Below you will find pages that utilize the taxonomy term “Storytime”
In French
June 25, 2016
At a sandwich store yesterday, I order in English. The guy behind the counter is big, with a coarse face. Somebody you’d see as a bad guy in a James Bond movie.
While we wait for my order, he asks if I speak any French. “Only a little bit”, I reply in French. A smile lights up his big face, he reaches over the counter and shakes my hand.
Everything here is in French.
Flying over Ice
June 24, 2016
There’s icebergs floating down there. Somewhere between Greenland (unfitting name) and Canada, the sea looks incredibly cold. I’ve spent a fair bit of the flight with looking out the window and thinking about going to a country I was never much interested in. Thinking about how it came to that.
Retracing my steps, it started in spring 2015. Back then I was deeply unhappy with my (work-)life and was looking for ways out.
102 Days Nepal
May 23, 2016
The old lady horks forcefully and then spits a ball of phlegm unerringly into the gutter a few steps away. It is one of the many sights and sounds I had to get used to in Nepal, the country of mountains and endless dust.
Life in Nepal is not comfortable, it is a developing country. And even among those, it ranks low. Electricity is only available for a few hours each day, and mains water supply comes once a week for half an hour.
Bunga Dyah Jatra
May 11, 2016
Bhaktapur has a Jatra and it has a chariot. Both are huge. But Bhaktapur is not the only city in the valley that sports these kind of things. I had heard marvellous stories about the Bunga Dyah Jatra in Lalitput, supposedly featuring a 20 metres high chariot. I couldn’t believe that and put it off as a conversion error, surely they meant 20 feet, right? Boy was I wrong. But all in due time.
Music and Dance
April 16, 2016
It’s the last day of Bisket Jatra today. Or second to last, I lost track.
In comparison to huge chariots, even bigger poles and pools of chicken blood, today was almost mundane. Devotees of the various gods and goddesses walked through the streets, visiting their favourite temples. Many of them were wearing traditional Newari dresses and most groups had a couple of musicians as well.
Given that there are countless temples and even more groups of devotees roaming the streets, it’s fairly easy to see a part of the action.
Morituri in Bhaktapur
April 13, 2016
Happy Nepali New Year, everybody! Around here, the first day of the new year is not greeted by littered streets and hungover masses. Instead, people flock to the holy places to bring offerings.
I joined my guest family on their visit to the chariot, where they wanted to offer rice, fruits and a chicken. The latter had been sitting around the house since yesterday and the other volunteer and I simply referred to it as “tomorrow’s dinner” or just “tomorrow”.
Yoshin Pole
April 12, 2016
It’s New Year’s eve today (in the local calendar) and as part of the celebrations, a huge pole was erected on Bhaktapur’s pottery square.
The small square was jam-packed with locals and a couple of visitors.
More than a hundred people were working on erecting the pole with ropes and supporting tree trunk constructions.
Even with all the manpower, it took about two hours until the pole was upright. Or upright-ish.
Turnover and Brains
April 1, 2016
Finding a good place to eat in developing countries can pose a bit of a challenge. Tracking down eateries that serve yummy food is obviously important, but actually poses less of a problem. Simply because if the food at a place is not to your liking, you can just write off the dollar and try your luck again next door.
Slightly more crucial is the matter of food safety. No use in slurping down the best-tasting Laksa in town, if it sends you to the loo for the next three days straight (I miss you, KL).
Shivaratri
March 8, 2016
“Maha Shivaratri is a Hindu festival of Nepal and India celebrated annually in reverence of the God Shiva” (wikipedia). The guys at the house had gotten pretty excited about it, as it’s the one day were one can smoke excessive amounts of weed in the streets without being considered a lowlife.
Yesterday it was that day of the year and I had considered paying the Pashupatinath temple a visit. It is one of the holiest places of Hinduism and people flock from all over Nepal and India for the festival.
The freedom to choose a lifestyle
February 29, 2016
Over the last days I had a few chats with one of my hosts. He’s a couple of years my senior, has a family and runs his own business. One morning we were having a chat about investments and he said “if you have good karma, your business will succeed”. Quite a difference to the business plans, risk assessments, etc. that preclude pretty much any form of investment in the western world.
