No need for that anymore! We got used to the "Asian way". I know it seems really awkward to wash one's butt with a naked hand and water at first but after some practice it's as normal as brushing teeth. Besides, billions of Asians can't be that wrong, can they?
We're lying around in our room in Da Nang right now, digesting some delicious seafood (a grouper). We spent the last days trekking through mountain villages near Sa Pa. It was freaking cold there (it might even snow) but we enjoyed the trek as well as the company of our local guide "Sue" (at least that's how her name sounds). We stayed at the local people's houses so we got a little insight into their simple housings.
Typing on the mobile sucks, so I'll stop now. Check the pictures if you haven't already - I'm updating the album constantly!
Showing posts with label Photos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Photos. Show all posts
Wednesday, 12 February 2014
Wednesday, 5 February 2014
Hanoi
Vietnam seems astonishingly up-to-date concerning communication technology. At least here in Hanoi, mobile data connection works perfectly (with a 550000 VND [1 Euro ~ 28000 Dong] SIM Card, 60 min international calls included). Therefore, you can expect picture updates in the Vietnam 2.0 Album at any time.
We went to the water puppet theater yesterday evening. If you ever come to Hanoi, skip that.
Concerning traffic: We saw a T-Shirt that describes usual behavior very good (although there are actually very few traffic lights at all). It shows a traffic light and indicates 'red' "I can walk", 'yellow' "I can walk" and 'red' "I can still walk". Also sounding the horn is very common and totally different in its meaning compared to home. A honking Viennese car driver might think "ARE YOU NUTS!?! GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY YOU STUPID BASTARD!" while a Vietnamese car driver or motorbike rider is usually more like "Hm I think I should blow the horn in order to warn those guys that I'm coming. Dim dudeli doo, hmm, hmm. Uh, thanks for giving way!"
Try Koto Restaurant at Hanoi (close to the Literature Temple) - charity mission and absolutely delicious meals!
Tomorrow we're going to enjoy Ha Long Bay and after that we'll trek around Sa Pa (northern region mountains). Sadly we cannot climb the highest mountain, Fansipan, because of fires in the forests. Anja and I somehow feel like having a déjà-vu.
Sadly we cannot climb the highest mountain, Fansipan, because of fires in the forests. Anja and I somehow feel like having a déjà-vu.
PS: Okay, you'll never get that joke without knowing that Anja and I weren't able to climb Thailand's highest mountain last year due to wildfires. I was so very sure I posted that...
We went to the water puppet theater yesterday evening. If you ever come to Hanoi, skip that.
Concerning traffic: We saw a T-Shirt that describes usual behavior very good (although there are actually very few traffic lights at all). It shows a traffic light and indicates 'red' "I can walk", 'yellow' "I can walk" and 'red' "I can still walk". Also sounding the horn is very common and totally different in its meaning compared to home. A honking Viennese car driver might think "ARE YOU NUTS!?! GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY YOU STUPID BASTARD!" while a Vietnamese car driver or motorbike rider is usually more like "Hm I think I should blow the horn in order to warn those guys that I'm coming. Dim dudeli doo, hmm, hmm. Uh, thanks for giving way!"
Try Koto Restaurant at Hanoi (close to the Literature Temple) - charity mission and absolutely delicious meals!
Tomorrow we're going to enjoy Ha Long Bay and after that we'll trek around Sa Pa (northern region mountains). Sadly we cannot climb the highest mountain, Fansipan, because of fires in the forests. Anja and I somehow feel like having a déjà-vu.
Sadly we cannot climb the highest mountain, Fansipan, because of fires in the forests. Anja and I somehow feel like having a déjà-vu.
PS: Okay, you'll never get that joke without knowing that Anja and I weren't able to climb Thailand's highest mountain last year due to wildfires. I was so very sure I posted that...
Sunday, 24 February 2013
Within 24 Hours …
… Anja and I've been walking through the hot streets of Bangkok, eating delicious spicy food and enjoying the sun, and just now I've returned from cross country skiing just in front of our door. Awesome holiday!
I still owe you some stories and pictures, so here we go:
The trekking in the area of Chiang Mai was not as expected, but exciting anyway. We ate frog, squirrel and spider, had food and rice wine together with local people, took pictures and played with the cute and interested children at school, and - of course - walked a lot through the jungle. One day our skilled guides (for some reason, we had two of them) prepared lunch in the jungle. They chopped big and small bamboo stems and made chopsticks, pots for cooking the rice, noodles and vegetables as well as cups out of it.
