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African Burial Ground
Walk through lower Manhattan, on Duane Street, and you will come across a unique burial ground amongst all the high-rise buildings that surround it. The African Burial Ground Iwas forgotten for more than a hundred years until its discovery in 1991 when the city was excavating the area for a new building. The African Burial Ground is a unique memorial that is dedicated to all the African slaves who created a sacred space to bury their loved ones. It also acknowledges the role slavery played in helping build this city while recognizing their heritage and the hardship they had to endure. In the 17th and 18th centuries, this site was…
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Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya
Maximum City was, on and off, home to me for more than 15 years. And in those years, while I have passed it many times, never have I as much as ventured past its gates. It was formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India. Until, about a year and a half ago, just before the virus struck. On one of those lazy Sundays, with nothing better to do, my good old friend, philosopher, and expert in all things nefarious and dark decided to give me a crash course on the history of the city. And what better place to start than a whirlwind tour of South…
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Wat Khunaram
For those inclined, the island of Koh Samui has a lot more to offer than just its beautiful beaches. Wat Khunaram is also known as Phra Wihan Luang Por Daeng. While it may not necessarily be among the most impressive Buddhist temples in Thailand, Wat Khunaram, or Phra Wihan Luang Por Daeng, more than makes up for it with its special guest – the mummified body of Luang Pho Daeng, commonly known by his Buddhist name Phra Khru Samathakittikhu. The temple is host to a special guest. Koh Samui’s most famous monk was ordained as one in his early twenties. Then, after spending two years studying in the monastery, he…
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Orchard Farm
“All fruits are equal, but some fruits are more equal than others.” With that one sweeping statement, Choqita, leader of the bananas and plantains, seized power and took control of the lemons and other fruits to proclaim the first Banana Republic. However, some things just are not meant to be. Once Choqita had cemented control over the farm, it would not be long before the lemons and other fruits rebelled. They were led by Volks and Wagen, two partisans who had seen and survived a war that had engulfed the whole fruit world many decades ago. With the blessings of their guardian angel and the original lemon simply known as…
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The track
Back in the old days, it used to be a meter gauge track, with steam engines pulling the carriages with a huff and a puff. Close-up of a railway track. And then, it lay disused for many years, until it was converted to a broad gauge. The Puttur-Mangaluru shuttle before its departure in the morning. Today, it is diesel engines that pull carriages on these tracks. However, there is still a charm about Kabaka Puttur railway station that evokes fond memories of childhood, and evening walks to try and see off the train as it made its slow journey from Puttur to Mangalore. Dusk at Kabaka Puttur railway station. Some…
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Perspective
At 60 km per hour, the loudest noise that comes from this car is an FM station playing some soothing melodies. Or the driver making polite conversation. Seriously. At first glance, there is nothing spectacular about it. However, it is a car that has been and continues to be driven for years by everyone – from beginners to experts. It can carry up to six persons in absolute comfort. With some boasting of an automatic driver-activated rear door and fender mirrors. It was first released in 1995, primarily for the Japanese market. However, it proved so popular that it was soon seen on the streets of Singapore and Hong Kong.…
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Robert the Bruce
Nope. Your eyes aren’t playing tricks with you, nor is your imagination running wild. It is what it is. Robert the Bruce, King of independent Scotland from 1306 until he died in 1329. If you still insist otherwise, then blame it on the Caledonian pints you thirstily gulped down and the Haggis dish you greedily devoured. There, now, since that is out of the way, this is an introduction to one of Scotland’s favorite sons. A view of the town down below from Stirling Castle. When you settle down on the green grass at Stirling Castle and contemplate world domination, again, don’t miss out on the statue of Robert I…
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Just chilling
Zagreb in Croatia, like plenty other cities in that part of Europe, is relatively small. Depending on how much time you have, it’s doable in about three days, at a leisurely pace. A low shot of the streets of Zagreb On one of those days, when I’d done all there is to do and seen all there is to see, I started to google to try and see if there were any shops or toy stores that had a sizeable collection of die-cast collectible cars. A quick scan confirmed Arena Centar, a shopping mall on the outskirts of Zagreb, in the Lanište neighborhood of Novi Zagreb. I didn’t know it…
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What’s in a beer?
Plenty, it seems. A lot of times, people from around the world have a reason to visit a destination. For some, it is a chance to reconnect with their past including family and friends. For others, it is to relive a magical moment from a long time ago. Plenty others visit to experience the sights and sounds of a city or country, one they haven’t been to before. View of Pilsen town As for me, all I wanted to have was a pint of beer. Specifically, a Pilsner Urquell beer. To be more specific, a pint of Pilsner Urquell beer at the Pilsner Urquell brewery, in Pilsen. There, you have…
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Step back in time
It helps when you have a local showing you the sights and sounds in and around Austin, Texas. You get to stop by at towns and places that you didn’t know existed, until you walked in and had a crash course in history. Like Fischer Historical District. Walking around Fischer Texas wasn’t what I expected it to be. Sure, I had seen plenty of movies and read enough to mentally paint a picture of this state, its cities and towns. But what I didn’t expect was to immerse myself into the history of some of these innocuous sounding towns. Straight roads for miles on end A few years ago, I…
