tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75326808523352767652024-02-02T09:40:22.839+01:00TraveliciousLily's Travelblog with articles and impressions from around the globe.Lærkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487275017604647908noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532680852335276765.post-618753507026655242010-01-27T00:14:00.004+01:002010-01-27T00:20:27.054+01:00Road Trip OmanOur road trip through Oman took us to Wahiba Sands, a huge body of sand covering 12,500 square kilometers. Here we put up our tent on the soft orange sand and fell asleep to the sounds of the wind. The next morning we were woken up by some voices. As we emerged from our tent, we were met by a group of young boys. They asked if we had had breakfast and proceeded to offer us pepsi – lovely breakfast :-) Afterwards they helped us take down the tent and carry our stuff back to the car, by now we don’t get so surprised anymore when we are met by the friendliness of the Omani people, but we still forget sometimes. When trying to cross a street one day on foot, a taxi stopped just before us on the road. I waved for it to pass, as I was sure he simply wanted to pick up the tourists (us) and get paid well. When he didn’t pass, I gave him a stern look and waved impatiently again – then I realized that he hadn’t stopped to try and pick us up, but instead was simply very courteous and stopped so we could cross the otherwise traffic crowded street. It’s so easy to make stereotypes and misjudge…<br /><br /><br /><center><img src="http://www.mytrails.dk/Images/Gallery/24/000074.jpg" height="300" /></center><br />Our next stop was Sur a quiet sea side town with a very pretty corniche; Sur is famous for dhow building and we did see some of these big wooden boats bopping around in the waters around Sur. Close by is the famous beach of Ras Al Jinz, not famous for swimming or anything – but for its turtles who come to nest here. It was interesting to see the big turtles come ashore to lay their eggs, but even more fun to see the little ones make their way down to the ocean for the very first time!<br /><br /><center><img src="http://www.mytrails.dk/Images/Gallery/24/000080.jpg" width="400" /></center><br />Wadi Shab is known as one of Oman’s beauty spots and it really is beautiful! Wadi means something along the lines of a river bed – these are often located in a gorge. We walked into the gorge with towering red cliffs on each side, water flows through the wadi throughout the year and has created several pools big enough for swimming. The water was crystal clear and we saw many little fish (and a big one too…!) swimming around alongside us. The locals use the water to irrigate small, small plots where they grow grass for their animals as well as date palms. It was so nice to see greenery again after the drives through Oman’s very dry and barren landscape. Our long walk winded through the gorge, and even along the cliffs high above it – looking down on the greenery was amazing...and a bit scary at times, when the footpath narrowed into less than a meter wide, with a vertical drop of 20 meters to one side and sheer cliff face to the other, offering little handhold and even less comfort :-)<br /><br />We spend that night on a nearby beach called Tiwi Beach or White Beach named so because of its beautiful, white sand. A lovely place to camp!<br /><center><table style="cellpadding: 5px" border="0"><br /><tbody><tr><td><img src="http://www.mytrails.dk/Images/Gallery/24/000029.jpg" height="220" /></td><td><img src="http://www.mytrails.dk/Images/Gallery/24/000032.jpg" height="220" /></td></tr><tr><td><img src="http://www.mytrails.dk/Images/Gallery/24/000033.jpg" height="220" /></td><br /><td><img src="http://www.mytrails.dk/Images/Gallery/24/000034.jpg" height="220" /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></center><br />Our very last stop before returning to Muscat was “The Sinkhole” it sounded a bit strange when described in the guidebook, a sinkhole is a natural depression or hole in the surface topography caused by the removal of soil or bedrock, this removal is often caused by water. Moreover, according to local legend, a demon lives in the water, the sinkhole is actually called “Bait Al Afreet” which means “house of the demon”. Of course we had to visit this “house of the demon”! When we got there we were very pleasantly surprised, it turns out demons have excellent taste in houses. The sinkhole was about 40m x 20m big, and apparently the depth has never been measured, we descended down a very long staircase made for some mythical breed of giant people; if you were to judge by the size of the steps. The water had an amazing blue color and in my opinion it has to be one of the most beautiful spots in Oman! We swam and snorkeled, Martin even found some lost money (about 15kr all together). I just hope that the locals don’t treat it like a wishing-well and that we will be forever cursed for having picked up the money… Well at least we had a lovely day in the demon’s hole!<br /><br /><center><table style="cellpadding: 5px" border="0"><tbody><tr><td><img src="http://www.mytrails.dk/Images/Gallery/24/000027.jpg" height="200" /></td><br /><td><img src="http://www.mytrails.dk/Images/Gallery/24/000028.jpg" height="200" /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></center>Lærkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487275017604647908noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532680852335276765.post-15289047224684329512009-11-07T18:10:00.003+01:002009-11-07T18:18:13.933+01:00A Visit to the People who ClickIt was raining and the sky was hanging low and grey over our heads, we were on our way to Bulungula; a community run place by the ocean on the wild coast. It is deep in the Xhosa homeland, and the roads are somewhere in between horrible and non-existent – the first part of the way down to the coast is gravel roads, which you do in your own car, be warned, it’s not easy driving, especially after rain. You park your car about an hour away from this place and they come and pick you up in a sturdy 4x4, something we discovered was very much needed. It had been rainy weather for the last few days, so the track was pretty wet and slippery, at places the driver simply chose to go besides the track! It was a fun and VERY bumpy ride; no way would our Citi Golf have made it.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBNzxBm2CwT0y-JIaDbZ5ZjFRmMth2soxD_Bku8YmaIm7Y2aShHhHL5o4j3AJnY91HwnnZrSzXsBcWW3gplC9iGNkZR_Lnj2kbmoAL2oGGtecZ6x1XVnRttl5c4thqo3gLp3gHbIZv9U/s1600-h/IMG_8924.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401411487078040674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBNzxBm2CwT0y-JIaDbZ5ZjFRmMth2soxD_Bku8YmaIm7Y2aShHhHL5o4j3AJnY91HwnnZrSzXsBcWW3gplC9iGNkZR_Lnj2kbmoAL2oGGtecZ6x1XVnRttl5c4thqo3gLp3gHbIZv9U/s320/IMG_8924.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The community run a variety of little tours, we opted for one called “Women Power” were you get to partake in the everyday of a Xhosa woman. We collected water and carried it back to the little round hut on our heads; we cooked and we talked. The two young women, who were our guides for the day, were about my age, both unmarried and both had respectively 1 and 2 kids. The reason they were unmarried was that any young man who wish to marry, must pay a bride-price of 10 cows to the bride’s family, each cow cost about 5000 rand (about 3300kr). Cici-wu (as one of the girls were called) said that when her boyfriend came to her family’s hut her father would chase him away with a stick, because the boyfriend doesn’t have 10 cows (or any cows for that matter) to pay for her. We asked her if he was saving up for the cows; he was, but it would probably take a long time, she added. It seems that this system had the girls all ending up pregnant but with no husbands…<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHGBPB5ZQ0-l9kGj5N74-CPCXUMXJhS2tPbZLHCRnj_CNDt6iYO7lYx_N4WQ7KABjck1oPnKwM4K76Dn_GX0E0UByqUKBgxR8qOtYcwpno8mxMIvNEs6_3c_Dyt1fZSe0Qz7YW_pfwYE/s1600-h/IMG_8795.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401411492432284946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHGBPB5ZQ0-l9kGj5N74-CPCXUMXJhS2tPbZLHCRnj_CNDt6iYO7lYx_N4WQ7KABjck1oPnKwM4K76Dn_GX0E0UByqUKBgxR8qOtYcwpno8mxMIvNEs6_3c_Dyt1fZSe0Qz7YW_pfwYE/s320/IMG_8795.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />While hearing the Xhosa chatter away among themselves, we very soon heard something that is very special indeed. Xhosa language has, as many other of the South African languages, some sounds that we Europeans have a hard time mimicking; the clicks. Xhosa language sounds very foreign, but when you hear the various clicking sounds in midsentence, you know that this is truly another world. Xhosa is actually pronounced “’Click-sound’-oohsa”.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfXgLvkHPmKelmb9p0Fmy_GvZCZvhdXslhZM5I-1B7NquHS404P_x6RLsjBCp8gL2arK8rOMPd0citKy-X0cRe3bf11kEvwci6bfkZN2OR0HxE6BvfvmFA9UUqawwOdH_cY3wkHYz3wEg/s1600-h/IMG_8824.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401411498255021586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfXgLvkHPmKelmb9p0Fmy_GvZCZvhdXslhZM5I-1B7NquHS404P_x6RLsjBCp8gL2arK8rOMPd0citKy-X0cRe3bf11kEvwci6bfkZN2OR0HxE6BvfvmFA9UUqawwOdH_cY3wkHYz3wEg/s320/IMG_8824.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Another day was spent paddling a canoe up the nearby Xora river, a lovely way to relax and watch the amazing scenery. We spotted a few Kamikaze Fish jumping out of the river, a big turtle in the water and a beautiful kingfisher hovering above the lake and swiftly diving for a small fish. Walking in the wide, totally deserted beach, with big waves crashing onto the cliffs in the distance, we felt a world away from civilization; which we might actually have been…<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyqmE0vpFOyEfEYAAAf-JomZy34xpgYs-h4xXm3I7gHv642OpHcMuSqOZNWnWcE-iWa4-xbcoFXRfTsZ7H81BiynSL0aEw6sJvJVXNl29nAW7VDQuJAGTJS9yS06NSGZEYV8k69KfEeGI/s1600-h/PICT4296.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401411499484735346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 242px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyqmE0vpFOyEfEYAAAf-JomZy34xpgYs-h4xXm3I7gHv642OpHcMuSqOZNWnWcE-iWa4-xbcoFXRfTsZ7H81BiynSL0aEw6sJvJVXNl29nAW7VDQuJAGTJS9yS06NSGZEYV8k69KfEeGI/s320/PICT4296.JPG" border="0" /></a>Lærkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487275017604647908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532680852335276765.post-43597616599377704012009-11-07T17:59:00.002+01:002009-11-07T18:08:49.685+01:00TwyfelfonteinTwyfelfontein is a magical area of huge boulders interspersed by impressive rock engraving galleries and the main area with engravings is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At the nicely laid out visitors center that perfectly blends into the surroundings we were met by a guide (guides are compulsory). He was a very intelligent and well informed young man and we had a nice talk while walking around looking at the engravings. The engravings are believed to be up to 6000 years old and have been done by the San, a nomadic hunter-gather people that have lived in Namibia always it seems. All the engravings are of animals, except for a few human footprints. There were elephants, giraffes, wildebeest, lions etc. but quite surprisingly there were also depicted flamingos and seals - which live by the coast. Our guide told us that it is believed the San travelled to the coast to collect salt, a journey that would take 6 months! We were there at midday and the hot African sun was beating down on us relentlessly - it was damn hot!<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXwOb_0kOgKn1Lgml-bWOvBsFVgHq72ZDWbHUtzVhDIRBxzrqFwpe-FnOIQVBJauYVAMWdK76_GTF8lTwppbJWbPvi3HTE6mUARSRrEgW_TW59MAYI6bQo3qaxVX7xVaJKNl28r3oJfMI/s1600-h/IMG_0015.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401409078254722050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXwOb_0kOgKn1Lgml-bWOvBsFVgHq72ZDWbHUtzVhDIRBxzrqFwpe-FnOIQVBJauYVAMWdK76_GTF8lTwppbJWbPvi3HTE6mUARSRrEgW_TW59MAYI6bQo3qaxVX7xVaJKNl28r3oJfMI/s320/IMG_0015.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We are camping at a community run place called Granietkop Campsite, it is the cheapest place we have camped so far at 40 Namibian dollars per person, and the setting here is stunning! The camp ground is laid out around a hill made out of big orange boulders and the individual sites are placed around this hill. Each site has its own “kitchen area” with a sink as well as a shower and toilet that are incorporated into the boulders and the cliff side – our toilet came with a great view too. It’s part of the NACOBTA organization, which have many community run campsites around Namibia – quite a lot of them sounds very appealing! (<a href="http://www.nacobta.com.na/">http://www.nacobta.com.na/</a>)<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPD4Jh_6CwCFFcd5XDjnB1EIKNbkXcQSplGDiDDPRqTWMp1X0-vXv5_btqIuHFKKcryDGULHL6-mR2iVPS1ADWY8uy025Wx3vkAGdkvmxtNZBH6eByS-MMVJfW3qTgCVPkzngjoZq4Ro/s1600-h/IMG_0079.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401409086402998082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPD4Jh_6CwCFFcd5XDjnB1EIKNbkXcQSplGDiDDPRqTWMp1X0-vXv5_btqIuHFKKcryDGULHL6-mR2iVPS1ADWY8uy025Wx3vkAGdkvmxtNZBH6eByS-MMVJfW3qTgCVPkzngjoZq4Ro/s320/IMG_0079.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3d4L9I2gx2bdQcgZRy5BM_igNJKPJGXTgJ6ukLg2RmCIa1vAujlsuM4pqvSrRD0kthHWotrCCmP5yUVkI9s4Nqy4Tu1exPkJ4wrfrg3I_wCeodVKXqCtg4NpHpMWJ0yK3OTjxv12Yojo/s1600-h/IMG_0075.