Posts
Within the last couple of days, I decided that I'd rather come home to icy and snowy Switzerland than travelling another month in the warm Indian south. Whaaaat?
I feel like I've had enough of travelling for the moment and I'm actually eager to work again (the logically consistent question now is how long this feeling will last :) ) - I'll already be back home next week...
I think at home it will also be possible to 'Explore, Dream & Discover' as Mark Twain purposes - just in a slightly other way and much more as a 'Revolution from Within' (Krishnamurti) than with impressions & inputs from outside.
Looking forward to see many of you soon!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Among the highest mountains in the world
Quietness...5000m above sea level...sporadically the cracking of ice...snow everywhere...8000m-mountains around...a somehow unreal huge blue-green lake in front...
The Tilicho-lake, a side-trip from the popular Annapurna Circuit from where I just returned, was absolutely amazing! Counting as one of the highest lakes in the world, this was definitely my highlight of the last 13 days on which I was walking between 6 & 9 hours per day around the 5 Annapurna mountains (cleverly named as Annapurna I to Annapurna IV & Annapurna South...). The Thorung Pass, with its 5400m higher than the Mont Blanc and definitely higher than every mountain in Switzerland, was probablyl the biggest challenge, but also a bit of a disappointment because there was neither on the way up nor on the way down a really nice round-view on the mountains...The (hugely popular) Poon Hill near Ghorepani definitely showed a great deal more of the landscape of the Annapurna region.
Loads of people traveled either with a guide, a porter or both...for me a bit strange because the paths are clear, there are many options to sleep & eat and even if you wouldn't find a way, there are still several locals around you can ask - on the other hand: if you take a guide or porter, you support the local tourist industry & there's definitely less risk for any accidents - but I really have to say that I constantly pitied the porters when they were fighting their way up with huuuge bags carrying on their heads - additionally they were mostly only equipped with flip-flops...Something which definitely shouldn't be underestimated and where a guide could help is the Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). I met loads of people who got it and had to turn around to lower altitudes...
Because I didn't find any good information for single travelers on the internet before I started my trip, I'd like to point out some highlights and information about the Annapurna Circuit as I experienced it (might be not so interesting for most of you - but maybe for a future trip?):
Generally
- Permit: You need a permit to enter the Annapurna region. You can find ACAP-offices in Pokhara or Kathmandu where the Kathmandu-office is not as described in the Lonely Planet (2005) in Thamel anymore, but just next to the main Tourist Information Office. It should cost you 2000 Rp (~28$). Also register for the TIMS (should be for free) - otherwise you have to do it at your starting-point (emergency contact-persons).
- Travelling alone: It's practically always very easy to find the track - especially when you stick on the Annapurna Circuit. Even if you wouldn't find the way on some side-track, there are always some people you can ask. Additionally, you almost never walk alone. You meet loads of people from all corners of the world and even if you'd choose to avoid them, you still find yourself walking next to horses, behind a goat herd, with a dog (one was following me for more than 2h), with yaks, cows... - What you should be aware of is, that there are loads of petty thefts going on - take extra-care of your belongings (I walked for a piece with an Austrian guy who left his walking sticks for 2min at one place, two horse-riders came, took the sticks, passed us and they were gone).
- Money: Apart from the porter or guide which will be around 10-15$/day, you can expect expenses of around 1000-1500 Rp (15-20$) per day for food, accomodation and some luxuries on the way (for me that was one or two snickers a day & sometimes accomodations which were a bit pricier). The prices get higher the further you are away from the towns and the further the porters have to carry the food. The accomodations stay the same and are usually between 50 and 200 Rp (1-3$) for a basic accomodation. I heard about some Israelis who were even trying to bargain down these prices...I'd say they're quite ok and just so low because you're usually obliged to eat where you sleep.
My trip
Day 1: Kathmandu-Beshishar with the bus, Beshishar-Nagdi
There are direct buses from Pokhara and Kathmandu to Beshishar. From Beshishar, you can take a minibus to Khudi for around 150 Rp - if you want - but it's also a pleasant walk.
Day 2: Nagdi-Tal
That was a bit a crazy day and it might be better to split it in a two-days trip (as recommended by the Lonely Planet and other guide books). Tal was my first highlight - cute little town on a great valley just next to the lake.
Day 3: Tal-Chame
Some ups and downs on the way to Chame, but I have to say that I was not really conviced of the landscape until Chame - it looked like in the alps - afterwards it got better and better :)
Day 4: Chame-Ghyaru
You definitely have to take the Upper Pisang-route even though it's a bit tougher - it's a fantastic scenery and the little town Ghyaru was my second highlight on my trip!
Day 5: Ghyaru-Khangsar
I didn't feel like staying in Manang, even though almost everybody stays there for one or two days to acclimatize...Khangsar is off the tourist track and it was a very pleasant place to stay. Be careful to take the right track here - some maps show old paths which are inaccessible now and I heard about several people who had to turn around because they didn't find it (I even heard about one guy who stayed the night in the forest because of that...but that also might be just stupidity...).
Day 6: Khangsar-Thilicho Base Camp
Even though I tried to reach the Thilicho-lake in one day from Khangsar, I had to give it up at the Base camp because the short-cut through the landslide area was tricky and took more time than I expected - but it was at the same time among the most beautiful areas I've seen until then!
Day 7: Thilicho Base Camp-Thilicho lake-Khangsar
Even though the Base Camp is already on 4200m, the last 800m to the lake were hard...but definitely worth it! As I described in the beginning, an absolutely jaw-dropping view! 'Walk high-sleep low', the credo they taught me here to avoid high altitude sickness, was definitely the case on this day. Kangshar is on 3700m.
Day 8: Khangsar-Thorung Pedi
I tried to find a direct way from Khangsar to Yak Kharka, back to the Annapurna Circuit, but even though on my map, this trail was really hard to find. After walking for a long time on cow fields heading up the hill, I finally found a track and made my way forth. Because I was already acclimatized from the Thilicho-lake I decided to head directly to Thorung Pedi, the starting point for the Thorung-La, on 4400m.
Day 9: Thorung Pedi-Thorung La-Muktinath
After an awful night in Thorung Pedi (quite hard to sleep on these heights), I started at 5am with my head-lamp towards the pass. It was an fascinating view: Stars in the sky, headlamps in front and in the back up the mountain.
