Exploring one of those countless “lost cities” of South Asia is fun, especially in India and Nepal where many sites aren’t “developed” at all! Kapilavastu in South-Nepal for example, the place where young prince Siddhartha – the future Buddha – spent the first 29 years of his life, is without any doubt a famous locality. But if you approach the ruins of the former palace, you’ll be surprised: No ticket-office, no paved pathways, no benches, no other tourists… Only ruins, partly overgrown and situated in the midst of a rural environment that couldn’t be more idyllic. It’s a perfect place to roam around barefoot, climbing those crumbling brick-walls, feeling the brushwood and dry leaves under my soles… As a barefooter, I’m causing very little damage to the structures or the vegetation/soil, another positive aspect! And my naked soles enable me to “feel history” whenever I place my bare feet on one of those rough 2500 years-old bricks!