Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel

Early start today at 4am to leave for Abu Simbel. But worth the hassle! Hottest day so far – 44° or more! Stopped at a Fata morgana at the way back. Afternoon: Visitin the nubian village. Dad petting some crocodiles and a nice sunset while sailing by the Old...
Aswan and the dam

Aswan and the dam

We started with the temple of Philae – in the „lake“. Amazing story that they „moved“ the temple when they build the dam! Then up to the high dam – impressive construction. Thinking about the dams in Austria/Tirol this is a different sports 🙂 My dad then...
Edfu

Edfu

Breakfast (Doris tried herself 🙂 ) – and then to Temple of Horus at Edfu – by carriage! nice… sooo many horses… 🙂 We had someone else in our group – but I don’t go into too much details – she was a bit tiring from time to time 🙂 Emad is great...
Mokattam => Luxor

Mokattam => Luxor

We started in the morning again, Mohamed picked us up and checked out at Longchamps. On the way to the airport for our flight to Luxor we went to Mokattam to also see the „other side“ where tourists normally do not go (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zabbaleen). We...
Cairo

Cairo

Getting up early for a full day of Cairo sightseeing!!! After having a brief chat with Hebba, Mohamed picked us up in the morning and we drove to Gizeh for the pyramids. NO TRAFFIC – due to the 6th of October is a big holiday in Egypt. I have been to Cairo...
Heli Ski Day 3 – Panorama

Heli Ski Day 3 – Panorama

Yesterday evening I traveled to Panorama, to “test” a different company/area. I stayed in Invermere – in a 5 star resort – for 73 EUR?!?!? https://www.booking.com/hotel/ca/copper-point-resort.en-gb.html (Thanks booking.com ….) –...
Heli Ski Day 2 – Revelstoke

Heli Ski Day 2 – Revelstoke

hat a great day yesterday – the weather was very good (not completely sunny, but still very good) and the 6 runs we did were just amazing. Today the weather is not as good. We only do 3.5 runs (even though it seems the company counts that 200 vertical meter run...

Heli Ski Day 1 – Revelstoke

First day Heli Ski with selkirk tangiers (https://www.selkirk-tangiers.com) What a smooth operation. No stress, everything absolutely well organised. Time for a good breakfast, then training on the avalanche gear and intro to the heli. Nice group as well. There...

Heli Skiing in Canada – traveling

It’s only a 4 hour flight from Puerto Vallarta to Calgary! I had an easy flight at around noon. Arrival on Friday at 4pm in Calgary. If you believe it or not, this is my first visit to Canada! Immigration officer was very friendly, and I told him I go to...
Puerto Vallarta + RAMMSTEIN + Shisha

Puerto Vallarta + RAMMSTEIN + Shisha

Enjoying the sun and the nice temps! The flight yesterday was quite long. In total about 22 hours door to door. I never book a flight on the 1st of Jan at 10am – that was really tough after New year’s eve. Thanks to Iris/Achim for bringing me to the...
Macau

Macau

Today we took the ferry to Macau. Very busy today and booking the tickets in advance didn’t work (didn’t accept credit cards – probably because they are foreign). Also on the automated machines they only accepted Hongkong and Macau credit cards! so...
Victoria peak

Victoria peak

Went to “The Peak”. Been there before in 2008 – but this time there were soooo many people we didn’t take the famous “peak tram” but just an uber 🙂 Nice views, again we tried and see the Laser-Show, but didn’t really see...
HK by dawn and Roof-top bar

HK by dawn and Roof-top bar

Sunday we slept a bit longer (returning only at 5am from the bars) 🙂 Then we went for a walk, Computer Center, etc. and then to a roof-top bar (Wooloomooloo bar) and then with Star Ferry across to the other side to watch the “famous” laser show –...
Flight to Hong Kong

Flight to Hong Kong

Off we are for destination HongKong! traveling in attendance of the crew as back in 2013 to Shanghai – which is very cool! Staying at Renaissance Hong Kong Harbour View Hotel http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/hkghv-renaissance-hong-kong-harbour-view-hotel/...