After a while I had some bad stomach-problems and I had to slow down - I still don't know if it was the coldness or the porridge I had before 5 in the morning...Towards the pass, I felt better and better, but was a bit disappointed because of the view. The 1200m down to Muktinath was loooong, but with some nice views on the valley. Muktinath was definitely also among my favorites along the route. The view from the huge temple-area was amazing!
Day 10: Muktinath-Tukuche
Actually I just wanted to reach Jomson on this day, but I somehow missed New Jomson and ended up walking through the empty streets of Old Jomson and then decided not to walk back but to head to Tukuche (or Tukche) - there I found by far the best place I stayed on the whole trek. The Highwaysinn was both great to stay (hot shower, great bathroom, normal toilets,..) but also had some fantastic food!
Day 11: Tukuche-Tatopani
Even though you could take a jeep from Muktinath all the way to Tatopani (probably even further to Beni), I found it very pleasant to walk! If you really have to take a jeep because you're too lazy to walk, walk at least the way from Muktinath to Jomson - there were some great views into the valley on the way!
Day 12: Tatopani-Poon Hill-Banthanti
Already back to 1000m and again up to 3200m up the Poon Hill was tough, but the views from there were really amazing. Even though it's said to be the most crowded hill in the world, I was alone up there and enjoyed the quietness and the beauty of the mountains. I then walked a piece back in direction of Naya Pul, but next time, I'd rather stay in Ghorepani because there are some really nice hotels there.
Day 13: Banthanti-Naya Pul, Naya Pul-Pokhara with the bus
My final day was very short and I already arrived in the morning in Pokhara. It's very easy to catch a bus in Naya Pul - just stand at the main road.
PS: If you need a guide, we met a very nice one on the Royal Trek and I met him again in Ghorepani. He'll definitely be more than happy to accompany you on the Annapurna or any other trek in Nepal: Tej Gurung, gurungtej2003@yahoo.com.
The Tilicho-lake, a side-trip from the popular Annapurna Circuit from where I just returned, was absolutely amazing! Counting as one of the highest lakes in the world, this was definitely my highlight of the last 13 days on which I was walking between 6 & 9 hours per day around the 5 Annapurna mountains (cleverly named as Annapurna I to Annapurna IV & Annapurna South...). The Thorung Pass, with its 5400m higher than the Mont Blanc and definitely higher than every mountain in Switzerland, was probablyl the biggest challenge, but also a bit of a disappointment because there was neither on the way up nor on the way down a really nice round-view on the mountains...The (hugely popular) Poon Hill near Ghorepani definitely showed a great deal more of the landscape of the Annapurna region.
Loads of people traveled either with a guide, a porter or both...for me a bit strange because the paths are clear, there are many options to sleep & eat and even if you wouldn't find a way, there are still several locals around you can ask - on the other hand: if you take a guide or porter, you support the local tourist industry & there's definitely less risk for any accidents - but I really have to say that I constantly pitied the porters when they were fighting their way up with huuuge bags carrying on their heads - additionally they were mostly only equipped with flip-flops...Something which definitely shouldn't be underestimated and where a guide could help is the Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). I met loads of people who got it and had to turn around to lower altitudes...
Because I didn't find any good information for single travelers on the internet before I started my trip, I'd like to point out some highlights and information about the Annapurna Circuit as I experienced it (might be not so interesting for most of you - but maybe for a future trip?):
Generally
- Permit: You need a permit to enter the Annapurna region. You can find ACAP-offices in Pokhara or Kathmandu where the Kathmandu-office is not as described in the Lonely Planet (2005) in Thamel anymore, but just next to the main Tourist Information Office. It should cost you 2000 Rp (~28$). Also register for the TIMS (should be for free) - otherwise you have to do it at your starting-point (emergency contact-persons).
- Travelling alone: It's practically always very easy to find the track - especially when you stick on the Annapurna Circuit. Even if you wouldn't find the way on some side-track, there are always some people you can ask. Additionally, you almost never walk alone. You meet loads of people from all corners of the world and even if you'd choose to avoid them, you still find yourself walking next to horses, behind a goat herd, with a dog (one was following me for more than 2h), with yaks, cows... - What you should be aware of is, that there are loads of petty thefts going on - take extra-care of your belongings (I walked for a piece with an Austrian guy who left his walking sticks for 2min at one place, two horse-riders came, took the sticks, passed us and they were gone).
- Money: Apart from the porter or guide which will be around 10-15$/day, you can expect expenses of around 1000-1500 Rp (15-20$) per day for food, accomodation and some luxuries on the way (for me that was one or two snickers a day & sometimes accomodations which were a bit pricier). The prices get higher the further you are away from the towns and the further the porters have to carry the food. The accomodations stay the same and are usually between 50 and 200 Rp (1-3$) for a basic accomodation. I heard about some Israelis who were even trying to bargain down these prices...I'd say they're quite ok and just so low because you're usually obliged to eat where you sleep.
My trip
Day 1: Kathmandu-Beshishar with the bus, Beshishar-Nagdi
There are direct buses from Pokhara and Kathmandu to Beshishar. From Beshishar, you can take a minibus to Khudi for around 150 Rp - if you want - but it's also a pleasant walk.
Day 2: Nagdi-Tal
That was a bit a crazy day and it might be better to split it in a two-days trip (as recommended by the Lonely Planet and other guide books). Tal was my first highlight - cute little town on a great valley just next to the lake.
Day 3: Tal-Chame
Some ups and downs on the way to Chame, but I have to say that I was not really conviced of the landscape until Chame - it looked like in the alps - afterwards it got better and better :)
Day 4: Chame-Ghyaru
You definitely have to take the Upper Pisang-route even though it's a bit tougher - it's a fantastic scenery and the little town Ghyaru was my second highlight on my trip!
Day 5: Ghyaru-Khangsar
I didn't feel like staying in Manang, even though almost everybody stays there for one or two days to acclimatize...Khangsar is off the tourist track and it was a very pleasant place to stay. Be careful to take the right track here - some maps show old paths which are inaccessible now and I heard about several people who had to turn around because they didn't find it (I even heard about one guy who stayed the night in the forest because of that...but that also might be just stupidity...).
