Plank walk and clay dudes – Xi’an

Posted on September 19, 2014 by admin

A while ago a blog caught my attention. Someone mentioned Mt. Hua Shan near Xi’an and a path on timber along a cliff. The plank walk or path to heaven. A must do it. Some people around the hostel including Gary I met in Mongolia at the train station were up for it. With the help of the hostel we got private mini bus and there we went. Entering the visitors centre we got a bit shocked about the fees they were charging. 180 yuan for entrance, 40 for the bus to the bottom of the mountain which was quite a bit to go and for cable car usage each way another 80 yuan. They know how to make money out of tourists!

The views were not the best ones on that day but at least it was not raining. Walking from the north peak to the south peak also meant to climb a lot of stairs. The whole mountain is full of them. Narrow and steep staircases up the peaks and down on the other site. Not giving you much space to take over the slow ones which basically meant the Chinese visitors.

Compared to them we were rushing through the not visible scenery. For a few moments the clouds opened up but most of the time it was misty. After less than three hours we found what we were looking for. The plank walk and it seemed like it became more popular. There was even a queue to do it and for sure you had to pay for it. A police officer ensured that everybody got a harness and safety gear before entering the track.

What we didn’t know was that the path was ending at the other way and everybody was coming back the same way. It basically means you walk in a vertical cliff on a narrow piece of wood and have to climb over each other. Kind of fun but at the same time frightening if you see how unexperienced Chinese with no logical thinking handle the gear. Taking both hooks of the cable instead one by one. Or posing with both hooks in the hand for a selfie.
The walk itself was just a few dozen meters and the end was less spectacular. Just a small temple in a cave. On the way back the cloud opened once more and gave us a quick look down the cliff. A whole trekking path like this would be fun but only if there wouldn’t be as many people as at the Mt. Hua Shan.

Perhaps more popular around Xi’an is the nearby terracotta army. An army build of clay to protect the grave of a former emperor. Quite impressing to see how many warriors they build and put in those tunnels. Most of them were destroyed by the damaged arches and also by thieves. There are still some people busy in putting them back together like a huge jigsaw. But thats it, there is not more except the Chinese tourists which are also kind of an attraction.

Another adventure we had back in Chengdu when we wanted to get our sleeper tickets. Once more we had to figure out that train tickets can be sold very quickly. And so we had to figure out that our favourite train was gone by the time we wanted to book it. The only option was to wait for the nightly maintenance cycle which blocks the booking system and frees locked tickets. The next morning we had to be at the station before 7am. Two tickets we got but not mine since I left my passport home. Worrying about not getting it I hurried back to the hostel were I got it booked online with the help of the staff. Chengdu we are coming …

Last stop in Russia – Ulan-Ude

Posted on August 18, 2014 by admin

My last stop before leaving Russia was in Ulan-Ude. From here I would take the train the next day. Its a fairly small city which feels quite industrial at the time you leave your train at the station.

Long trains line up with oil tanks and coal carriages. And for only two tracks for the passenger trains going east, west or to the south to Mongolia. The funny thing is, if you leave the station you will recognise painted arrows on the street showing you the way to the hostel. It looks like a arrow war fighting for the direction!

My hostel was just next to the main square where the biggest Lenin head is placed. Its also the square to meet locals and to head out to the few bars around it. The main pedestrian street also goes away form the square.

As most Russian cities Ulan-Ude also has its fancy fountain. As soon as its dark there is a light show with music. Since I didn’t have much time I wasn’t able to visit the nearby Buddhism temple which shall be the biggest of Russia.

It was time to take my train to Ulaanbaatar since my visa was running out. I guess I got the maximum out of it. Arriving in Russia just after midnight of the first day and leaving it just before midnight on the last day of my visa. Well timed, like a swiss watch.

Go West to the 2nd – Lviv

Posted on June 11, 2014 by admin

Once more I headed out to the west. This time on an intercity train which only takes about 5hours to get to Lviv. Much more convenient than the hot night trains. Plenty of space space, air-conditioned and clean bathrooms. Pretty much the opposite of a soviet night train.

Together with a friend I made my way to this city in the west. My second time in Lviv after my last visit in February 2013. Just after our late arrival at the station and the nightly tram ride down to the historical centre I had to discover that there is a huge difference between winter and summer time in Lviv. So much greener and so many more people on the street. Like in european cities there are restaurants and bars on the squares as well as along the old town streets. Free concert on the market square and so on.
So we headed to our place to check in and get ready for what you should do in Lviv – to eat. At least that what my friend told me. Last time nobody told but at least I figured out that this place is a place with Kaffeehaus culture. Beside that they have great places with themes like partisan, freemason or masochism! So you won’t get bored for a weekend.