Our "main" guide Singh is a real "jungle man". He carved different tricky games out of bamboo and even a bamboo-gun (which is, of course, not a real gun). Thank you, Singh, for your company! We really enjoyed the trip.
After that we took two successive night trains to Chumporn (which is usually spelled "Chumphon", probably to prevent childish tourists like me from making fun of it…) and a ferry to Koh Tao, which means "turtle island". Actually, we saw no turtles there, but I guess there were some of them some time ago (before the tourists came), and now the name still attracts tourists. However, the island is more famous for the nice beaches and the corals which you can explore by snorkeling or diving. We enjoyed ourselves there, hanging out at the beach or relaxing in the hammock just in front of our bungalow, walking through the small city center at the Mae Haad pier drinking mango shakes, or having some Thai massage (the reliable ones - without "happy ending"…).
Now that we're back it somehow feels unreal being surrounded by snow and cold after three weeks of heat, sun, sand and the sea… we like it!
Picture update, starting here.
I still owe you some stories and pictures, so here we go:
The trekking in the area of Chiang Mai was not as expected, but exciting anyway. We ate frog, squirrel and spider, had food and rice wine together with local people, took pictures and played with the cute and interested children at school, and - of course - walked a lot through the jungle. One day our skilled guides (for some reason, we had two of them) prepared lunch in the jungle. They chopped big and small bamboo stems and made chopsticks, pots for cooking the rice, noodles and vegetables as well as cups out of it.
Our "main" guide Singh is a real "jungle man". He carved different tricky games out of bamboo and even a bamboo-gun (which is, of course, not a real gun). Thank you, Singh, for your company! We really enjoyed the trip.
After that we took two successive night trains to Chumporn (which is usually spelled "Chumphon", probably to prevent childish tourists like me from making fun of it…) and a ferry to Koh Tao, which means "turtle island". Actually, we saw no turtles there, but I guess there were some of them some time ago (before the tourists came), and now the name still attracts tourists. However, the island is more famous for the nice beaches and the corals which you can explore by snorkeling or diving. We enjoyed ourselves there, hanging out at the beach or relaxing in the hammock just in front of our bungalow, walking through the small city center at the Mae Haad pier drinking mango shakes, or having some Thai massage (the reliable ones - without "happy ending"…).
Now that we're back it somehow feels unreal being surrounded by snow and cold after three weeks of heat, sun, sand and the sea… we like it!
Picture update, starting here.
Sunday, 17 February 2013
Saturday, 9 February 2013
Offline for Trekking
We're going on a trekking for 5 days starting tomorrow. We'll hike Thailands highest mountain and be with hilltribes. Sounds exciting!
Today we had a boat tour at the Ping river in Chiang Mai. The guy doing the tour was funny. He told us a lot about the history of Chiang Mai and showed us a "man tree" (check the pictures). When he started saying "We keep the river clean and clean! Clean and clean!" repeatedly, I was quite confused - until he said something about "Cleanpeace"...
We arrived here in Chiang Mai yesterday morning after 15 hours of travelling by train (we were smart enough to take the night train with beds an AC) with 3 hours delay. I guess I'll never again complain about the Austrian OeBB.
Our favorite dish (by now) is definitely sticky rice with coconut milk and mango. Mangoes here compared to what you get in Europe is just not comparable. And the salty-sweet sticky rice and coconut milk do the rest. It's freaking delicious!
Alright then, I'm looking forward to writing about the trek!
Today we had a boat tour at the Ping river in Chiang Mai. The guy doing the tour was funny. He told us a lot about the history of Chiang Mai and showed us a "man tree" (check the pictures). When he started saying "We keep the river clean and clean! Clean and clean!" repeatedly, I was quite confused - until he said something about "Cleanpeace"...
We arrived here in Chiang Mai yesterday morning after 15 hours of travelling by train (we were smart enough to take the night train with beds an AC) with 3 hours delay. I guess I'll never again complain about the Austrian OeBB.
Our favorite dish (by now) is definitely sticky rice with coconut milk and mango. Mangoes here compared to what you get in Europe is just not comparable. And the salty-sweet sticky rice and coconut milk do the rest. It's freaking delicious!