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401409086233166610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3d4L9I2gx2bdQcgZRy5BM_igNJKPJGXTgJ6ukLg2RmCIa1vAujlsuM4pqvSrRD0kthHWotrCCmP5yUVkI9s4Nqy4Tu1exPkJ4wrfrg3I_wCeodVKXqCtg4NpHpMWJ0yK3OTjxv12Yojo/s320/IMG_0075.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Our site is really secluded and it feels like we are the only people in all of Namibia, while we are sitting here looking out over the beautiful landscape that stretches out beneath us. We ate a lovely meal that we cooked on our camping stove as the sun set casting an orange light over the boulders making them look like they were almost on fire. Later as the shiny full moon rose we retired into our tent for a peaceful night’s sleep, next morning however we woke up to the sounds of two little rat dassies who had found a packet of biscuits that we had left out the night before…</div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4tdMInP0DsL23d1EsjJOvK7zTFaYoHChqbP5pk9Izi1JYZnBmqoRMlpYolorG2zyY6snTEUPaBh4_agcGb94FRY3gIYvu5zGzMGP-Rh2hR7n607j0p1OHD_bICywWazTnKVQOBNgQbaw/s1600-h/IMG_0032.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401409082037266642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4tdMInP0DsL23d1EsjJOvK7zTFaYoHChqbP5pk9Izi1JYZnBmqoRMlpYolorG2zyY6snTEUPaBh4_agcGb94FRY3gIYvu5zGzMGP-Rh2hR7n607j0p1OHD_bICywWazTnKVQOBNgQbaw/s320/IMG_0032.JPG" border="0" /></a>Lærkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487275017604647908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532680852335276765.post-42424141162562420092009-11-03T00:31:00.001+01:002010-01-27T00:38:50.611+01:00Crazy About CheetahsA couple of hours from Etosha National Park the Nel Family has a huge farm and years back they caught some cheetahs who very poaching on their livestock. They wanted to release the cheetahs into Etosha National Park, but the government wouldn’t allow it. The Nels released the cheetahs back in the wild, but kept a litter of pubs that were born while in captivity. Since then the family have taken in injured cheetahs and they try to buy cheetahs off other farmers who trap them, but it is hard as game farms where you can shoot the game offer 10 times the price the Nels can afford.<br /><br />They now have a few tame cheetahs by their house and some huge enclosures out in the bush where they keep the wild ones, they encourage visitors to come in the hopes of increasing awareness of the plight of these wild animals.<br /><br />We of course had to see this and we were not disappointed! First we were taken to their garden, and under the blossoming jacaranda trees were 3 cheetahs; 2 adults and a young one. The little one was racing around playing and we could pet all of them, one of the adults started licking my leg – its tongue was so coarse it almost hurt, but what an amazing experience to have such a beautiful animal so close to me! In the end it found me pretty tasty apparently and would like a little taste… But it didn’t really bite and I quickly got away! Cheetahs are not just big house cats :-)<br /><br /><center><table style="cellpadding: 5px" border="0"><tbody><tr><td><img src="http://www.mytrails.dk/Images/Gallery/22/000075.jpg" height="200" /></td><td><img src="http://www.mytrails.dk/Images/Gallery/22/000083.jpg" height="200" /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><i>After lots of petting they fed the 3 cheetahs, a big lump of raw meat to each.</i><br /></center><br /><br />Then it was time for a break in their bush bar, we had a few drinks and chatted to some of the other travelers, amongst others there was an overland truck with lots of lively people!<br /><br />Around sunset everybody piled up the back of the pick-up trucks and drove out into the bush and into the enclosures with buckets full of raw meat. The mood in the back of our truck was high as we saw the first cheetah, and then another one and another one. It was an incredible sight to see them approaching through the high grass, and these were definitely wild – they were growling and hissing and generally looking quite mean! A few of them also made some pretty cute kitty purrs though. Soon the meat was thrown to them and a feeding frenzy broke out!<br /><br />What a day and what amazing and beautiful animals!<br /><br /><center><table style="cellpadding: 5px" border="0"><br /><tbody><tr><td><img src="http://www.mytrails.dk/Images/Gallery/22/000071.jpg" height="200" /></td><td><img src="http://www.mytrails.dk/Images/Gallery/22/000082.jpg" height="200" /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></center>Lærkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487275017604647908noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532680852335276765.post-71887690733075964032009-09-16T17:24:00.001+02:002009-09-17T05:28:50.788+02:00The Taj!We took a train to Agra, which is not the most interesting nor charming city, but it does have one thing going for it – Taj Mahal. It was surprisingly quiet and peaceful at the Taj Mahal, mostly Indian tourists. They also only have to pay 10 rupees to get in, whereas foreigners have to pay a whooping 750 rupees. But I guess it is worth it, it really is beautiful. We took a quiet little moment on a bench, Martin looking at the Taj Mahal me looking into the tree above us, as there were a whole family of green parrots living in it! What beautiful birds.<br /><br /><br /><center><table style="cellpadding: 5px" border="0"><tbody><tr><td><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369474782153811010" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaYcz0fx3o2FXFtIVoBVwYBe0YfhD486DK7rkTilkighNYIJJi_myraeV2VBfZuKTWPk7vGM50dmBXbEgbbLFUqJEXcEgEX29RRvdBPgJ46la-m97qJQ-Hz1_turPaCXRKK2Nm5xJN5EY/s320/PICT0828.JPG" border="0" /></td><td><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369474750196586082" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgbniEaRvEX8LgeJr-LcIHtHoaXKbkGg0LGFDxO5s96INaKNsKYqaBmcFhj1loBMc1UfITNHgNynkZWoUCs3BU3SEvfiuA6MJpceE_s4aSnnbVN250O6eXSrMnm2gplp8qoDtNkiVOWis/s320/IMG_0960.jpg" border="0" /></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br />We even had a view of the Taj from our room - through the bars that were designed to keep the monkeys out. We did have a monkey looking in from time to time, as well as a squirrel, a mouse and a lot of little flies, yes it was quite the little zoo… None of them really bothered us though, only the flies were kind of annoying.<br /><br /><br /><center><table border="0"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiESCy1SEWj8vemcTKclKk0BdgYU3OychesDtXO4mYqo7THbUlbJ9BGz3-skguty4JHdv2FtYltbKg1BX4oHynKQ6C3TY1N2qDQwLAG0yumwPVvSK3UMyweNDRyPCBx4A_UHZycqwIHDhc/s1600-h/PICT0840.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369475005348056706" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiESCy1SEWj8vemcTKclKk0BdgYU3OychesDtXO4mYqo7THbUlbJ9BGz3-skguty4JHdv2FtYltbKg1BX4oHynKQ6C3TY1N2qDQwLAG0yumwPVvSK3UMyweNDRyPCBx4A_UHZycqwIHDhc/s320/PICT0840.JPG" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiWAN_NgPpZVRoOU4GULswO65qPapEski7AJCJnFMTRNHmx03YN02pEQkFXKZAe8Vvz5ZPtKT1LknUrUkXjBxOJYR1CQXUscR3XHvAYv3UG5Gu_l1UNA-NnHuomGP994FDHsrbOL9oFeI/s1600-h/IMG_1004.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369474767821398098" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiWAN_NgPpZVRoOU4GULswO65qPapEski7AJCJnFMTRNHmx03YN02pEQkFXKZAe8Vvz5ZPtKT1LknUrUkXjBxOJYR1CQXUscR3XHvAYv3UG5Gu_l1UNA-NnHuomGP994FDHsrbOL9oFeI/s320/IMG_1004.JPG" border="0" /></a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjY-35jfw3bUkr9HivXopahoRj3OwCSwpD144x-bR0VTNMXR06dHr2KT_xatCAHPzMpq-qtpW5Upu8G7vOwqPaMXFu7J_MWfGVa608sZFf_5hnMwJejrvBLDHbA7ddEwBZnrwfbO8fVoM/s1600-h/IMG_0976.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369474762194649506" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjY-35jfw3bUkr9HivXopahoRj3OwCSwpD144x-bR0VTNMXR06dHr2KT_xatCAHPzMpq-qtpW5Upu8G7vOwqPaMXFu7J_MWfGVa608sZFf_5hnMwJejrvBLDHbA7ddEwBZnrwfbO8fVoM/s320/IMG_0976.JPG" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFO7XfblWvWWdYDD11KDlQKCqCinF0ipqtqu7U7hQRYv2J8Uzh4VKDvmUXHhFvw2Mil172Q_WVAw2laF8j_6zctSgMJBqgiX7GJkKlA-wpseNsIw39YgCoPYfUHDz6O0_kOd3SX2uRxxk/s1600-h/IMG_0955.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369470902933536242" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFO7XfblWvWWdYDD11KDlQKCqCinF0ipqtqu7U7hQRYv2J8Uzh4VKDvmUXHhFvw2Mil172Q_WVAw2laF8j_6zctSgMJBqgiX7GJkKlA-wpseNsIw39YgCoPYfUHDz6O0_kOd3SX2uRxxk/s320/IMG_0955.JPG" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br />We are in the train as I’m writing this, from Agra to Jaipur. The train was over 2 hours late, luckily there is much to keep you entertained at an Indian train station, trains coming and going, people getting on and off, all of them clambering over the tracks, a band of monkeys were patrolling the station, finding leftovers to eat and getting a little too close for comfort as I was eating a banana! Suddenly a white cow came running down the platform. Then a family got off the train and made camp at the platform to net themselves, mom was combing her hair, applying a bindi and putting on make-up while the father and son brushed their teeth. Meanwhile an older woman was taking a shower little further down the platform, naked from the waist up – this is India.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKdfaxm-TyI0C5OR0khidp3ptnkOzZn3sttHerG5r0GPhH3__-8Lf_chkLINeezrjzS3F3y_hnOmWNrTy5ta-suAU-PZPfHPsFID1Xjd1i1Z1XuVx0ciu6ulzr1jMRp1947bO7AQRpzeU/s1600-h/PICT0810.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369474775430665666" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKdfaxm-TyI0C5OR0khidp3ptnkOzZn3sttHerG5r0GPhH3__-8Lf_chkLINeezrjzS3F3y_hnOmWNrTy5ta-suAU-PZPfHPsFID1Xjd1i1Z1XuVx0ciu6ulzr1jMRp1947bO7AQRpzeU/s320/PICT0810.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></center>Lærkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487275017604647908noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532680852335276765.post-75070621437935676902009-09-13T10:13:00.005+02:002009-09-13T10:50:46.542+02:00Cascade d’Ouzoud in MoroccoA highlight of a trip to Morocco is a trip to Cascade d’Ouzoud, labeled by the Lonely Planet as Morocco’s “best waterfalls”, and it really is a beautiful place!<br />The Ouzoud Waterfalls (110 m high) are located in the Grand Atlas village of Tanaghmeilt, in the province of Azilal, 150 km north-east of Marrakech, in Morocco. The falls are easily reached by car, you arrive here by passing through the tiny village of Ouzoud, continue pass the souvenir stalls (sometimes you have to move some of the stalls displays to get through) and the small stalls selling food and drinks, and start climbing down the stairs pass the many cafes. Right before starting on the stairs, you will have had your first view over the water falls, continue down and it just gets better and better!<br />We loved it there, the place had a very laid back feeling to it, and the falls were beautiful, too bad it was a little too cold to swim in the pools underneath the falls – some young Moroccan guys didn’t seem to mind though, and had a good splash around :-)<br /><br /><center><table border="0"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_linJO6LdUUpMD1exIxe53mKsziFU673clzu8ixZYQXLLxs9zcLkD_vG5VcQpfs3sW4kU4Va3zyLSj_NjIl_6Jupa6tFCQjnoeS4UbrMxwpCDtBmcFD-_aTDFY6_TVSptFXjNI_KQCus/s1600-h/000080.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380862939899824610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_linJO6LdUUpMD1exIxe53mKsziFU673clzu8ixZYQXLLxs9zcLkD_vG5VcQpfs3sW4kU4Va3zyLSj_NjIl_6Jupa6tFCQjnoeS4UbrMxwpCDtBmcFD-_aTDFY6_TVSptFXjNI_KQCus/s320/000080.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MpzySSLbMwic6oSW3hPUTBrwj4Y0EV0rZhgPwFqOG-uG0mksNvOryxK570lm3sQdylLT-G7Qwt3U0dStKjjFzgbL37kwhvIlRAkNo-UP646tw_bOkX1j48l88z9Bt22nfdx_LyOqq_4/s1600-h/000079.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380862935227784338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MpzySSLbMwic6oSW3hPUTBrwj4Y0EV0rZhgPwFqOG-uG0mksNvOryxK570lm3sQdylLT-G7Qwt3U0dStKjjFzgbL37kwhvIlRAkNo-UP646tw_bOkX1j48l88z9Bt22nfdx_LyOqq_4/s320/000079.jpg" border="0" /></a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuKnTgVuwIoFJfGXMeY8nuFRJuAMr0pbz7TjH_6N4FBx-htI-pimqM-wxrl_tf80nXd1XuqT9bQO800b_v8ITl_6u92nv89reTlfcvFbqFgmum9BsHfXC4TMBJZGmeqZAZPVYjIFyi414/s1600-h/000077.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380862923039673170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuKnTgVuwIoFJfGXMeY8nuFRJuAMr0pbz7TjH_6N4FBx-htI-pimqM-wxrl_tf80nXd1XuqT9bQO800b_v8ITl_6u92nv89reTlfcvFbqFgmum9BsHfXC4TMBJZGmeqZAZPVYjIFyi414/s320/000077.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcUuaMqf6z9STa25f8LcPIJ2cV0kiuolvoh36T-EZXqJpODrW4iG3xw69e3OHdy_mcJPQecUNCP2WZUq9uEB00xn0GJL0BEEjjsigCv4QQKcOpJw-xdxkau5XpGrH6pxNZ4c2xk99f4hI/s1600-h/000076.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380862914586559330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcUuaMqf6z9STa25f8LcPIJ2cV0kiuolvoh36T-EZXqJpODrW4iG3xw69e3OHdy_mcJPQecUNCP2WZUq9uEB00xn0GJL0BEEjjsigCv4QQKcOpJw-xdxkau5XpGrH6pxNZ4c2xk99f4hI/s320/000076.jpg" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br /><br />We stayed in the small and very simple guesthouse, that was right by the tracks to the waterfall. It was inexpensive and a fine place to stay the night.<br /><br /><center><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimhe_620cwUNqfMlvy0YzNtxCE6H0Ke0BBmukUABGc_krME3fM-kOMPOKWU4tfA-S7OkXDOlHsOIws1rQA1sSIgcxfeUnruAfAIiHROXoEx9hZn1IHpWkQK2BvVeDcNgybpPmPgQBbRhk/s1600-h/000078.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380862924783698002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimhe_620cwUNqfMlvy0YzNtxCE6H0Ke0BBmukUABGc_krME3fM-kOMPOKWU4tfA-S7OkXDOlHsOIws1rQA1sSIgcxfeUnruAfAIiHROXoEx9hZn1IHpWkQK2BvVeDcNgybpPmPgQBbRhk/s320/000078.