Author: Kristin
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Pashupatinath Temple
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Pashupatinath Temple is a famous and sacred Hindu temple complex located on the Bagmati River that runs through Kathmandu. This temple complex is the largest in Nepal covering 608 acres of land. It includes 518 temples and monuments, as well as a cremation site. The main temple is dedicated to Pashupatinath, a…
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Boudhanath Temple
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Built in the 6th century, the Boudhanath Temple is the biggest stupa in Nepal and a witness to Tibetan Buddhism. It is one of the most revered Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Nepal. The structure of the building consists of a giant dome, on the top of which sits a Buddhist pyramid tower.…
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Kathmandu, Nepal
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Nepal is the land of The Buddha. Kathmandu valley is not only the political but also the cultural capital of Nepal. Seven of the ten UNESCO World Heritage sites of Nepal are in Kathmandu valley, and we saw six of them. The city is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places…
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Tiger’s Nest
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On the last day of our Bhutan tour, we returned to Paro where Bob took the challenge to hike part way to the Tiger’s Nest Monastery. Tiger’s Nest Monastery or Taktsang Palphug Monastery is what most people associate with Bhutan. It is the monastery that you see in pictures, clinging…
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Thimphu
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Thimphu is the capital of Bhutan and its largest city. It is situated on the Raidak River at an altitude varying from 7,375 ft.to 8,688 ft. Thimphu became the capital of Bhutan in 1961 during the reign of the third Druk Gyalpo (Dragon King), Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. Before that, the capital…
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Dances of Bhutan
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Dances are vital to the religious and social life of Bhutan. They are performed at their festivals or Tshechus and portray spiritual teachings, tell stories of their history, and honor their deities. We were fortunate to be there during the king’s birthday celebration and saw some of the dances performed by…
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Wangdu Phodrang
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Wangdue Phodrang is a town and capital on the way to Gangtey and is the last town before entering central Bhutan from the Punakha valley. It is a small town with a prominent landmark, the Wangdue Phodrang Dzong which sits on a small hill. The Dzong was built in 1639…
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Punakha
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There’s only one main highway in Bhutan. It is two lanes, narrow, and very windy, running from west to east toconnect all of the country’s major cities, including Paro, Thimphu, and Punakha. Between the cities it goes through beautiful forested country at times and rice paddies at other times. Often…
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Charlottetown
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Charlottetown, named after Queen Charlotte, is the capital of Prince Edward Island. It was the site of the Charlottetown Conference in 1864 which led to the beginning of the Canadian Federation. Because of this, the motto of the city is “Birthplace of the Confederation.” We flew into a small airport, picked…
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Anne of Green Gables
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Of course, most people who hear of PEI think of Anne of Green Gables. The island has capitalized on the coming-of-age story of an 11-year-old orphaned girl sent by mistake to the Cuthberts on Prince Edward Island in a house with Green Gables. The story relates the struggles and joys Anne experiences as…
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The Old City Of Jerusalem
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The walled Old City of Jerusalem is on a plain about 2,500 feet above sea level. The walls still stand and enclose many of the ancient sites. There are eight main gates to the city. The Old City is not only an historic place, but the center for the world’s three…
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Driving around PEI
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Since we were driving around the island, we not only had to get used to kilometers, but also to different traffic signs. I expected them to be in both English and French, but we were surprised. They were in neither language; mostly the road signs in PEI are pictures or diagrams. Some were…
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Hex Signs
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Driving around PEI, I saw lots of barns and houses with stars, octagons, and tulips inside a circle. These are hex signs. How odd! Hex signs are said to have been brought to Pennsylvania by the Germans in the 1700s who were called Pennsylvania Dutch. Initally they were used to ward off evil spirits,…
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Acadians/Cajans
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Who are the Acadians? How are they related to the Cajans? The Acadians are French who came to “New France” during the 17th century and settled in the region called Acadia, located in what are now the Maritime Provinces of Canada.. They primarily came from the central western region of France. Being…
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The Potato
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Ever heard of Potato Fudge? Come to Prince Edward Island. The potato is one of their claims to fame. And you can taste and buy potato fudge., PEI is located north of Maine; the potato was cultivated by the Incas in Peru over 1800 years ago. How did it migrate? Spanish conquistadors are said…
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Paro
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Paro is known as the Gateway to Bhutan. Not far from the airport sits the Rinpung Dzong or Paro Dzong, a fortress monastery that watches over the Paro Valley. It is the religious and administrative center of the region. While the word “Dzong” means fortress, each dzong includes a Buddhist monastery, which…
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Bottle Houses
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A unique tourist attraction on PEI is the Bottle Houses and Gardens in Cap-Egmont. Here there is a chapel, a six gabled house, and a tavern made of recycled bottles cemented together. Over 25,000 bottles have been used to create this place surrounded by beautiful gardens and a fishpond. The serenity of the…
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Lighthouses of PEI
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If you love lighthouses, then Prince Edward Island (PEI) is the place to visit. With 1,100 km (683.51 mi) of coastline, PEI has the highest concentration of light houses in North America. Canada’s smallest province, PEI is 224 km (139 mi) long and is surrounded by the Gulf of St. Lawrence…
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Searching our Family
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Our first trip was to Central PEI. We were looking for Margate which turned out to be a wide spot in the road with a church and a few houses. It was at the cemetery beside the Southwest River United Church that we hit the jackpot! We found many graves of the…