We had several days to fill between Khajuraho and Delhi, so we headed to Orchha, a riverside town filled with palaces, temples, and chhatris (tombs) built by the Bundela dynasty in the 15th and 16th centuries, but quickly abandoned when the Bundelas had to flee Orchha for safer ground. I won’t bore you with too…

After Varanasi, we got off the spiritual track and threw ourselves full-force into India’s formidable archaeology circuit: the country boasts thousands of palaces, temples, forts, and other historic structures, showing thousands of years of history from dozens of different tribes, kingdoms, and religious sects. We opted to start in Khajuraho, a backwater town famous for…

Our next stop was Varanasi, one of the holiest Hindu cities on earth, and also one of the oldest living cities in the world. It sits on the Ganges River, and according to the Hindu religion, anyone who dies here will attain instant moksha, or enlightmentment, so the city is said to be teeming with…

Still on a Buddhist kick, we made our way from Sikkim to Bodhgaya, a trip that took about 30 hours in total between Jeeps, trains, and rickshaws. Bodhgaya is the most important Buddhist pilgrimage destination and is the place where the Buddha himself apparently attained enlightenment under a pipal tree now known as the Bodhi…

Looking to escape the crazy and overwhelming cities of India, we headed north to Darjeeling, one of India’s most famous hill stations and world-renowned for its tea production. Despite an incredibly stressful and frightening three-hour Jeep ride up and down curvy, potholed roads damaged by recent earthquakes and landslides, we’re glad we made the effort…