Travel Advices

The island of La Réunion is a pure wonder for hiking. The main part of the island, that contains the remainings of an extinguished volcano, is made of three circuses: Mafate, Cilaos and Salazie. The wildest of the all is certainly the Mafate circus, which is even not reachable by car.

It is said that the factor brings the mail to this area with a three-days hike twice a week. Any kind of hardware or food needed in there is brought by helicopter. Also lots of solar panels provide the electricity required for basic use. No need to tell, the bread is cooked with natural heat. Read the rest of this entry »

I have been all over the world and you can learn a surprising amount about the local people and their culture by visiting the local library. If the area you are in does not have a local library, then you need to find a new town to bed down in.

Visit the cultural center of any large library and you will be surprised at what classes and seminars may be available. Information is available in more places than just the books in the bookcases. If you are lucky, you may find someone that speaks your language and can give you the best pointers for where to go and what to do during your stay. Librarians are some of the best people in the world and they will be happy to help you if they can. Read the rest of this entry »

Canberra is a city of open spaces, parklands, monuments and Australia’s seat of government.

The capital city of Australia is today home to a population of around 320,000 friendly people. Remember to get cheap flights to Canberra for your trip. Situated in south east Australia in Australian Capital Territory on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range, this city is a charming place and makes a change from the bustling and fast paced cities like Sydney and Brisbane. Read the rest of this entry »

Once you have caught the wildlife ‘bug’, there’s simply no letting go. The appetite for learning is instantly awakened; it grows and grows and never stops. There are always new species to see, new facts to be learned. But the relentless quest to satisfy an ever-expanding curiosity often hides a more powerful passion in wildlife watchers. This usually stems from a single defining moment – the reason that you became hooked. Read the rest of this entry »

When exchanging travellers cheques in smaller, regional post offices, you will need the address of someone who lives in Japan. We were turned away when unable to provide a resident’s address – they would not accept our hostel’s address without the name of a resident. Luckily for us we had a friend who lived in the area and were able to call to get their details. I suggest you obtain the name and address of the people who own/run your hostel for verification and to save a lot of confusion at the post office! Read the rest of this entry »

Kamikochi is well worth a visit with at least a one night stay. Glorious hikes which are long and fairly easy, spectacular mountains, beautiful ponds and forests. Aim to stay away from the main tourist route and push up through the main valley. Accommodation is pretty expensive, but provides a real insight into contemporary Japanese culture. Read the rest of this entry »

Seattle is among the most favored place for tourism today, as this city offers various events all year round, for example International Film Festival, Northwest Folklife, etc. Travel by car is among the preferred ways to go to Seattle. Car journey has many advantages, but regardless of how watchful you are, some car problems could take place, so auto repair in Seattle may be needed. In fact there is no deficiency of auto service centers in Seattle, however every time your car has repairs, it’s better to ensure that work is done properly, and don’t forget to check the guarantee terms. Read the rest of this entry »

Well, I discovered that “Whilst in Lombok, Indonesia” can be equally valid. Not two years ago I found myself surrounded on all sides by a dirty great big archipelago of over 13,000 (I counted least 14,376) of Mother Natures finest – Indonesian islands. For I was standing on Lombok – just one amusing ferry journey east of Bali in the heart of the pacific “Ring of Fire”. I decided to trek up a volcano and as luck would have it, Lombok is the proud owner of one Mount Rinjani – a real brute of a volcano. The second largest volcano in Indonesia in fact, complete with its 3,726 metre peak. That’s as tall as almost 1,972 Linford Christies – you do the math. Read the rest of this entry »

As the dark cloud swept up the mountainside, we scrambled to put on our protective gear, but we were not quick enough. The cloud hovered for a moment, enveloping us in its cold mist before continuing its journey to the peak. We were left feeling soggy and chilled, but our spirits were not dampened. Not everyone can claim they’ve been in a cloud.

We were hiking through the Pacific Could Forest on Pico Zunil in Western Guatemala on our way to the hotsprings at Fuentes Georginas. We were a motley crew; Swiss guide, British photographer, Dutch ad-exec on holiday and two Yankee teachers looking for excitement during summer break. We were two hours into an eight-hour hike, eager to reach our destination. Our legs ached, but the promise of the soothing springs inspired us to keep going. Read the rest of this entry »

A visit to Olympos isn´t complete without a visit to the eternal flames of Chimera. In less enlightened times they were attributed to the breath of a monster – part lion, part goat, and part dragon (the goat part scares me most), though even today their cause is reportedly unknown. What is known, from first hand experience, is that it’s an unforgettable experience visiting them in the quiet of night. Read the rest of this entry »

Parasailing. Isn’t the whole point of parachuting to go down? The suit seemed awfully earth-centred, anyway. A girdle fit around the torso and two straps slid under my arms and wrapped over top of the shoulders to fall in front, then another two straps came from behind and up between my legs. Everything clamped together at my chest, then cinched tight à la Hannibal Lecter. A parachute hooked to the harness’s shoulder points then a long, double pronged rope grappled to the same clamps. The other end of the rope attached to a boat just off shore. Twenty or so metres of the rope sat coiled on the sand. Read the rest of this entry »