49. Caravanserai

This week Kyle and Emily pack up some snacks, get some showtunes going, and take a road trip through the meaning and history of the caravanserai.

They find out that it’s actually a compound word. They’ve heard of a caravan, but… a serai? And this word answers valuable questions, like: What are the best places to stay along the Silk Road? What’s the most luxurious thing an inn can have? (Hint: you GOTTA check out the hammam, a.k.a. Turkish bath.). And what makes a really good travel agency, according to explorer Ibn Battuta?

And those aren’t the only useful tidbits to be learned this week. Turns out the messengers of the Achaemenid Empire have a surprising connection to your modern post office, which showcases why we should all support the USPS. Emily is surprisingly good at pronouncing the name of that guy from The Grand Budapest Hotel. And Kyle has a surprisingly detailed knowledge of Mario Kart tracks!