Oh Canon, where art thee?
February 16, 2016
Err 01, that’s what my 550D with the 17-55 reported when I tried to shoot anything over 20mm with the aperture stepped down. I had had the same issue with a Tokina 11-16 a while back and knew that it was most likely related to the aperture mechanism in the lens.
A quick google search confirmed my suspicion and I headed to the Canon website to find a local service centre.
Kathmandu
February 13, 2016
Started the day with a walk into Thamel (after breakfast that is) to have a look for some warmer clothing. Pretty much straight after entering the touristy area, I was frequently approached by trekking guides and others, who hope to make a few dollars.
One of the guys seemed nice enough and I followed him for a tour around the area. He seemed pretty knowledgeable (should be, as a trekking guide) and told me, that the number of overseas visitors had dropped from hundreds of thousands per year to less than a quarter of that after the 2015 earthquake.
Cockfight
December 26, 2015
According to common folklore, baby Jesus was born some 2000 years ago. Considering how Christianity has brought two millennia of terror and suffering onto the world, why not celebrate the anniversary with a little bloodshed. Stage free for cock-fighting in the village down the road.
Just as on the Philippines, the cocks have a single blade tied to one of their feet.
Betting is a big thing and from what I’ve gathered, one can either simply bet on a winner or on how many cuts the loser will suffer.
Need for Speed Mandalay Edition
December 8, 2015
I forgot my passport, that’s a first. I realise it when staff at the bus company ask for it. I run outside but the driver who brought me from the guesthouse has already left.
It’s 8:25, it’s a 25 minute ride to the guesthouse and the bus leaves at 9:00. The guesthouse doesn’t have a second key for the locker that holds my passport, so I need to go back and bring the key in my pocket.
Road to Hsipaw
December 4, 2015
Aaaaaaai really don’t like bus rides. Especially not the painfully slow ones. After leaving Mandalay yesterday afternoon around 2pm, the (reasonably decent) bus crouched up the narrow and winding road towards the Shan Hills.
Traffic is heavy and many times the bus has to stop to let another heavy vehicle pass a narrow turn. Two hours into the trip we stop at Pyin U Lwin for some 20 minutes. Enough to get food poisoning at the dodgy looking food outlet - there are actually a couple of takers.
Noodle Soup on familiar Turf
November 12, 2015
It’s 7:20 when we take off from Colombo, en route for the short 3h hop over to Bangkok. Once arrived, it takes a while to clear the long queue at immigration but finally I’m on the train into the centre.
Seeing the city approach brings back memories. I’ve only visited Bangkok properly twice (I think) but also came through a few times on my way to other destinations. All-in-all it feels somewhat familiar, yet still excitingly unknown.
The Teach
October 16, 2015
Friday prayers have finished and a lot of Palestinian flags and Keffiyehs can be seen in the streets. It’s the traditional time for clashes between Palestinians and Israelis, which means some parts of Hebron are better avoided.
The area around my accommodation is calm as always and people are hanging out in the streets. From what I’ve been told, it’s not much different in areas with clashes, though. Tear gas and rocks have become so prevalent, that people just don’t bother any more.
Around the City
October 14, 2015
Southeast Asia is a dangerous place. Lots of people, including visitors, get killed in traffic accidents. That’s not really on peoples’ minds though and when westerners are going to any country in the region, they are usually more afraid of Malaria.
Palestine is probably a much safer place, especially for visitors. The Israeli occupation kills countless people each year, but the violence of the soldiers and settlers targets Arabs and not foreigners.
Climb that Hill!
September 12, 2015
Time to lace the boots and get some dirt on them. Heading out of the old town I followed the familiar track up the hills, past the Spanish mosque and onwards into steeper terrain.
Coming my way were a couple of older women, heading for the market in town to sell their goods. The path winded through the countryside and then opened up to a dirt road.
About an hour total into the adventure, the road met a mountainside and the directions I received told me to head up a goat path.
