Author Archives: ladina
Hong Kong, again
Three months after our first visit to Hong Kong, the anticipation of going back there grew very high. How often over yet another meal of nasi goreng did we dream of the variety of dim sums? When did we actually last wear clean clothes? Or sleep in the same bed for more than five consecutive days? When did we last receive handwritten letters?
Our high expectations were not disappointed: in Hong Kong, we were able to appreciate the conveniences of sedentary life for two weeks. Again, we were very warmly welcomed by José’s relatives, and they were keen on showing us around in their city, inviting us to taste new savours of the Asian cuisine and taking us back to our favourite yum cha places. On several occasions, we got lost in the jungle of tall skyscrapers and shopping malls, amazed by all the shiny and glittery goods in the shop windows and the modern architecture of the buildings. Eating was one of the main occupation during these days: as you can see on the pictures, we tasted numberless specialities from all over Asia, including sinful desserts. Therefore, yielding to all the temptations, we put on a few pounds — as a reserve for meagrer times in Nepal.
All too soon, the moment of packing our backpacks and saying goodbye to everyone arrived. This time, it was much harder to leave Hong Kong behind, for we did not know when we will go back there again. All we have left now are the beautiful memories of those days as well as José’s photos; and the latter we want to share with you in this post.
Gili Trawangan, Indonesia
Mount Bromo, Eastern Java
2.30 am. The alarm clock harshly rings us back from a short but deep sleep. More mechanically acting than fully realising what we are doing, we put on our warmest clothes — four layers should be enough — and help ourselves to a few sips of warm ginger tea from our thermos flask. Over a handful of biscuits, the excitement of what lies ahead comes to our dull senses. We tie up our hiking shoes, switch on the headlamps and, now fully geared, silently leave our homestay.
Mountain air
After staying in dirty, noisy and overcrowded cities for more than two weeks, sweating unceasingly and depressing between grey, lifeless concrete buildings, we definitely needed a change. A decision was quickly made: we would go east, to where a handful of volcanos dominate the relief of Java. Positively excited — for as most of you might know, I adore those peculiar mountains — we left Yogyakarta by night bus and found ourselves in a completely different surrounding by the next morning. The volcano itself was only one of the positive surprises which made the destination more than worthwhile.
Bus journeys
You might have been wondering how the daily life of a traveller looks like? Though we would love it to be so, it is not all about admiring amazing landscapes, eating delicious food, lying on the beach and gaping before ancient monuments — it also involves sleeping in creepy places, sweating in the heat of the merciless sun and being shaken for hours on bumpy bus rides. About the last, I want to tell you a bit more, for we often spend fairly long hours in those buses. After all, they are the cheapest and most common option to get from one place to another. I do not know how many times we already made our way to the bus station, had to ask at least five locals which one was our vehicle and if it really went where we wanted to go, then waited for the bus to come, holding our backpacks before storing them in the luggage rack — only keeping our valuables, the guitar and a pullover (for the air-con) with us — and, finally, got into the bus. During those journeys, I always learn a lot about the country, how its system works (or does not work) and how its people behave. Let me take you on rides through different nations we have visited!
Green Hills
First impressions of Myanmar: Mandalay
What to expect from a country which was, not so long ago, as closed and secluded as North Korea? We had had gorgeous tales of fellow backpackers, jaw-dropping pictures of remote landscapes, news about the harsh rule of the government; but nothing had prepared us for the simple, kind-hearted generosity and friendliness of the Burmese people. These undeniably fervent and devout Buddhists are everything a traveller could dream of. Welcoming and readily helpful, asking to take pictures with you (“As a token of rememberance!”) and smiling for yours, as interested in you as you in them, showering you with free tea, soups, salads, cakes, and never trying to cheat you, they are more than our pictures could hope to convey: they are, simply, an inspiration for the way we lead our lives.
Koh Phangan, Thailand
“Do you have fresh coconut?” I ask the waiter from the restaurant in Haad Yao, the beach where we just arrived.
“Yes,” he answers and points upwards to the coconut tree above our heads. He counts “One, two, three, four, five, six…” fresh coconuts and laughs. Then he fetches a long stick and starts hitting the coconuts; Salome and Fernando have to get up lest they be struck by the falling green hard ball. A few minutes later, the waiter serves us the delicious coconut water and as we suck happily on our straws, feeling the sun on our skin, watching over the white sand with the deep blue ocean beyond and hearing the waves, all four of us agree: we just arrived in paradise.
The Temples of Angkor, Cambodia
Angkor Wat is probably the most famous ancient monument of Southeast Asia and, therefore, was one of the top things on our “to-do-list” for this round-the-world trip. Once arrived in Siem Reap, the modern city standing next to the ruins, I realised that there is much more to see than the famous main temple: the whole area of the historical city (built by the Khmer empire between the 8th and the 13th century AD), with its moats and uncountable temples, is worth several days of intense visiting. While exploring the ruins, I learned a lot about Southeast Asia’s past (a topic never mentioned in our Eurocentric education), as well as Hindu and Buddhist faith and mythology. The first day, we decided to have a look around the minor temples by bicycle.