Why would you drive 250 kilometers to see a monastery? It was one of those moments of looking at our roadmap after having read a mere paragraph in a guidebook and this voice inside my head saying,
“Let’s go!”
Sightseeing
Appreciating Modern Architecture in Brasília, Brazil’s Capital
“Why would you want to visit Brasília? It is an ugly city that lacks a soul,” is the most common remark I have heard from Brazilians about their capital. Despite these discouraging words I decided to visit the city for its modern architecture by Oscar Neimeyer and judge for myself.
My verdict: “Brasília is an ugly city that lacks a soul.”
Yet I stayed a midweek and enjoyed every single day. What happened?
Read MoreAppreciating Modern Architecture in Brasília, Brazil’s Capital
Three Tips for Your Visit to Manaus (Brazil)
We arrived in Manaus with a list of places I wanted to visit, but Providence ruled differently. In the past I might have had a fit. I had made a list, damn it, and we were going to stick to it. We had to visit Manaus properly.
After all, wasn’t that why we were here?
Visiting the 4th Tunnel in the Demilitarized Zone – Going Underground in South Korea
In the 1960s-1980s, North Korea dug tunnels under the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) into South Korea in an attempt to surprise attack their neighbors from underground. Depending on the size of the tunnel it could funnel 10,000-30,000 soldiers an hour and some are big enough for vehicles as well.
Unfortunately for North Korea, the tunnels were discovered.
Read MoreVisiting the 4th Tunnel in the Demilitarized Zone – Going Underground in South Korea
The Peace Dam, Peace Park & A World Peace Bell Made of Cartridges (South Korea)
On the northern side of South Korea is the Peace Dam and next to it are a Peace Park and a World Peace Park.
What’s this ‘peace stuff’ all about?
Read MoreThe Peace Dam, Peace Park & A World Peace Bell Made of Cartridges (South Korea)
Watching a Soccer Game in Rio de Janeiro’s Maracaña Stadium, Brazil
One of the most unexpected sites I ever did in our 16-year journey was visiting a soccer stadium and actually watching a soccer game. Traveling is full of surprises, and here I stood in what ‘everybody’ considered to be the most famous stadium in the world:
The Maracaña Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
Read MoreWatching a Soccer Game in Rio de Janeiro’s Maracaña Stadium, Brazil
Exploring the Old Town of Marmaris (Turkey)
Or:
The Weather Obsession Continues
Why aren’t we on the 850-km-long Carian Trail?!
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.”
Read MoreJoining a Jain Pilgrimage to the Palitana Temples in Gujarat (India)
Touring the Itaipu Dam in Paraguay
I read some facts and figures about the Itaipu Dam that simply boggled my mind and, truth be told, I couldn’t wrap my head around such numbers.
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.
Read MoreSearching for the White Rat in the Karni Mata Temple of Deshnok (India)
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.
Read MoreVisit the Munnar Tea Plantations in Kerala and Watch the Tea Harvest (India)
Absorbing the Story of Slavery in Redenção, Brazil
In 1873 Colonel Simião Jurumenha bought a sugarcane farm and built the cachaça factory of Douradinho in Redenção. 10 years later slavery was abolished here – 5 years before the rest of Brazil.
130 years later, I visit the still functioning factory-cum-museum.
Running through Brazil’s Colonial Town of Goiás Velha, a UNESCO Site
Running through a town? What kind of way of exploring a place is that, you may ask. Did I get to see anything at all?
Yes, I did.
Read MoreRunning through Brazil’s Colonial Town of Goiás Velha, a UNESCO Site