Summit Push…. no updates in the next days

So, after a few days of waiting we are going for our Summit Push tomorrow (11.05.2017). Don’t have an exact Summit day yet (maybe between 16th and 20th of May) as we need to check the weather in a few days. Once we leave tomorrow, there won’t be Internet...

Rest day at ABC

After finishing the rotation we spend one more day here at ABC (approx. 6380m). We are still waiting for a final schedule as the CTMA (China Tibet Mountain Association) is still discussing about who is fixing the ropes for the last section (8300m – 8848m). There...

Return to ABC – Summary of our rotation

After two nights it’s time to end our first (and only rotation). All went better than expected. Yes the initial ascent to North Col. was very exhausting, but now I think this was mainly due to the heat in the down suit which is too hot for me. The small one hour hike...

Full day at North Col. (7050m)

What a beautiful morning up here! a few Sherpas are already going up to Camp2. We also took a small hike towards Camp2 (approx. 7800m) but the weather turned. When Bastian and Oliver turned around I went a bit further, until I realized I’m the only one on the route...

Climb to North Col. (7050m)

4 hours and 58m – below the limit from Russel Brice from the series „Everest – Beyond the Limit“ – Yippi! It was a tough hike/climb. Not so much technically but very exhausting. One issue is, that I don’t have as much warm cloths as other members, so...

Advanced Base Camp (ABC – 6380m)

Here we spend a few more days for acclimatization and our “Rotation” to North Col. This is for our body to get used to those heights. We also had another Puja and tried to get rid of headaches and short breath 🙂 ABC Post from RICOH THETA. #theta360 –...

360° Images

Thanks to Oliver (one or our other expedition members) and his Ricoh Theta S camera (360°) I can show some nice images: (use your mouse to drag the image – click on the Theta symbol for a link to a fullscreen version) Basecamp on 14.04 (when we arrived) Basecamp...
Timelapse Basecamp (14.04.2017)

Timelapse Basecamp (14.04.2017)

See how our dome is build…  (uploading this with the internet connection of 5170m was not easy!!!) This is how Tibet Basecamp looks on 21.04 (now everyone should have arrived). Not too crowded at...
a small hike to 6090m

a small hike to 6090m

Today a small hike to a hill at 6090m (and yes: the Sherpas call it a hill). Very though but better as expected. 4hours getting up – considering this is about the same as Huayna Potosi which took 5.5 hours. I think I’m fit enough. For any “regular...
Puja (prayer ritual)

Puja (prayer ritual)

Today we had our Puja. A Lama (priest) came to our camp and Sherpas and clients were receiving blessings. As anyone who knows me understands that I’m not that much into religion, this was actually a very nice ceremony! (And with this mountain, I should consider...
Day 3 at Basecamp

Day 3 at Basecamp

Getting used to living here. Some extremes: Thursday night: -13°C in the tent Friday: +34°C in the tent (sun shining) Friday night: snowing (I’m now using the „big -40° sleeping bag“)   Difficulties: with the -20° sleeping bag sometimes too cold with the -40°...
New Tingri – Shelkar (4330m)

New Tingri – Shelkar (4330m)

Yesterday we drove from Xigatse to New Tingri. Again quite a long drive. In the morning we first tried to get more SIM cards for the other group members, and as Daniel and I were successful at last with SIM cards from both, China Telecom (which needs China devices,...
Xigatse (3840m)

Xigatse (3840m)

Traveling to Xigatse today… VERY slow… 8 hours for 250km… driver only going 40km/h – apparently as there is a speed limit enforced by section control. hard to believe as EVERYONE was passing us…. continuing our...
Lhasa Day 2