Day 6: Khangsar-Thilicho Base Camp
Even though I tried to reach the Thilicho-lake in one day from Khangsar, I had to give it up at the Base camp because the short-cut through the landslide area was tricky and took more time than I expected - but it was at the same time among the most beautiful areas I've seen until then!
Day 7: Thilicho Base Camp-Thilicho lake-Khangsar
Even though the Base Camp is already on 4200m, the last 800m to the lake were hard...but definitely worth it! As I described in the beginning, an absolutely jaw-dropping view! 'Walk high-sleep low', the credo they taught me here to avoid high altitude sickness, was definitely the case on this day. Kangshar is on 3700m.
Day 8: Khangsar-Thorung Pedi
I tried to find a direct way from Khangsar to Yak Kharka, back to the Annapurna Circuit, but even though on my map, this trail was really hard to find. After walking for a long time on cow fields heading up the hill, I finally found a track and made my way forth. Because I was already acclimatized from the Thilicho-lake I decided to head directly to Thorung Pedi, the starting point for the Thorung-La, on 4400m.
Day 9: Thorung Pedi-Thorung La-Muktinath
After an awful night in Thorung Pedi (quite hard to sleep on these heights), I started at 5am with my head-lamp towards the pass. It was an fascinating view: Stars in the sky, headlamps in front and in the back up the mountain.
After a while I had some bad stomach-problems and I had to slow down - I still don't know if it was the coldness or the porridge I had before 5 in the morning...Towards the pass, I felt better and better, but was a bit disappointed because of the view. The 1200m down to Muktinath was loooong, but with some nice views on the valley. Muktinath was definitely also among my favorites along the route. The view from the huge temple-area was amazing!
Day 10: Muktinath-Tukuche
Actually I just wanted to reach Jomson on this day, but I somehow missed New Jomson and ended up walking through the empty streets of Old Jomson and then decided not to walk back but to head to Tukuche (or Tukche) - there I found by far the best place I stayed on the whole trek. The Highwaysinn was both great to stay (hot shower, great bathroom, normal toilets,..) but also had some fantastic food!
Day 11: Tukuche-Tatopani
Even though you could take a jeep from Muktinath all the way to Tatopani (probably even further to Beni), I found it very pleasant to walk! If you really have to take a jeep because you're too lazy to walk, walk at least the way from Muktinath to Jomson - there were some great views into the valley on the way!
Day 12: Tatopani-Poon Hill-Banthanti
Already back to 1000m and again up to 3200m up the Poon Hill was tough, but the views from there were really amazing. Even though it's said to be the most crowded hill in the world, I was alone up there and enjoyed the quietness and the beauty of the mountains. I then walked a piece back in direction of Naya Pul, but next time, I'd rather stay in Ghorepani because there are some really nice hotels there.
Day 13: Banthanti-Naya Pul, Naya Pul-Pokhara with the bus
My final day was very short and I already arrived in the morning in Pokhara. It's very easy to catch a bus in Naya Pul - just stand at the main road.
PS: If you need a guide, we met a very nice one on the Royal Trek and I met him again in Ghorepani. He'll definitely be more than happy to accompany you on the Annapurna or any other trek in Nepal: Tej Gurung, gurungtej2003@yahoo.com.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
There and back again in Nepal
To just describe Nepal as a slightly different Switzerland might be - at the first glance - be adequate (and people from Switzerland traveling here as searching for home away from home - *how boooring* - as well). But after more than a month here in this country, Franziska and me found that there's more to the picture than meets the eye...fantastically friendly people, strong culture & religion and at the same time very open for other influences, greeeat mountain scenery combined with rice fields, exotic markets and traditions, ... amazing!
After a couple of days in Kathmandu and the successful fight against our food poisoning, the marketing manager from our Hotel invited us for the Dashain-Festival to his family in a remote area in the east of Nepal (a village called Dolakha, about 6h per car away from Kathmandu). We took this great opportunity and - while living at his parent's and relative's houses - learned to know a great deal about this (partially rather strange) festival, the family-life and how it is to live there. The food was kind of similar the whole time: we had Dhal Bat as breakfast, lunch and dinner for a couple of days (with some rare really welcomed exceptions - here a recipe in German)... we afterwards decided to head back to Kathmandu and further on to Pokhara, a really relaxing (but also very touristy) place. After several small trips around, we decided to make one a little longer trip for 4 days on the Annapurna Royal Trek around the Begnas-Lake. A great experience!
After enjoying the second festival Tihar (these Nepalese people seem to have one after another...) with some seemingly self-made fireworks here in Kathmandu, Franziska sadly already had to go back to Switzerland.
I'm currently strolling around here in Kathmandu thinking about my options for the next month...I may start on a longer trek on the Annapurna Circuit for 16+ days starting Tuesday or Wednesday, but nothing's decided yet...
After a couple of days in Kathmandu and the successful fight against our food poisoning, the marketing manager from our Hotel invited us for the Dashain-Festival to his family in a remote area in the east of Nepal (a village called Dolakha, about 6h per car away from Kathmandu). We took this great opportunity and - while living at his parent's and relative's houses - learned to know a great deal about this (partially rather strange) festival, the family-life and how it is to live there. The food was kind of similar the whole time: we had Dhal Bat as breakfast, lunch and dinner for a couple of days (with some rare really welcomed exceptions - here a recipe in German)... we afterwards decided to head back to Kathmandu and further on to Pokhara, a really relaxing (but also very touristy) place. After several small trips around, we decided to make one a little longer trip for 4 days on the Annapurna Royal Trek around the Begnas-Lake. A great experience!
After enjoying the second festival Tihar (these Nepalese people seem to have one after another...) with some seemingly self-made fireworks here in Kathmandu, Franziska sadly already had to go back to Switzerland.
I'm currently strolling around here in Kathmandu thinking about my options for the next month...I may start on a longer trek on the Annapurna Circuit for 16+ days starting Tuesday or Wednesday, but nothing's decided yet...
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Holy Cow!
From decent, civilized & calm New Zealand to the bustling, hot, hassling India was quite something...The first impression of India was just chaos - loads of (holy) cows on the roads, driving with no rules whatsoever, street sellers and beggars chasing us...a complete mess...but then miracously some system seemed to arise out of it...it all worked somehow like in a flow...
