Although I have visited a couple of beautiful islands in the Caribbean Sea, I did not regard Mexico as one of my destinations in the Caribbean coast. However, with the much publicized interpretations of the Mayan calendar end-of-the-world prediction in 2012, I felt the challenge to go and visit the southeastern part of Mexico, the Yucatan peninsula, more specifically, Quintana Roo and Yucatan - a place with a lot of footprints of the Mayan culture which have been passed down through the generations of the Maya land. Read more...
Solar flares and winds were quite common in 2012 that I planned to have a first-hand encounter with the spectacular natural phenomenon in our atmosphere, the Aurora Borealis, often referred to as the "dance of the spirits". I first thought of going to Alaska - the place with the highest chance to see them - but I decided to go to a small town near the polar Arctic Circle - Tromsø - which is also closer to my hometown, Munich, Germany. This quaint little town in Norway offered me also the chance to experience other facets of the arctic life. Read more...
I used to have an impression about South Africa as a hot and dry place on earth with lots of wildlife and wild areas that are still waiting to be explored. Well, not until I visited this gorgeous country, I realized that although I could validate some of my previous impressions, I must say South Africa is a lot more than that. I found ice-cold places at the southern tip of the cape peninsula, green hills at the central midlands just like at home, vineyards and dairy farms, game reserves, interesting wildlife on land as well as in the endless ocean. Read more...
This time I decided to go and find the mystical sunfish. If you read the facts about this fish, you will
think it is not from this world - a size up to 3 meters in diameter and weighs 2 tons, it has no scales but
rather a thick leathery skin and lives in a deeper waters, to a depth of up to 500 meters.
It is nearly round and has only a big dorsal and anal fin. Sometimes this animal takes a sun bath at
the surface swimming sideways.
September is high season for these creatures in Bali, so I packed my backpack and started my journey.
Read more...
Going top Peru is really a great experience. The landscape is breathtaking and can be warm with ocean breeze or icy cold and over 4000m above sea level. It has a rich historical culture with a lot of places to visit. As a traveler with a limited time only, it can be a pain to select the nicest and most interesting places in such a big country. My trip led me to Lima - the international airport, Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Condor Cross (Colca Valley), Puno, lake Titicaca, Cusco and Machu Picchu to name a few. Read more...
Everyone has heard of the cherry blossom spring festival in Japan. It is said that this is one of the most important times for all Japanese, and people all over the country are celebrating the beauty and evanescence of life. I always wanted to visit this country which upholds to its history and tradition but also welcomes modern techniques. Can I overcome the language barrier? In the big cities, communicating in English might work, but what about in rural areas... would I survive? Read more...