Grand Escapades
Travel Photography & Travel Experiences of Africa, South America, the Middle-East & Asia
Ceylon Spotted Deer (Axis Axis Ceylonensis), Wilpattu National Park, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is famous for its excellent wildlife watching opportunities, but with only 10 days at hand, we had to make choices… Wildlife came short! Obviously, Leopard spotting is still easily possible if you have enough time in the National Parks (and there are not that many places where your odds are good), and Asian Elephants are a common sight. Continue Reading →
Woman smoking at the 5-Day Market on Inle Lake, Myanmar – The five villages on the shore of Lake Inle take turns, so there is actually a market each day of the week.
No matter where I travel, I immensely enjoy visiting markets. Many of them, especially in Africa & in Asia, but also in the Middle East & in South America, are an assault on your senses: colorful and at times disorientating, aromatic or even intoxicating, vibrant and eventually hectic places… But this is where “the real life” can be found, so different from touristic highlights (though some markets have turned extremely popular in the last years, also amongst tour groups…) Continue Reading →
Floating over Bagan’s 4.000 temples in a Hot Air Balloon, Bagan, Myanmar
I used every single one of the 28 days the eVisa was allowing me to stay in Myanmar in February 2015 and visited first the Southeast of the country (Golden Rock, Hpa An & Mawlamyine), before heading to the Northeast (Pyin Oo Lwin, train over the Gokteik Viaduct, Hsipaw) and finally discovered during the last two weeks the more popular and touristic part of the country (Mandalay, Bagan, Inle Lake & last but not least Yangon). Continue Reading →
No Longer A Well Kept Secret – But With So Much To Offer!
Fishermen on Inle Lake, Myanmar
Itinerary And Time Of The Visit
I used every single one of the 28 days the eVisa was allowing me to stay in Myanmar in February 2015 and visited first the Southeast of the country (Golden Rock, Hpa An & Mawlamyine), before heading to the Northeast (Pyin Oo Lwin, train over the Gokteik Viaduct, Hsipaw) and finally discovered during the last two weeks the more popular and touristic part of the country (Mandalay, Bagan, Inle Lake & last but not least Yangon). Continue Reading →
Hot Air Balloon Flight with Balloons Over Bagan, Bagan, Myanmar
Type Of Travel
I am basically a Flashpacker and this is how I traveled in Myanmar in February 2015. I prefer to stay in hostels or local guesthouses, but (almost) always stay in private rooms with ensuite bathrooms. Longer distance I covered by plane, like Bagan to Inle Lake and Inle Lake to Yangon. Good food is important to me, this can be a food stall, small local restaurants and maybe a cocktail sipped on the roof terrace of an international hotel. And I do not hesitate to “do something special” when justified: in Myanmar it was a tour in a Hot Air Balloon in Bagan, an experience of a lifetime! Continue Reading →
Tet New Year, Dance of the Dragon, Yangon, Myanmar
The best while traveling often occurs completely unexpected… I actually didn’t even know it was the Tet New Year on that Friday, February 20th, 2015! Continue Reading →
Taj Mahal, Agra, India
In April 2012 I had my first brush with India, to be precise Eastern Rajasthan: for 11 days I gazed at the most incredible Moghul architecture in Agra and Jaipur. I also threw in a bit of wildlife by visiting Ranthambhore National Park. When I returned in March 2013, I headed for the Southwest of Rajasthan for 12 days, to marvel at these impressive forts & palaces in Udaipur, Kumbhalgarh, Bundi, Chittorgarh and last but not least Pushkar & Ajmer. Delhi was my hub during both trips.
In March 2015, I went back to Rajasthan for one full month, and made an extensive loop through this area of India: Delhi, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri & Abhaneri, Jaipur, Pushkar & Ajmer, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Kumbalgarh & Ranakpur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner & Nawalgarh. I ended the trip in Amritsar (Punjab) to marvel at the Golden Temple.
Witnessing one of the many processions (this time for peace in the world…) in Jaipur
Itinerary And Time Of The Visit
In April 2012 I had my first brush with India, to be precise Eastern Rajasthan: for 11 days I gazed at the most incredible Moghul architecture in Agra and Jaipur. I also threw in a bit of wildlife by visiting Ranthambhore National Park. When I returned in March 2013, I headed for the Southwest of Rajasthan for 12 days, to marvel at these impressive forts & palaces in Udaipur, Kumbhalgarh, Bundi, Chittorgarh and last but not least Pushkar & Ajmer. Delhi was my hub during both trips. Continue Reading →
In the streets of Bundi, Rajasthan
Type Of Travel
The 3 trips to Rajasthan were quite different, and this shows in the budget spent:
Kumbhalgarh Fort and the “Indian Great Wall”, Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan, India
Rajasthan abounds with stunning but extremely popular highlights, so it is extremely tempting to stay “On The Beaten Track” and focus on a very classic route, rushing from one monument to the other, especially if you have a limited amount of time at hand. This is all the more true as regular trains connect those major points of interest very efficiently and very cheaply, keeping you focused on few places. Continue Reading →