights, long layovers, 30+ hours to reach our first destination….. so much has changed and so much hasn’t.
Gagan and Jeet are most concerned about being able to stream the Steelers game on the flight (I don’t think it’s gonna happen! 😬)