Albania to Kosovo - In Detail
September 4, 2015
The timeline to yesterday’s photo-story.
5:10 The alarm goes off. Not feeling fully rested but not totally destroyed either
6:10 A minibus (I’m starting to dread these) picks me and a fellow traveller up at the hostel. For the next fifteen minutes the driver makes his route through the city, picking up two or three more passengers.
The city reminds me of Southeast Asia. It’s the way the buildings look, the small shops, the businesses using half the the sidewalk to display their merchandise or perform their trade.
Valdanos Adventure
September 1, 2015
5km north of Ulcinj a bay called Valdanos lures with a nice beach and 17,000 olive trees. Following its call, some of us took a taxi for the short ride out and had a look around. The beach is nice but “sadly”, after many months in Australia and Asia, it’s hard to impress me on that front. The view inland was more unique for me.
Not far from the beach an uphill leading road was promising nice views over the area.
Noisy Night
August 14, 2015
Vaguely I remember Deutsche Bahn’s advertisement for overnight trains: “Arrive refreshed at your holiday location”, “Save one day of travelling”, etc.
Those reasons and a good experience on a trip to Denmark years ago probably made me decide on the overnight train option.
The journey started well. Turns out when you pay a little extra (and book early enough), you can make the trip from Balaton to Budapest in an airconditioned, reasonably new car. It’s only one car in the whole train but yes, that’s how I like my 21st century!
In Budapest I had about four hours of stopover and with the temperatures once again pushing 40°, I spent quite a bit of it in a mall not far away from the station. Needed to buy a towel anyway.
Fifteen minutes before the scheduled 22:25 departure, the waiting crowd was let onto the platform. Lots of backpackers, some older folks with small luggage. The seater cars we walked by where all in good shape but once we arrived at the 30-40 years old “couchette”, I started to have doubts
Bethlehem
June 11, 2015
Tuesday was supposed to be my lazy day. I had extended my 3-night stay in Ramallah to a 5-day one and wanted to spend my last day with doing nothing besides some writing and drinking coffee.
Fellow traveller Nigel got in the way though. He’s working as a journalist and mentioned that he’d join an anthropology student to interview a farmer who’s land is about to be taken away.
His initial invitation I tiredly refused. However came mid-day, my curiosity got the better of me and I told him I’d join him for the trip. Plus Bethlehem is less than an hour away.
Our local contact ran late and so we went on the tourist trail instead. First stop: church of nativity. It’s built on the site were baby Jesus was born. It’s a tourist drag but the locals don’t get much from it as most tours are organised by companies in Jerusalem.
[caption id=“attachment_3089” align=“aligncenter” width=“450”]
Stable yesterday, Church today[/caption]
Not having had a religious upbringing, the whole of Bethlehem didn’t have any spiritual appeal for me. It was more of a “let’s have a look around”.
One thing to have a look at in Bethlehem
Nablus
June 10, 2015
Time for a delayed trip report! On Monday I followed Hiba’s invitation for a tour around Nablus. The town is about an hour from Ramallah on the shared taxi. I managed to arrive half an hour late by first forgetting my passport (had to return to get it) and then taking the one taxi that got rear-ended on the way.
Hiba showed understanding though and we jumped right into the tour with a visit to an old soap factory right next to the bus station. In Palestine, fresh olive oil is used for food and the old (after a year) left-overs are turned into soap. It’s a handicraft.
We continued with a visit of the old city, which is much bigger and charming than that of Ramallah. It has a lot of
Taking the Red Pill
June 8, 2015
In the movie Matrix, the protagonist is offered a choice of two pills. Blue will make him forget all he uncovered, while red will show him the world as it really is.
That analogy was given by the hostel owner when I told him how my pre-defined image of Palestine was shaken up by reality. Or as he put it: he doesn’t know any other place on earth were portrayed image and reality go as far apart as in Palestine.
Wreck Diving
March 12, 2014
Another first! This time it was wreck diving, something I had had on my list for quite a while. As already mentioned, Coron is a great place for this as the surrounding waters feature more than a dozen wrecks, most of them 100+ meter long ships in good condition.
