The pillars (called lingam in Sanskrit) of Lord Shiva -- identified as a supreme god, along with Brahma and Vishnu, constituting the trimurti (trinity of gods) -- are strewn all over the world, including Washington D.C., Luxor, Paris, and Karnataka.

This past October, amidst fear-based cries from all sides as to why I shouldn't, I left for Egypt for 10 days with one of my favorite travel partners. What I didn't expect, or even consider before leaving, was the Egyptian people themselves.

What's new in Egypt? Plenty and that which is not new will always inspire. The Sphinx awed Napoleon and it certainly still leaves me in awe...every visit.

I recently spent a few days in Paris, at the height of the summer. It was beastly hot, and the downside of Paris being voted the #1 tourist destination is, well... tourists - an overcrowded, cacophonic abundance of them. Yet I had a fairly blissful trip.