Or:
The Weather Obsession Continues
Why aren’t we on the 850-km-long Carian Trail?!
Asia Travel
The Carian Trail – Stormy Weather in Southwest Turkey
Hiking and the Obsession with Weather; When hiking the Carian Trail doesn’t start the way we’d like to.
There is no denying: any outdoor event or activity can be made or broken by the weather. Ambivalent as I am about technological gadgets, I’m not sure that weather apps are a good development.
Joining a Jain Pilgrimage to the Palitana Temples in Gujarat (India)
“Don’t wear leather items like shoes or a belt.”
“Wear clean and ironed clothes. Adinath will see this and you will receive more energy for walking.”
“Chant ‘Adinath-Adinath’ at every step, which will give more energy too.”
Searching for the White Rat in the Karni Mata Temple of Deshnok (India)
Can you imagine walking among thousands of rats without freaking out? I couldn’t, but I did anyway.
There is no other option when visiting the Karni Mata Temple where rats are sacred.
Visit the Munnar Tea Plantations in Kerala and Watch the Tea Harvest (India)
The world around us is an ocean of green: undulating hills blanketed with dark green and soft green tea plants. India is the second-largest tea producer in the world (after China) and the Munnar Tea Plantations, in the southwestern state of Kerala, is one of India’s major tea producing centers.
This is a sea of tea plants.
Visiting a Carpet Factory in Hotan, China
We should have come with a guide, we realized in hindsight. Nobody spoke English. We had been convinced our taxi driver had understood we wanted to visit a silk factory.
However, when we walked through the doorway we realized we had ended up at a carpet factory.
Watch the Highest Polo Tournament in the World (Pakistan)
Starting from behind the goal line, holding the ball and mallet in one hand and perfectly restraining his horse with the other, the horseman slowly moves forward. When he approaches the center of the field, he spurs his horse to maximum speed, tosses the ball into the air, hits just before it reaches the ground and launches it deep into defensive territory.
Here, scrimmage and chaos reign.
Touring Xinjiang’s Historical Sites around Turpan, China
It took thirty hours to traverse the Taklaman, the world’s largest desert, by bus. I got off in the middle of nowhere, in a town called Turpan.
The region captivated me for two reasons
Joining a Hindu pilgrimage to the Amarnath Cave (India)
The goal of our Hindu pilgrimage is almost in sight: an ice stalagmite. A holy stalagmite. I flop down on an ice-cold stone and vigorously rub my feet that have turned blue and lost all feeling after I climbed stone steps without number in subzero temperatures.
Barefoot, that is.
Exploring the Sunday Market in Kasghar, China
With over 50,000 people selling and buying, the Sunday Market in Kasghar is the biggest in China. Its origin goes back to the golden age of the Silk Route when delegations from all different empires came here to trade.
Our expectations were high.
Cycling in Yunnan’s Countryside Around Lijang, China
They laugh when Coen sign languages if he can join them. Their faces are skeptical.
“A foreigner? Playing mahjong?”
Taking the Narrow Gauge Train to Darjeeling, (India)
It’s still dark when we walk downhill to the train station. Although the train will only leave at seven, we have been advised to arrive an hour early.
There are only a few seats on the Toy Train of the famous Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
Exploring the Temples of Angkor Wat, Cambodia
I’m looking at the Hindu god Vishnu, whose legs are being massaged by his wife Laksmi. The sculpture is lying in a stream in the middle of Cambodia’s forest, and is surrounded by twittering birds and fluttering butterflies.
The sight is utterly peaceful.
Hiking the Tiger Leaping Gorge in Yunnan, China
There wasn’t just one stone – there were two.
Which one did the tiger jump on when crossing this gorge?
Hiking Mount Jizu in Yunnan, China
“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm, and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open”.
~Jawaharial Nehru
It is 2 am and we are about to climb a 3248-meter-high mountain: Jizu Shan.
Also known as: Chicken Foot Mountain.