One of the nicest parts of our train trips is leaving from Lamy, NM. It’s only about an hour’s drive, but it’s like stepping back into a quieter, more peaceful time.
The train station was built in 1880 and doesn’t seem to have changed much since then. Do you know of any places like that?
In India, you cannot travel fifty kms without coming across something or the other dating back to a few centuries. Mostly temples, often forts or old houses or palaces, tombs and so on. You will often find weary travelers or cowherds resting under the shade of a tree close by. In the smaller towns, you can also find some ancient specimen who will tell stories about local worthies who did something or the other during either the British or the Mughal times. In the state where I live, you will hear abour descendants of soldiers who fought alongside Shivaji against the Mughals. You can go bonkers if you are a historian. You will also find small railway stations like this including some that have been abandoned with the conversion to broad gauge railway from either the meter gauge or the narrow gauge.
I went bonkers in India LISTENING to the 4 week tour guide who was bonkers about history.
It’s the peacefulness and spaciousness that moved me. Also the fact the last time we were there in the spring, this time in the fall, and the weather was just perfect both times.
bikehikebabe,
I hate tours like that! Andy’s projects may be expensive, but at least he doesn’t want me to go with him on long sitting trips.
Unfortunately Aus doesn’t value its history much. Though some places, like Salamanca in Hobart, has avoided destruction by good luck.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salamanca,_Tasmania
Again, this wasn’t so much about history as timelessness. In Australia you still have plenty of wide open, uncrowded spaces too, as I recall. 😉
Many little towns (villages really) here have almost closed. Some of them have lost even more visitors when main roads have been rerouted to make through travel faster.
Some of have managed to become tourist destinations for all kinds of reasons. Some have had small industries move to them, which gives them some sort of life.
Much to it to do with early gold boom or similar…some of the places make you realise how difficult it must have been to get to them.
Yes, Lamy is a great place to visit, but I wouldn’t like to live there.
Thanks for the info on NZ. I hadn’t expected that because it’s such a small country. It’s clearly not overpopulated.