Alright then, I'm looking forward to writing about the trek!
Monday, 4 February 2013
Bangkok 2013
I couldn't remember that there are that many "Hilux" in Bangkok... but I remember the spicy food - and I love it!
Anja and I (okay, honestly: I) already got into many tourist-traps like "The Wat Pho is closed today until 1pm, but I can get you to with TukTuk! Only 40 Baht!", but Anja saved us :)
Today's highlights: eating Durian (adding schnapps afterwards for health security), 45m lying Buddha, cooked peanuts, using the hotels rooftop pool (coming soon)
Here are the pictures.
PS: Anja and I are not using our Austrian SIM cards. So, in case someone wants to contact us urgently... or just for fun :)
Anja: +66838693235
Wolfi: +66838693086
Anja and I (okay, honestly: I) already got into many tourist-traps like "The Wat Pho is closed today until 1pm, but I can get you to
Today's highlights: eating Durian (adding schnapps afterwards for health security), 45m lying Buddha, cooked peanuts, using the hotels rooftop pool (coming soon)
Here are the pictures.
PS: Anja and I are not using our Austrian SIM cards. So, in case someone wants to contact us urgently... or just for fun :)
Anja: +66838693235
Wolfi: +66838693086
Friday, 28 December 2012
What's next?
Saturday, 18 June 2011
Gotland, Canoe and Axes
Wow, the last 10 days were intensive! For about a week, Anja, Hermi, Luis and I cycled the northern part of Gotland (including Fårö) where we saw Raukar and sneaked to Ingmar Bergmans house but didn't catch any fish. The following three days we joined Caro and her friends to paddle from lake Rusken to Rymmen (close to Växjö) where my fish-counter increased by 70cm pike as well as a small and a quite big perch. All of them delicious!
Thanks to our Portuguese, Canadian, German and Austrian company - you guys were great!
I'm rather exhausted from paddling and driving and we're going to leave Uppsala for good today to head north. We'll first go to Gränsfors Bruks to see (and probably buy because I won't be able to resist) Swedish hand-forged axes.
Meanwhile, enjoy some impressions of Gotland!
Thanks to our Portuguese, Canadian, German and Austrian company - you guys were great!
I'm rather exhausted from paddling and driving and we're going to leave Uppsala for good today to head north. We'll first go to Gränsfors Bruks to see (and probably buy because I won't be able to resist) Swedish hand-forged axes.
Meanwhile, enjoy some impressions of Gotland!
Saturday, 21 May 2011
No snow but a lot of light, fisk and Russ!
Well, I'm soon finished here (at least with studying) and then the Scandinavia trip will be executed!
Årstider - Seasons
It's now already a lot of daylight here. I remember when I came here in the beginning of January, it was almost completely dark from 4 pm to 8 am. Yesterday I went to a party and it was still some twilight on the horizon at midnight and rather bright again at 3 am. When Anja and I go to North Cape next month I'll be even more impressed :) and probably sleepless.
The snow here started melting exactly on the first day of spring (March 21st) and was almost completely gone by easter. My last cross country skiing trip was on March 30, but it was already kind of crappy. I could find some snow at Holmenkollen about a week ago, and also many lakes were still frozen when the temperature was already around 20°C.
Fisk
During easter holiday I had a really nice vacation with Anja and her parents. We went sightseeing to Uppsala and Stockholm - where we discovered Eriksberg beer and Västerbotten cheese - and had a perfect time in Västervik. For me, most interesting about Västervik was that it is famous for its rich population of huge pikes (gädda på Svensk, gjedde på Norsk, Hecht auf Deutsch ;)) and also salmon, perch, herring and other delicious fish which obviously feel comfortable in the brackish water of the Swedish archipelago ("Schären"). So I packed my angling rod, bought damn expensive fishing equipment (lures and stuff) and was eager to catch huge fish!
Nothing the first day.
Nothing the second day.
And by the afternoon of the last day I had already lost 5 lures which are now all drown in the water, pierced through straw or water plants, except for one which is hanging in a birch (which was the point when I eventually gave up, kind of frustrated).
But Petri seemed to have mercy with me and lead us - on the last evening - to the place where one angler was standing next to each other. It was the harbor. And there were herring (strömming) swarms just a few meter below the water surface, snapping for everything that looks edible (through "fish-eyes").
