South and southeast Asia

More on Varanasi:👉 Where the Fires Burn – First Encounters with Varanasi captures the raw emotional power of first impressions.👉 Journey Through Varanasi – Saturn, Sound, and Spirit explores a symbolic performance and the soul’s resonance with the sacred. In the Shadow of Shiva: Aghori Encounters As you may remember, for Mykola, there is no […]

The Road from Prayagraj: A Second Trial The morning after our symbolic lunch-breakfast, we began our departure from Prayagraj. It turned out to be just as challenging as our arrival. Crowds of pilgrims, like three days before, were trying to leave the city alongside us. We had to take a bus to Varanasi with no

If you’re new to the Maha Kumbh Mela, you may want to start with my earlier posts:Madness or Faith? A Pilgrimage to the Maha Kumbh Mela explores the initial plunge into the spiritual chaos,while Exploring Hinduism’s Greatest Festival – Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 dives deeper into the rituals, symbolism, and scale of the event. The

If you’re new to the Maha Kumbh Mela, you may want to start with my earlier posts:Madness or Faith? A Pilgrimage to the Maha Kumbh Mela explores the initial plunge into the spiritual chaos. Morning in Allahabad The next morning, after a leisurely Indian-style breakfast — with mango lassi and various kinds of paneer (a

On the Road to Something Vast Passing through Govardhan, where we stayed only briefly during the day, we headed toward our next destination — a place as vast as unpredictable. For those far from Hinduism, among whom I still confidently count myself, on the third day of our pilgrimage through India, we set out for

Hare Krishna – Hare Rama. It sounds almost like “Christ is Risen – Truly He is Risen.” Hare Krishna – Hare Rama: A Familiar Sound Hare Krishna—Hare Rama. It sounds almost like “Christ is Risen—Truly He is Risen.” I embarked on a journey through India with only the vaguest understanding of Hinduism. I remember how

My first night in Delhi’s Tibetan Quarter completely shattered my ideas about what’s “normal.” We ended up in a dark, showerless room with nothing but a small plastic jug to use instead of a tap. The floor hadn’t seen a mop since Krishna’s time. I wasn’t just hesitant to wash there but afraid to enter.

Dedication “Which god do you like?” — a question from a statue vendor in Varanasi. This chapter of my journey is dedicated to my beautiful family, who accepted my decision to leave for six months. And to the incredible new friends I met along the way. To Nastya and Mykola – the main guides on