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></center>Lærkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487275017604647908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532680852335276765.post-526830157174746732009-09-10T09:08:00.001+02:002009-09-10T02:02:11.541+02:00JaipurThe time had come for us to start our assault at Rajasthan, the fairytale state of India. And we were quite excited about it. I still had very fond memories of the places I visited in Rajasthan almost 5 years ago, and the guidebook dreamily describes places like the big Meherangah fort that looms over the bright blue city of Jodhpur, the giant gold sandcastle at Jaisalmer, the palace in the lake at Udaipur, the carnival charm of Pushkar, the storybook whimsy of Bundi, and everywhere filled with happy, waving children, tons of camels, soulful music, glittering saris, big piles of chilies all over the place and tottering turbans in all the colors of the rainbow.<br /><center><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhyphenhyphenIoO4CJu9gbBBLLNyUXqFNYqmTzRw7PWuPX_f8thn7jO5EDim2AEn2Hcn15dqVd0N807sOP4z2vu84PtEDKdIePq_GArNmMfFzDUcqItN5QdweXQXhyphenhyphenyrkB3vk4XdTh1m996s0mwts/s1600-h/IMG_1006.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368605639283521266" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhyphenhyphenIoO4CJu9gbBBLLNyUXqFNYqmTzRw7PWuPX_f8thn7jO5EDim2AEn2Hcn15dqVd0N807sOP4z2vu84PtEDKdIePq_GArNmMfFzDUcqItN5QdweXQXhyphenhyphenyrkB3vk4XdTh1m996s0mwts/s320/IMG_1006.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></center><br />But as in all great fairytales some terrible times have to be fought through before getting to the good part, and that terrible time for us was Jaipur.<br />We started out arriving 4 hours later than expected because of the train being late. Then at the train station we were given a tough time by the auto rickshaw drivers who want to take you to a hotel where they get a commission, we finally found a pre-paid one (they are slightly more decent) then one of the commission touts tried to ride along – we had to tell him to get out! Then we could go looking for a hotel. We hauled our backpacks round to several that were full, before ending up at an overpriced one with a rock hard bed and a non-functioning shower. We took it. The cycle rickshaw we took into the old city dropped us of the wrong place, and of course he didn’t have change for our 100 rupees note either…<br /><br />The streets of Jaipur were so filled with traffic it felt kinda dangerous to walk around, and dangerous to breathe the air thick with exhaust fumes. The place we had dinner decided to try and cheat us and billed us for double the agreed amount, at this point I was ready to kill someone, but tried to be reasonable and tell the restaurant manager that you can’t just change an already agreed to price, but he was not up for talking about it logically – so we just left the agreed amount on the table and told him if he had a problem with that he could call the police. Then the rickshaw driver we took back to our hotel had Martin walking up all the hills as it was too heavy for him (!) And rest of the time he pushed the bike instead of riding it, so we might as well have walked home. He then tried to get us to shop at his friend’s shop, before finally dropping us off at the hotel and asking for more money than what he had first stated.<br />We left Jaipur early the next morning.Lærkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487275017604647908noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532680852335276765.post-24039525702350639642009-09-07T05:48:00.006+02:002009-09-07T06:08:36.292+02:00Taiwan Roadtrip: Highway 9We started out our Taiwan Roadtrip with a traintrip – a morning train from busy Taipei to the south eastern city of Taitung. Here we picked up our rental car, a cute little Nissan March (at home called Micra) and set out for Taitung Hongye Hot Springs, after getting a little bit lost in the beautiful, tall, green mountains we found it; it was closed. We went in anyway to take a look: It turned out half the place was buried in mud! The typhoon that had raged havoc over southern Taiwan just before we arrived had apparently passed by here. A tiny bit disappointed but mostly just shocked to see those buildings half buried, we drove on.<br />We headed for Loshan instead, where we checked into the free campsite. Yup completely free! Our little site came with a wooden platform, a bench/table and a parking lot for the car, other facilities included toilets (with toilet paper and soap) and showers and a cooking unit with sinks and light. We happily settled in!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLD5c13px4Wg1X2CrVr6HeffQw1oVmzey4HynhgDr-MqhSD4CE-s_gxpY6td0oC7iyPlAvpkUwWv-6321T432nEgRyDYISSCcscbAGKbogZVqPzKIBSwKGswifQoC57XRV09ROwTgFLk/s1600-h/IMG_6924.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378568081169736034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLD5c13px4Wg1X2CrVr6HeffQw1oVmzey4HynhgDr-MqhSD4CE-s_gxpY6td0oC7iyPlAvpkUwWv-6321T432nEgRyDYISSCcscbAGKbogZVqPzKIBSwKGswifQoC57XRV09ROwTgFLk/s320/IMG_6924.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Next morning we got up early and set off for the 120m high waterfall nearby. We walked around the forest area and found a nice viewing platform, from where there were beautiful views of the waterfall. The trail went by the same river, which was created by the waterfall, and we spotted a place where the river had formed a nice little pool. Being rather hot, we quickly jumped in and splashed around in the cool waters.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJzZcvhsc1LZe2_AgPlygEUZJPvCbzx9Sfb8Dj4LF7NiA0CNnV8YomdrQ4RAnkY-xs4lmsbOVk_-9qB9MSRi0EdtybjI6iDI5STSpmFeTgbicjyBtZH0cHATqMgcODqRHaEAQ_Psqu774/s1600-h/IMG_6962.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378568093818695266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJzZcvhsc1LZe2_AgPlygEUZJPvCbzx9Sfb8Dj4LF7NiA0CNnV8YomdrQ4RAnkY-xs4lmsbOVk_-9qB9MSRi0EdtybjI6iDI5STSpmFeTgbicjyBtZH0cHATqMgcODqRHaEAQ_Psqu774/s320/IMG_6962.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Not so far from the falls a sign marked a place where gas and mud leaked from underground, forming a small mud-volcano. It wasn’t much, but it was fun to see how the mud bubbled and the gas escaped. Apparently the gas can be used for burning, but we couldn’t find anything to help light fire to the bubbles. The aboriginals know how to harvest the gas and were probably some of the first people to use natural gas.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8REdx5qhJuHWg7EtqGIYUwTclQYSYcND_aYYroLC-L-bnSwpQghjmCKl146F1T7FEVGWRaCSEl0wtmv-K92OxLU4Zg2qmN65eDIm0IsnCViiJD7dG4lC43CuB93gViDRlaSKz6GNP6U/s1600-h/PICT2947.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378569271583679426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8REdx5qhJuHWg7EtqGIYUwTclQYSYcND_aYYroLC-L-bnSwpQghjmCKl146F1T7FEVGWRaCSEl0wtmv-K92OxLU4Zg2qmN65eDIm0IsnCViiJD7dG4lC43CuB93gViDRlaSKz6GNP6U/s320/PICT2947.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Then we headed to Sixty Stone Mountain; an area known for growing day-lilies. These orange flowers are used in cooking; dried, pickled or raw. The winding road to the top gave good views of the surrounding areas, and soon the hillsides were covered in orange and green. The flower fields were absolutely beautiful, and the mountain backdrop didn’t scar the eye either. Our little car braved the steep roads without any complaints. The area was so picturesque, that it could easily be the scene for the next Hobbiton.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJr_Vk8ieUumj2YEtI5IYDAEXsOwq1W5itp8lpGwrnp0IDQBF_kX-66eQE2fcbkT52wz-PPFm6aEOCQatGo3-aD6RYVqw1DLSURJ3s7vwqDncu0lzY2zZAK2ox2ro1FnOnr2Su5MSdpzE/s1600-h/IMG_7014.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378568098022640290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJr_Vk8ieUumj2YEtI5IYDAEXsOwq1W5itp8lpGwrnp0IDQBF_kX-66eQE2fcbkT52wz-PPFm6aEOCQatGo3-aD6RYVqw1DLSURJ3s7vwqDncu0lzY2zZAK2ox2ro1FnOnr2Su5MSdpzE/s320/IMG_7014.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Our last itinerary for the day was the Walami trail; a trail going deep into the mountains. We had just planned to walk for the first part of it, but again the Typhoon cheated us. The trail had been closed, as it had been too damaged by the winds and mostly the torrential rains. Luckily we could still get to the Nanan waterfall, which lies just before the trailhead. Again it was a beautiful setting and again we soon jumped into the clear, cool waters and took a swim, together with a few adventurous Taiwanese people. Martin went underneath the actual fall and got himself a hard shoulder massage – just what was needed after a lot of driving.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh37LUbJYAyxQyTPgpnorXxkVc6bnT4iuZmNSAzy9A7_ZX-jJ4jLHy-06ThFT-Mq_yaIIydo69zm94e-HWMgWY080WR9IFQ2_T6mcA1ABiztV-v6r11UxAPvJKVjcPNwqkRVk224IKOlsw/s1600-h/IMG_6974.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378568092580640050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh37LUbJYAyxQyTPgpnorXxkVc6bnT4iuZmNSAzy9A7_ZX-jJ4jLHy-06ThFT-Mq_yaIIydo69zm94e-HWMgWY080WR9IFQ2_T6mcA1ABiztV-v6r11UxAPvJKVjcPNwqkRVk224IKOlsw/s320/IMG_6974.JPG" border="0" /></a>Lærkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487275017604647908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532680852335276765.post-31062808625955770292009-08-17T17:05:00.002+02:002009-08-25T00:29:15.694+02:00VaranasiWe arrived at Mughal Serai, a town 15km from Varanasi, at dusk – a hell hole bathed in magical light. A short but extremely bumpy auto rickshaw ride later we entered Varanasi. Our driver did his best to hustle as much money as possible from us; howerver we still made it away with most of our rupees.<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij5nfLtwfDzX25fNeaEX2RniQhzu9SvLVowTKQTDKrW8HrYtQj1SbRjtt6e8N8Tk4u4pijwfuBQI7IY-aaWRDAdm9J2H-vjl4AQa9cNbu_OJTmU_AzVjQ-pCas_lYHPgbLN18L4pXZ6C0/s1600-h/PICT0304.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369465677661132482" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij5nfLtwfDzX25fNeaEX2RniQhzu9SvLVowTKQTDKrW8HrYtQj1SbRjtt6e8N8Tk4u4pijwfuBQI7IY-aaWRDAdm9J2H-vjl4AQa9cNbu_OJTmU_AzVjQ-pCas_lYHPgbLN18L4pXZ6C0/s320/PICT0304.JPG" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE4QfIX0v45jl6IoGz-hE_DGzDRB_a4KqfGr9sUrPWMBvno8KW18TnXIlUJ9YIUpXF1HM_bPuTuUZNlp7CheSDmlXu0r4UFOBf1JAhETUl8S74T5tmqOW3sTT841B6Sc_SKZwsm6M_Yhg/s1600-h/PICT0118.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369465666454262274" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE4QfIX0v45jl6IoGz-hE_DGzDRB_a4KqfGr9sUrPWMBvno8KW18TnXIlUJ9YIUpXF1HM_bPuTuUZNlp7CheSDmlXu0r4UFOBf1JAhETUl8S74T5tmqOW3sTT841B6Sc_SKZwsm6M_Yhg/s320/PICT0118.JPG" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br /><br />A lot of little alleyways lead down to the Ganges and they are all too narrow for a rickshaw to enter, and since our hotel of choice were located at the edge of the Ganges at the end of a winding little alley, we embarked on a stumble through the dark, guided and mislead in turn by the locals. We found it alright after a few wrong turns though.<br />Our room has the tiniest balcony with a view down the ghats (the steeps leading down to the river) and the Ganges. One morning I awoke to see the sun rise and make the river glisten and shimmer like gold.<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGLZO515bvBLVEyBRYml9ubYwzDHC1EmfUiA_-TLwVDQ6indOenJXi1qg__jaNp4RMCrWx5-U7OYIySG7_jHk1tfB3jcX8EO8XepqdTcztOC_C3FVwcr_lC_XkWd6xfHrmto3v7KFM14/s1600-h/IMG_3242.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369465653286610898" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGLZO515bvBLVEyBRYml9ubYwzDHC1EmfUiA_-TLwVDQ6indOenJXi1qg__jaNp4RMCrWx5-U7OYIySG7_jHk1tfB3jcX8EO8XepqdTcztOC_C3FVwcr_lC_XkWd6xfHrmto3v7KFM14/s320/IMG_3242.JPG" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNsXIXgSu6etLus7O-6EWaYutu40WvSLK8Mb80GH5RvJZNEXXXuZlgUsAvBa8G4csOZRedx_S3qOuieQ8gcE279mnX4fnLY5J8CWg1yaHq_09iksmi1LPfiYgDsHpNPDEwoDMp0DQax4/s1600-h/IMG_3142.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369465298922515234" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNsXIXgSu6etLus7O-6EWaYutu40WvSLK8Mb80GH5RvJZNEXXXuZlgUsAvBa8G4csOZRedx_S3qOuieQ8gcE279mnX4fnLY5J8CWg1yaHq_09iksmi1LPfiYgDsHpNPDEwoDMp0DQax4/s320/IMG_3142.JPG" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br /><br />In the many narrow alleys of the old part of Varanasi, you are in constant danger of being trampled by a cow, pushed over by a man ferrying a load of bricks on his bicycle or someone on a motorbike blaring his horn - it is a great people watching place. There are always beautifully dressed women in gorgeous, colorful saris, cute schoolchildren, old men in lungis (like a sarong) and vendors selling everything from vegetables to CDs – all the hustle and bustle of India.<br />At first we thought it all a bit much, but eventually we started hearing how friendly most people sounded we they greeted a “Namaste!” There are many smiles and even the touts seem less persistent than we have otherwise experienced in India.<br /><br /><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-hTbDfojCwAfp3j3jUwMsQ4C0q0wklGyZGJsr_RIAvP7T6Lgq4xGhckg3E7IygaVEBnVqqR0SG_aoNnm3iGC6D2PlTvOqHvzjnKz5NCvJRAemFgPdl1BmBEPRliauPLb_zA1DhupXRmE/s1600-h/PICT0308.