07
When traveling on your own within Israel, don’t overlook the option of flying. Admittedly, Israel is a small country, but domestic air travel is reasonably priced and quick. Flying also offers unexpectedly good views of the landscape, since most flights operate at lower altitudes than long-haul flights. Most flights are on twin-turboprop aircraft seating between 40 and 75 passengers.
by Judith Anshin, Contributing Editor (Second of two parts)
Dear Globetrotter:
Maharajah Jai Singh II really wanted to keep track of all things heavenly. The site of May’s photo, the Jantar Mantar observatory in Jaipur, India, is one of five astronomical facilities which he had built during his reign, 1699-1743.
Jantar mantar means “calculation instrument,” and May’s photo depicts one of the 14 stone-and-marble devices that used geometry in astronomical observations. It is the Narivalaya Yantra, an equatorial sundial.