Kalilandia

Life in Monteverde was good! Starting from our accommodation, called with the very self-explanatory name "Romantic cabana"... going through some night encounters with vipers and jumping from 200 meters above the jungle, Monteverde was a bliss. Romance on a hill Accommodations in Costa Rica will prove to be a miraculous and sometimes a very important part of the experience, which is only normal when  you open the door and the view grabs you and takes you on a journey of contentment with just being where you are.   One of the definitions of romance is "the idealization of reality", but also "the expression of love". I think our Romantic cabin in the village Santa Elena, next to the village Monteverde, responded to the second. We also take the chance to eat our favorite Costa Rican breakfast every morning, in as big quantities as we can handle, because it is D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S - grilled Costa Rican white cheese, boiled casava, avocados,...

Chame - Upper Pisang - Manang New notions of Cold It is above 3500m. I have been on the trek for a few days, but it feels an eternity. There is no salvation from the cold. Cold has a new meaning for me, a new power, too. I hear myself using indecent words more frequently as I successfully build my lifestyle in the cold. I see my breath while falling asleep in the room, my phone cannot stay turned on outside of my sleeping bag, I have become intimate with my water bottle, which I fill in with hot water to put inside the sleeping bag every evening. I have overpassed all personal records for speedy teeth brushing, figuring out how to take a shower with some different heating solution in every lodge, and running outside to my room wet after a shower in 5-10 degrees below zero. If one surrenders to the unusual conditions, where one is entirely dependent on the nature, the basic sanitation and the lack of distraction, they end up connecting with part of their primal nature. So do I - ...

I cannot resist my urge to board a plane and go explore the country on my own. I've always dreamed to see the Great Barrier Reefs of Australia and I find myself in Airlie, a little coastal town where time has stopped between crazy backpacker party hostels, quiet beaches and white boats. I book a little bungalow in a tropical rainforest resort, called Kipara, and as soon as I get there I meet at the balcony my neighbor Christopher, an Australian who will turn into my best partner in crime over the next days. Wildlife encounters in front of my bungalow In Australia you don't need to put too much effort in order to see the most horrifying animals. While local people are perfectly used to them, travelers like me are simply intimidated by how they live and walk all over the place. My first encounter is a gigantic brown frog, much larger than my hand. Technically, it would not harm me, but the sight of it in front of the bungalow is definitely not something I am pr...

I know there is pleasure in doing nothing, but I never expected the pleasure of the nothingness in Ngwe Saung will be of that dimension. The night bus ride from Yangon is around 6 hours and is an absolutely hilarious experience with the host of the bus tirelessly speaking on that microphone, which has a funny echo and one almost feels like in a club. Any time I drift away the guy will shout something, will remember to announce something more, will push my seat for some unknown reason. A German girl is traveling next to me and we share this memorable ride, which will bring us together frequently during my stay in Ngwe Saung. Life in the middle of the rice fields The host of my guest house meets me with a scooter taxi in the middle of the night and brings me to my bungalow. As I wake up in my first morning I am full of joy to discover that the bungalow is in the middle of the rice fields and the village people living in the field are having a great time singing on a m...