Tag: Nature
The Magnificent Grand Canyon
When we arrived at the first viewpoint on the South Rim the sun had just set. Nevertheless I immediately understood that the name of this place was by no means an understatement: between the backlit plateau in the far distance and where I was standing there was a gigantic gaping […]
„The Wave“ and other wonders of the desert
In the small town of Kanab (UT) there is a lottery where ten lucky people get drawn every day. The prize is not monetary, but a sought-after permit for a dayhike to a very special place in the desert, some 30 miles away. When my uncle told me about this […]
The Tongariro Crossing
In the center of the North Island there is a landscape that could well be from a different planet: Rugged volcanic mountains reach high in the sky and are surrounded by a flat desert. The dominant colors are red, brown and black. And in the middle of it all lie […]
5-day hike on the Travers-Sabine Circuit
I simply could not get enough of New Zealand’s pristine nature so I decided to go on a five-day hiking trip in the Nelson-Lakes National Park. With a minimum of planning I set out on the Travers-Sabine Circuit, a loop that took me up one valley, across a high mountain […]
Brewster Hut
I asked a fellow traveler about his favorite place on the South Island, and he sent me to the Brewster Hut. So I hitched a ride down the curvy road from Wanaka to the west coast, and the young American couple in their camping bus dropped me off at the […]
Around the South Island
I decided to head south from Christchurch, and ended up in a tiny place called Moeraki. Another traveler had told me about the light house there, and about a penguin colony. As it turned out I got there at the wrong time of day and they had all headed off. […]
The Togian Islands – My Paradise
The Lonely Planet claims that getting to the Togeans is difficult, but leaving this archipelago is even more difficult. And it is true: These islands are a secluded paradise, located in the middle of the giant lagune formed by the awkward half island that protrudes from the north of Sulawesi. […]
Blue Flames at Lake Ijen
From Cemero Lawang one can make it to Sempol (the “base camp” for trekking to the Ijen Crater) in one day, if one figures out public transport correctly. But since the bus driver of the public bus down to Probolinggo refused to leave before the bus was full it got […]
Indonesia’s Volcano Panorama at Mount Bromo
One night on a crowded train brought me from Yogyakarta to Malang. From there I took a minibus and later an ojek (motorbike taxi) up a steep mountain road and told the driver to drop me off at a certain intersection. From there I would have continued to Ranupani, the […]
1000km Malaysia: Cycling around the peninsula (long article!)
Through HelpX I came to stay with a lovely family for a week, in the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. I helped with weeding in their garden, which was more than necessary after the rainy season, and I had also intended to figure out the next destinations in my trip. Which […]
Obstacle race in the rainforest (Volunteering in Sg Lembing)
Very spontaneously I decided to go to the small village of Sungai Lembing. I had gotten the chance to help out at an obstacle race. I met with the organizers two days before the race, and we all spent a great amount of time and effort to get everything ready […]
Emerald Cave
While I am busy processing and compiling all of my previous adventures I am not refraining from going on new ones, like today: I am currently staying on the island Koh Mook (on the west coast of Thailand, close to Trang) and rented a kayak for the afternoon, to explore […]
Relaxing in Dali
Situated between Erhai lake on one side and the Cangshan mountain range on the other Dali lies in a unique location. Moreover it is blessed by year-round (more or less) warm and pleasant weather. No wonder many Chinese celebrities make this their home base, so there are whole mansion quarters […]
Yangshuo – Inspiration not only for Painters
The village of Yangshuo is located on the Li River, about an hour south of Guilin. It is surrounded by karst mountains and looks just like you would imagine China. It’s beautiful, maybe a little touristy… With four awesome people I had met I went on a day-long bike tour […]
Longji Rice Terraces
About 90 minutes north of Guilin there is a beautiful valley where people have been growing rice for hundreds of years. An unbelievable portion of the hillside has been terraced for that aim, and it is still in use, with farmers growing rice the traditional way. There is a nice […]
Zhangjiajie (Fog Edition)
In Beijing I met a guy who, amongst others, told me about a place that probably was the inspiration for the planet Pandora in James Cameron’s sci-fi movie Avatar. When I saw pictures of it I immediately knew that I had to go. It would probably have been my favorite […]
Yangtsi River Cruise
The downside with having a guide book: You feel like you need to do lots of things, and the book makes them sound really special and spectacular. Maybe I am spoiled by other places (Norway?!), but for me the Yangtsi river cruise was neither. Plus I realized that I don’t […]
Hua Shan – 15000 steps to heaven
China has five holy mountains that used to be taoist pilgrimmage sites, but have now turned into tourist attractions. Cablecars connect bus packed parking lots with the soaring peaks that were once reserved for the most tenacious and persisting only. Because a few years back, these peaks were only reached […]
Working on a Ranch in Mongolia
Most of my time in Mongolia I spent as a volunteer at Anak Ranch, a farm in Northern Mongolia, run by a German expat and his Mongolian wife. They had quite a number of horses, cows, sheep and goats. I was helping to milk the cows early in the mornings, […]
Moscow – Ulan Bator (Trans-Siberian Railway)
Taking the Transsiberian Railway from Moscow to Ulan Bator was a memorable experience. You could do that journey in as little as five days, but I got off the train several times, twice (in Novosibirsk and in Orkhon, Mongolia) for almost two weeks each, so it took me around one […]
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