Author: Gabriel Geck
Singapore celebrating its National Day
Just a few days after my arrival, on August 9th, Singapore celebrated its 53rd anniversary since independence from Malaysia. The main festivities were held at Marina Bay where thousands of people had secured a seat to watch long-practiced performances on a floating stage. Hundreds of thousands of citizens and tourists […]
Second Time, First Impressions (+preceding procedures)
Background and procedure When I came to Singapore about 2½ years ago I immediately fell in love with the country (I declared it my “favorite city state”). There were so many places to explore and I was impressed by how everything was so well planned and thought through. I knew […]
Back home
After almost eleven months of traveling I finally returned home – first to Norway, then to Germany. So many pictures to look through, so many experiences to process… It has been an incredibly exciting and adventurous (but also long) time on the road, and I have learned a lot about […]
Following the trail of the Ancient Puebloans
We continued on to New Mexico, were there are, hidden in a vast landscape of bare plains and hills, the ruins of ancient Native-American settlements. Some of the most impressive examples of their high culture architecture can be found in Chaco Canyon, a UNESCO world-heritage site. Regardless of that status […]
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 […]
Trying to escape the tourists on Hawaii
Tuesday, May 10 was literally the longest day of my life: I boarded a plane in Auckland that evening, and landed in Honolulu in the morning – of the same day! Crossing the pacific I gained 22 hours and went from being at the very beginning of the global day […]
Skydiving!
New Zealand is known for its adventure tourism, so I decided that my stay here would not be complete without at least one of these crazy adventures. And since I had really wanted to go skydiving for a long time that’s what I went with.
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 […]
The inter-island cruise (Picton – Wellington)
After three weeks on the South Island the time had finally come for me to cross over to the north. I had a flight out of Auckland a week later and did not want to rush to get there, but rather see a few places along the way.
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. […]
Christchuch: Where there’s a will there’s a way!
Already flying across it I fell in love with New Zealand; with its rugged coastline, its green meadows, but most of all with its wild mountains. They were simply evoking a strong sensation of and adventure in me… But first I landed in Christchurch, the biggest city on the South […]
„Re-Acclimatizing“ to the Western World in Sydney
Although technically I have been in Australia I feel it’s more appropriate to say that I have been to Sydney. Three days is not a lot of time to explore a city like this, but no time at all to explore Australia, the country – a continent!
Majestic Mount Rinjani in a day
By 4AM I had already left the “basecamp village” Senaru and was walking through the rainforest. Strong smells and strange noises surrounded me as I made my way up a seemingly never ending mountain in the dark. It gradually got lighter, the sun rose, and I was still in the […]
Gili Meno – an underwater wonderland
On my way to the Rinjani volcano I spontaneously decided to spend a couple of days on the tiny island Gili Meno, right off the coast of Lombok. It took less than half an hour on a small boat to get to this touristy yet quiet island that is so […]
The Death Cult of Tana Toraja
In the center of Sulawesi lies a region called Tana Toraja. Villages and settlements are hidden away in green rolling hills, connected only by winding roads that follow high ridges or cut through valleys of lush rain forest. Muddy tracks lead off these roads, to access an amazing patchwork of […]
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. […]
In Palu for the total solar eclipse
Only a week before the solar eclipse I found out about it. As these things don’t happen often, and mostly far away, I did not think for too long, but changed my travel plans to incorporate Sulawesi, to see the total solar eclipse. On the evening of March 8 (one […]
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