On Sunday morning we were met a friend who was joining us for exploring the place and tasting the delicious food. We started the day with a breakfast in ‘Puzata Hate’ the ukrainian kind of fast-food. It followed a walk around ant the climb up to the tower of the ‘Rathaus’ from which you can enjoy a spectacular view down to old town. After such an ‘extraordinary’ exercise in the hot weather it was time to make our second brake in a pie place. Salmon pie, chicken with sweet-pepper or just simple apple pie with vanilla sauce. I have to say all of them are delicious. So if you are ever in Lviv go to ‘Lviv Galician Cheese Cake and Strudel Bakery’ such a great place. After we finished charing up our batteries we headed out to the Lychakiv Cemetery. A quiet and thoughtful place full of sculptures and monuments reminding on the buried personalities. Many of those originated from Poland.

After all the walking it was time for another pit stop at ‘Puzata Hata’ before heading out for the final dinner. During our evening walk we got to see once more all the activities around the market square in the centre. Discovering some of the infamous buildings as well as a little piece of street art. After a drink in the theme bar ‘Maso’ where guys get whipped by the bartender we were ending up in kind of an art gallery with a small alternative cafe. Ready for our last meal in that day. Some crapes with chicken. Expecting some small portion we were quite surprised when they served a full meal sized crape.

On our last day we did what we did the day before – eating. Breakfast once more in ‘Puzata Hata’ and after a walk through the park some delicious pies. Finally we had get mentally ready for the long train ride back to Kiev. What better than to enjoy a cold drink in one of the open air places on the market square. An awesome weekend which was all about strolling around in a cultural place and eating was ending.

Milan – the Switzerland of Italy

Posted on April 23, 2014 by admin

The reason going back to Milan was rather because I was missing the people from Vilnius than catching a cheap flight back to Kiev. Although, I had the great opportunity to stay at a friends place I knew from Vilnius. At that time we were working together in Jimmy Jumps where she now works at one of the world best rated hostels in Milan – Hostel Bello. Anyway, I could enjoy a couch in a private home. A great place well located near the center next to ‘Porta Romana’ just a quick walk to all the things around.

At the moment Milan is kind of a mess. Preparing itself for the international Expo’15 which soon takes place all around the center. The Expo Gate in Piazza Castello is almost finished but beside that many more construction places have to be done. Fixing a piece of broken street here, build a exhibition house there, renovate a public building over there and so on …

Around all the construction places are for sure also many places to see. Some of them well visible others are hidden like this one inside of a Basilica. Couple of nice skulls and there were many more.

But Milan is also a popular place for international exhibition. Kristina was sending me to this one which was really worth to see it. It was about design. From random sculptures to a gigantic 3D-display, from an abstract endless stairway to functional interior designs and also some solutions for the future rooftop farming. To my surprise was Panasonic around with a couple of solutions. Lightning which makes sense but also some kitchen furniture which was pretty cool.

Allover, my second Milan visit was more than just getting lost like at the first time. Its worth to spend more than just two hours in this city 😉

The better Spain –> Portugal!

Posted on July 4, 2013 by admin

It was quite a new experience my time in Morocco but I’m also quite happy to be back in Europe where you get what you order and pay whats on the label. Even if everything is more expensive than in Africa what I realized again when I took my Bus leaving from Seville into Portugal. Fargo was my next destination. A small town which becomes alive during high season on the coast in the south west of Portugal.

The official fire station of Fargo. It seems like that these guys are not that busy. Luckily there where also some more modern vehicles in the garage. Anyway, those trucks might only be used during the summer when the town is occupied by thousands of tourists or simplified Australians and Canadians!

Best part about Lagos is a walk along the coast line. Great views from the cliffs and beautiful natural beaches which will disappear if there is the high tide. Also some amazing wildlife. Was lucky and got scared by a wild snake. Just wondered who was scarred more…
Night life is pretty busy but also quite simple and you have to get along with young teenagers and early twenty people. Feels like going out when you were young!

