Loka

"Akshaya is the hybrid daughter of a human mother and an alloy, a genetically engineered posthuman--and she's the future of life on the planet Meru. But not if the determined Akshaya can help it. Before choosing where her future lies, she wants to circumnavigate the most historic orb in the universe--the birthplace of humanity: Earth. Akshaya's parents reluctantly agree to her anthropological challenge--one with no assistance from alloy devices, transport, or wary alloys themselves who manage humanity and the regions of Earth called Loka. It's just Akshaya; her equally bold best friend, Somya; and a carefully planned itinerary threading continent by continent across a wondrous terrain of things she's never seen: blue skies, sunrises, snowcapped mountains, and roiling oceans."--