Sadly we found out that there were several bomb blasts in bigger cities in the northern part of India (still the old conflict between Muslims and Hindus) and one was even going up in a market in Delhi while we were there (there seem to be barely any news in western media about them). Partly because of that and partly because Nepal seemed to us more attractive than India, we decided to move as fast as possible to Nepal and just made a one-week round-trip through some places in Rajasthan.
From the places we've seen the Taj Mahal in Agra was definitely among the most amazing! And we also liked the small town Pushkar, a holy place for Hindus and a fantastic place for us to relax, do some camel-trekking & visit tempels...and joining a Hinduistic puja, daily held ceremony to worship a specific god.
We also practiced twice Indian dandiya dancing, something between fighting and dancing with sticks, at a local festival.
We're now already a couple of days in Kathmandu - mainly spending our time in our hotel-room to recover ourselves from a food poisoning we got the first day we arrived here (actually in our - quite expensive - hotel!) - but it all seems sooooo peaceful here compared to India...incredible...
we're both looking forward to see more of this country and do some trekking here.
Meanwhile to feel more energized after our demanding health-crisis we practiced some Nepali yoga. The yoga teacher mentioned that there's still some hope for Roger before the degration starts :)
Roger & Franziska
Sadly we found out that there were several bomb blasts in bigger cities in the northern part of India (still the old conflict between Muslims and Hindus) and one was even going up in a market in Delhi while we were there (there seem to be barely any news in western media about them). Partly because of that and partly because Nepal seemed to us more attractive than India, we decided to move as fast as possible to Nepal and just made a one-week round-trip through some places in Rajasthan.
From the places we've seen the Taj Mahal in Agra was definitely among the most amazing! And we also liked the small town Pushkar, a holy place for Hindus and a fantastic place for us to relax, do some camel-trekking & visit tempels...and joining a Hinduistic puja, daily held ceremony to worship a specific god.
We also practiced twice Indian dandiya dancing, something between fighting and dancing with sticks, at a local festival.
We're now already a couple of days in Kathmandu - mainly spending our time in our hotel-room to recover ourselves from a food poisoning we got the first day we arrived here (actually in our - quite expensive - hotel!) - but it all seems sooooo peaceful here compared to India...incredible...
we're both looking forward to see more of this country and do some trekking here.
Meanwhile to feel more energized after our demanding health-crisis we practiced some Nepali yoga. The yoga teacher mentioned that there's still some hope for Roger before the degration starts :)
Roger & Franziska
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Tramping in Southern NZ
A guy from New Zealand once told me that you can walk around blindly anywhere in New Zealand, stop somewhere, take a picture and it will be a gorgeous one...
If that might not be true for all of NZ (Auckland??), it is definitely true for the Abel Tasman National Park. Lush forests, gorgeous beaches, fantastic treks, cristal-clear water - and at this time of the year: Not so many tourists as well (during the summer months there are about 10x as many tourists tramping in the Abel Tasman)...
Unfortunately I couldn't really live out my happy snapping after my camera fell into a (salt) water pool just 2h after I began to walk...So for the next 4 days of tramping my camera was either not reacting at all or just took random pictures which were not saved on the card. On my last day in the national park just shortly before I reached the end of the trek my cam fortunately worked again and I took some pictures...uploaded them here already.
Apart from the beauty of the nature in this park, I also had some very good encounters with fellow travellers. Funny was the hitch-hike back to the place I started when a guy gave me some marihuana after taking me in his car - just like that (I must have looked terrible after the trek... :) ).
Shortly afterwards I headed to Nelson (nice little city, good starting point for several treks in the region), Punakaiki (fantastic blowholes and rock formations - called the Pancake Rocks), Greymouth (very nice road in direction of Christchurch over the NZ-Alps), Christchurch and then back to Auckland...All in all I really had an amazing time here in NZ and will definitely visit this country again...
Now I'm already on the Hong Kong airport waiting for my connection flight to Delhi...looking very much forward to see Franziska again there in 3 days...
If that might not be true for all of NZ (Auckland??), it is definitely true for the Abel Tasman National Park. Lush forests, gorgeous beaches, fantastic treks, cristal-clear water - and at this time of the year: Not so many tourists as well (during the summer months there are about 10x as many tourists tramping in the Abel Tasman)...
Unfortunately I couldn't really live out my happy snapping after my camera fell into a (salt) water pool just 2h after I began to walk...So for the next 4 days of tramping my camera was either not reacting at all or just took random pictures which were not saved on the card. On my last day in the national park just shortly before I reached the end of the trek my cam fortunately worked again and I took some pictures...uploaded them here already.
Apart from the beauty of the nature in this park, I also had some very good encounters with fellow travellers. Funny was the hitch-hike back to the place I started when a guy gave me some marihuana after taking me in his car - just like that (I must have looked terrible after the trek... :) ).
Shortly afterwards I headed to Nelson (nice little city, good starting point for several treks in the region), Punakaiki (fantastic blowholes and rock formations - called the Pancake Rocks), Greymouth (very nice road in direction of Christchurch over the NZ-Alps), Christchurch and then back to Auckland...All in all I really had an amazing time here in NZ and will definitely visit this country again...
Now I'm already on the Hong Kong airport waiting for my connection flight to Delhi...looking very much forward to see Franziska again there in 3 days...
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Hitch-hiking in New Zealand
If you'd dig a hole in Switzerland you'd end up (sooner or later) in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, but if you'd go just a little bit further south to Portugal/Spain you'd most probably land in the middle of a sheep herd here in New Zealand. On every one of the 4 Mio people living here (whereupon 1.3 Mio alone live in Auckland) there are 10 sheeps living here as well on an area which is about 6.5 as big as Switzerland. Amazing...
I just arrived on the South Island of New Zealand - supposingly even more beautiful than the North Island even though the north was already rather fascinating...
When I arrived in Auckland it felt quite weird to be in such a big city again (after the calm and relaxing atmosphere of Fiji) so I decided to leave the place for Rotorua a bit further south. I first had to get accustomed to the constant sulphur smell in the air because of the strong geothermal earth activity here, but due to the many hikes, the hot pools and the great landscape around the city (particularly the nearby Whakarewarewa Forest - called The Redwoods), it was a fantastic stay in this city.
