History Archives - Page 15 of 15

On the Tragic Fate of Temple Elephants

Well, we haven’t had a Festival Friday for a while. To celebrate World Environment Day, this week we would like to offer something different. An article on the Onam festival in Kerala, and some thoughts on the fate of temple elephants.

India Fatehpur Sikri elephant carving — Elephant carving in an Indian temple

Kerala has something different from the rest of India. A mellow, slower pace of life. Touts won’t bother you, rickshaw-drivers are likely to be napping on the back of their vehicle. If you have read Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things, you’ll know what I mean. Kerala is a place of crumbling colonial architecture and steamy forests, criss-crossed by canals and fringed by beautiful beaches.

We continue our India month with an exploration of five sacred sites, some famous some less famous, to highlight the cultural and historical heritage of this incredible country. 1) The Taj Mahal Wait. Wait a second. What do you mean ‘sacred site’? The Taj Mahal, India’s iconic sight, daily trampled by hordes of camera-toting, paan-spitting tourists? … Read more

A Walking Tour of St Pauli

Hamburg-St-Pauli-Tour-Lucullus-Currywurst

Discover St Pauli, Hamburg’s quirkiest neighbourhood with a walking tour, uncovering its history and secrets. Now if you’ve lost your inheritance And all you’ve left is common sense And you’re not too picky about the crowd you keep Or the mattress where you sleep… One of Tom Waits’s songs is titled Reeperbahn, after the main … Read more

Five Quick Tips: Penang

With the beginning of a new month, The Crowded Planet leaves Jordan and moves to Malaysia, our focus for the month of April. There was no other way to kick-start this month: Penang is our second home. Nowhere else have we ever felt at home as in this little island off the coast of Malaysia. … Read more

Shobak Castle

March is nearly over, and our tour of Jordan is nearing to an end. Only one week left. During the first three weeks, we’ve brought you the marvels of the Golden Triangle of Jordan; Aqaba and its lovely beaches, the desert adventure playground of Wadi Rum and the eternal city of Petra. Here’s tale of … Read more

Five Quick Tips: Practical Petra

Dear friends, this week we’ll take you to visit Petra. One of the seven wonders of the world, a UNESCO-listed marvel. A rose-red city, almost as old as time. How to begin, to tell you how amazing it is? We decided to start with some practical Petra tips, on how to get the most out … Read more