Well, an hour and 20 swedish kronor (~2€) (for a lure with 6 hooks on a single fishing line) later we were also standing there. What should I say? Herrings are easy to catch, so 2 more hours and we left with 130 fish. We still have some left in the freezer.
Russ
When the Norwegians graduate from school they have this custom to put on red trousers and get really drunk all the time to perform rather weird tasks to get some badges to put on their hats (I've been told one of the more "difficult" tasks, but I'm not going to explain it here…). They call it Russfest (which is actually pronounced "Rüss") and it takes place from May 1st to 17th (the Norwegian National Day) which is actually during they have their final exams… I heard quite a lot fail just because they don't manage the balance between partying and studying. However, it's nice to see that they appreciate this custom, no matter what skin color, religion or gender.
Okay, there are new pictures added here and in the new Album.
Have fun!
Årstider - Seasons
It's now already a lot of daylight here. I remember when I came here in the beginning of January, it was almost completely dark from 4 pm to 8 am. Yesterday I went to a party and it was still some twilight on the horizon at midnight and rather bright again at 3 am. When Anja and I go to North Cape next month I'll be even more impressed :) and probably sleepless.
The snow here started melting exactly on the first day of spring (March 21st) and was almost completely gone by easter. My last cross country skiing trip was on March 30, but it was already kind of crappy. I could find some snow at Holmenkollen about a week ago, and also many lakes were still frozen when the temperature was already around 20°C.
Fisk
During easter holiday I had a really nice vacation with Anja and her parents. We went sightseeing to Uppsala and Stockholm - where we discovered Eriksberg beer and Västerbotten cheese - and had a perfect time in Västervik. For me, most interesting about Västervik was that it is famous for its rich population of huge pikes (gädda på Svensk, gjedde på Norsk, Hecht auf Deutsch ;)) and also salmon, perch, herring and other delicious fish which obviously feel comfortable in the brackish water of the Swedish archipelago ("Schären"). So I packed my angling rod, bought damn expensive fishing equipment (lures and stuff) and was eager to catch huge fish!
Nothing the first day.
Nothing the second day.
And by the afternoon of the last day I had already lost 5 lures which are now all drown in the water, pierced through straw or water plants, except for one which is hanging in a birch (which was the point when I eventually gave up, kind of frustrated).
But Petri seemed to have mercy with me and lead us - on the last evening - to the place where one angler was standing next to each other. It was the harbor. And there were herring (strömming) swarms just a few meter below the water surface, snapping for everything that looks edible (through "fish-eyes").
Well, an hour and 20 swedish kronor (~2€) (for a lure with 6 hooks on a single fishing line) later we were also standing there. What should I say? Herrings are easy to catch, so 2 more hours and we left with 130 fish. We still have some left in the freezer.
Russ
When the Norwegians graduate from school they have this custom to put on red trousers and get really drunk all the time to perform rather weird tasks to get some badges to put on their hats (I've been told one of the more "difficult" tasks, but I'm not going to explain it here…). They call it Russfest (which is actually pronounced "Rüss") and it takes place from May 1st to 17th (the Norwegian National Day) which is actually during they have their final exams… I heard quite a lot fail just because they don't manage the balance between partying and studying. However, it's nice to see that they appreciate this custom, no matter what skin color, religion or gender.
Okay, there are new pictures added here and in the new Album.
Have fun!
Saturday, 5 March 2011
Monday, 21 February 2011
Narvik - Too Cold or Out of Order
"Let's go as far north as possible!" Okay, we did that. And where is the apparently only place far north where planes from Oslo and trains from Uppsala intersect? It's Narvik!
But it seems that ore is more important than people. Anja and her friends, who came from Uppsala by train, had to switch to a bus some (hundred?) kilometers before Kiruna (Sweden), because it was too cold for the train to go on… at least that's what they told them.
Well, the tremendously long (I tried to count the wagons - when I got to 69 it stopped and I still couldn't see the end…) ore trains from Kiruna to Narvik had obviously no problem with that. And they went just a few meters past the (in Norwegian terms) "cheapest" hostel of Narvik. All day. All night. And they aren't very quiet :)
Uh, yes, the Polar Zoo was one and a half hours away from Narvik - by car (therefore unreachable for us). But that's not worth mentioning on the tourist website. And the sauna at the hostel is out of order but still praised on it's website.