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369465788432022834" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-hTbDfojCwAfp3j3jUwMsQ4C0q0wklGyZGJsr_RIAvP7T6Lgq4xGhckg3E7IygaVEBnVqqR0SG_aoNnm3iGC6D2PlTvOqHvzjnKz5NCvJRAemFgPdl1BmBEPRliauPLb_zA1DhupXRmE/s320/PICT0308.JPG" border="0" /></a></center><br /><br />The Ganges is a multi-purpose river, it is used by the kids as a fun place to swim, women wash clothes, buffaloes are driven there to be watered and cooled and scores of boats ply up and down the coast. Many people perform “Puja” (prayer) while dipping their heads under - the water is believed to be very holy - while others shower nearby; soap all over the body, scrubbing away as they sit on the ghats. Along the these ghats, 60.000 people submerge themselves daily in the waters – along this same stretch 30 large sewers empty into the river. The water is so polluted that it has become septic, having 1.5 million faecal coliform bacteria per 100 ml of water – in healthy bathing water this figure should be less than 500! We limited our river activities to boating and dipping our feet…<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtO8DZOZs_wSpptGNSwbZhdOzIpf6mHOS-pkS0RZ0jNx5x_kiOZpxiWKgtRSZOPNVaxxp6tT7lOfysKw_gK70zkqKSozoEUnpgMa_jmr0eFMxL-kD9xpMpfMBwV5NLczf_TA9UpNKHuY/s1600-h/PICT0069.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369465663968225906" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtO8DZOZs_wSpptGNSwbZhdOzIpf6mHOS-pkS0RZ0jNx5x_kiOZpxiWKgtRSZOPNVaxxp6tT7lOfysKw_gK70zkqKSozoEUnpgMa_jmr0eFMxL-kD9xpMpfMBwV5NLczf_TA9UpNKHuY/s320/PICT0069.JPG" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAMkP6dG5MhRrB7kmNj6w0xRiyDxo8MohfiVKMAjMW4CNpK_Emo350pBljQtqFyDu8WDfGQ5Mmyjl9okw56RetpbDSCK_6oorOGoHcVTpQQ0Ejc1cHF8FdhVG32n_zoAjmL-ybzAP8DY/s1600-h/pici1+(6).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369465657100519474" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAMkP6dG5MhRrB7kmNj6w0xRiyDxo8MohfiVKMAjMW4CNpK_Emo350pBljQtqFyDu8WDfGQ5Mmyjl9okw56RetpbDSCK_6oorOGoHcVTpQQ0Ejc1cHF8FdhVG32n_zoAjmL-ybzAP8DY/s320/pici1+(6).JPG" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br /><br />Two of the Varanasi ghats are burning ghats, were cremations happen over open fire 24 hours a day. It is a bit macabre seeing a half burned leg being pushed further into the flames and to have smoke and ashes blow around you and into your eyes and mouth – knowing where it comes from…! But in a way it also seems perfectly natural; the Indian at least are very nonchalant about it. The men handling the bodies and fires on the burning ghats all belongs to one of the lowest castes in India. The owner of the burning ghats, also from this low caste, is now a very rich man from all the business he gets from the constant cremations. He has built a big house overlooking the Ganges, but he still uses leftover firewood from the cremation-fires for cooking.<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwvQRiIr_mFiggJWFTp5DD1L11T45PjLukPEK1fVC-SxbZ3eSQKR33t9L0pylDuav88JJJ4eHFQvyVqTzZGLQi4ToIjecKs8H3HIB5JaUP7yn_MJKkqhR56HOfsgRMMreFl9EdEnRUmCQ/s1600-h/IMG_0026.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369465280159734914" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwvQRiIr_mFiggJWFTp5DD1L11T45PjLukPEK1fVC-SxbZ3eSQKR33t9L0pylDuav88JJJ4eHFQvyVqTzZGLQi4ToIjecKs8H3HIB5JaUP7yn_MJKkqhR56HOfsgRMMreFl9EdEnRUmCQ/s320/IMG_0026.JPG" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7nMJBzgRcmICLcvUQaGRj5j-v_dbjgY1GNmL-9vtN2vTLUkC2_YMNsbfuhhOO2s88eND9s_-ScFWc4UMgPXjvHObnkKVPjbwawWQEGKp566d_907MKYGuxfhF82DQ1la7WbN9g7SumQ/s1600-h/IMG01+(5).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369465265384034002" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7nMJBzgRcmICLcvUQaGRj5j-v_dbjgY1GNmL-9vtN2vTLUkC2_YMNsbfuhhOO2s88eND9s_-ScFWc4UMgPXjvHObnkKVPjbwawWQEGKp566d_907MKYGuxfhF82DQ1la7WbN9g7SumQ/s320/IMG01+(5).JPG" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br /><br />The Hindus believe that if you are burned on the banks of the Ganges and have your ashes spread over the river you skip all that incarnation nonsense and jump straight to Nirvana – not bad eh?<br />Bodies are cremated with jewelry and all, so you see men and boys in the river looking like they are panning for gold and in a way you can say that they are…<br />Not all people can be cremated; unnatural deaths, which include small children, people with leprosy, pregnant women and people who have died from cobra bites, are instead weighted down by stones and thrown directly in the river.<br /><br /><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLG07wgSGmTNZtwOUG49dI7xQ4h6hzipo8ukKiOnzy5vRy04mCzaASxvm79r43jS-Jqu-EytUFN4uf_d6hTZVeFLrJV5IviILaywEUTdJ_qQvCUNUjwQJl1iFguE88sjL-OKVzdJT7wVE/s1600-h/IMG_0043.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369465287706324930" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLG07wgSGmTNZtwOUG49dI7xQ4h6hzipo8ukKiOnzy5vRy04mCzaASxvm79r43jS-Jqu-EytUFN4uf_d6hTZVeFLrJV5IviILaywEUTdJ_qQvCUNUjwQJl1iFguE88sjL-OKVzdJT7wVE/s320/IMG_0043.JPG" border="0" /></a></center><br /><br />Every evening at the main ghat the “Ganga Arti” is preformed, it is a prayer to Mother Ganges as a show of respect. The act involves a lot of fire and the air is thick with myra and incense, music and drumming and – my favorite part - tooting in big seashells. It is quite spectacular! Out over the water you can see a lot of small lights; little lotus flower lamps set alight as offerings to the Ganges.<br /><br /><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5aoLI0KpmczhU5Dw1LXHBKEgyUHZsIAvP3EpzCJgK7tZg2e2TGMnnGYCd5LdZaE8BSVb4Wd95v-utBLHHTmawiJTlLHJnoBDxSL5AH54GTjUPwBc_0C1to8Ikkg85HUZRM24WLWHOxQU/s1600-h/IMG01+(23).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369465271781169586" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5aoLI0KpmczhU5Dw1LXHBKEgyUHZsIAvP3EpzCJgK7tZg2e2TGMnnGYCd5LdZaE8BSVb4Wd95v-utBLHHTmawiJTlLHJnoBDxSL5AH54GTjUPwBc_0C1to8Ikkg85HUZRM24WLWHOxQU/s320/IMG01+(23).JPG" border="0" /></a></center><br /><br />Getting up at 5 am normally isn’t that fun, but taking an early morning boat trip on the Ganges, we were rewarded with soft golden light and all the color and clamber of pilgrims bathing and performing puja.Lærkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487275017604647908noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532680852335276765.post-82336867871992074342009-08-16T09:12:00.000+02:002009-08-16T12:42:00.626+02:00Traveling Sumatra“You are eating Indonesian food?!?” “We thought foreigner only ate toast all day long!” This little scenario played out in a tiny warung somewhere in Sumatra where we duly sat eating very authentic local cuisine. A bunch of Indonesians were thoroughly amused and surprised by us “white people” sitting there eating their kind of food – and we even seemed to like it! Of course we liked it – Sumatra is renowned for its delicious, if a bit spicy, padang food.<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPWapC0S766otlOLh-xHmCqJVpsnJtQYFjkNMcS7fHPLLJmEOZogA3Hd53yo0KPhXgfqeecGIjsPMVJ_-Nwg2PDAOaWUKTJ7gwiAC4K-NvXZqfuVoYnizq1pD21rFVft3iqFAPR_y7q8/s1600-h/000066.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368604596385983298" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPWapC0S766otlOLh-xHmCqJVpsnJtQYFjkNMcS7fHPLLJmEOZogA3Hd53yo0KPhXgfqeecGIjsPMVJ_-Nwg2PDAOaWUKTJ7gwiAC4K-NvXZqfuVoYnizq1pD21rFVft3iqFAPR_y7q8/s320/000066.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-c-4Fyr2KoMJGUBvi2AwWch_NHv3sK_UOFRRea7rnFSoTQ5L4eeM2jQG1edgH8EmELh3js5QmoHDZ9Qnv9C95KUmMroktBHnY9eVOUw2WYBD7ZMDfq2ncE3DIGIoxXroAcpW42PD608/s1600-h/000057.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368604590125793202" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-c-4Fyr2KoMJGUBvi2AwWch_NHv3sK_UOFRRea7rnFSoTQ5L4eeM2jQG1edgH8EmELh3js5QmoHDZ9Qnv9C95KUmMroktBHnY9eVOUw2WYBD7ZMDfq2ncE3DIGIoxXroAcpW42PD608/s320/000057.jpg" border="0" /></a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMXCgC_WJYF9OgkqdncDOUWu18jMxYPvjLTCXyyDEqUDONdxvUx2QHrx47V0JM3pg0b2dnBthKmn2gwv17wKFxAiidLy3EyX4X1pssbbfb6mkubgkgVAKf00IgKJ_5gRe8JBR4mJiuJK4/s1600-h/000056.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368604443704395650" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMXCgC_WJYF9OgkqdncDOUWu18jMxYPvjLTCXyyDEqUDONdxvUx2QHrx47V0JM3pg0b2dnBthKmn2gwv17wKFxAiidLy3EyX4X1pssbbfb6mkubgkgVAKf00IgKJ_5gRe8JBR4mJiuJK4/s320/000056.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw2YIzEg5kaVecVeS-XmEdwIasJ-kfU6T5Nrr4-QdYdcRRThIYZ7kwRK08ZBAvM0mkqrdQpBxJlUpstFxcUQMZ2Pxy7ZV7_Rz9iSFTTojRAbwR9CtjTpu51F8c3cev1iWTvlrYEp6Fb7g/s1600-h/000054.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368604441736584034" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw2YIzEg5kaVecVeS-XmEdwIasJ-kfU6T5Nrr4-QdYdcRRThIYZ7kwRK08ZBAvM0mkqrdQpBxJlUpstFxcUQMZ2Pxy7ZV7_Rz9iSFTTojRAbwR9CtjTpu51F8c3cev1iWTvlrYEp6Fb7g/s320/000054.jpg" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br />Sumatra is one of the places in Indonesia that used to have loads of backpackers, but now after one catastrophe after another, Sumatra is well and truly off the beaten track. That just might be another good reason to visit… Other sound arguments for packing your backpack and start exploring Sumatra is the amazing nature that unfolds where ever you look, the chance to climb volcanoes, observe orangutans in their natural habitat (one of only two places left on earth where this is possible), kicking back on gorgeous beaches and incredible diving.<br /><br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOIs8fmpXPk638K5E1u02o7NLT1WdV7JmnRhf2-h9D94OM8j0FrEUX3YGLZhXgxK1ok1OgGmlBrhVQO-GKGqqhQAdHTZ6K7NP75NpsODT1PNSPwSAViZ0m3ZyRby-PHLGbBqeJPvMa4E/s1600-h/000049.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368604432838519090" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOIs8fmpXPk638K5E1u02o7NLT1WdV7JmnRhf2-h9D94OM8j0FrEUX3YGLZhXgxK1ok1OgGmlBrhVQO-GKGqqhQAdHTZ6K7NP75NpsODT1PNSPwSAViZ0m3ZyRby-PHLGbBqeJPvMa4E/s320/000049.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rfaitKUV2SitqlhgvmoGqaPtuRf6Jew6oWkJgSbJOldV-lf-ZvuMz6G_sMbCEkmjOBRinW8OKdPVE-PsRA0w6o6GVQYalrUAsTWg0FzCVBmJfr4WuBOMwcPPYVQR4o2gfAUDTCvnTkY/s1600-h/000047.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368604427137346546" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rfaitKUV2SitqlhgvmoGqaPtuRf6Jew6oWkJgSbJOldV-lf-ZvuMz6G_sMbCEkmjOBRinW8OKdPVE-PsRA0w6o6GVQYalrUAsTWg0FzCVBmJfr4WuBOMwcPPYVQR4o2gfAUDTCvnTkY/s320/000047.jpg" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br />You don’t go to Sumatra for your regular sand’n’sun holiday – that would be Bali. Sumatra is adventure, experiences and challenges of the kind that needs the stamina to live through long, extremely bumpy bus rides, a small compact backpack and sensible shoes.<br /><br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6wlhPV8TQfx4T7cxLKunRfQ82nF3o76XIPy2f5kVzaAiA-KxF7pBEy7p5ymzvtFntddUpprCQxvv_PYiGzLyMV1H2qNudsWk25Vpay9KVdWgJaf1qR0GHBGkeoZaG2BqKRNKuQNKfJc/s1600-h/000050.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368604438540805186" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6wlhPV8TQfx4T7cxLKunRfQ82nF3o76XIPy2f5kVzaAiA-KxF7pBEy7p5ymzvtFntddUpprCQxvv_PYiGzLyMV1H2qNudsWk25Vpay9KVdWgJaf1qR0GHBGkeoZaG2BqKRNKuQNKfJc/s320/000050.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHZhBobi5VGCKT-Z89LV0R9VqInvUH0bNABHO9bqBPyB2BUGheUWULmKRfIwg-EiNvDtjgFEJbtiDP9Blq45oC6LsbpOv5HgKhd_vp5geO0qhsi2NuG2kUQkHj32LrPoYvpDwbwJKq_eM/s1600-h/000044.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368604238842538242" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHZhBobi5VGCKT-Z89LV0R9VqInvUH0bNABHO9bqBPyB2BUGheUWULmKRfIwg-EiNvDtjgFEJbtiDP9Blq45oC6LsbpOv5HgKhd_vp5geO0qhsi2NuG2kUQkHj32LrPoYvpDwbwJKq_eM/s320/000044.jpg" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br />We went with way too much luggage including a laptop, the most sensible shoes I was carrying was a pair of kawasakis (which is a perfectly good pair of shoes, however they are not made for jungle trekking on muddy slopes in the Sumatran tropical forest – especially not since they were a light shade of yellow…). And as for the long, bumpy bus rides – we did do a few, but for the longest one (would have been at least 13 hours) we opted for a cheap flight instead. Still we had an amazing trip! In little under 3 weeks we tried to breathe through all the smog in Medan; Sumatra biggest city, we swam in Southeast Asias largest lake; Danau Toba, we jungle trekked and saw orangtuans in Bukit Lawang and hung out at the lovely beaches with the locals at Pulau Weh. You’d be hard pressed to squeeze much more in as getting from one place to another is a very time consuming affair in Sumatra. The beauty of that however means that there is still loads of things for us to see next time we venture to Sumatra :-)<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6z6g5tO-a-naC-F6FxaYTtDOzTXYBLecwaiIy2BkXO02irAx7G_8lok1Mjy4fvH31oCTXzj6UfMK1S0MCOGeGc6uAKusS_IoxJHHd1zGsQ9dX4RZLOF1dtZgpIXGFCAP4mIreQbZD5_U/s1600-h/000034.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368604234772357538" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6z6g5tO-a-naC-F6FxaYTtDOzTXYBLecwaiIy2BkXO02irAx7G_8lok1Mjy4fvH31oCTXzj6UfMK1S0MCOGeGc6uAKusS_IoxJHHd1zGsQ9dX4RZLOF1dtZgpIXGFCAP4mIreQbZD5_U/s320/000034.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0XT3h2q9ZJUwrLO_RibdKZEcwhm2E47wWVB6HoQqbVECp3xEEaTLdQaq7jEdYWHc7ULjArEm877fm_55ZpiGfD70mfcOKuJwEOUCOGyH7nzEtjXL7PZbwT1uu01y51kPBcLo7_9JSh-c/s1600-h/000033.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368604107295483250" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0XT3h2q9ZJUwrLO_RibdKZEcwhm2E47wWVB6HoQqbVECp3xEEaTLdQaq7jEdYWHc7ULjArEm877fm_55ZpiGfD70mfcOKuJwEOUCOGyH7nzEtjXL7PZbwT1uu01y51kPBcLo7_9JSh-c/s320/000033.jpg" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br />Straddled by equator Sumatra is nearly 2000km long, stretching from Banda Aceh in the north to Bakauheni in the south, as slightly smaller than France. Sumatra is the proud owner of nearly 100 volcanoes, 15 of them still active and the tallest one being 3805 meters tall. In the jungles of Sumatra you may be so lucky to discover Rafflesia arnoldii; the world’s largest flower. You might also bump into the endangered Sumatran rhino, elephants and Sumatrans tigers. However the main attraction is the orangutan, they can be found in Gunung Leuser National Park – 5000 wild orangutans are believed to still roam the park.