Birding in Dosdewa, Karimganj, Assam, combines forest trails, streamside bird hides, visits to the Hathikhira Tea Estate, and chance encounters of Siberian blue robin, white-tailed robin, Asian stubtail, Van Hasselt's sunbird, and Cachar bulbul. Van Hasselt's sunbird (photo credit: Dr. Santhosh Mahalik) Dosdewa forest, located in the southern corner of Assam near the borders of Bangladesh, Mizoram, and Tripura, is one of the least known birding destinations in Northeast India

Located in the Kyzylkum Desert between the cities of Bukhara and Samarkand, Aydarkul Lake is one of the largest lakes in Uzbekistan. Unlike natural lakes, Aydarkul was created by Soviet-era water diversion projects linked to the Syr Darya River, the same schemes responsible for the environmental changes that contributed to the Aral Sea shrinking. Curving sandbar forming shallow pools at Aydarkul Lake Most travellers visit Uzbekistan for its Silk Road cities. I was no exceptio

Chilpik Dakhma, in Uzbekistan, is one of the most unusual places to visit in Uzbekistan. Located between the cities Nukus and Khiva, this ancient tower of silence stands on an isolated hilltop overlooking desert plains. Its circular mud-brick structure was built for burials following the Zoroastrian principle that earth, fire, and water should remain unpolluted. Visiting Chilpik Dakhma gave me an insight about ancient Zoroastrian funerary practices in Central Asia and how the