For some reason I really wanted to move on that stupid day … a Wednesday. The day the public service workers went on a general S T R I K E. Was happy my bus left the station in Lagos on time. Didn’t think about my arrival in Lisbon cos I thought the bus terminal would be close to the center. I was wrong, it was an hour walk away and that at 3pm when the sun was burning down.
Didn’t realize it in the first moment but after I entered the huge metro station at the bus terminal I remembered! No people and all gates shot must be the strike! :-/

The walk itself was quite hilly and I wasn’t surprised when I found these kind of elevators. Small funiculars going up the hills in the city. Even the tramways are like those in San Francisco. Going steep up in the narrow streets.

Something you also recognize in Portugal are all those abandoned buildings and factory halls. Buildings with collapsed roof tops, missing ceiling and house walls which are supported by heavy metal frames. It’s a very slow process to renovate those buildings. Somehow it gives the country an interesting contrast but on the other hand are the locals not very amused!

Just a jump from Lisbon is the natural park of Sintra. A very green area having its own climate. Mild temperatures all year around compared to the rest of the country very stable conditions. For that reason many wealthy families built their palaces around this area in the past. Nowadays some of these parks and buildings can be visited. For sure not for free …

Whole area is quite nice to see the only thing you need is a car or private transport. Many natural beaches and small places along the cliffs. Also in the park europe’s most western point on the mainland.

In the north of Lisbon is Porto. The rival football team of Lisbon and right now the more successful is from this place. Compared to Lisbon more laid back but also interesting. Its the main place of the area where port wine is coming from.

The old town is running from the hill top all the way down to the water site. At this place the wine used to be delivered by the old classic wooden boats and was finally stored in the warehouses around there.

And again … another elevator rising up the steep hill site in the middle of old town. Healthy people will beat it in average. Only leaves every 10min or so where as the walk would be a few hundred meters.

The wired thing about Porto is their tile art. All the nice houses have a facade made up of tiles. Where as the tiles are painted with blue color for a better contrast. The old train station has about 25k tiles in the main hall which tell the development of transportation in this area. It also displays the life in early days and the for seasons. But sometimes it also feels like you are standing in front of a gigantic bathroom even if it is one of the nicest tile arts 😀

Porto is a great place and I might go back there quite soon. Not really big but worth to see it and also perfect for a break. Nice old town, great people and good food. What do you want more?
A good stay? Alright, go to Gallery Hostel one of the best hostels I stayed so far 🙂

English spring

Posted on April 24, 2013 by admin

So here I am, half a year ago I did not really plan to go to great britain but things changed. Applied for a job and they invited me for an interview so here I am in Cambridge. A good reason to travel UK a bit and perhaps also Ireland and who knows maybe also back to Iceland.
For my first destination Cambridge I got a couchsurf and that was a great one. Thanks again to Valerie and Tom for their great hospitality. So a good start for my second time in Cambridge.

The main area still looks exactly the same as it did 9 years ago. And like 2004 the weather is also kind of nice this time. Just a bit chilly and windy.

A bit of rain and sun and lots of wind. Somehow it looks like the spring is behind the seasonal schedule in England. Outside of the center around the west center of the university it felt like autumn.

Like the places the prices for transport also stayed the same. Training from Cambridge to Manchester via London is quick but 44£ expensive if you don’t buy the ticket in advance.

Again, the english weather was nice to me. Streets were wet at the time I arrived but thats it. Around the docks, one of the modern parts of the city, you can enjoy the sun in the chilly evening. Here I recognized that brits must be immune against the cold! The men do wake boarding in a dock and the girls go out in the evening dress without a jacket. I was fine but just with my four layers on!

Perhaps one of the few moments the weather was not really that nice to me. Otherwise I would have tried this giant carousel in the city center of manchester. Must be a great view on the Piccadilly square underneath.

There is also a lovely old town near the center. Especially the part along the river is really nice. This picture shows a part in the middle of malls and as far as I know the house just looks far but its kind of new.

Another major place in england is Liverpool just about an hour by bus so in a day trip distance. Thats how I did it and I liked it a lot more than manchester. The main buildings are all quite old or old and modernized like the train station of Liverpool.

But the place I liked most was around the albert dock. A preserved harbour area with all the docks and warehouses from ancient times combined with the modern buildings from the bordering business district.

Perhaps the most amazing piece I’ve found in Liverpool. A genetic manipulated sheep-banana. Done by a japanese artist to demonstrate against the genetic manipulated food.