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKySL7O-IFUL6WZjirNQmzhwuJZ4qoPeW9Yve8m2Dsjt_IdP3FKgtRjBdefxdqWQEi9eeDA4RviVpaT-dQmgJKtEyHCNaBJhF3tjhvcfFkP1PL9lSZ-B00rfss1WyrsE0dEqDK7xrOWA/s1600-h/000068.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368604598378950962" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKySL7O-IFUL6WZjirNQmzhwuJZ4qoPeW9Yve8m2Dsjt_IdP3FKgtRjBdefxdqWQEi9eeDA4RviVpaT-dQmgJKtEyHCNaBJhF3tjhvcfFkP1PL9lSZ-B00rfss1WyrsE0dEqDK7xrOWA/s320/000068.jpg" border="0" /></a></center>Lærkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487275017604647908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532680852335276765.post-7180334787544427432009-08-12T17:17:00.007+02:002009-08-12T18:02:35.145+02:00Silk Road CitiesGreetings from Uzbekistan! We have visited the Silk Road cities of Samarkand and Bukhara with their many magnificent medrassas (Islamic schools) and mosques, all beautifully decorated with exotic blue mosaics and turquoise domes. One afternoon we sat at a rooftop restaurant in Bukhara enjoying the view out over one of these striking buildings, watching the light slowly change with the day, witnessing the blue colors of the domes and the intricate tile work morph in the golden light. Children were playing in the plaza in front of us and an old woman was selling huge, juicy watermelons next to the souvenir stalls. A nice peaceful moment to take it all in.<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIu6vx-TJemDNQppnndlvqYwi4RDVYF3TKnkWqVmZH3kzh8he_7ubTopZdjREuOuSb91TMmfEI_7Z9_BshuKGARUnBEFGysnL53UqjCOrqCbhvSTY2NJ9kaudVYolQSsMhh0_mRatDbjI/s1600-h/IMG_0748.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369097861496582290" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 280px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIu6vx-TJemDNQppnndlvqYwi4RDVYF3TKnkWqVmZH3kzh8he_7ubTopZdjREuOuSb91TMmfEI_7Z9_BshuKGARUnBEFGysnL53UqjCOrqCbhvSTY2NJ9kaudVYolQSsMhh0_mRatDbjI/s320/IMG_0748.JPG" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbyjlYdrhC8qqscmZimJyHABMZkHopKIbeyQCbbK8LJmaQEZxkTWnYmSsQHwe7tUU01w6rY6IRj6CDaYlvANgmPr2q1tWX3mPP5fgrTVIRM-Ahenx-7KrjpNY3wpvgI9HsWQ-F6TqBQw/s1600-h/4+(11).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369097094416564962" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 280px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbyjlYdrhC8qqscmZimJyHABMZkHopKIbeyQCbbK8LJmaQEZxkTWnYmSsQHwe7tUU01w6rY6IRj6CDaYlvANgmPr2q1tWX3mPP5fgrTVIRM-Ahenx-7KrjpNY3wpvgI9HsWQ-F6TqBQw/s320/4+(11).JPG" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br /><br />Later in the afternoon the temperature has also dropped to the bearable in Bukhara, it could by now almost be described as comfortable – especially when thinking back to the previous day where we had undertaken a 7 hour train ride with no air-con. In the carriage it must have been at least 35 degrees, and only a hot, lazy wind swept down the corridor, barely making itself felt by the profoundly sweating passengers, us included. To distract us from the heat a Russian TV series, episode 1-29, were put on the small TV hanging from the ceiling of the carriage. It was no easy feat to make out the plot, but is seems to revolve around some dirty cops who did a lot of shooting… Everyone else in the carriage however, from grannies to 5 year old seemed pretty engaged in the series, was this something the everyday people of Uzbekistan could relate to? Corrupt police officers are extremely common in all of Central Asia, apparently this is most easily experienced in the Tashkent metro. Travelers’ wisps ghastly stories about being shaken down for a bribe by crooked police men who will escort you into small rooms to “count” your money, unavoidably some of them disappear during the counting. Lonely Planet, the modern day travel bible, happily joins in on these scary accounts with good advice on how to best avoid the run-ins, or at least endure least possible loss. However the metro being super handy for getting around Tashkent (it is too hot to walk around) we still ride it. Avoiding all eye contact with the many police officers in the metro while trying to look as local as possible we still await that rueful encounter. A couple of times we get to leave, giddy with the feeling of having “just escaped” as we pass the last police man upon exiting the metro and ascending back up to the baking hot streets of Tashkent. However one day we are stopped by a couple of police officers! But after a short chat about Danish football they let us go, maybe the situation isn’t as bad as most people make it out to be? Or maybe we just got lucky! :-)<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDA7ZKXvnESmQAT7HVIqLOv1FgSIeacMV5Py5e6OBU93xwEDyEBJD99aDJ3seYnoq38cwHfUr1wj99-0NZu73dt5oeppU5mO9btTtyZyFUi56XDLEsowt0qb7C_zuKByjFF6StEbSVZb0/s1600-h/IMG_0684.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369097451312179954" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDA7ZKXvnESmQAT7HVIqLOv1FgSIeacMV5Py5e6OBU93xwEDyEBJD99aDJ3seYnoq38cwHfUr1wj99-0NZu73dt5oeppU5mO9btTtyZyFUi56XDLEsowt0qb7C_zuKByjFF6StEbSVZb0/s320/IMG_0684.JPG" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3bnULgs3Db5wlqYZBBDUFdaYDXH-TjOX4bKyB01HflrLeoeMrEQvOp39q5ha5Zsx9xxpGHqCIvoaHOExoDGIP3ozGABiHCkz6-T6bMA0_3h5_twQMCpJ-J-lRcW3_0gTph-QTy7_heZs/s1600-h/IMG_0663.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369097124149923378" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3bnULgs3Db5wlqYZBBDUFdaYDXH-TjOX4bKyB01HflrLeoeMrEQvOp39q5ha5Zsx9xxpGHqCIvoaHOExoDGIP3ozGABiHCkz6-T6bMA0_3h5_twQMCpJ-J-lRcW3_0gTph-QTy7_heZs/s320/IMG_0663.JPG" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br /><br />We also visited a fairground in Bukhara, Russian style! The rides were all old and rusty, and we dared not go near the ferries wheel, as it looked especially rambling. The merry-go-around was of cause propeller driven but it was kinda fun ;) Safety wasn't prioritized, but who cares in Central Asia?<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFih0q2XOJfep1V_UmOFdFlMFYq_WgXhhjVEDu3GJV9tc9PLxS2e28aHxvsUsgCkJVA1nBi9BgkaxiWD9jjo0GHD9BvGwp5wctIrfdOpPji07xCIUCPHkRL2o0hPBe4BOSOGSqgGlWPzA/s1600-h/IMG_0777.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369097877312274178" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 280px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFih0q2XOJfep1V_UmOFdFlMFYq_WgXhhjVEDu3GJV9tc9PLxS2e28aHxvsUsgCkJVA1nBi9BgkaxiWD9jjo0GHD9BvGwp5wctIrfdOpPji07xCIUCPHkRL2o0hPBe4BOSOGSqgGlWPzA/s320/IMG_0777.JPG" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGFbo-J1dRRfaouXJdqNItQ7612w0gcR5JBfENNuT3lrgR7_gZ9-oabUJWqTMteM8uEpVNqyx6roNS_odeBcdP2_Ir9gPvsCAoDGdCRqUWxpaE8LsThNrOEpdfacCMsQmZY9ztUIOmGeQ/s1600-h/IMG_0800.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369097885703173538" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 280px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGFbo-J1dRRfaouXJdqNItQ7612w0gcR5JBfENNuT3lrgR7_gZ9-oabUJWqTMteM8uEpVNqyx6roNS_odeBcdP2_Ir9gPvsCAoDGdCRqUWxpaE8LsThNrOEpdfacCMsQmZY9ztUIOmGeQ/s320/IMG_0800.JPG" border="0" /></a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUDCTq6i5Nh41ZwoVsI_r3BgpmgyHT9iyGsleSE8MlpF7VDZjt7mIG9Tx22rHdbWHax8HlEUx0L7cTAyj4jXH7AGUieSEjF1LVnH5BoWtP99Vul88MZPpgPtJTcstmQ0R1Y7TL8hdGN4/s1600-h/IMG_0718.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369097488003550530" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 280px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUDCTq6i5Nh41ZwoVsI_r3BgpmgyHT9iyGsleSE8MlpF7VDZjt7mIG9Tx22rHdbWHax8HlEUx0L7cTAyj4jXH7AGUieSEjF1LVnH5BoWtP99Vul88MZPpgPtJTcstmQ0R1Y7TL8hdGN4/s320/IMG_0718.JPG" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivI1AkuKq-RToXxcIntnA-Nzv9EcVnxjmGAeYFpc7W1JxxVewL75Q7ZG6ua44KFj4kNOsNdtcxTCPrnCHwmKAjTkcafPxB9UUlaq-Si50Y_G16d0Pu0o8oFuEqgrafNwzr_CHBnRpXVPA/s1600-h/IMG_0705.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369097474167047602" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 280px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivI1AkuKq-RToXxcIntnA-Nzv9EcVnxjmGAeYFpc7W1JxxVewL75Q7ZG6ua44KFj4kNOsNdtcxTCPrnCHwmKAjTkcafPxB9UUlaq-Si50Y_G16d0Pu0o8oFuEqgrafNwzr_CHBnRpXVPA/s320/IMG_0705.JPG" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br /><br />Samarqand was an incredible city, retaining both a Persian and Soviet charm - yes, the Soviet influence actually had some charm. Broad boulevards, wooden houses, medrassas, churches, mosques and markets; it was almost as magical as the name sounds. The Registan, Gur-Emir and Afrosiab were all breathtakingly beautiful with a deep blue sky as backdrop.<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4LqvkdWCEkSvhEMHlep_wEq6ccQS7Sfa-87KAm2gdQ4iwls09xJEhJQe4wG7tBIZ21bXOPjWevaBths8dT2mO3O3SUx-el67fILgAfehKAYB6GGJPtY9dJx9HAvDwn15U2xC5_F3uolc/s1600-h/IMG_0750.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369097868739398530" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4LqvkdWCEkSvhEMHlep_wEq6ccQS7Sfa-87KAm2gdQ4iwls09xJEhJQe4wG7tBIZ21bXOPjWevaBths8dT2mO3O3SUx-el67fILgAfehKAYB6GGJPtY9dJx9HAvDwn15U2xC5_F3uolc/s320/IMG_0750.JPG" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ7xuKhtJjK7eQk9MpGnWMK2x_hKE0NwSTogTmRewVD-kTpoODunWeWASIKyxGPCGxTU6AHFSKjiF6J_uzcudMw8oTn1U9GsYEWwiru0moO0uhHpZSp4pPs0qndgUkIj56eccP4ZPWIpI/s1600-h/IMG_0686.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369097466317349906" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ7xuKhtJjK7eQk9MpGnWMK2x_hKE0NwSTogTmRewVD-kTpoODunWeWASIKyxGPCGxTU6AHFSKjiF6J_uzcudMw8oTn1U9GsYEWwiru0moO0uhHpZSp4pPs0qndgUkIj56eccP4ZPWIpI/s320/IMG_0686.JPG" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br /><br />We stayed at a great guesthouse with a fabulous garden and great breakfast, with homemade jam en masse. It was located very close to the Gur-Emir Mausoleum, down a small alley in a small residential area - it wasn't as cheap as we normally opt for, but it was value for money!<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOpDCVj9sjSebRVw25xePdFqOi25_FhYQT0eSMYVr5ZCUfFFQ-plMSlPgtkUgeQjfewJUuwC-N3_hdSUlkyy1_xwJC5FHP94cV-zVd6W3tEAeUC48ysD2NHyKyNs6iLtEqBYA2ll-0bQ/s1600-h/IMG_0685.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369097458754604338" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 280px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOpDCVj9sjSebRVw25xePdFqOi25_FhYQT0eSMYVr5ZCUfFFQ-plMSlPgtkUgeQjfewJUuwC-N3_hdSUlkyy1_xwJC5FHP94cV-zVd6W3tEAeUC48ysD2NHyKyNs6iLtEqBYA2ll-0bQ/s320/IMG_0685.JPG" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQO70TagCzhzCa8tgv-MPgCKbw1NUarslQkARpkntbSMdDjBCmKvNfLimVHQ1AcXRhKqSCVydcm5m8j4h7oYduPvrf35PzEWSY2HClTK6J290vovmrtXdtATLwy7aX5Cx57vGJxCxacM/s1600-h/IMG_0582.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369097111884392610" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 280px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQO70TagCzhzCa8tgv-MPgCKbw1NUarslQkARpkntbSMdDjBCmKvNfLimVHQ1AcXRhKqSCVydcm5m8j4h7oYduPvrf35PzEWSY2HClTK6J290vovmrtXdtATLwy7aX5Cx57vGJxCxacM/s320/IMG_0582.JPG" border="0" /></a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWVYjoDDbox84Zvc70T_29S2zsjo1tdaThk5gKe95J0hABzZu1dXUHkxGxkc3CNlUyUUiTchRMev9HxX-SKglquvVFufD-7Vc10p88jhGDAhQfmdmISZXwKrec3F_da1Se1JFSBq_ypxU/s1600-h/Copy+of+4+(6).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369097101797124946" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 280px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWVYjoDDbox84Zvc70T_29S2zsjo1tdaThk5gKe95J0hABzZu1dXUHkxGxkc3CNlUyUUiTchRMev9HxX-SKglquvVFufD-7Vc10p88jhGDAhQfmdmISZXwKrec3F_da1Se1JFSBq_ypxU/s320/Copy+of+4+(6).JPG" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ZWNCpT-5iGVdfDmfjFzbEbMCvC0vV3mGGx2gNTaatIJpUZdd5-TK9HAfPedwQfEENMnLSOKTnbsPLEPa76qSCVhEyAZgV9VuhPotGL1mJeHWW4XAYIm4OXUS6sTQXHtoDGrCM4Bz_po/s1600-h/4+(4).JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369097089157288946" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 280px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ZWNCpT-5iGVdfDmfjFzbEbMCvC0vV3mGGx2gNTaatIJpUZdd5-TK9HAfPedwQfEENMnLSOKTnbsPLEPa76qSCVhEyAZgV9VuhPotGL1mJeHWW4XAYIm4OXUS6sTQXHtoDGrCM4Bz_po/s320/4+(4).JPG" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></center>Lærkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487275017604647908noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532680852335276765.post-83561672641511189862009-08-09T17:57:00.005+02:002009-08-12T18:27:58.531+02:00Bishkek, the Capital of KyrgyzstanWhen waiting for our departure into China, we spend a couple of days in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Unlike in Uzbekistan where all obvious memorabilias of the Communists have been demolished, quite a few Lenin statues are found around in the squares of the Kyrgyz main city.<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7nj7gpU7PSg8LbX9zvqHeE36KPKxOPO20NGPp7r7Yns-gxGORTCBLzc8ghRJt2jOjqVx4eVlF3ugR7jqmbJ2s07yrrrE62KPdGtmxUqEj5HZkO_DVXzt_MkC9du5TC3dAP1Cnf4wa26Q/s1600-h/IMG_1307.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367994781135736002" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 180px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7nj7gpU7PSg8LbX9zvqHeE36KPKxOPO20NGPp7r7Yns-gxGORTCBLzc8ghRJt2jOjqVx4eVlF3ugR7jqmbJ2s07yrrrE62KPdGtmxUqEj5HZkO_DVXzt_MkC9du5TC3dAP1Cnf4wa26Q/s320/IMG_1307.JPG" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmXEnRqTvIp_h8eK9X_NfX2supQQKotXjYW8Zs_0l42giC5AKCFCoDgsP7WFHPdt5jARJnj32bGGbXlPLaqpLuI_zXdQRacgejzFQMqGJHJlO5VJ3Q6OW_o4QD10rEL61n7QuqEG2QqA/s1600-h/IMG_1327.