Harmandir Sahib or Darbar Sahib, also referred to as the “Golden Temple”, Amritsar, Punjab
At each of my two visits to the Golden Temple, my expectations were very high and as we all know, such are usually not met. But Amritsar proved this theory wrong, both times! Continue Reading →
Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi, India
Often overlooked as only an entry and / or exit hub, Delhi has a lot to offer and is worth at least a few days to cover some of the major highlights of this city. Of course, with only a few days at hand, you will only be able to focus on the “Tourist Hotspots”… Continue Reading →
Fortress of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India
After passing through some lush-green and fertile areas of Rajasthan, it was a shock to enter the Thar Desert west of Jodhpur. An endless plain of dust, dotted with small trees and bushes, and random greenish fields scattered through parts of this desert. None of the romantic images one might have of mighty, windswept sand dunes, but a lonely, dry, dusty, sun-torched landscape that merges somewhere with the horizon. Continue Reading →
In Chengyang, a Dong Village near Sanjiang, Guilin region, China
We traveled the 30 days our visa permitted throughout China’s southwestern provinces in Mai 2008: Guangxi (Guilin, Yangshuo), Sichuan (Chengdu, Leshan, Emei Shan), Yunnan (Lijiang, Dali, Kunming, Yuanyang) & Xishuangbanna (Jingling). This was definitely not enough! Nevertheless, we now know it can be easily done without a common language. This introduction to China also was an immense eye opener and some of the negative concepts we had of this country we corrected or simply vanished! Continue Reading →
Rice Terrasses of Yuanyang (here in Duoyishu), Yunnan, China
At 05:00 am, we set off and arrived at the village of Duoyishu, long before the sun peeked around the mountain edge. We listened to the village coming to life and gasped at the unreal scenery, an enormous area of terraces carved from the mountain slopes, still sitting there in the semi-darkness. Even the chilly temperatures could not distract us from this most impressive scenery. It was just the six of us enjoying this magic awakening. Continue Reading →
Earthquake in Chengdu, on May 12th, 2008, at 14:28 – 7.9 on Richter Scale!
We were in Chengdu / Sichuan, 92 kilometres from the epicentre when the earthquake hit with full force Monday afternoon at 02:28 pm, with an incredible strength of 7.9 on the Richter Scale (max. is 9.0). We needed a few seconds to realize what was happening. We then rushed into a doorway to look for shelter. Continue Reading →
Giant Pandas, Giant Pandas Breeding Research Base, Chengdu, China
No tourist leaves this city without visiting the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base, with its 50 giant and red pandas. May is the end of the “falling in love period”, so in September we would have seen the very young ones. Nevertheless, they are not a pretty sight right after they are born. Continue Reading →
Steaming oceans accompanied us going further north towards Westport, West Coast, South Island, New Zealand
Of the 40 days in New Zealand, we spent 4 weeks on the South Island and a little less than two weeks on the North Island. If the start was not the most pleasant one, we slowly got caught from the unique landscape of both Islands, which couldn’t be more different… Continue Reading →
Ranginui´s Retreat, Aitutaki Atoll, Cook Islands
We spent three weeks on the Cook Islands in February 2008 during our Round The World Trip: altogether 9 days on Rarotonga, 7 on Aitutaki and 5 on Atiu. The Cook Islands were definitely a highlight in our trip and finally we discovered some of those Pacific Islands that matched our ideas of the “South Seas”. Continue Reading →
Rano Raraku, the quarry where all the Moais were carved from the volcanic stone, Rapa Nui or Easter Island, Pacific
I spent one week on Easter Island in February 2008 and had the immense chance to witness the Tapati Rapa Nui or Rapa Nui Festival, as well as to discover the mysterious Moai… Continue Reading →
