At last, Malacca, doorstep to Cathay! Here we behold a blue pot etched with curious patterns, crowned with golden beasts. Bird and lion entwined, it holds incense for kings. Such marvels stir dreams of Cathay’s emperors feasting amid endless treasures.

The moment you walk away from places that dim your light and step into your true self, the world glows brighter. x.com/TheFigen_/status/19632…

We depart India, sails filled with the scent of pepper and promise. Eastward we steer for Malacca’s narrow strait, the threshold to the fabled Spice Islands and Cathay, that far realm of silk, porcelain, and inexhaustible wealth.

Kalikata astounds me. I watched a master weaver at his loom, hands dancing over threads that bloom into colours bright as flame. Bengal muslin and silks, rich with pattern and craft, shall adorn Europe’s courts and bring Bengal eternal fame.

Sea otters hold hands while they sleep- so they don’t drift apart 🤝🤝 Find your people, hold on, and you’ll weather any current together.

Returned to Calicut from the inland hills, our sacks brimming with black pepper, worth its weight in gold. The port bustles with merchants of every tongue. Tomorrow we set sail eastward, chasing silk and spice, the horizon calling us ever onward.

One of history’s strangest wars was fought over… a wooden bucket. 🪣⚔️ In 1325, Modena stole a bucket from a Bolognese well. It was the final insult in a long rivalry: Guelph Bologna (pro-Pope) vs Ghibelline Modena (pro-Emperor). The theft sparked the Battle of Zappolino: 30,000 men clashed, and Modena crushed Bologna despite being outnumbered. The war soon ended, but the bucket never returned. It’s still proudly kept in Modena’s Torre della Ghirlandina… a bizarre trophy of victory. 🇮🇹 #History #Medieval #Italy #WeirdHistory

In bustling Gujarat, I beheld a wondrous brass disc the locals call Mughal astrolabe. Its face, carved with strange yet elegant Sanskrit signs, charts the heavens with mastery. These people read the stars as if they were scriptures, knowledge that both humbles and bewilders me.

Were you one of the engineers? 😄

Remember clicking the Start Menu for the first time and feeling like you were living in the future?

Tickets cost £85 in 1957 (≈£2,500 today) and included meals + landmark stops. Think Taj Mahal, Istanbul bazaars & Kabul markets. The service ended in 1976 amid unrest, but the London–Calcutta bus remains an icon of wanderlust on wheels.

In 1957, the world’s longest bus route launched: London to Calcutta. A 16,000 km, 50-day journey through 10 countries. Not just travel, this double-decker had bunks, a kitchen, and even a lounge. A rolling adventure across continents.

Finding it hard to meet people? Go outside when it's raining with a huge umbrella and take your pick.😆

When shopping online, avoid the glowing 5 star praise and the angry 1 star complaints. The 3 star reviews often reveal the most balanced pros and cons to help you decide wisely.

Guided by locals, we beheld a mountain carved into a temple, not built but hewn from living rock. Kailasa rose in divine majesty- pillars, beasts, and gods cut top-down. No church in Europe compares; I fear none will believe such wonder exists. @archeohistories

Hidden in the green silence rose a tower of stone, its surface alive with a face serene and vast. The eyes, though carved, seemed to watch us; the smile, timeless. Was this built by men or by gods themselves?

This day I stumbled upon a marvelous carving - an elephant headed figure wrought in stone, seated with grace and power. Its form bewilders and delights me; I feel compelled to carry this wonder back across seas, a memory of India eternal.

Upstate New York, 2024: A blizzard raged, but troopers refused to quit. A 64-yr-old heart patient’s pump was dying. With minutes to spare, they battled whiteouts in a utility vehicle, delivering her safely for a life-saving transplant in Ohio.