I then made the decision to go to the Lake Waikaremoana and try my first Great Walk here in NZ. Buuut that was quite a challenge... I didn't find any way to go down to the lake by any means of transport (except by car on a very bad road) so I decided to try it from the other side and took a bus to Napier (a cute little town at the sea). Because there was also no possibility to reach the Lake from this side either, I walked out of the city and began to hitch-hike. After 6 (!) different hitch-hikes where they sometimes left me in some really remote areas (I once had to wait 4h in one place where there was approximately one car per hour), I still didn't reach the lake - but nearly. I put my tent and walked the rest the next day. Unfortunately the weather was changing and I couldn't go on the Great Walk. But the journey was definitely the reward on this trip because I met some very interesting people...When I hitch-hiked back I found a family who first invited me to their place and then drove me all the way back to my hostel (2.5h) where I started my little hitch-hike-journey. The people are incredibly friendly here!
Tomorrow I can finally go on my first Great Walk in the Abel Tasman Nationalpark here on the South Island. Looking very much forward to that...
I just arrived on the South Island of New Zealand - supposingly even more beautiful than the North Island even though the north was already rather fascinating...
When I arrived in Auckland it felt quite weird to be in such a big city again (after the calm and relaxing atmosphere of Fiji) so I decided to leave the place for Rotorua a bit further south. I first had to get accustomed to the constant sulphur smell in the air because of the strong geothermal earth activity here, but due to the many hikes, the hot pools and the great landscape around the city (particularly the nearby Whakarewarewa Forest - called The Redwoods), it was a fantastic stay in this city.
I then made the decision to go to the Lake Waikaremoana and try my first Great Walk here in NZ. Buuut that was quite a challenge... I didn't find any way to go down to the lake by any means of transport (except by car on a very bad road) so I decided to try it from the other side and took a bus to Napier (a cute little town at the sea). Because there was also no possibility to reach the Lake from this side either, I walked out of the city and began to hitch-hike. After 6 (!) different hitch-hikes where they sometimes left me in some really remote areas (I once had to wait 4h in one place where there was approximately one car per hour), I still didn't reach the lake - but nearly. I put my tent and walked the rest the next day. Unfortunately the weather was changing and I couldn't go on the Great Walk. But the journey was definitely the reward on this trip because I met some very interesting people...When I hitch-hiked back I found a family who first invited me to their place and then drove me all the way back to my hostel (2.5h) where I started my little hitch-hike-journey. The people are incredibly friendly here!
Tomorrow I can finally go on my first Great Walk in the Abel Tasman Nationalpark here on the South Island. Looking very much forward to that...
Friday, August 29, 2008
Lay back and relax...
Deciding upon one of the more than 300 Fiji Islands after I arrived here was quite a challenge. I decided for the Wayalailai Island 
about 2.5h off the 'mainland' coast and the first island of the Yasawa Islands group. Good decision. Sun, sea, sand, palm trees like in the pamphlets! But...after the first day laying around at the beach, I already had somehow enough of it (think I'm not really a sunbunny) and I tried to walk around the island during low tide. Quite a challenge. After about 3h of walking (and some nice snorkeling in between) I couldn't get any further because the waves were already too high and I tried to climb up the stones - bad idea...It took me so much time to fight through the dense vegetation that afterwards I couldn't get back along the coast because the waves were already too high - about 6h after my round-the-island trial I finally arrived back at my resort - very exhausted and really happy to just lay around doing nothing :)
Even though the Fiji islands may be very beautiful, they're at the same time cramped with tourists. Virtually everybody goes to the Nadi Bay area first (after arriving at the airport) and then decides upon one of the two main tourist organizations, Awesome Adventures or Sea Turtle Cruises, which both have their own cruises. Best way to travel here would be most probably with an own boat...
After meeting several people who said New Zealand was the favorite country they visited, I'm looking forward to fly to Auckland tomorrow morning and I might even try one of the Great Hikes there...
about 2.5h off the 'mainland' coast and the first island of the Yasawa Islands group. Good decision. Sun, sea, sand, palm trees like in the pamphlets! But...after the first day laying around at the beach, I already had somehow enough of it (think I'm not really a sunbunny) and I tried to walk around the island during low tide. Quite a challenge. After about 3h of walking (and some nice snorkeling in between) I couldn't get any further because the waves were already too high and I tried to climb up the stones - bad idea...It took me so much time to fight through the dense vegetation that afterwards I couldn't get back along the coast because the waves were already too high - about 6h after my round-the-island trial I finally arrived back at my resort - very exhausted and really happy to just lay around doing nothing :)Even though the Fiji islands may be very beautiful, they're at the same time cramped with tourists. Virtually everybody goes to the Nadi Bay area first (after arriving at the airport) and then decides upon one of the two main tourist organizations, Awesome Adventures or Sea Turtle Cruises, which both have their own cruises. Best way to travel here would be most probably with an own boat...
After meeting several people who said New Zealand was the favorite country they visited, I'm looking forward to fly to Auckland tomorrow morning and I might even try one of the Great Hikes there...
Friday, August 22, 2008
From urban to real jungle
Ok, we heard about loads of petty thefts here in Quito and some people we spoke to even got robbed with knifes. We were quite cautious especially when it got dark, but we really didn't expect to get robbed at 10pm only 1 street away from all restaurants and bars and just about 50m from our hostel... 3 guys came towards us and suddenly two of them hold me and tried to get my wallet and one of them tried to rob Franziska. I shouted twice towards the nearby street, but nobody reacted. Fortunately they only stole my wallet (with 2$ and my cards in it) and Franziska was able to successfully hold back her assaulter. Fortunately for us, because she had all the money and even the passport on her :) A somehow very frightening experience which stayed in our mind for days after...
We were glad to drive away from Quito towards the south to Tena, the heart of the Amazon, as they call it here. A cute little city and a gateway to the surrounding jungle. We booked a tour for 3 days and slept in the middle of the Amazonas in Cabanas (little wooden houses), went for jungle trips, lay at the nearby riverbank and got in contact with the local community of Quechua. We also tried a shaman cleaning ritual where we drank some hallucinogen 'drugs' made out of jungle plants - a very interesting experience :) !
