Weekly travel reads: Italy’s new nun-mapped pilgrim trail

[The Travel Wire #71] The hunt for Vietnam’s last floating market, Ko Chang keeps its soul, Nepal’s mountainside teahouses, and more travel reads.

Travel reads

• Italy’s new nun-mapped pilgrim trail (archive) [BBC Travel]
“As Italy grapples with overtourism, a series of ancient trails resurrected by nuns winds through the forgotten landscapes where Benedictine monasticism shaped medieval Europe.”

• Dead in the water? What the hunt for Vietnam’s last floating market reveals about traveling beyond the usual currents [Adventure]

• Ko Chang keeps its soul despite ongoing tourism challenges and a nearby border conflict [Thai Island Quest]
“Some thoughts after revisiting my personal favorite of Thailand’s five largest islands.”

• Nepal’s mountainside teahouses elevate the experience for trekkers heading to the top of the world [Smithsonian Magazine]
“Comforting rest stops dot the trail for adventurers ascending Mera Peak, offering food, rest and a warm cup of the local brew.”

• Why has El Zonte, El Salvador, been dubbed Bitcoin Beach? [Surfer]
“El Salvador seems like an odd place for finance bros to stake ground.”

• A Silk Road moonscape, with no Americans in sight (archive) [The Washington Post]
“In southwestern Kazakhstan, east of the Caspian Sea, Mangystau is known for desert landscapes and unique rock formations.”

• An empty grave [Hawk’s Nest]
“Feeding hungry souls in the land my father left behind.”

• Travelling shorts [This Old World by Zeeshan Khan]
“Bits of Bukhara from a month in Uzbekistan. Entry one of a few.”

• Travel changes us. [Jenny Marrs]
“The sheer act of getting out of our comfort zone, forces each of us to be present and aware of the dance of life happening around us, one we often miss at home, distracted by all-the-things.”

• Ride the world’s steepest cable-car to this remote Swiss village [National Geographic]
“Ride the rails, cable-cars and ski routes around Mürren, a remote Swiss village that’s stepping into a new era of connectivity with a network of high-tech lifts.”