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367994786891647890" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 180px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmXEnRqTvIp_h8eK9X_NfX2supQQKotXjYW8Zs_0l42giC5AKCFCoDgsP7WFHPdt5jARJnj32bGGbXlPLaqpLuI_zXdQRacgejzFQMqGJHJlO5VJ3Q6OW_o4QD10rEL61n7QuqEG2QqA/s320/IMG_1327.JPG" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br /><br />Bishkek was a pleasant stop-over: small, leafy and with good dining options. The broad lanes are relatively quiet and there are many old houses and remnants from the soviet days. We got "lucky" finding accommodation, as it is really scarce on the budget level. Only drawback was one of our Japanese dorm-mates tendency to snore louder than a saw-mill. The guesthouse was called Sakura's guesthouse and is featured in the Lonely Planet - it was quite full at all times it seems, as it is one of the better options at budget prize.<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4C-DN79MiU319ojvTwoj5x8a2Xh6DoycmYCn6S6jDpqwffyYRfIBhk1AXacMe37GGugckWq-BJ1vyhz5ZGCDrjA82b1Eg7jYSykfplOaSje-QGi5R-Z6C-Umu6S90hyKFUch9oWM-w94/s1600-h/IMG_1328.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367994790123529634" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4C-DN79MiU319ojvTwoj5x8a2Xh6DoycmYCn6S6jDpqwffyYRfIBhk1AXacMe37GGugckWq-BJ1vyhz5ZGCDrjA82b1Eg7jYSykfplOaSje-QGi5R-Z6C-Umu6S90hyKFUch9oWM-w94/s320/IMG_1328.JPG" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimaykjbEBEx6a4-ObAgrqi4ccQwvrnrD1MqDV5phkyfPvh4WDzG12VZyT0E96nsjwmqOTmHp0EkzBa5d5b43M11NoyJJMzVgqNBOfXuZYOJiB_5Sez6bUSoz-msdVZkKfD9M4z8nMSM_M/s1600-h/IMG_1338.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367994797794913394" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimaykjbEBEx6a4-ObAgrqi4ccQwvrnrD1MqDV5phkyfPvh4WDzG12VZyT0E96nsjwmqOTmHp0EkzBa5d5b43M11NoyJJMzVgqNBOfXuZYOJiB_5Sez6bUSoz-msdVZkKfD9M4z8nMSM_M/s320/IMG_1338.JPG" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br /><br />As in Uzbekistan, the travellers you meet here are definitely not the gap-year-khao-san-road type; many are long time travelers, with very different backgrounds, nationality and age, each with whom you can share experiences from past shared destinations and whom can lure you into a change of travel-plans with good advice or tales of unheard of places.<br /><br /><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4_Ji2L38wTIv2A8Xu4qhoBPHUXze2_GnI1OQl9KS7LCnzIipJCFwwx0VxX3eo4NAUdRciaO_LIdEj1SMZFlI3qUvccMTb2ovJbyRSUIH94PzxM7xf3dW7nGXWnLPMIjKYscSPqmSQl1I/s1600-h/IMG_1340.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367994801685349442" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4_Ji2L38wTIv2A8Xu4qhoBPHUXze2_GnI1OQl9KS7LCnzIipJCFwwx0VxX3eo4NAUdRciaO_LIdEj1SMZFlI3qUvccMTb2ovJbyRSUIH94PzxM7xf3dW7nGXWnLPMIjKYscSPqmSQl1I/s320/IMG_1340.JPG" border="0" /></a></center>Lærkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487275017604647908noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532680852335276765.post-60125133019064151932009-08-09T09:34:00.011+02:002009-08-09T10:05:40.742+02:00Brahmin blue streetsOn our tour through Rajasthan we had now come upon Bundi, a smaller less touristy town, which might owe its relative lack of tourism to the bad roads leading to it and the shortcoming of decent train connections. We spend the days walking the narrow Brahmin-blue lanes stopping to look at the bazaar, temples and old havelis along the way.<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTOThkgFkP6eQ6Q5qg1RCZoVHBIYDXre_ZEFA9roEXV3MMUUGHXpL9Mm3DQW2kKeWsY7N1VXNODpxx_wgqvABFxCEkagD-LSV8928JDa27VMoOZ1WIQjiezGHFJ3ovbBKB_vnuwKtA9Dc/s1600-h/IMG_1208.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367867205705657714" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTOThkgFkP6eQ6Q5qg1RCZoVHBIYDXre_ZEFA9roEXV3MMUUGHXpL9Mm3DQW2kKeWsY7N1VXNODpxx_wgqvABFxCEkagD-LSV8928JDa27VMoOZ1WIQjiezGHFJ3ovbBKB_vnuwKtA9Dc/s320/IMG_1208.JPG" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82ETjs-VlJa4zd_srrvtVj5huQIpZiqL9JIlb6HSneNmmwGkbZtrKKd5JiD_og3u2pinqvlsZwR7OzY6bdda8Yq0NZbsvo83TB_zRatVdV25MfxNVoB6nHx5K_YFJHu9AhI1BJgNI8zo/s1600-h/IMG_1204.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367866790493926658" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82ETjs-VlJa4zd_srrvtVj5huQIpZiqL9JIlb6HSneNmmwGkbZtrKKd5JiD_og3u2pinqvlsZwR7OzY6bdda8Yq0NZbsvo83TB_zRatVdV25MfxNVoB6nHx5K_YFJHu9AhI1BJgNI8zo/s320/IMG_1204.JPG" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br /><br />Looming over the city is the Taragarh Fort, it was build in 1354 and has been long abandoned. It is now partly overgrown with wines and a band of monkeys have pretty much taken over - we were advised to find a big stick up there to scare them away. As we were exploring, we were suddenly caught between two monkeys screaming at each other, chasing each other around. We were completely caught off guard and got a little startled; Martin found a bigger stick – with thorns on it, and we proceeded. There were some huge reservoirs and in some places, and we could still see old, fading murals adorning the walls.<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVGgqHC5zOZuctr3zs0mAZFVdADQNpwuW0ADeS2JDqQ55IAof6N1LmmBC3ZvdukPdxy4CBKczgH8Omc8zaFU227d3k71JHKMaQYJAJD0ugWnTNXL50D07Ia9-P3s9eSdjIiDtCT2B-EQ/s1600-h/IMG_1296.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367869145515720050" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVGgqHC5zOZuctr3zs0mAZFVdADQNpwuW0ADeS2JDqQ55IAof6N1LmmBC3ZvdukPdxy4CBKczgH8Omc8zaFU227d3k71JHKMaQYJAJD0ugWnTNXL50D07Ia9-P3s9eSdjIiDtCT2B-EQ/s320/IMG_1296.JPG" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDse3E8cceMFGmvPIR9pGhPWGqKB57HJy-RhxtaFTD6Vm7wc9bjtgWKGN7ch0OnP9dwUK6aSagjz3ZrzIgvJT2RVSNQVmJpsjQTyOZVDHVFWBCAmi5O_9TfNRV-mwb7RqZvwVRIUXFplg/s1600-h/IMG_1229.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367867481995599698" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDse3E8cceMFGmvPIR9pGhPWGqKB57HJy-RhxtaFTD6Vm7wc9bjtgWKGN7ch0OnP9dwUK6aSagjz3ZrzIgvJT2RVSNQVmJpsjQTyOZVDHVFWBCAmi5O_9TfNRV-mwb7RqZvwVRIUXFplg/s320/IMG_1229.JPG" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br /><br />Another highlight was the Bundi Palace; it had previously been shut up and left to the bats but has now been cleaned up and is open to the public. It was a pretty grand place, with decaying murals and pretty ornament balconies; we walked through most of it, enjoying the view over the city through the many windows. In some of the rooms you could still clearly smell the bats, and in a couple of darker passages, hundreds of them were clinging to the high ceilings.<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11uXbh3axOUeksC-HE0ByYJZNu3tKShAeES4hEjaU1h4OG9PRvx2r8chFc_435ft7aUNSNcfArQWoRa5LVL0JHDHzHWAfz-PMgEgvoamDvH83xnHJkMoTxzN97zhW7qdDtmoEzf28R4U/s1600-h/IMG_1246.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367868027840660658" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11uXbh3axOUeksC-HE0ByYJZNu3tKShAeES4hEjaU1h4OG9PRvx2r8chFc_435ft7aUNSNcfArQWoRa5LVL0JHDHzHWAfz-PMgEgvoamDvH83xnHJkMoTxzN97zhW7qdDtmoEzf28R4U/s320/IMG_1246.JPG" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUB_Y1P7Sd1qs6BCD45fuqZXzM5a9kHn2Z9EWd9ZVaVx7wybOlyP1_4-7bMoeI82VUKnzymGl_8IeVxZeN-z07YRyyEZZ0Ja838tzGR_gvaT8p9uz_xIc0mqzLEbq_bsdh8sE9sq4wmg/s1600-h/IMG_1238.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367867763367962226" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUB_Y1P7Sd1qs6BCD45fuqZXzM5a9kHn2Z9EWd9ZVaVx7wybOlyP1_4-7bMoeI82VUKnzymGl_8IeVxZeN-z07YRyyEZZ0Ja838tzGR_gvaT8p9uz_xIc0mqzLEbq_bsdh8sE9sq4wmg/s320/IMG_1238.JPG" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br /><br /><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgETpjlMn-_rKM9qjChLbtMsULNpUhMpfGiFxsNFgOzGI3BACQzGdrNFWS8Xp7ex5IoENCe7fve2bmLb3caevr1DypodqvpWamzIzf8kdyqzSUmkAXmzjpxO5HgucjNVlz9d-6uijnHRkw/s1600-h/IMG_1290.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367868682736710738" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; alt: " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgETpjlMn-_rKM9qjChLbtMsULNpUhMpfGiFxsNFgOzGI3BACQzGdrNFWS8Xp7ex5IoENCe7fve2bmLb3caevr1DypodqvpWamzIzf8kdyqzSUmkAXmzjpxO5HgucjNVlz9d-6uijnHRkw/s320/IMG_1290.JPG" border="0" /></a></center>Lærkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487275017604647908noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532680852335276765.post-71575483433933727242009-08-08T10:55:00.008+02:002009-08-08T11:16:04.613+02:00Nusa Lembongan; a laid back island off BaliNusa Lembongan is an island off the southeast coast of the main island of Bali. We took the public boat to Nusa Lembongan early Saturday morning; it leaves daily from Sanur beach at around 08.00am. It doesn’t dock at a pier at Nusa Lembongan so you have to wade in through knee-high water, I was offered a piggyback ride by one of the crew member though, but politely refused :)<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MZAkoQgCQ63sIoMQcIDLopSUmOcfI5Lt2JpxEByqxlbKk5Bh2dKi5Ewu2rUjQFOpUsu6PO4gdUjM9OopPMSSMEdDeiV2p-135lINot_20SDPllVj2qans845Eh2l9I-R6DnCE-KD3zw/s1600-h/000165.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367515291165190706" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MZAkoQgCQ63sIoMQcIDLopSUmOcfI5Lt2JpxEByqxlbKk5Bh2dKi5Ewu2rUjQFOpUsu6PO4gdUjM9OopPMSSMEdDeiV2p-135lINot_20SDPllVj2qans845Eh2l9I-R6DnCE-KD3zw/s320/000165.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBtNpVUCESZHwgTrtQeDf0ijwlixzPlXOQgUPt5MFnZ1KpCwXKxBc0qpN63C9VdP-64Uq46t6VMjnuhjA12zOxIdrQn_9IxDdydqWywnmL7HGkVsqgw9tbT9O0fqTs3OGimaHMpnS4CU/s1600-h/000162.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367515283211891938" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBtNpVUCESZHwgTrtQeDf0ijwlixzPlXOQgUPt5MFnZ1KpCwXKxBc0qpN63C9VdP-64Uq46t6VMjnuhjA12zOxIdrQn_9IxDdydqWywnmL7HGkVsqgw9tbT9O0fqTs3OGimaHMpnS4CU/s320/000162.jpg" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br /><br />After having breakfast at one of the cute cafes along the water, we set out on foot south along the shore and the main beach, where fishing boats, seaweed farms and ferries crowd the shallow waters. Crossing the lush headlands that protrude into the blue sea, we found some smaller and more peaceful coves with white-sand-beaches and azure waters. Even in the smaller coves, fishing boats are not to be avoided though, but it doesn’t matter much, as they are actually often quite beautiful with their brightly painted hulls and spiderlike outriggers.<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNTxRdc9lJsy-z8Dcm34h6RDBoxg9W4sWJpCTbj0kWNQy92UgznuAfm952EyhA_PZQdT0BNymnp-jG9Ez7XViGen3K2YlFHFmaT1lAkdPmhqp8kD1Xyzt6NnZI8eO1wDTFqzlEMGrKEbc/s1600-h/IMG_2571.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367516145728770210" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNTxRdc9lJsy-z8Dcm34h6RDBoxg9W4sWJpCTbj0kWNQy92UgznuAfm952EyhA_PZQdT0BNymnp-jG9Ez7XViGen3K2YlFHFmaT1lAkdPmhqp8kD1Xyzt6NnZI8eO1wDTFqzlEMGrKEbc/s320/IMG_2571.JPG" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXaqSFM6Mmz2ubvdY96h-twCy9lB5fqwdBQ3-sStpPrp7c6dlp8-XUZ13DLoQul8_6rcRo0vXgzPcG3n8fY3ZFis3uPTg1VjDti1jVPf8W47LK1v8YiOCF0r8b_SHJTYj_4t5JPmAnr04/s1600-h/IMG_2565.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367515300552787330" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXaqSFM6Mmz2ubvdY96h-twCy9lB5fqwdBQ3-sStpPrp7c6dlp8-XUZ13DLoQul8_6rcRo0vXgzPcG3n8fY3ZFis3uPTg1VjDti1jVPf8W47LK1v8YiOCF0r8b_SHJTYj_4t5JPmAnr04/s320/IMG_2565.JPG" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br /><br />This is a nice place to walk. A rocky coastal path links nearly all the guest houses and hotels. Most trips will take you less than two hours. Bicycles can be rented at most places, and the mainly flat roads are quite well surfaced. Motorbikes are also available but may be unnecessary given the short distances involved, and they also charge outrageous for motorbike rental, one hour is 30.000rp, normally on the mainland you can rent a bike for 24 hours for the same amount. It is also possible to cross to the small island of Ceningan via a scenic suspension bridge.<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw98ueQAeAmbR7maLogquSj-SJdbmy6EDjNPZbtQwcTBBfqBMwBD9r7YAgMW0cQ9VMYDLx06x-6fsleY7mONSp5BNuAqoTorApg4XenozCCPkW4XaYkbEkXGFKTJpcIf1vjn61rjKcmys/s1600-h/000164.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367515290948622946" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw98ueQAeAmbR7maLogquSj-SJdbmy6EDjNPZbtQwcTBBfqBMwBD9r7YAgMW0cQ9VMYDLx06x-6fsleY7mONSp5BNuAqoTorApg4XenozCCPkW4XaYkbEkXGFKTJpcIf1vjn61rjKcmys/s320/000164.jpg" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWZuuGsJr1w5lwQXyf59ApJIGJwpBj4OVn67PsfWbCgKucmm1GNBRxSnXbGAk0WqR-f5PuDA04dzIO0-aVMrxPCVVxW-i-RMUzvpPm2zHdRU63HT-50Jhm-dH5hk4Z9130RbChhpQg5E/s1600-h/000159.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367515279089134610" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWZuuGsJr1w5lwQXyf59ApJIGJwpBj4OVn67PsfWbCgKucmm1GNBRxSnXbGAk0WqR-f5PuDA04dzIO0-aVMrxPCVVxW-i-RMUzvpPm2zHdRU63HT-50Jhm-dH5hk4Z9130RbChhpQg5E/s320/000159.jpg" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br /><br />We swam and relaxed on the beach the whole day, returning in the afternoon, when clouds slowly began to gather and a light shower reminded us that it is still rainy season. We headed back through the small Kampungs (villages) that dot the coasts and interior of Nusa Lembongan. The atmosphere on the island is much more relaxed than the big tourist areas of mainland Bali, and as many of the locals are employed in the Seaweed farming business, tourism is only a secondary income to most, making the locals less intrusive and pushy.<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rczMGKcpIwyYq12TkhyphenhyphenQDZZbMJyi4H8AqSiNFuhU8B05SpcqVPUb8d83OdWBkEBtDcWqp0pOBwCd8ET59WQV5WJISuttklHHVEz8TrwbsWMLfTKvzURN2dfzy3pM9slXPsn_M9VF0SI/s1600-h/PICT1733.