After this jungle-trip, our five weeks in Ecuador already came to an end and me and Franziska go separate ways for a bit more than a month :( . She is now already in San Franzisco where she's doing her Assistant Teachership and I arrived in Nadi on Fidji where I'm most probably going on a island-hopping-trip starting tomorrow...
We were glad to drive away from Quito towards the south to Tena, the heart of the Amazon, as they call it here. A cute little city and a gateway to the surrounding jungle. We booked a tour for 3 days and slept in the middle of the Amazonas in Cabanas (little wooden houses), went for jungle trips, lay at the nearby riverbank and got in contact with the local community of Quechua. We also tried a shaman cleaning ritual where we drank some hallucinogen 'drugs' made out of jungle plants - a very interesting experience :) !
After this jungle-trip, our five weeks in Ecuador already came to an end and me and Franziska go separate ways for a bit more than a month :( . She is now already in San Franzisco where she's doing her Assistant Teachership and I arrived in Nadi on Fidji where I'm most probably going on a island-hopping-trip starting tomorrow...
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Into the wild
Back from a trip into Ecuadors volcano-region in the south of Quito, we're still recovering from the freezing temperatures in our first tent-experience during this trip on 3900 meters above sea level.
But first things first: About ten days ago, we headed to an extinct vulcano near Quilotoa which is now filled with blue-green water - an absolutely fantastic view when the sun hits the sea and it turnes from azure-blue to turquise-green! With about 3850 meters above sea level, the paths which went 150m down to the laguna were quite breathtaking (in every sense of the word) and the nights rather cold...
Afterwards we headed to the small city of Chugchilan and went on a 7h-hike to a nearby cloud forest - it was like a jungle in the middle of a sparse vegetation on 2800 meters where we saw different kinds of hummingbirds and other small animals. We also did horse riding down a nearby canyon and tried to stress the poor animals up the hill in a galopp (rather unsuccessfully) :)
After a harsh ride crumpled in a pick-up in the back of a car over a pass of about 5000 meters (which was reeeeally cold), we visited a small local market in Saquisili and headed right afterwards to the Cotopaxi National Park. At the Lake Limpiopungo in the park, we decided to put our tent and watch the vulcano clearing up its clouds in the evening. An amazing view!
The next day, after a VERY cold night on 3900 meters, we decided to climb the vulcano up to its base camp on 4800 meters - definitely one of the toughest hikes we ever made. Short of breath, with headache and dizziness we finally reached the camp after about 5 hours of walking. It was unfortunately quite cloudy & we soon decided to start our descent...3h later, when we reached our tent again, we were only able to cook some tea and immediately went to sleep afterwards.
We still felt a bit dizzy the next day when we put our tents together and headed back to Quito - our base-station for the next trip towards the Amazonas in a couple of days...
But first things first: About ten days ago, we headed to an extinct vulcano near Quilotoa which is now filled with blue-green water - an absolutely fantastic view when the sun hits the sea and it turnes from azure-blue to turquise-green! With about 3850 meters above sea level, the paths which went 150m down to the laguna were quite breathtaking (in every sense of the word) and the nights rather cold...
Afterwards we headed to the small city of Chugchilan and went on a 7h-hike to a nearby cloud forest - it was like a jungle in the middle of a sparse vegetation on 2800 meters where we saw different kinds of hummingbirds and other small animals. We also did horse riding down a nearby canyon and tried to stress the poor animals up the hill in a galopp (rather unsuccessfully) :)
After a harsh ride crumpled in a pick-up in the back of a car over a pass of about 5000 meters (which was reeeeally cold), we visited a small local market in Saquisili and headed right afterwards to the Cotopaxi National Park. At the Lake Limpiopungo in the park, we decided to put our tent and watch the vulcano clearing up its clouds in the evening. An amazing view!
The next day, after a VERY cold night on 3900 meters, we decided to climb the vulcano up to its base camp on 4800 meters - definitely one of the toughest hikes we ever made. Short of breath, with headache and dizziness we finally reached the camp after about 5 hours of walking. It was unfortunately quite cloudy & we soon decided to start our descent...3h later, when we reached our tent again, we were only able to cook some tea and immediately went to sleep afterwards.
We still felt a bit dizzy the next day when we put our tents together and headed back to Quito - our base-station for the next trip towards the Amazonas in a couple of days...
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Surfin' & Dancin' in Ecuador
My flight from Sao Paulo to Quito was quite a desaster...After more than 16 hours at the Sao Paolo airport (and no departure because of fog - according to wikipedia: "this airport was put in the world's third place in number of delayed flights") and another 9 hours at the Lima airport (because I missed one of the two available flights to Ecuador), I ended up having a 13h delay and arrived in Quito in the middle of the night. I hopped into a taxi and drove to the highly recommended Hostal Centro del Mundo. I was so tired that I barely noticed the vomit on the floor, the noise from the party in the hostel or the very bad smell in my room (most probably from the cacaroches and the other insects swirling around).
I slept fantastic (and changed the place the next day)...
Since this first somewhat unfortunate first impression of Ecuador, many things changed. The next day Franziska arrived from Switzerland (with a short between stop in Miami) and we had 5 weeks ahead of us in Ecuador with no plans at all...The first couple of days we stayed in Quito - also to get accustomed to the thin air on 2800 meters above sea level - seems to be a very multifaceted city.
We decided to head towards the beaches first and drove to Atacames, a party destination for all Ecuatorians with amazingly cheap (1.5$) and tasteful Caipirinhas (and Caipirons and Caipivodkas and so on...). The little wooden beach houses invited to dance and Franziska even convinced me (after a few of the drinks mentioned above) to hit the dancefloor as well and copy some of the steps here - was great fun!
Afterwards we headed to a small surfer paradise called Mompiche, hung around on the fantastic beach which stretches for miles and miles with barely any people on it and tried some of the waves with our rented surfboards. I even stood on two of the waves (Franziska on a couple more :) ). We also got accustomed that there was no ATM, only one computer with internet (with a mobile, very slow and very expensive) and no electricity every evening for at least one hour.
There was also a jaw-dropping black beach nearby and we built our own little wooden house there and used the black sand to paint our faces. You'll see on the pictures :)
We stayed 6 days there and then headed back to Quito - now we enjoy being back in the civilization (for a beginning it was just fantastic to find some other food than fish here).
