Dutch Monkey
In the harbor of the Indonesian city of Larantuka, I had found out in a funny way how I, as a European, am perceived by the locals. A little girl could no longer hold herself in laughter while she looked me in the face. It …
Month: April 2021
Off the beaten Track
The further east you drift from the island of Bali, the fewer tourists you meet. On the ferry from the Island of Flores to the Island of Lembata, I seemed to be the only foreign tourist on board. Right at the beginning I was approached …
Entertaining City
A walk through the streets of Buenos Aires can hardly be boring. The city is teeming with creative street artists from all over the world and excellent tango dancers showing off their talent for free. When I met these two artists on Calle Defensa in San Telmo, I …
In Company with Fitz Roy
After hitchhiking down 1350km along Carretera Austral through Chilean Patagonia, there was not a road from the small village of Villa o’Higgins leading further south into the country. The Campo de Hielo Sur, a huge expanse of glacial ice, made it impossible to continue by …
Shangri-La
Those who set out for Shangri-La usually have high expectations of their destination. It is not surprising, they seek somewhere as paradisiacal as author James Hilton’s description of the fictional place in his novel Lost Horizon. When I headed for a town with the aforementioned …
Olinda Carnival
To experience Carnival in Brazil, I preferred to choose a more relaxed place than the strongholds of Rio, Salvador or Recife: Olinda. At first glance, the small colonial town seemed very peaceful to me. Already upon arrival however, at my Couchsurfing accommodation, this impression was …
Gateway to Europe
For eleven months, I had traveled – mostly overland – once across the Asian continent. The biggest culture shock awaited me at the transition to Europe. But Istanbul proved to be a perfect seam for me. As I walked across the Galata Bridge from the …
Cholitas
At first glance, many of them seem cold, grumpy and unapproachable: the so-called cholitas, recognizable by their man’s hat, thin black braids and a broadly lined skirt. But anyone who has done any research knows full well that these women are in many ways the …