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367516162958320050" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rczMGKcpIwyYq12TkhyphenhyphenQDZZbMJyi4H8AqSiNFuhU8B05SpcqVPUb8d83OdWBkEBtDcWqp0pOBwCd8ET59WQV5WJISuttklHHVEz8TrwbsWMLfTKvzURN2dfzy3pM9slXPsn_M9VF0SI/s320/PICT1733.JPG" border="0" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEichxAdEFoF8pxQPgzXWkHHwtMGD0J6dFXokpVj8ysFLuklcTcsdcz2vX8gwakUG9bCutelhvSBes3ehZWR3EwIqeB7DGy5E9d00vvFVJX5S0pcwqUE6_ipsGlb0NbgyT-9JBfzv7-4654/s1600-h/PICT1691.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367516154231602578" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEichxAdEFoF8pxQPgzXWkHHwtMGD0J6dFXokpVj8ysFLuklcTcsdcz2vX8gwakUG9bCutelhvSBes3ehZWR3EwIqeB7DGy5E9d00vvFVJX5S0pcwqUE6_ipsGlb0NbgyT-9JBfzv7-4654/s320/PICT1691.JPG" border="0" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br /><br />Mornings are a great time to people spot on the main beach; Jungutbatu. Here the locals were already busying themselves with seaweed farming, bringing in groceries from the boats coming from the morning markets in Bali or big baskets of fish caught earlier in the morning. Children were out catching sandworms to use for bait and a few women were putting out offerings at the edge of the water.<br />If you get up early you can also be lucky enough to get a good view of Gunung Agung, the tallest and holiest mountain on Bali before the clouds roll in an obscure the view. Most often than not it is shrouded in thick mist or clouds, so even though it dominates the landscape of eastern Bali, you don’t see it very often, especially not in the rainy season. But it is a beautiful and humbling sight!<br /><br /><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBjERbglSBCL93A000m02G1yovYGJIzRU4vr6HNcU1jQ742saIoLJfQCf8efy1F6UL_Sy_S6Qj7UHx3Gy0ubEn4nkozz3X8TTgGLYVslrQLsSyVxMBOP9W_-JXPW8KF6qBVbibQopbZA/s1600-h/PICT1682.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367516151376648818" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBjERbglSBCL93A000m02G1yovYGJIzRU4vr6HNcU1jQ742saIoLJfQCf8efy1F6UL_Sy_S6Qj7UHx3Gy0ubEn4nkozz3X8TTgGLYVslrQLsSyVxMBOP9W_-JXPW8KF6qBVbibQopbZA/s320/PICT1682.JPG" border="0" /></a></center>Lærkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487275017604647908noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532680852335276765.post-84295324609444076922009-08-07T11:01:00.008+02:002009-08-08T11:17:08.495+02:00The Heart of Marrakesh - Jemma El' FnaMarrakesh I will always remember for its Jemma El’Fna. A grand plaza filled with all sorts of people and just a place of general mayhem! There were snake charmers, who were very happy to suddenly jump out and fling a snake around your neck – for a nice Kodak moment… Persistent henna ladies, fortune and story tellers (in Arabic), men with monkeys that you could hold for a few dirham, and then there was the juice stands, selling the best freshly squeezed orange juice ever. There was even a “dentist," whose quick extraction skills were advertised by a table full of teeth.<br /><br /><center><table><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyAuolWof7j1lwxBLX4flUp76Wm1ZLJx4p-Hd-wRvhLmQkQB70aCyEee0CPqzJqq__5RIMj6Q1sDrCQfSa9dYQqt_4wT-aA9z4sFKwyy9ZipmXMl8NlilHWWmOr_bdpgtXqMeTTQDqFE8/s1600-h/000098.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyAuolWof7j1lwxBLX4flUp76Wm1ZLJx4p-Hd-wRvhLmQkQB70aCyEee0CPqzJqq__5RIMj6Q1sDrCQfSa9dYQqt_4wT-aA9z4sFKwyy9ZipmXMl8NlilHWWmOr_bdpgtXqMeTTQDqFE8/s320/000098.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367145383538591426" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLszwulR81eI_fJAMyIFQGYekGchctrwx4w6Zvjvp1EEosRvkopfyVaSwFrARuPJHytuJuqDEVPIwRNfGb2KqDJxswiDTmaI0TvfO8vJsLz7olKfRko1n-pgw_P3efGqOymD-vTWPh8c/s1600-h/000083.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLszwulR81eI_fJAMyIFQGYekGchctrwx4w6Zvjvp1EEosRvkopfyVaSwFrARuPJHytuJuqDEVPIwRNfGb2KqDJxswiDTmaI0TvfO8vJsLz7olKfRko1n-pgw_P3efGqOymD-vTWPh8c/s320/000083.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367145276997518706" /></a></td></tr></table></center><br /><br />And that was just the plaza, beyond the plaza was the souqs. A world of shopping! I came out with a cute little teapot (Moroccan style), a scarf, some tea and my new price possession – a real Moroccan puf (you know, one of those round sets in leather). Everywhere you look goods are haggled for in tiny shops and stalls, often over glass after glass of what might be considered the national drink - hot mint tea as sweet as liquefied chewing gum.<br /><br /><center><table><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvL_A7yKjAP7NgUPTF3Nw616Shnji-XtD3hBE3j9AsAwximlUOR-XW5Ymi5Zyj27D727cHdNP7IpiNJQ5ks5qtLVpna7zPeLJ_24rY5Pj1p45KBGTSTbq0f3epDt5jAuv0GXuTHJgFSjg/s1600-h/000090.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvL_A7yKjAP7NgUPTF3Nw616Shnji-XtD3hBE3j9AsAwximlUOR-XW5Ymi5Zyj27D727cHdNP7IpiNJQ5ks5qtLVpna7zPeLJ_24rY5Pj1p45KBGTSTbq0f3epDt5jAuv0GXuTHJgFSjg/s320/000090.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367145291281967186" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnzhC66DwXu-sCZ0zpFJWybFuFSBsi252ZoFUfTuG-PmeCPWWt0xhiDLVKSsaFWqILJjH7y52hrDMFVd6VAeHZ58pRyTC1cQfQ4j3oc028v33Kkz56SFr3RwW_lm2PmjGggUELKJTiEH4/s1600-h/000089.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnzhC66DwXu-sCZ0zpFJWybFuFSBsi252ZoFUfTuG-PmeCPWWt0xhiDLVKSsaFWqILJjH7y52hrDMFVd6VAeHZ58pRyTC1cQfQ4j3oc028v33Kkz56SFr3RwW_lm2PmjGggUELKJTiEH4/s320/000089.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367145287193914530" /></a></td></tr></table></center><br /><br />You also have to stop by the “Magic Souk” where you can buy potions for all kinds of illnesses, live lizards, dried blowfish, turtle shells, shark fins and tea that will enhance everything from hair growth to fertility. Kids will also love this place!<br /><br /><center><table><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx8rSWztk16EfpILzRiaqItwS361c25m2cR4vIrS6JFNt1uQCsFPn-rJrbR9hGr4jVJFAQVq5UqyduVe__zAwSobgGsch_yHLllYkBqY7DM4Rt-2hT5ku1aICj3JyBm4MEWG5KVoPktBs/s1600-h/000084.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx8rSWztk16EfpILzRiaqItwS361c25m2cR4vIrS6JFNt1uQCsFPn-rJrbR9hGr4jVJFAQVq5UqyduVe__zAwSobgGsch_yHLllYkBqY7DM4Rt-2hT5ku1aICj3JyBm4MEWG5KVoPktBs/s320/000084.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367145282489890738" /></a></td><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0OTumvUAAm0gU_n-kima7SV3-r7RtPf3MAae1gLtB3q0Rpyz-OEBk2x6t1mIgkiWZmDfiTYw4RhOQ9PvUBUbe7s8UKP4jL4WwUJLG2ENDni0jmeiv-Y99n_a0rQcJlVU-rZYSJvnmdU/s1600-h/000092.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0OTumvUAAm0gU_n-kima7SV3-r7RtPf3MAae1gLtB3q0Rpyz-OEBk2x6t1mIgkiWZmDfiTYw4RhOQ9PvUBUbe7s8UKP4jL4WwUJLG2ENDni0jmeiv-Y99n_a0rQcJlVU-rZYSJvnmdU/s320/000092.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367145294962956354" /></a></td></tr></table></center>Lærkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487275017604647908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532680852335276765.post-48717617873938665642009-07-21T13:22:00.006+02:002009-08-07T11:17:35.190+02:00The Gibbon ExperienceThe people behind The Gibbon Experience in Chang Mai with their 2km of zip lines has now build a new site in Chonburi, situated just 1 hour outside of Bangkok and 50 minutes from Pattaya Beach at Khao Kheeo, Chonburi, this beautiful forest site offers easy and convenient access from both destinations.<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360872859873684514" style="HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhltnJavygQ7PI6gqa7j3NGixG1FxcsyT9FRbj7FIVvFjOCaSNQ2th9wUcrJUr16oqqZNOIr-Ts0paU1NH2C2VWkHp3r9DCwf6FSs9n7flghhRlFk8AJjGlFNhkqDDkIirvfyG8CUy1Cvc/s320/IMG_5467.JPG" border="0" /></td><td><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360872863728078274" style="HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYb9gI9ihyphenhyphenPKokNLGr4IxV8U2Sdh-bAfh4C-pQuzGOcNNwtqhnoeeVLmgZu_FwG6uYwOr7RhTY2AxBkDMFyxEpdl_l2FyRcfzPuYhZUq1L5XGvVyY4vShUe9LWX9xmEg3V4aNoSXNGnew/s320/IMG_5535.JPG" border="0" /></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br />The new site in Chonburi features Thailand’s longest zip-line at over 300 meters! The entire course is over 3 kilometers in length and has 26 platforms.<br />They had a deal that if you booked online and took the early departure at 06.00 you would get a discount – and the whole rainforest to yourself it turned out!<br />We got rigged up with harnesses and very flattering orange helmets and we were on our way, after a short trek we could get started and soon we were flying through the tree tops! I am not scared of heights at all, and the equipment was safe and very secure, and the guides were extremely focused and consistent with regards to safety so there was nothing to worry about and I was free to enjoy the views from the very first zip, and was the views amazing! I have never seen a forest from above before and I defiantly recommend it.<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360872871756076818" style="HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRAfUncSAlIhr5VbBlujfJdEBfkHGynosWZKJTw_JH6UbH-OzIfTbo6zOTBpm25C7v8t3ESZ66WG4Jf-t8wVDgomGOAYNOoQWdWNidCoiq_SZfjk6i6nzhXYoMHOY53VZ3ylQw8pXcJw/s320/IMG_5546.JPG" border="0" /></td><td><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360872857954042498" style="HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirElPoJfjShvXY7W5SJPV60wSgHWFKtfM3ItbX9iQ-wDBEppH_3m7TzzJovq7KXILSAZ0fkE9L9YdybwTr6jTf3v5-wSVUa1XDtVf-lqx5VXjJCTcfdh95mZfyAntCulPjRFK7gQAlXik/s320/IMG_5494.JPG" border="0" /></td></tr></tbody></table></center><br />A few tree-top houses and hanging bridges along the way keep it interesting.<br />There are three or so drops throughout the course which keeps things interesting. The last drop is 60+ meters down. For major fun ask to be attached by your back instead of your front. It’s much more exciting that way.<br />At the end a delicious meal awaits at the office/meeting platform in the forest.<br />To book your own adventure at the Gibbon Experience visit <a href="http://www.treetopasia.com/" target="_blank">http://www.treetopasia.com/</a><br />Kids are welcome too!<br /><center><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfICFtTI9r5vJcGi5pTmc7lV_8uVI28ctXJ3dkcpQqkUlf79wUhaiupbq2kER9IigGVWW5BxxuqzclccbEhCI2hwTc-ZsVt8jnSyZY0QgBPDDTs7URZvHzjfJsjdDJ0wY7MAZodIb052E/s1600-h/IMG_5451.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360872855346942690" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfICFtTI9r5vJcGi5pTmc7lV_8uVI28ctXJ3dkcpQqkUlf79wUhaiupbq2kER9IigGVWW5BxxuqzclccbEhCI2hwTc-ZsVt8jnSyZY0QgBPDDTs7URZvHzjfJsjdDJ0wY7MAZodIb052E/s320/IMG_5451.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></center>Lærkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487275017604647908noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532680852335276765.post-50050571398074029622009-07-20T23:07:00.014+02:002009-08-07T11:21:17.292+02:00Urumqi, capital of the UighursWe had a short stopover in Ürümqi in the western Xinjiang province, China, a city with a population of around 1.6 million. It is quite famous for its claim that is the most inland city in the world, that being the furthest from any ocean.<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360653129599348354" style="WIDTH: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWQSSKq9h-HDS0R_ISsCRBGqBp-u9HNaGnwDfYc26Q1HShMkw4BSLDPRsZaSB_EtDpxcqwFMaSnIn7vFSPIm2GcV0Qy91w-eITdKUm_A9VO-WsVVjA9sai94LRW8RvxZcDRkT61eJ3aKA/s320/000088.jpg" border="0" /></td><td><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360652967489221586" style="WIDTH: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgks3_28Ab4fxBAGAOhLd3XdS7DEI-se7Yvw7qolAeDQq2bKRlM2HXMstFJKPWyvYsnGt6d7Qu-NUukO3txNQOF9RKZEnb4KhhbALmMETbea7glCEASuVdbAntlGBprL21mCUxOX-fVwLw/s320/000087.jpg" border="0" /></td></tr></tbody></table></center><p>It served us as a good transition point between Central Asia and China, as the city is heavily influenced by both regions, the local population are Uighurs who are closely related to the Turks. The men were wearing little Muslim skull caps and some of the woman wore a scarf loosely tied around their heads.<br /><br /></p><center></center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHueXiRYeoUIqbEawHbwwMDzxpJ6Tcf86W0EFThnOqaYhfCA2_xD-JG9glSdZAE_Z0m2_56jU3LxzG4fkNgBV0Dq9uKxkDhbENhcGUFSr43zieJ_OyzURAuPeUtPEedcEdCr7xtBK3HNo/s1600-h/000091.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360653403941919346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHueXiRYeoUIqbEawHbwwMDzxpJ6Tcf86W0EFThnOqaYhfCA2_xD-JG9glSdZAE_Z0m2_56jU3LxzG4fkNgBV0Dq9uKxkDhbENhcGUFSr43zieJ_OyzURAuPeUtPEedcEdCr7xtBK3HNo/s320/000091.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />We visited the downtown bazaar area, which reminded us a lot of bazaar and souqs in Syria and Morocco. There was a great vibe there, as we sat down to eat at a busy, open food market people smiled and laughed to us/at us, they seemed amused to see foreigners.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiligGfQZE8ARiS0UxjD1dNYVnecMQuIRfsFvkgwBKYgwUXI1sK5TcBx-r11s5QFoLrp154rEVggd9a-1PfhyphenhyphenW82TjCHMsrtufRsvLI749nkQZVGwJ3p03WrlT8MRWjpXttduPQWV0YYMI/s1600-h/000090.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360653333373568882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiligGfQZE8ARiS0UxjD1dNYVnecMQuIRfsFvkgwBKYgwUXI1sK5TcBx-r11s5QFoLrp154rEVggd9a-1PfhyphenhyphenW82TjCHMsrtufRsvLI749nkQZVGwJ3p03WrlT8MRWjpXttduPQWV0YYMI/s320/000090.