We decided not to spend another CHF 500 on a flight to the Galapagos Islands (even though they sound amazing) but to head towards the region around the Cotopaxi volcano, then come back to Quito for their Independence Day and afterwards for 10 days to the Amazon rainforest in the region of Tena.
PS: My efforts just before my departure were a success...I just found out that I passed the Proficiency examination... :)))) I think the 1st of August just got a whole new meaning for me :) - Enjoy the fireworks back home!
I slept fantastic (and changed the place the next day)...
Since this first somewhat unfortunate first impression of Ecuador, many things changed. The next day Franziska arrived from Switzerland (with a short between stop in Miami) and we had 5 weeks ahead of us in Ecuador with no plans at all...The first couple of days we stayed in Quito - also to get accustomed to the thin air on 2800 meters above sea level - seems to be a very multifaceted city.
We decided to head towards the beaches first and drove to Atacames, a party destination for all Ecuatorians with amazingly cheap (1.5$) and tasteful Caipirinhas (and Caipirons and Caipivodkas and so on...). The little wooden beach houses invited to dance and Franziska even convinced me (after a few of the drinks mentioned above) to hit the dancefloor as well and copy some of the steps here - was great fun!
Afterwards we headed to a small surfer paradise called Mompiche, hung around on the fantastic beach which stretches for miles and miles with barely any people on it and tried some of the waves with our rented surfboards. I even stood on two of the waves (Franziska on a couple more :) ). We also got accustomed that there was no ATM, only one computer with internet (with a mobile, very slow and very expensive) and no electricity every evening for at least one hour.
There was also a jaw-dropping black beach nearby and we built our own little wooden house there and used the black sand to paint our faces. You'll see on the pictures :)
We stayed 6 days there and then headed back to Quito - now we enjoy being back in the civilization (for a beginning it was just fantastic to find some other food than fish here).
We decided not to spend another CHF 500 on a flight to the Galapagos Islands (even though they sound amazing) but to head towards the region around the Cotopaxi volcano, then come back to Quito for their Independence Day and afterwards for 10 days to the Amazon rainforest in the region of Tena.
PS: My efforts just before my departure were a success...I just found out that I passed the Proficiency examination... :)))) I think the 1st of August just got a whole new meaning for me :) - Enjoy the fireworks back home!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Wild animals in the Pantanal wetland and the sharp contrast of Rio
After (another) 20h bus ride from Foz do Iguazu, I spent the last couple of days in very basic houses on wooden pillars in the middle of a wetland area in Pantanal, Central Brazil, which is an absolutely fascinating place to spot wildlife (as I heard even better than the Amazon-region because the animals are more centralized in a smaller region). First things I spotted were frogs in my shower and massive cockroaches in my room...and already on the first day, we saw some fascinating alligators which got kind of common during the next couple of days (there are 3.5 Mio of them in this area alone). Unlike the crocodiles, they're not really aggressive (as far as they told us...). Highlights were definitely the different very colorful birds (650 different species), giant otters who ate with their hands, a giant anteater and many smaller mammals.
Although I had to join a tour to go into this area (it was not allowed to do it on my own), it was a very spectacular and at the same time very relaxed experience. We went horseriding in the area, on a boat trip, a safari, a sunset- and a night-walk...everything very nice, but the most fascinating experiences were by far the tubing/swimming in the river which is full of alligators and piranhas and the piranha-fishing.
The tubing was somehow extremely intense especially because all the alligators who were lurking at the beach came into the water when they saw that we passed by with our tubes...I was quite relieved to go out of the water especially because I got bitten by one of the piranhas while fishing at the bank just before and therefore had an open wound...
The fishing was great! I was actually rather successful and got 9 piranhas in about 2 hours. The only problem was that 6 of them were baby-piranhas (as they called them) and we threw them back into the river....I tried to take one of these little beasts off the hook myself and throw it back, but somehow I held it not the right way and it caught my finger...quite a bloody matter...
At lunch when the Piranhas got served, I enjoyed the little monsters even more :)
I met some great people during my time at the Pantanal and so it was a little strange to move directly to the huge city of Rio de Janeiro. After another exhausting bus ride of 28 hours I came from the calm region of the Pantanal into the dazzling city of Rio where I strolled around today, also visiting the Copacabana. Looks like a very interesting city and I even had the pleasure to meet a very famous Chilenian painter called Selaron who painted a staircase in a very special way in the streets of Rio.
Because I already heard about 3 armed thefts in Rio during my time in Brazil, I decided to take nothing with me but a couple of Rias (that also means no camera and therefore no pictures of Rio)...But I'll try to upload some of the Pantanal-area within the next days...
Although I had to join a tour to go into this area (it was not allowed to do it on my own), it was a very spectacular and at the same time very relaxed experience. We went horseriding in the area, on a boat trip, a safari, a sunset- and a night-walk...everything very nice, but the most fascinating experiences were by far the tubing/swimming in the river which is full of alligators and piranhas and the piranha-fishing.
The tubing was somehow extremely intense especially because all the alligators who were lurking at the beach came into the water when they saw that we passed by with our tubes...I was quite relieved to go out of the water especially because I got bitten by one of the piranhas while fishing at the bank just before and therefore had an open wound...
The fishing was great! I was actually rather successful and got 9 piranhas in about 2 hours. The only problem was that 6 of them were baby-piranhas (as they called them) and we threw them back into the river....I tried to take one of these little beasts off the hook myself and throw it back, but somehow I held it not the right way and it caught my finger...quite a bloody matter...
At lunch when the Piranhas got served, I enjoyed the little monsters even more :)
I met some great people during my time at the Pantanal and so it was a little strange to move directly to the huge city of Rio de Janeiro. After another exhausting bus ride of 28 hours I came from the calm region of the Pantanal into the dazzling city of Rio where I strolled around today, also visiting the Copacabana. Looks like a very interesting city and I even had the pleasure to meet a very famous Chilenian painter called Selaron who painted a staircase in a very special way in the streets of Rio.
Because I already heard about 3 armed thefts in Rio during my time in Brazil, I decided to take nothing with me but a couple of Rias (that also means no camera and therefore no pictures of Rio)...But I'll try to upload some of the Pantanal-area within the next days...