Well, I'm whining far too much. It was a fantastic weekend! We stayed partly at Henning's very nice couchsurfer's flat and enjoyed ourselves there while watching HD movies (huuuuuuge TeeeeVeee!) and having salmon for dinner. Skiing at Narvik's even on Sunday deserted downhill slopes with fresh snow while watching the fight between orange sunset and blue clear sky led to the hard decision of what to concentrate on.
And the last night's clear sky performed finally the North's famous "magical show"…
Enjoy the pictures :)
But it seems that ore is more important than people. Anja and her friends, who came from Uppsala by train, had to switch to a bus some (hundred?) kilometers before Kiruna (Sweden), because it was too cold for the train to go on… at least that's what they told them.
Well, the tremendously long (I tried to count the wagons - when I got to 69 it stopped and I still couldn't see the end…) ore trains from Kiruna to Narvik had obviously no problem with that. And they went just a few meters past the (in Norwegian terms) "cheapest" hostel of Narvik. All day. All night. And they aren't very quiet :)
Uh, yes, the Polar Zoo was one and a half hours away from Narvik - by car (therefore unreachable for us). But that's not worth mentioning on the tourist website. And the sauna at the hostel is out of order but still praised on it's website.
Well, I'm whining far too much. It was a fantastic weekend! We stayed partly at Henning's very nice couchsurfer's flat and enjoyed ourselves there while watching HD movies (huuuuuuge TeeeeVeee!) and having salmon for dinner. Skiing at Narvik's even on Sunday deserted downhill slopes with fresh snow while watching the fight between orange sunset and blue clear sky led to the hard decision of what to concentrate on.
And the last night's clear sky performed finally the North's famous "magical show"…
Enjoy the pictures :)
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Frozen inside
Hell, my window got an ice-layer during the night on its inside! I should stop turning the heating off at night… especially when it's -15°C outside.
 |
Friday, 21 January 2011
Norwaaaaay!
Okay, I finally managed to scrap some time together to write this post :) Not that I'm so much into studying, but, let's say I never got bored (not even now!) and of course I wanted to wait for some interesting things to happen that I can write!
There are (too) many pictures from our New Year's Eve trip to Berlin. Well, in fact it's pictures from Berlin, not from New Year's Eve.
Maybe I should shortly describe (although most of you probably know) the overall plan:
Anja, Hermi and I are on Erasmus exchange studies in Scandinavia now. That offered the opportunity to get (t)here by car and add a few days of vacation previously. And that's exactly what we did!
Since we got a car here now Anja and I plan to do a big Scandinavia trip after the end of semester.
Right now I'm sitting in my student's flat, it's dark and cold outside :) Since it's Friday, I'm supposed to get drunk today… Here in Ås on campus, the place to have some beer is called "Samfunnet", and it's open every Wednesday and Friday. The Norwegian ritual of partying is as follows: Have a "Vorspiel" (yes, that's how they call it), that is, have some drinks before you go to the club because it's bloody expensive there. Expensive here means that 50 Norwegian Kroners (NOK) for 0.5l beer is the cheapest you can get. Try "50 NOK in EUR" in a search engine of your choice…
Many people are already really canned when they head for the club. Then, you spend a lot of money and do extreme par-taying within about 2 hours, because no one could afford being there longer.
When you go home and you think that wasn't enough, you can add a "Nachspiel"…
Enough of that. Most of the other exchange students haven't been here the last three weeks, since the "real" semester starts next Monday. Therefore I haven't met many people yet. Anyways, I accidentally got to know a student from my university who's even studying the same subject. I was walking around in the city center of Ås when I heard a voice behind me murmur "… he is from Austria!" So I turned around and answered: "Yes! How do you know?" "You're wearing Waldviertler!" she answered.
And that was the story of how I was recognized by my shoes.
Ok, I don't want to drown you in text. I'll try to add some short stories continuously. For now, check the snowy pictures!
There are (too) many pictures from our New Year's Eve trip to Berlin. Well, in fact it's pictures from Berlin, not from New Year's Eve.
Maybe I should shortly describe (although most of you probably know) the overall plan:
Anja, Hermi and I are on Erasmus exchange studies in Scandinavia now. That offered the opportunity to get (t)here by car and add a few days of vacation previously. And that's exactly what we did!