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The food was delicious, served steaming hot with plenty of fresh coriander on top – yum! Here we also experienced our first moment of being sneak photographed, something the Chinese really seem to master we have discovered :-)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrpBCvjY_OSrkzmPOre8OggM02-pHojJu_jHZZMw7EaNlMrV9bc9cH3T4uo5v4MmEwdtCIhYbxg6S9QP9ruRZqPRHUnTslV5SAgg90faxNwHSmJ547zCz8uzmWZnfc9c7zowXE3RD57k/s1600-h/000089.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360653215700525474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 235px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrpBCvjY_OSrkzmPOre8OggM02-pHojJu_jHZZMw7EaNlMrV9bc9cH3T4uo5v4MmEwdtCIhYbxg6S9QP9ruRZqPRHUnTslV5SAgg90faxNwHSmJ547zCz8uzmWZnfc9c7zowXE3RD57k/s320/000089.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />As we walked around the city we noticed how English could only muster up to be the fourth language here, the street signs were in Chinese and Arabic, and a few places we saw Russian writing too. Western influences seem a world away; the only thing that reminded us of the west was the large number of KFCs. Ürümqi and the Xinjiang province is extremely interesting for its cultural mix and far of any tourist trails.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8rv87KwXR-HLMPbGd6sv0kaWIse6D7MhX_D0LwCXZwPc2Amed9NxqUBjSA6qTVWyN2EaEEvJlnoJ8apr_Oua-geKP7v-X0tgP5tDnBs8pAHaJnCcEuEcLUwaym_aP1ZF34Cz10lP6yD4/s1600-h/000092.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360653468539878818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 237px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8rv87KwXR-HLMPbGd6sv0kaWIse6D7MhX_D0LwCXZwPc2Amed9NxqUBjSA6qTVWyN2EaEEvJlnoJ8apr_Oua-geKP7v-X0tgP5tDnBs8pAHaJnCcEuEcLUwaym_aP1ZF34Cz10lP6yD4/s320/000092.jpg" border="0" /></a>Lærkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487275017604647908noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532680852335276765.post-58496157939733004782009-07-09T11:53:00.009+02:002009-08-07T11:19:09.056+02:00Bottle Beach on Ko PhanangBottle Beach, in Thai known as Haad Khuad, is a beach on the north of Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand.<br />It lies in a protected cove with no road access, so you have to take a boat there from one of the nearby beaches. If you get a shared boat it is 100bath a person. The seclusion of this place means that it feels a million miles from the notorious Had Rin and its Full Moon Party.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356397380662061218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_hNCdEEMNtag5CFxtjtnHTJAyq84PJ_2rtNV0dSyDq2yMdYQUEqAHTrPMF3bJBA7dyzWv7v6UnVWwB-Iy7FuF2qwLMYc3QdpAgrKuSuZWXOfFmcB0vUxbzlGsWTQMhgVWyAjAqAaNdk/s320/001+(3).JPG" border="0" /><br />Bottle Beach has developed from a little known traveler hide-away into a very popular backpacker beach with plenty of people having a beer or a bucket at night in one of the cozy little restaurants where you sit on cushions on the floor. The beach is beautiful and the accommodation, most of it fairly priced (bungalows start at 250bath) is good.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356397381933279842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5cD4d5vAOV1PuEkPPWj8N3ApFv0PmXNG5Af1INopahneatqC1YUbmlBzvRu-JN1ZzX5u5wyHvigTGtYmjDQ520D4BPUzb2ix_HyJ8KQ6FSWKt4cmdl0ox3Damr-BltV2zh-dUPjtSQk/s320/001+(1).JPG" border="0" /> We stayed at “Smile Bungalows” for 350bath a night.<br /><br />The long sweeping sand beach is quite lovely, particularly in early morning and late afternoon when the bulk of the day-trippers have left.<br /><br />However my favorite thing about Bottle Beach was the look-out point. From the most eastern end of the beach you start a steep climb up a forested hill, after a little while you reach a small house where you pay 20bath per person and you can then keep on climbing. We encountered many small lizard-like animals and we also saw a long yellow snake. The climb up is a bit though – so bring water and don’t wear flip-flops !<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356398511762401362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSDxq1FqWJsDl_nsUpfAucpODB6tZTVgd5dptDvhPdhSh_GZknV7hks3Rppn7q_x9BeSlRQaqFnLC97T7C6_bVZLLPf28-76kfnuIrg1qskGwA3vomdQaYZ11aDoyoKMZqi3ujB9iFpPc/s320/PICT2844.JPG" border="0" /> The reward once you reach the top after about 40 minutes is well worth it though! You have an amazing view down Bottle Beach and the ocean and there is usually a nice breeze at the top to cool you down a bit.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356397391599769538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaT7pm7yGCXx_FosQaHrD-Mytt14mjIgy82jFjbRDFOCU3IdQd24FgBISesDgdtJe4TY6bq8_iIu5lCqXlr2rZDZLKGCVt_IOVOdDNlV1i4W5v0jadhzWF4dN8PYMoqqYBB5IyL4X1mAQ/s320/001+(4).JPG" border="0" /><br /><center><table style="cellpadding: 5px" border="0"><tbody><tr><td><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356398778060152882" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 260px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlX0hn0F9rchzxGdZ0qwo4rRFsn3xmpQIfCigSrvyF0xEz9daalgNOlV9p59KpVPauTMkXw0u4IZwHjtJYOsMr8r19_9PA1G2L_33ZGAHbMpX6fYTrr2DH3Xf1bE4l4osu4N46dBh-rsw/s320/001.JPG" border="0" /><br /></td><td><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356398778622408194" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 260px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytYsZWfdPRi1KtcHnwjZBzdzl4JjjcLOXnm-5bEITq0087ppHc0lcm4QuAOQ1-SbLJrFF9jcFdxlZf4kLXwajKdO5PrbzciN_3J3wgN5ZpXUJ_znJiXeYi34jTgRlMHDOI0yFb3RjRXM/s320/001+(2).JPG" border="0" /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></center>Lærkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487275017604647908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532680852335276765.post-45850980045029448072009-07-08T15:55:00.012+02:002009-08-07T11:19:25.899+02:00A day in MakassarMakassar is the provincial capital of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, and the largest city on Sulawesi Island. From 1971 to 1999, the city was formally named Ujung Pandang.<br />A good choice of hotel in the budget category is Pondok Suada Indah, according to Lonely Planet the closest you get to a boutique hotel in Makassar, and it is kinda cute, with a slight air of times gone by. This was our base from which to explore the city.<br /><br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356100102258357330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWjW_lJFYoviceOqqGEfIuNs-LijmUmvgmV1V9UHh7cMQaAn9_7CYoG0miF8e7ivPfgfmyuG1QBUKiIKdKUcZp4I1aUh4gUBzK-cb0_fjrV-nTF2g5L-9uvd4RA35C3L9xEUfsUMw3Rl4/s320/IMG_4204.JPG" border="0" /><br />We started the day with “nasi goreng” (fried rice with egg) for breakfast (breakfast included), and soon we were on our way to Fort Rotterdam, which is one of the best-preserved examples of Dutch architecture in Indonesia. A Gowanese (The Kingdom of Gowa) fort dating back to 1545 once stood here, first built in clay and later on upgraded to stone. Still it couldn’t keep out the Dutch, and their cannon balls, who took over the fort and rebuilt it in Dutch style in 1667.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356098875955876530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR5e7ITgTm_-raeo8h7YwTunprUcZwfDqLW_dCNOjniGOqlwe50M-arHhx6UxuA6TCxRU0Yxir79k3NQeaBKzjRXn_1rj5Vjs10zsfTMPGufYdfAEZjLvseR_hCkPsRAoAd5EbB1GWBG4/s320/PICT1929.JPG" border="0" /><br />It really was a nice place to walk around, the gardens around the buildings were nicely laid out with palm trees and pink flowers, the Dutch architectural style reminded us of Danish buildings from that period, but the baking sun, the lush palm trees and the Indonesian flag waving in the hot air above still made the place seem pretty exotic. </p><center><table style="cellpadding: 5px" border="0"><tbody><tr><td><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356391749348746354" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 260px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxSHzv-QFk6_hoGp6vcwpI0wcGcqfyZtZVTAHx-RuSLZCLWZ9c7HIRTcIqoUphFY9bJyoheFcXz53huBvzRMIOuYbd9sJiDY55k3PG2wCqxBXZreKz0GYZISoLIYZRfitH68H1jc4dkI/s320/PICT1959.JPG" border="0" /></td><td><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356099125791539074" style="CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 260px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6dtw_09yT4LlEOJaCUGnTKPbuIRP0qjeVS1JXkCKB5HhR0xDWbwaV3rVg7-YhCE0EAnnAq2JsBblP3gC3wlX4MrpngT9m7LpA1zlFhE6GdQdVK3np_s-CAK3bT5ZXDdCFzz1gEkrUk_k/s320/PICT1970a.JPG" border="0" /></td></tr></tbody></table></center>Lærkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487275017604647908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7532680852335276765.post-60268124015039333422009-07-01T00:46:00.006+02:002009-07-22T01:22:51.718+02:00About the authorHi, I’m Lily! I’m pursuing a bachelor in Southeast Asian Studies while travelling as much as I can – which is quite a lot; I’ve currently been on the road for a year. Fitting school and travelling together is sometimes a bit of a puzzle but I make it work. My partner through all this is my boyfriend through 9 years and we truly love experiencing the world together.<br /><br /><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKdFspmv_Vw8PAuJQBzibwynvqMFxbR-vR-904wQUuwxoU8RgaIHcNJT8HojsPy66i_fmZz0FEVKIW_BP-cimXu5HkYpAYz_Sssu2cV0CdxYeZ5bVpdbbawpQGBhHHcNtROlDHu8EtYMk/s1600-h/IMG_0045.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361052273650669746" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKdFspmv_Vw8PAuJQBzibwynvqMFxbR-vR-904wQUuwxoU8RgaIHcNJT8HojsPy66i_fmZz0FEVKIW_BP-cimXu5HkYpAYz_Sssu2cV0CdxYeZ5bVpdbbawpQGBhHHcNtROlDHu8EtYMk/s320/IMG_0045.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><i>Lily in Udaipur, India</i></center><br /><br />It all started in 2003 when I travelled to India for 3 months, having signed up to volunteer for a NGO in a small village in the Thar Desert called Shiv. But before starting the teaching I headed off to a lot of other things, I stayed with a host family, saw Taj Mahal, rafted down Ganges, rode elephants and camels, rappelled down a mountainside, saw a tiger in a national park, danced the nights away at Goa’s famous rave parties and so much more... That mixed with the rewarding experience of teaching in the school in Shiv made for an unforgettable trip that made an everlasting impression on me.<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361052165440432434" style="HEIGHT: 180px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjISGN5eaK1Lg-3Cf2t0OzeF8f2X3cS_IVMt3WMLTFtD2pUngssBokO9YTJddDqGJrnZsfsWYXw9FpbjOLJ474n6cDEa8f0akG9ICqmKI58M2Dh9QqgFKmYRy5JSZMsRag-M2LEIBhnZv8/s320/IMG_1507.JPG" border="0" /></td><td><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361054352573095906" style="HEIGHT: 180px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGjuHk3b-GQjG3cASN6-wyrRo4myxh2JWkPT83LZNNMw5c6xEvJ4GUhYwSFVY-0b_MqfVFQ9_NlqnOPLvxj-WZWtLQ1GZm8h6SOZP6sXE1bgnF8521Q9D970UeZbnb478aBT316UZ49Oo/s320/IMG_4422.JPG" border="0" /></td></tr></tbody></table><i>Left: Andaman Islands, India. Right: Bunakan Island, Indonesia</i></center><br /><br />With that my eyes were opened to the incredible world out there – right at our feet, and I was amazed at how easy it is to experience it. I loved meeting other travelers and hearing their tales from previous trips, already before flying home I had started to plan my next trip – and this time I wanted to share it all with Martin.<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361051944071877730" style="HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbE1DYyf_fN2PJwV-G-SC_HK21Kxs8Bl-h1fuy0lfCesEx7C3ozbNJR2m7A7roECOFuuy7Y2nhrJic0FQ4xXtH2H2kh4saPRc8dbJT9AXUXHMLgKlHs7u29q_jp8Ozpq6juGnsq_KLRQ/s320/IMG_1715.JPG" border="0" /></td><td><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361051849849034946" style="HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcl4BKSweY2qF7cy3Yc8z2p7hjciBZwH9EaItIcytWFnH1DeLd6p2NWKPE1cCbcu4WeCCfTJiSrMAEt874MNC6vDxdLfTozK_5VfC6FexKUUxMyWMoxdvGnXM8fHA3wnBKdMe8Ttj99c/s320/IMG_1327.JPG" border="0" /></td></tr></tbody></table><i>Left: Southern China.<br />Right: Lily, Martin and Lenin in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan</i></center><br /><br />In January 2005 we had saved up enough to head off for 6 months; back to India and to Southeast Asia. Since then we have had a hard time staying at home and have had numerous forays back to Asia and especially Southeast Asia. I have learned to speak Indonesian and we have lived in Bali and in Bangkok for longer periods of time. Besides Asia we have also developed a keen interest in the Islamic world and we have had some very rewarding trips to Syria and Morocco. In addition we are planning on going to Oman later this year. Africa has also awoken our travel-appetite, so you can expect tales from that corner of the world as well in the near future.<br /><br /><center><table><tbody><tr><td><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361051763955734210" style="HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAIWUKIJt3OUsJXdEj3Q20O_oNwr_3-F7BbcMd5ZaLLAHU022_eIHL0fCxG_lXsY7OWeWfehJHwAK7pPD09paSa2TDrs6JsDu870Fs2EFK-Pab3DUztGnc-fdlbZzF7WA9iRy6-Q6fyI/s320/IMG_1060.JPG" border="0" /></td><td><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361051668712373138" style="HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJ8DF6w4vzS1L8-MrvBW-OMRoMeMx2CT1CUNiRuz9asLgNGuOwi-bfiscyicgDrqBRvTmLggo1-3Cc9RmQ5O9Kfu1O2TWIx5NToblLonmi91LO_qpOlenqolDs3DKxtFBZUfjcnoFDlE/s320/IMG_0770.JPG" border="0" /></td></tr></tbody></table><i>Left: On horseback in Kyrgyzstan.<br />Right: Teastall on the road to Khardung La pass at 5602 meters, Ladakh, India</i></center>Lærkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487275017604647908noreply@blogger.com1