Agra’s famous building

We arrived in Agra on what felt like the fastest train we’d experienced in India. Like every traveller to Agra, we were there to see the Taj Mahal—a structure I had avoided on my previous two visits to India.

The Majestic Mosque Street’s Wonder

Photo courtesy: twitter.com/aswalli

There was something stately about Mosque Street’s jamatkhana: the Islamic lattice-work on the lower balconies; the rhythm of the arches; and the clock tower overlooking the street.

A stroll through Old Cairo’s Shari Al-Muiz Li-Din Allah

On our second tour of Old Cairo, we started at the southern wall  of Shari Al-Muiz Li-Din Allah through an arched entrance and walked past one beautiful building after another. There were buildings with intricate wooden latticework, sculptured doors and Arabic calligraphy decorating the walls.

Mosques of Cairo

There weren’t many directions I could face in Cairo without seeing the dome of a mosque arching against the sky or a minaret stretching over the city.

Guayaquil’s Rio Guayas

Guayaquil was steamy after being in the Andes, but a walk beside Rio Guayas gave the illusion of coolness. The entire waterfront was open to the public with water pools, lush vegetation and even a poor toucan locked in a cage.