Tag Archives: water

Koh Phangan, Thailand

by ladina

“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.

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Koh Tao, Thailand

by jose

We met up with Salome and Fernando, two old friends of Ladina’s, in Bangkok, the capital of the kingdom of Thailand. And after an evening of plotting and scheming, we all decided to head straight to the heavenly tropical islands of the South. So we made a run to the train station, dodged the touts trying to enlist us in an travel agency package, bought tickets in a sleeper train to Chumphon, came back under heavy rain in the evening, discovered inside the carriage that our tickets had been issued for two days hence, ran to the controllers, argued at the counter, changed our tickets for seats in a later train, sat down in the station hall to play Yatzy, and finally, boarded our train bound south.

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Queenstown, Otago, New Zealand

by jose

I have to say, that never have I been so amazed by the nature and wilderness of a city before entering Queenstown.

Let us be clear though: Queenstown is a rich, expensive town, a bit touristy on some sides, and clearly not as wild as a farmers’ village. However, the nature around it is arguably the most beautiful I have ever seen in the vicinity of such a town, which without a doubt makes it a really incredible place to live in.

Like Ben’s parents, my hosts at that time and friends now, do.

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Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

by jose

If Sydney is undoubtedly the most iconic city of Australia (who could not recognize its Opera House?), Melbourne is, to me, its most culturally vibrant metropolis.

In between skyscrapers from the CBD (Central Business District), it is thus not rare to find tiny alleyways bustling with activity around cafés and pubs. The laneway culture and underground life are definite highlights of the place, with incredibly beautiful and striking street art, a talented music scene, year-round festivals, or relaxing loungy bars and pumped-up nightclubs. For those who prefer the artsy venues, Melbourne’s museums are world-class in classical as well as contemporary art, and the surprising but definitely inspired modern architecture of the buildings might convert even the most ardent defender of the old monuments.

The alternative or bohemian lifestyle has, on its side, conquered several districts of the city – they are probably the most interesting urban places I have had to visit in the whole continent. It is not difficult to find sheesha bars in the same street as op shops, organic grocery stores or trendy clothes boutiques. If you get a bit tired while walking there, do not forget to stop at one of the friendly pubs to try the delicious coffee or mocha before going on your visit.

But before discovering all these jewels from Melbourne, I have to admit my first impression from the place was quite bad. One reason for this: the Australian backpacker business.

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Marlo & Orbost, Victoria, Australia

by jose

In the midst of countless unexpected complications (bad schedules, stuff to do, personal problems, journey delays), one thing from my stay in Marlo remained: I saw Bailey again, after our amazing trip in the Middle-East, and before going on around the world.

To be honest, I would have never heard of Marlo, a small village of 340 inhabitants – they call that a town in Australia – lost on the South Coast of Victoria, if not for her. We had agreed on meeting again when we parted in Cairo airport, almost six months ago now (God time flies) – and despite the lack of communication means, despite the vague schedule of my hitch-hiking, we did.

And thus I ended up there – where the Snowy meets the sea.

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Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

by jose

“So how did you find Canberra?”
“Err…”
“Dead, uninteresting, nothing happens?”
“I was gonna say ‘soulless’, but that’s pretty much it”
(Conversation with Nadia, traveler from Canberra, on the W trail in Torres del Paine)

For those who do not know, Canberra has been entirely built out of the blue to serve as a capital city. And the first impression I had when I discovered the desert, still city, with its topography in concentric circles (alright, it is more interesting than the usual square grid, but still not good) is this one: this is a dream from Le Corbusier.

And it is not a compliment.

But it does not mean Canberra is to be avoided at all costs. The museums over there (perhaps built in order to give a boost to the stagnant culture of the city) are very good – I come to wonder now if the only thing I enjoy while traveling in cities is the art and culture I find there. I am undoubtedly getting tired of partying – really, I did not go on the other side of the world to burn my money on alcohol (again) and have to withstand overplayed commercial ‘music’ (and again). I can do that at home.

“But you’ve got awesome museums there!”
“Ahhh, I hate museums.”
“Alright, change city”

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