Magnificent Guilin — Views of Hezhou

Magnificent Guilin — Views of Hezhou

I love visiting ancient towns in China. In this blog I have covered the Gankeng Ancient Hakka Townlet and the Dapeng Fortress in Shenzhen. Apparently, many tourists find ancient towns to be very attractive tourist sites, and China’s local governments and cultural heritage developers have 

Magnificent Guilin – Preliminaries

Magnificent Guilin – Preliminaries

Guilin was my first trip in 2024. The trip lasted four days and three nights, and I visited the ancient towns of Huangyao, Yangshuo and Xingping. Perhaps at a long-forgotten time I have visited Guilin proper with my parents. When I was growing up, Guilin 

Shenzhen Shorts — Shui Wei 1368 and the Shenzhen Museum

Shenzhen Shorts — Shui Wei 1368 and the Shenzhen Museum

My bestie and I had a full day of fun with yummy food and interesting sightseeing in Shenzhen. We started the day at Fascino Bakery in CoCo Park in Futian, then visited Shui Wei 1368, then the Ancient Art Museum of the Shenzhen Museum. We 

Ubiquitously Uzbekistan – A Delightful Encounter at a Spice Shop at the Markazi Bazaar

Ubiquitously Uzbekistan – A Delightful Encounter at a Spice Shop at the Markazi Bazaar

Throughout this wonderful first trip in Uzbekistan, I have had many memorable encounters with the locals. For most of the times, they approached us for photographs and we would begin a conversation. It was through them that I gathered the perspectives that Uzbeks hold close 

Ubiquitously Uzbekistan – The Ismail Samani Mausoleum

Ubiquitously Uzbekistan – The Ismail Samani Mausoleum

We relaxed and shopped a bit at the Sitorai Mokhi Khosa. Dusk would befall upon us soon so we hurried and got a taxi to get to the Samani Park. We would be seeing the Ismail Samani Mausoleum as the final sightseeing in Bukhara on 

Ubiquitously Uzbekistan – The Sitorai Mokhi Khosa, Where Russian Modernity Clashes with Uzbek Antiquity

Ubiquitously Uzbekistan – The Sitorai Mokhi Khosa, Where Russian Modernity Clashes with Uzbek Antiquity

The Sitorai Mokhi Khosa is the summer palace for the last Bukhara Emir, Alim Khan. At the time of the summer palace’s construction, Russian domination, be it as the expression of Russian imperialism or as the Bolshevik ambition that followed, has reached this part of 

Ubiquitously Uzbekistan – The Bolo Hauz Mosque and the Chor Minor

Ubiquitously Uzbekistan – The Bolo Hauz Mosque and the Chor Minor

A night of thunderstorm and rain has restored Bukhara’s muffled air of the previous day into crisp, clean breezes. The morning sunlight greeted us and we enjoyed the blessing of generous good weather for this last full day in Bukhara. The day would be packed 

Ubiquitously Uzbekistan – A View of Bukhara Beyond the Old Town

Ubiquitously Uzbekistan – A View of Bukhara Beyond the Old Town

From the Zindan Jail we headed over to The Plov, a restaurant that has high ratings for its plov dishes. There was quite a bit of a walk to this restaurant. In that walk we went through a large area of Bukhara outside the Old 

Ubiquitously Uzbekistan – The Haunting Memories of the Zindan Jail

Ubiquitously Uzbekistan – The Haunting Memories of the Zindan Jail

The Zindan Jail is very close to the Ark of Bukhara and it stands for haunting memories of torture, horror and incarceration. This may have been the second saddest sightseeing I have done in this trip in Uzbekistan. The saddest being the Muynak Ship Cemetery. 

Ubiquitously Uzbekistan – The Silkroad Teahouse in Bukhara

Ubiquitously Uzbekistan – The Silkroad Teahouse in Bukhara

The sandstorm cleared up a bit but we still wanted to save the touring for another brighter day. In the afternoon we decided to visit a teahouse in Bukhara. It seemed to us that the Silkroad Teahouse, which is on the way to the Kalon