Today it took us more than an hour to get to the first dive site. With the sun shining and marvelous scenery around, not really an issue.
Around Manila
March 9, 2014
When it comes to discovering local food, there is nothing better than joining someone local who knows their way around the place. A really big place in case of Manila. The metro Manila area is formed by 16 cities with a total population of I don’t know how many million people.
Friday around lunch time I joined Mike, a local food blogger and restaurant owner, to try some dishes at a restaurant specializing on food from the Negros province of the Philippines.
Happy Abu Dhabi
March 5, 2014
Staying at hotels is something I could get used to. The bed was incredibly more comfortable than anything any hostel has to offer and the breakfast buffet was as extensive as it was delicious. Scrambled eggs made to order for you? Certainly Sir, coming right away Sir!
Belly filled I took a taxi over to the Etihad Towers to have a look at and from their viewing platform 300m above ground.
Nakhon to Bangkok
April 3, 2012
Another adventure. Nakhon Si doesn’t have any public transportation to the airport. My friendly helpers at the hotel organised a ‘shuttle bus’ for me but I wasn’t happy with it. It was to leave town at 3 and the check-in for my flight would close at 3:30. No problem they told me, we are small city, everything relaxed here.
Well you can say about SEA what you want, but it works.
Rai Leh
March 29, 2012
Between Krabi and Ao Nang is a peninsula commonly referred to as Rai Leh and commonly described as a mighty fine piece of beach. The whole peninsula is cut off the mainland by a series of rocks/mountains that make any road impossible and boats the only way of access.
From Krabi the boat costs a mere 150 Baht but the waiting time can be considerable as the boat man wants to have 7-8 passengers to make enough money off the ride.
Kota Bharu
March 20, 2012
Travel guides, either printed or online, pretty much agree that there is not much to see in Kota Bharu. And right they are.
One of the few sights is the big central market, conveniently located near the hostel. I went there with two fellow backpackers I met at the hostel. The market is, compared to the one in Melaka, a dirty and smelly hole. One of the butchers had sense of humour though and handed me his axe to give chopping bones a crack.
Cherating - Quiet Beach Village?
March 16, 2012
Coming to this remote place that doesn’t even have a proper bus stop, I expected peace and quiet. Just plain nothingness, no frills. Unfortunately the first night was anything else but quiet. A nearby bar played music/karaoke till the early morning and that crap pretty much kept me awake for hours.
Today around noon the weather cleared up and I went for a little exploration on the beach. Like all beaches in SEA it suffers from pollution, people are just used to dropping their garbage where they stand.
Mekong Cruise
November 19, 2011
The northern part of Laos is still largely undeveloped and the road network reflects that. Going from Luang Prabang to the Thai border at Houay Xai by bus would mean 14 hours on dirt roads in a vehicle that is old twenty years ago.
A more pleasant alternative is to travel on the Mekong. Every day slow boats leave for the two-day trip that requires an overnight stay in Pakbeng. The boats are basically as dodgy as the buses but they are definitely more comfortable and if something goes awfully wrong, the river bank is never far away.
Up and Down
November 13, 2011
Getting to sleep the other night proved a bit difficult. There was a lot of unfamiliar noises from the pigs and dogs around the house and in addition the villagers had a bar playing music till the early night. The village has a water-powered generator that provides a bit of light after sunset but they still try to utilize as much of the daylight as possible. Thus they get up early, the roosters start their concert before the sun is even up.
Afternoon Exertion
November 12, 2011
The meal was good and the rain had stopped, so everybody was ready to tackle the second half of the day. Back into the jungle.
Walking got considerably harder. The path was still muddy and now constantly lead up and down, sometimes just inches from a slope down to the river. The guides were doing fine, one of them even in flip-flops, but the American couple was on hands and feet more than once.
Going remote
November 11, 2011
In Thailand the usual treks to hill tribe villages go along a well beaten path. The country sees a massive amount of visitors and the locals have adjusted to that. Far fewer people visit Laos and even fewer take it on them to walk for hours through the jungle to reach a remote village. We were among these few.
