Kalilandia

Santa Theresa Santa Theresa is one of the several party destinations in Costa Rica. We are ready for some "loco fiestas" but we are up for a surprise.  Moon landscapes  Already driving from Samara, we figure that roads are getting worse and worse the more south we go, but when we approach Santa Theresa, and even worse - when we enter into the little Pacific village - we are in disbelief with the moon landscapes on the roads (I must have been too shocked as I have not a single photo of that memorable view). The car is jumping and sinking at every meter, there is not a sign of asphalt - only dirt, which goes through every little hole in the car, all around the air. Some people have given up cars and have jumped on the scooters, wrapped in scarves in order to be able to breath.  As adventurous as it is, and being one of the most recommended destinations on the Pacific coast, we still cannot get the concept and charm of breathing dirt while on holiday. Santa T...

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,...

Reaching a next level of driving They say that the Julian Alps in Slovenia offer some of the most impressive Alpine landscapes. Why take a plane when you can drive half way through Europe to visit them? Quite obvious, we think. We load the car with a tent, sleeping bags, pillows, blankets and a sufficient amount of coffee and we - Jenthe (the pilot), me (the singing co-pilot) and our navigator Ednorozhka (a white unicorn) - head from Belgium to Slovenia around 22:00h on a beautiful Friday evening.  We drive through Germany - Cologne, Frankfurt, Munich and meet the morning in Austria. The landscapes start expanding around us, but we realize our estimated driving time is expanding, too. Mountains are growing, hours are growing, too. Many of the main roads are closed, so we need to take some mountain roads. These deviations turn our estimated 12-hourish road trip to something like a beautiful 19-hourish road trip (including a 2-hour nap in the car).  Driving through ...

I must admit I have not been drawn to street art like that before, or perhaps I haven't been able to fully appreciate it. Hence, the exhibit of the artwork of Banksy in Antwerp was quite eye-opening and a complete discovery for me. Banksy is a British-based anonymous street artist and a political activist of unverified identity. In the very beginning I found some his works a little too eccentric and I am being very careful with what social activists are preaching for as very often I find they do it for the sole purpose of either feeling good about themselves or to gain a certain social status. At the same time, they can attract masses of people and create massive hype and attention. It might be that their causes and approaches are simply not talking to me based on my own convictions. Clearly that's why we fight for freedom of expression but yet we are all responsible for maintaining a level of critical view, which is the only instrument to filter non-sense and alternative fa...