Grand Escapades
Travel Photography & Travel Experiences of Africa, South America, the Middle-East & Asia
Harmandir Sahib or Darbar Sahib, also referred to as the “Golden Temple”, Amritsar, Punjab
At each of my two visits to the Golden Temple, my expectations were very high and as we all know, such are usually not met. But Amritsar proved this theory wrong, both times! Continue Reading →
Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi, India
Often overlooked as only an entry and / or exit hub, Delhi has a lot to offer and is worth at least a few days to cover some of the major highlights of this city. Of course, with only a few days at hand, you will only be able to focus on the “Tourist Hotspots”… Continue Reading →
Fortress of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India
After passing through some lush-green and fertile areas of Rajasthan, it was a shock to enter the Thar Desert west of Jodhpur. An endless plain of dust, dotted with small trees and bushes, and random greenish fields scattered through parts of this desert. None of the romantic images one might have of mighty, windswept sand dunes, but a lonely, dry, dusty, sun-torched landscape that merges somewhere with the horizon. Continue Reading →
In Chengyang, a Dong Village near Sanjiang, Guilin region, China
We traveled the 30 days our visa permitted throughout China’s southwestern provinces in Mai 2008: Guangxi (Guilin, Yangshuo), Sichuan (Chengdu, Leshan, Emei Shan), Yunnan (Lijiang, Dali, Kunming, Yuanyang) & Xishuangbanna (Jingling). This was definitely not enough! Nevertheless, we now know it can be easily done without a common language. This introduction to China also was an immense eye opener and some of the negative concepts we had of this country we corrected or simply vanished! Continue Reading →
Rice Terrasses of Yuanyang (here in Duoyishu), Yunnan, China
At 05:00 am, we set off and arrived at the village of Duoyishu, long before the sun peeked around the mountain edge. We listened to the village coming to life and gasped at the unreal scenery, an enormous area of terraces carved from the mountain slopes, still sitting there in the semi-darkness. Even the chilly temperatures could not distract us from this most impressive scenery. It was just the six of us enjoying this magic awakening. Continue Reading →
Earthquake in Chengdu, on May 12th, 2008, at 14:28 – 7.9 on Richter Scale!
We were in Chengdu / Sichuan, 92 kilometres from the epicentre when the earthquake hit with full force Monday afternoon at 02:28 pm, with an incredible strength of 7.9 on the Richter Scale (max. is 9.0). We needed a few seconds to realize what was happening. We then rushed into a doorway to look for shelter. Continue Reading →
Giant Pandas, Giant Pandas Breeding Research Base, Chengdu, China
No tourist leaves this city without visiting the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base, with its 50 giant and red pandas. May is the end of the “falling in love period”, so in September we would have seen the very young ones. Nevertheless, they are not a pretty sight right after they are born. Continue Reading →
Fishermen on Inle Lake, Myanmar – Them rowing their boats with one leg contributed to making the lake a legend. This technique allows them to throw / pull their nets with both hands.
It was brighter than what we had expected, the sun was about to rise, when we boarded the boat at 06:30 am. Despite four layers of clothes and blankets, the clammy air was penetrating our body, when the boat raced through the channels leading towards Inle Lake. Mist was climbing from the water. We could hardly see a thing, hoping the boat driver would…
We visited Vietnam twice: in 2003, we spent 4 weeks there, discovering the main highlights of a country that was already popular but not overrun: Ho Chi Minh City, Cu Chi Tunnels, the Mekong Delta, Nha Trang, Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi, Halong Bay and last but not least SaPa.
In 2015, Gilles spent 5 weeks there alone, and tried to visit, along with the main “highlights”, some lesser known parts of the country: Can Tho, Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An, Danang, Hue, Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park, Tam Coc, Halong Bay, Hanoi, Sapa & Bac Ha. Continue Reading →
Full Moon Festival, Old Town of Hoi An
Itinerary And Time Of The Visit
We visited Vietnam twice: in 2003, we spent 4 weeks there, discovering the main highlights of a country that was already popular but not overrun: Ho Chi Minh City, Cu Chi Tunnels, the Mekong Delta, Nha Trang, Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi, Halong Bay and last but not least SaPa.
In 2015, Gilles spent 5 weeks there alone, and tried to visit, along with the main “highlights”, some lesser known parts of the country: Can Tho, Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An, Danang, Hue, Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park, Tam Coc, Halong Bay, Hanoi, Sapa & Bac Ha.