Since we got a car here now Anja and I plan to do a big Scandinavia trip after the end of semester.
Right now I'm sitting in my student's flat, it's dark and cold outside :) Since it's Friday, I'm supposed to get drunk today… Here in Ås on campus, the place to have some beer is called "Samfunnet", and it's open every Wednesday and Friday. The Norwegian ritual of partying is as follows: Have a "Vorspiel" (yes, that's how they call it), that is, have some drinks before you go to the club because it's bloody expensive there. Expensive here means that 50 Norwegian Kroners (NOK) for 0.5l beer is the cheapest you can get. Try "50 NOK in EUR" in a search engine of your choice…
Many people are already really canned when they head for the club. Then, you spend a lot of money and do extreme par-taying within about 2 hours, because no one could afford being there longer.
When you go home and you think that wasn't enough, you can add a "Nachspiel"…
Enough of that. Most of the other exchange students haven't been here the last three weeks, since the "real" semester starts next Monday. Therefore I haven't met many people yet. Anyways, I accidentally got to know a student from my university who's even studying the same subject. I was walking around in the city center of Ås when I heard a voice behind me murmur "… he is from Austria!" So I turned around and answered: "Yes! How do you know?" "You're wearing Waldviertler!" she answered.
And that was the story of how I was recognized by my shoes.
Ok, I don't want to drown you in text. I'll try to add some short stories continuously. For now, check the snowy pictures!
Tuesday, 5 October 2010
Scotland Pictures
Again, it took a while: photos
We missed the Pope by only half an hour. But if we had waited for him to come down Princess Street in his Popemobile, we would have got into a big traffic jam, caused by all the other Pope-tourists heading home.
Well, who cares. Just an old with huge influence man who is against … and for … and children … you know.
We missed the Pope by only half an hour. But if we had waited for him to come down Princess Street in his Popemobile, we would have got into a big traffic jam, caused by all the other Pope-tourists heading home.
Well, who cares. Just an old with huge influence man who is against … and for … and children … you know.
Monday, 23 February 2009
Tuesday, 3 February 2009
Taxi? Chica? Disco?
Well, those are words you hear quite often. Jinteros are the people who try to sell you cheap cigars (made from tobacco-waste), ladies or anything you could "need".
The round trip here is rather different to the round-the-world trip I did because it's a journey organized by a German travel agency. So there are some disadvantages (e.g. the price... I'm still crying) but also advantages - we had not much to organize :)
We're now in Habana (Havana), the capitol of Cuba. Tomorrow we will the Mausoleum of Che Guevara in Santa Clara and then check in a hotel there. So a horrible bus drive is waiting for us tomorrow (the bus obviously has no anti shock).
The traffic discipline is astonishingly high. Our guide Ernesto told us that it is very difficult to get a car in Cuba - so that is probably the reason why the traffic discipline is so high.
Yesterday we had the best cocktails and lobster in the whole, fu** world! I'm very sorry you are not here, Mole! But as cold comfort (schwacher Trost) I can tell you the cocktails were very expensive ... for Cuban ratios - 5 CUC (Pesos Convertibles), about 4,5 Euro, per cocktail ;)
Ok, as we're short of time because 2 delicious self-made Cuba Libre are waiting for us at our room (1 bottle ron (Spanish for rum), aged 3 years: 7 CUC, 2 Cokes: each 2 CUC). So check the new pictures here!
The round trip here is rather different to the round-the-world trip I did because it's a journey organized by a German travel agency. So there are some disadvantages (e.g. the price... I'm still crying) but also advantages - we had not much to organize :)
We're now in Habana (Havana), the capitol of Cuba. Tomorrow we will the Mausoleum of Che Guevara in Santa Clara and then check in a hotel there. So a horrible bus drive is waiting for us tomorrow (the bus obviously has no anti shock).
The traffic discipline is astonishingly high. Our guide Ernesto told us that it is very difficult to get a car in Cuba - so that is probably the reason why the traffic discipline is so high.
Yesterday we had the best cocktails and lobster in the whole, fu** world! I'm very sorry you are not here, Mole! But as cold comfort (schwacher Trost) I can tell you the cocktails were very expensive ... for Cuban ratios - 5 CUC (Pesos Convertibles), about 4,5 Euro, per cocktail ;)
Ok, as we're short of time because 2 delicious self-made Cuba Libre are waiting for us at our room (1 bottle ron (Spanish for rum), aged 3 years: 7 CUC, 2 Cokes: each 2 CUC). So check the new pictures here!