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Nature´s Majesty
After a 16h bus ride from Sao Paulo to Foz go Iguazu, I finally arrived near the Iguazu Waterfalls. The first day I visited the Brazilian side of the falls.
Colorful butterflies swirling around in the middle of the jungle next to one of the most amazing natural wonders I´ve ever seen. At least three times as big as the Niagara Falls in the USA, the Iguazu falls show enormous amounts of water thundering down lava stones and building a picture which cannot be described by words and hardly be shown in pictures (even though I tried of course)....absolutely stupendous!
The next day I visited the Argentinian side and it was even more spectacular! Fantastic walkways very close to the falls, a little exploring on your own (even though it's quite touristic and all the paths are clearly marked...) and some great views on the biggest falls (there are 275 of them...).
In the evenings in Foz do Iguazu I experienced a somehow stranger time. I was sitting with some people from the Netherlands, Spain and Chile outside in our yard when the owner of the hostel told us some stories about robbings, kidnappings, rapings and murderings in this region. He also explained us that the drug traffic from Paraguay (which is just beyond the nearby river) caused these incidents and that there were shootings every night. Even though we took his explanations seriously, we thought this would all happen somehow far away. And then...shots...just nearby, a couple of hundred meters...at least 20...a strange feeling! The following night I even heard a machine gun very clearly and very close just between the hostel and the river in the slums...
Even though I had a fantastic time with the falls and the people here in Foz do Iguacu, I'm kind of relieved to leave this place today...heading for some safer regions :)
Colorful butterflies swirling around in the middle of the jungle next to one of the most amazing natural wonders I´ve ever seen. At least three times as big as the Niagara Falls in the USA, the Iguazu falls show enormous amounts of water thundering down lava stones and building a picture which cannot be described by words and hardly be shown in pictures (even though I tried of course)....absolutely stupendous!
The next day I visited the Argentinian side and it was even more spectacular! Fantastic walkways very close to the falls, a little exploring on your own (even though it's quite touristic and all the paths are clearly marked...) and some great views on the biggest falls (there are 275 of them...).
In the evenings in Foz do Iguazu I experienced a somehow stranger time. I was sitting with some people from the Netherlands, Spain and Chile outside in our yard when the owner of the hostel told us some stories about robbings, kidnappings, rapings and murderings in this region. He also explained us that the drug traffic from Paraguay (which is just beyond the nearby river) caused these incidents and that there were shootings every night. Even though we took his explanations seriously, we thought this would all happen somehow far away. And then...shots...just nearby, a couple of hundred meters...at least 20...a strange feeling! The following night I even heard a machine gun very clearly and very close just between the hostel and the river in the slums...
Even though I had a fantastic time with the falls and the people here in Foz do Iguacu, I'm kind of relieved to leave this place today...heading for some safer regions :)
Friday, July 4, 2008
From steep roads in Lisbon to dark alleys in Sao Paulo (days 1-5)
It was somehow a strange feeling to hit the road again and just fly away from Switzerland, leaving everything behind. Additionally, I usually don´t really realize that I´ll be gone for a long time and that every trip will change some of my attitudes and views for the rest of my life. It comes gradually...
My first stop was Lisbon. I´ve never been in Portugal yet and I heard from many people that Lisbon was a very interesting and lively city. Although it was only a short between-stop of two nights (I travelled with Portugal Airlines), I think I catched a glimpse of this town. It´s kind of a mixture between San Francisco and a common Italian city: Very steep roads, a somehow cute little streetcar, a fascinating red bridge, shabby houses, nice architecture,... - actually a great place to visit.
While strolling around, I met Shaun, a quite tattered English guy who travelled for the last 3 years, homeless, begging and playing guitar on the street. He was kind of fascinating - told me some poetry and was playing with my camera like a little child. The contrast were three Mexican girls who´s only interest was making party somewhere somehow...a traveller who exaggerated but was very open to the world and some tourists who were shortsighted of all the other things they could have seen if they would have just opened their eyes...
After a comfortable 9.5 hours-flight to Sao Paulo and several warnings beforehand how dangerous this city is, I arrived in the city where somebody is kidnapped every second day . It felt strange in the beginning, but when you stick up to the rules, not walk around in the dangerous areas and not go out after dark alone, I think it´s highly unlikely that something happens in this enormously huge city (11 million inhabitants in the city alone).
The plan now is to travel in direction of Foz do Iguaçu, where the Iguazu Falls are nearby, which are about three times as large as the Niagara Falls - looking very much forward to that - although there´s a little catch in between: the bus ride takes about 16 hours ;)
PS: You´ll find all my pictures of my trip HERE with the possibility to comment them :)
Franziska (red) and my (blue) stops on our trip around the world:
Größere Kartenansicht
My first stop was Lisbon. I´ve never been in Portugal yet and I heard from many people that Lisbon was a very interesting and lively city. Although it was only a short between-stop of two nights (I travelled with Portugal Airlines), I think I catched a glimpse of this town. It´s kind of a mixture between San Francisco and a common Italian city: Very steep roads, a somehow cute little streetcar, a fascinating red bridge, shabby houses, nice architecture,... - actually a great place to visit.
While strolling around, I met Shaun, a quite tattered English guy who travelled for the last 3 years, homeless, begging and playing guitar on the street. He was kind of fascinating - told me some poetry and was playing with my camera like a little child. The contrast were three Mexican girls who´s only interest was making party somewhere somehow...a traveller who exaggerated but was very open to the world and some tourists who were shortsighted of all the other things they could have seen if they would have just opened their eyes...
After a comfortable 9.5 hours-flight to Sao Paulo and several warnings beforehand how dangerous this city is, I arrived in the city where somebody is kidnapped every second day . It felt strange in the beginning, but when you stick up to the rules, not walk around in the dangerous areas and not go out after dark alone, I think it´s highly unlikely that something happens in this enormously huge city (11 million inhabitants in the city alone).
The plan now is to travel in direction of Foz do Iguaçu, where the Iguazu Falls are nearby, which are about three times as large as the Niagara Falls - looking very much forward to that - although there´s a little catch in between: the bus ride takes about 16 hours ;)
PS: You´ll find all my pictures of my trip HERE with the possibility to comment them :)
Franziska (red) and my (blue) stops on our trip around the world:
Größere Kartenansicht
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