On the way to Scotland I also crossed this amazing place perhaps my favorite in England. Newcastle, based on the river Tyne with its many bridges over the river. One of those is the infamous millennium bridge for pedestrians. To let the big boats pass it can be rotated so the footpath would point at the sky.

One of the finest streets of England is overlooked by this guy. Mr. Grey who was one of Britain’s prime ministers.

Things are close together and after a 10m – not meter but miles in this case- hill walk along the river you will reach the sea. The area around Newcastle was also industrialized and there are many big business around marine engineering. If the factory is not visible the nearby working class houses will tell you that.

At the end of the walk you end up in a place called Tynemouth which is the place where the Tyne runs into the sea. Somewhere on the other side would be Norway …

Day trip to Pisa

Posted on April 6, 2013 by admin

I can confirm it the leaning tower of Pisa is really leaning to one site. Depending from which angle you look its quite a lot actually. Its so much that I always believed that the people walking up in a spiral along the outside. But in fact that spiral is in real not existent. Its just looking like but these are platforms and the stairway is in the inside.

Thats how it looks like.

Actually I liked the basilica just next to the tower much more than the tower. Its kind of similar with the one in Florence. Its also decorated with a marble facade and quite big.

After one of our argentinian friends got tickets to enter it we all had a look to the inside which actually is quite impressive. Especially the ceiling and the walls. And I even found a swiss cross 😀

Pisa is not really big and there is not much else to see as this two sights I think. But its enough to do a day trip. Easy to reach by train from Florence. It just takes about 1h or a bit more depending on the train you take.

Bratislava and BudaPest

Posted on February 22, 2013 by admin

The last couple transfers I did by buses or local trains so for the jump down to bratislava I was looking forward to take a train. It was quite a comfortable ride with some great sceneries. Once more I asked myself why I wanted to see this place. Some people told me its only worth as a stop over for a half a day on the way to Budapest.

I would say its worth to stay two nights like I did. The old town is not really big due to the soviets which torn down 70% of it to make a modern place out of Bratislava. The outstanding land mark here is the old fortress.

Such a great view over Bratislava will you get at the soviet soldier cemetery. Which is also home of a impressive monument and some nice sculptures.

In old town are also some sculptures. Some of them with a story behind and some without like this man at work. Before they put the sign next to him this poor man heads was chopped of a couple of times by cars!
Bratislava has also some nice bars to go out or a still working nuclear bunker with a club in it called SubClub.

After I left the place I was a bit sorry that I only stayed two nights. Anyway those thoughts were gone after I arrived in Budapest … home of an old town you must like. Except you don’t like art nouveau buildings. Especially if you can live inside of such a nice house. Four meter heigh ceilings, giant doors and windows and beautiful corridors and stair ways.

It’s a city you can wander around for hours and stair at all the constructions. Bridges, Churches, the parliament or castle.

From top of the castle hill you have a great view over the Pest site of Budapest. Everything on the right bank of the Danube is the city part Buda and the other site Pest.

The most beautiful construction might be the parliament which looks like a giant church. Build on the bank of the danube facing the castle hill.

There are a couple of other things to do in Budapest. You could make a little adventurous and relaxing day packet from two of them. First go for the awesome caving. It’s about caves in the hills of Buda. You will crawl through tiny holes, climb over stones and lots of fun.
After the exercise in the caves a warm bath in the thermal baths will wait for you. There are a couple of them around the city and a great cultural experience. The hot water is supplied by natural sources deep under Budapest. Even the ducks in the city park have a luxury life! Their little lake is well tempered.
There is also a very active night life culture with many pubs especially around the jewish quarter. One of the things which made Budapest so popular the last few years are the ruin pubs. Pubs which are inside of buildings which are in really bad shape. Some of them are a real maze spreading out over all the floors and into the former apartments.
Budapest its not only a weekend destination as it is for many party people. Its a great place you could easily spend a week or more.

Art work at Cesky Krumlov

Posted on February 19, 2013 by admin

The entrance to a home feeling hostel in cesky krumlov. A very personalized place which makes you feel home 🙂

Also very nice is this little animation above the entrance to a restaurant. If you want that they dance you have to turn the crank handle by yourself.

Wolpertinger

Posted on October 23, 2012 by admin

What! You don’t know the creature Wolpertinger? The living environment are the bavarian alps in germany.

Its a mixture between couple of alpine animals. So another german word could be “HirschBockBirkFuchsAuergams” 🙂

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