Monday, 18 February 2008
Thursday, 7 February 2008
The Netherlands
The Round-The-World journey is over for about 7 months now. Anyways, it's semester break and I'm visiting an old schoolmate who's studying in Breda right now. The Netherlands are surely not as spectacular as south-east Asia because they are more similar to Austria than for instance Nepal. But there are still some very interesting differences which I would like to show here.
Three days ago I did a trip to Den Haag with another classmate. We had a nice walk along he windy beach at Scheveningen (wikipedia) and also discovered some kind of European Union building - also with a picture of Benita Ferrero-Waldner (Zaaaahl!) ;).
The following day we did a tour through Amsterdam. It took us quite long to find the famous red light district. Quite funny to see that. Now I think that I understand people from the US who come to Europe and just say "Wow, you got pictures of naked boobs in public!", 'cause I thought in Amsterdam "Wow, you got prostitutes in windows and pornography pictures in public!". Americans would probably drop dead by that shock ;).
I'm astonished by all the buildings made of bricks! It looks really nice.
Also the language is a very interesting thing. With German and English vocabulary and a little fantasy you understand about 80% of texts you read immediately and the rest out of its context. Unfortunately, it gets a lot harder to understand spoken words (it's almost impossible).
That's it for now. Tomorrow we will probably make a trip to Brussels and take some more pictures! Until then you can get the photos from Den Haag and Amsterdam here!
Three days ago I did a trip to Den Haag with another classmate. We had a nice walk along he windy beach at Scheveningen (wikipedia) and also discovered some kind of European Union building - also with a picture of Benita Ferrero-Waldner (Zaaaahl!) ;).
The following day we did a tour through Amsterdam. It took us quite long to find the famous red light district. Quite funny to see that. Now I think that I understand people from the US who come to Europe and just say "Wow, you got pictures of naked boobs in public!", 'cause I thought in Amsterdam "Wow, you got prostitutes in windows and pornography pictures in public!". Americans would probably drop dead by that shock ;).
I'm astonished by all the buildings made of bricks! It looks really nice.
Also the language is a very interesting thing. With German and English vocabulary and a little fantasy you understand about 80% of texts you read immediately and the rest out of its context. Unfortunately, it gets a lot harder to understand spoken words (it's almost impossible).
That's it for now. Tomorrow we will probably make a trip to Brussels and take some more pictures! Until then you can get the photos from Den Haag and Amsterdam here!
Friday, 6 July 2007
Back Home Again
See the last few photos!
Thanks to all of you who visited and hopefully enjoyed my blog all the time! Thanks too to all the nice people we met during the trip: our trekking guide Bashu, the Singapore Scouts; Sarah, Jessica, Jennifer, Derrick, Grace, Jean, and all I forgot!, the very nice McBurneys from Sydney and last but not least the outback Scouts in Alice Springs.
Special thanks to my lector, the Anglist Leo!
Also thanks to my brother for uploading some home sent photos and to my parents for "some" financial support ;)
And finally, of course, thank you Johannes for your companionship!
Thanks to all of you who visited and hopefully enjoyed my blog all the time! Thanks too to all the nice people we met during the trip: our trekking guide Bashu, the Singapore Scouts; Sarah, Jessica, Jennifer, Derrick, Grace, Jean, and all I forgot!, the very nice McBurneys from Sydney and last but not least the outback Scouts in Alice Springs.
Special thanks to my lector, the Anglist Leo!
Also thanks to my brother for uploading some home sent photos and to my parents for "some" financial support ;)
And finally, of course, thank you Johannes for your companionship!
Tuesday, 3 July 2007
Gemma Ham!
Exactly 3 hours to go - then the airport shuttle bus will pick me up here!
There is a small photo update in the Hawaii Album with some new pictures from my fishing tour and the Diamond Head. Unfortunately, Paris Hilton is having her vacation on another island of Hawaii, so I could not tell her how much people in Austria love her ;)
See ya soon!
There is a small photo update in the Hawaii Album with some new pictures from my fishing tour and the Diamond Head. Unfortunately, Paris Hilton is having her vacation on another island of Hawaii, so I could not tell her how much people in Austria love her ;)
See ya soon!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)