Our group was completed by Phil and Christy from California and our two Lao guides.
More Island Adventures
October 20, 2011
The south was discovered and I wanted to have a look at the more remote north of Phu Quoc. My favourite travel agent helped me to the usual transport and on late Wednesday morning I was on my way. Surprisingly the road north is in very good condition and stretches seemingly endless through the countryside.
Usually that’s the kind of road to change to highest gear and under slight disregard of the speed limit seek an end of boredom.
Vietnam
October 15, 2011
From all the countries in SEA I was interested in Vietnam the most. Simply because it is the only country I had an idea of before I came here. I heard about it and saw it in movies, books, computer games and a few school lessons.
Yet the more I learned about travelling here, the less I was eager to come. In Vietnam I have the highest probability of being scammed, cheated and having my stuff stolen.
A very diverse Day
October 8, 2011
Friday started with a visit to Cambodia’s recent history. The Tuol Sleng museum in town is a former school that was turned into a prison by the Khmer Rouge. They used it to ‘interrogate’ political opponents and interrogation here as the same meaning as with the catholic inquisition.
Those unlucky enough to end up here were either tortured to death or tortured and then brought to a killing field outside the city.
Muay Thai
September 29, 2011
In Thailand Muay Thai or Thai boxing has a role similar to that of soccer in South America. It is a way for children from underprivileged families to become famous and earn loads of money. The sport’s Mecca is the Lumpini stadium in Bangkok where the highest prize money is paid and tickets cost up to 2000 Baht. But with Muay Thai being the national sport there is events in every city.
Walking and Whisky
August 22, 2011
Most tourists come to Islay either by car or with their bicycles which is not the worst idea as public transportation is rather scarce. I don’t have either and using a bicycle on a windy island for hours wouldn’t be to my taste anyway.
For Sunday I planned a visit to the Bowmore distillery which is about 11 miles from Port Charlotte where I’m staying.
As I had to learn, there is no bus services on Sunday.
Bangkok again
July 3, 2011
On the 4th I’m booked on a flight towards Germany, so it was time to say goodbye to Cambodia and return to Bangkok. I didn’t wanted to come here in the last minute, you never know what’ll go wrong.
I really liked my time in Cambodia even though often the things I saw weren’t exactly cheerful. Never before have I seen such a level of poverty and thinking of People in Germany who claim to be poor because they can’t afford a car or TV is just ridiculous.
Sightseeing
June 30, 2011
Yesterday I hired a tuk-tuk to have a look at same places near Battambang. I went with an ‘independent’ driver who was recommended to me by the French expats. Independent means that he’s working in the streets like you would expect it and doesn’t hang out in front of the tourist hotels hoping for big money.
From what the guy told me he used to run into trouble with the ‘hotel drivers’ as they followed him and beat him up after he ‘stole’ one of their customers.
Koh Tao to Bangkok, the Journey's first part
June 23, 2011
The day before my departure was an uneventful one. I did some final travel planing and tidied up my stuff, getting rid of gear I never used in hopes to make my backpack a bit smaller and lighter. It’s the third time I did that in Thailand but every time I end up with a heavy and bursting backpack not much later. No idea how that’s physically possible, must be some special backpacker law of physics.
Koh Tao accompanied my evening beer with a nice sunset. After all that time on the Aussie east coast I saw the sun rising over the ocean countless times but never did I see it set there.
In the morning I have to leave my room at 10:00 which is quite early for Thai standards. I asked them if a later checkout would be possible and was told I’d have to pay 100B per hour. Considering that the bungalow cost me 500B for the whole day that’s a blatant rip-off.
They do offer to store my backpack though and as I trust them I gladly accept. Carrying 20kg of luggage on a 35°C day is something
Cooking Thai Food
May 20, 2011
As a tourist in Chiang Mai one can learn a lot of things. Thai massage, Buddhist meditation, Muay Thai and cooking Thai dishes. After feasting on all the delicious stuff for the last couple of weeks I decided to get an idea of how to cook it myself. The cooking school I chose is a small family run business close to town and the owners picked me up this morning.