Topics

Mar

A Trunk Full of Travel Adventures

by Meredith Mullins on March 27, 2017

Elephants in procession for travel adventures in Rajasthan, India. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

A regal procession in Rajasthan, India
© Meredith Mullins

The Elegance of Elephants

I have been thinking a lot about elephants lately. (That’s not often an opening line for a story about travel adventures, is it?)

In fact, I’ve been thinking about elephants for a long time—ever since Dumbo mustered the courage to fly, ever since Manfred the wooly mammoth survived the Ice Age, and ever since Horton heard his Who.

Elephants (and elephant characters) have enriched our lives for many years. They are evolved creatures worth studying and worth getting to know in an “up close and personal” way. Read more...

Meredith Mullins 2 Comments

Adventure Travel/Africa/France (Paris)/India

Nov

The Pull of Pushkar

by Meredith Mullins on November 22, 2016

Camel cart at the Pushkar Camel Fair in Rajasthan, India, a place for travel adventures in the desert. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

The Pushkar Camel Fair
© Meredith Mullins

Travel Adventures in Rajasthan

The naïve traveler might say that if you’ve seen one camel fair, you’ve seen them all.

Not true.

Those looking for real travel adventures know that there is no such thing as too many camel fairs, especially when it comes to one of the largest camel fairs in the world. The Pushkar ka Mela is different.

Livestock food sellers at the Pushkar Camel Fair in Rajasthan, India, a place for travel adventures. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

A bounty of color
© Meredith Mullins

The annual Pushkar festival in Rajasthan, India, is the ultimate blend of camels, dust, color, cattle, horses, music, smoke and spice, camel bling, acrobats, more dust, snake charmers, dancers, temple bells, more camels, carnival rides, competitions, and endless market stalls. Read more...

Meredith Mullins 12 Comments

Adventure Travel/India

Mar

India—Cultural Encounters of the Colorful Kind

by Meredith Mullins on March 16, 2015

Flower seller, car-to-car, cultural encounters in Northern India that provide travel inspiration. (Image © Meredith Mullins)

Travel Inspiration from Northern India

I expected sensory overload . . . and India delivered.

Bright colors warmed by the sun
Labyrinthine bazaars, far more organized than first glance implies
Horn blasts and shrill shouts from streets crowded with cars, rickshaws, animals, cycles, and carts
Spices that pervade the body—smell, taste, and touch
Dust and wood-fire smoke permeating air and clothes
Mounds of golden flowers—in markets and on shrines to the gods
People living their lives in the open—in the streets, on rooftops, in alleys, in unwalled shops, or in just about any open space

Rooftop in Old Delhi, cultural encounters in Northern India that provide travel inspiration. (Image © Meredith Mullins)

What I did not expect was the depth of hospitality or the pride of place that I experienced from the people of India. Read more...

Meredith Mullins 14 Comments

Cultural Encounters/India/The World's Photography

World Views: