Travel tales - NicoLyn Around the World

How to visit the Taj Mahal while avoiding hordes of tourists?

Asia India February 7th, 2019February 7th, 2019 by Nicolas

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Wonder of the modern world, the Taj Mahal is worth almost the trip to India alone. This mausoleum built for the wife of a Mughal emperor devastated by his death is a hymn to love. Even centuries after the end of its construction, white marble still shines, giving an extraordinary dimension to the site that can leave you only admirable. You and the seven million annual visitors. It’s therefore difficult to visit the Taj Mahal and to make photos without other tourists on it. Here is the story of our visit and all our tips to visit the Taj Mahal …

First steps towards the discovery of India – two days in New Delhi

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Indian capital, New Delhi offers more than just a glimpse of what the country has to offer: people everywhere, smells, garbage, excellent food, a beautiful architecture mixing oriental style with colonial style, you find everything, in abundance and even more than that. New Delhi was our first city in India. Since we were in Egypt just before, the cultural shock was smaller but still present. Indeed, we were already a bit used to horns and traffic in Cairo, but nothing prepares for so many noises, smells, dirt and colors. We can easily imagine what a Westerner who comes directly to …

Nile Cruise and the visit of touristic sites

Egypt Middle East March 27th, 2019May 1st, 2019 by Nicolas

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What would have been ancient Egypt without its source of life, the Nile? In any case not this civilization having created impressive temples and majestic pyramids, resistant to the time and to the different occupations of the country by the foreign powers having ruled there over the centuries. After visiting Cairo for three days, we went to visit the center and the south of Egypt by cruising on the Nile from Aswan to Luxor. We have of course visited the various archaeological remains present on the road, such as the temple of Abu Simbel, the Valley of the Kings or …

4 days discovering Cairo tresors and Giza Plateau

Egypt Middle East January 26th, 2019May 1st, 2019 by Nicolas

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After Jordan, we continue our historical and ancient journey in Egypt, starting with its capital, Cairo. Our arrival in Cairo When we got off our plane in Cairo, we wanted to take the bus to get to our hotel in the city center. After passing the usual taxi horde at the exit of the controlled area of the terminal, we ask our way at the information desk. A gentleman who worked in Zürich explained us in a hesitant German that we shouldn’t take the bus, people are very tight, stinks and it’s not safe. In addition, other taxis do not …

On the path of the Nabataeans and Indiana Jones … Three incredible days in Petra

Jordan Middle East January 4th, 2019January 4th, 2019 by Céline

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World famous, made even more famous by Indiana Jones, one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World… We are talking about Petra, this incredible Nabatean city filled with magnificent monuments cut in reddish stone. Petra alone is worth the trip to Jordan – although the country offers plenty of other places worth a visit (click here to see our itinerary through Jordan coming soon). Our visit of Petra We chose to visit Petra in two days. Having discussed with a couple staying at the same hostel and the manager the night before, we decided to go there as soon …

Travel tales: Amman and its surroundings

Jordan Middle East January 5th, 2019January 26th, 2019 by Nicolas

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When you think of Jordan, you mostly think of Petra and the Wadi Rum desert. But Jordan is so much more than that, it’s a mix of history of many civilizations, it’s an exemplary hospitality that seems to be part of their culture and it’s ultimately a simple but excellent food. Our arrival in Amman After Dubai and Central Asia, we decided to visit countries with traces of older history, namely Jordan and Egypt. We went first to Amman, capital of Jordan. After the luxury and spaciousness of Dubai, we had a little slap in the face when we arrived. …

Three days of luxury in Dubai

Middle East United Arab Emirates January 8th, 2019March 26th, 2019 by Nicolas

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Dubai, the megacity of all superlatives in the middle of the desert; the city where you can ski on snow and skate on ice while it’s more than 40 degrees outside; the city where hotels have so many stars that we can’t count them anymore. We had to go for a ride, especially after a month spent in comfort more than limited in Central Asia. And if we’re going, let’s do it full flashpacker mode! But what’s a flashpacker? This is a term I heard for the fist time recently. It refers to a traveler traveling with a backpack while …

Travel tales: Tashkent

Asia Uzbekistan January 4th, 2019January 8th, 2019 by Nicolas

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Capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent is marked by its Soviet history. The style of the subway stations is clearly inspired by the USSR. From down there, you could easily believe being in a city of Russia. In addition, some buildings, such as the Uzbekistan hotel, can not deny their Soviet origins: wide, high, rectangular, small windows and thick concrete. The contrast of wealth with the rest of the country is less noticeable than in Tajikistan, between Dushanbe and the rest of the country. Our arrival from Khiva We arrived at the end of the morning with the night train from Khiva. …

Travel tales: Khiva

Asia Uzbekistan January 4th, 2019January 4th, 2019 by Nicolas

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Located in the far west of Uzbekistan, close to the border with Turkmenistan, Khiva stands out for its authenticity. The historic center in the middle of the ramparts of the city seems to be stopped in time, as if the passing centuries had no hold on him. Getting to Khiva We took a night train from Bukhara. This train was leaving at 4am from the station. We had chosen a four-person lockable compartment, although we hoped to be only two in this one. Arriving in our compartiment, two persons were already occupying the two seats at the bottom of our …

Travel tales: Bukhara

Asia Uzbekistan January 4th, 2019January 4th, 2019 by Nicolas

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After Samarkand, we went to Bukhara, one of the most famous cities of Uzbekistan. With a well-preserved historic center, we dig into the history of the city when it occupied an important place on the Silk Road. One wouldn’t be surprised to see a vintage caravan coming out of an alley. The many terraces of Lyab-i Hauz are an invitation to take the time to relax. Our visit of Bukhara We took a fast train from Samarkand (see the explanation on Uzbek trains in the article giving all our tips for traveling to Uzbekistan). It takes only 1h30 by train. …