Lhasa Day 2

Sightseeing tour – main attraction of course:  Potala Palace (where the Dalai Lama used to live). Really impressive – just look at the pics (but as always hard to capture). Just try to imagine what an impression this made on Heinrich Harrer and Peter...
Arrived in Lhasa / Tibet (3650m)

Arrived in Lhasa / Tibet (3650m)

Today we finally arrived in Lhasa. Only approximately 19 hours later than scheduled – new record for me in regards to flight delays, hope this one stands forever. On the maps below you can see the distance between Lhasa and Chengdu in relation to Kathmandu! We...
The long mile …. to Lhasa

The long mile …. to Lhasa

  We started today, 7:30am local time (Kathmandu) for Lhasa (Tibet).   Flight to Lhasa is 1:30min – so you would expect this is done in no-time!!!!?   Well, it is now 01:00am (local time) —- in Chengdu (Sergenti Hotel) which is further away...
Sightseeing Kathmandu

Sightseeing Kathmandu

Visiting several sites including: Swayambhu (स्वयम्भू) aka Monkey Temple Boudha Stupa Garden of Dreams Kathmandu Durbar Square Budhanilkantha Temple nice day – but enough temples now...

Arrived in Kathmandu

25 degree C and the sun is shining !!!! I’m really feeling great about this group. Such experienced people around me –   makes me feel save. Also Andy Holzer is really inspirational: https://andyholzer.com/de/ https://andyholzer.com/everest2017/ Lukas...
Training: current status

Training: current status

  Training a lot on „Summit Trainer“: https://www.lifefitness.com/facility/products/integrity-series/summit-trainer Once had the opportunity to train on a stepmill (https://www.amazon.com/StairMaster-Stepmill-7000-PT/dp/B000NZKXNG) – really good! (500...
Training: Ski & Hiking

Training: Ski & Hiking

24.12.: 3 hours skiing 25.12.: 3 hours hiking (Heuberg, 1154 altitude difference – in deep snow, see pics) 26.12.: 3 hours skiing 27.12.: 3.5 hours hiking (Heuberg, 207 min. total, 1:35 for 1086m alt.difference – 684m/hour!!!)...
Training: Wildspitze

Training: Wildspitze

Day 1: technical training with Alex Bluemel (http://www.bergbluemel.at/Uber_mich.html) (fixed rope, crampons, ice screws, rock-tunnel, etc…)   Day 2: Wildspitze (3768m) via east-ridge (Jubilaeumsgrat). What a fantastic day! Really enjoyed it – Thanks...
A new adventure…

A new adventure…

It’s been some time since the World-Tour in 2012/2013 so it’s time for something new. So I signed up for Everest in 2017 (April/May). Why not? I signed up with Lukas Furtenbach for the north route from Tibet/China:...
Honduras, Roatan Island

Honduras, Roatan Island

A relaxed place. Even though it is supposed to be the high season, there are not too many tourists here. I have a better feeling about this place here than Ambergris cay on Belize. Diving is ok, but not mind blowing for me. Great corals but there were not too many...
Nicaragua, Managua, Superbowl

Nicaragua, Managua, Superbowl

Thanks to Brian we were able to see the Superbowl in a school (NCA, a private American school, quite expensive one). Even though I like to see and interact with local people, Superbowl is about atmosphere and whats better than watching this with a bunch of Americans 🙂...
Nicaragua – Ocotal – MMA Fight event

Nicaragua – Ocotal – MMA Fight event

Brian invited me to join an MMA (mixed martial arts) event in Ocotal. We hired a van (15 persons) in Managua and took many of the fighters up to Ocotal. Also in our van: special guest two time world champion boxer (IBF Super Flyweight Champion and IBF Bantamweight...
Granada / Nicaragua – first impression

Granada / Nicaragua – first impression

The first impression was really good. The climate is just so much better as Austria/Germany at the moment 🙂 However, I soon discovered that many of the restaurants in the centre where made for tourism (especially for US). By far not as bad as in the Bahamas, and just...
Powerboat Tour – Bahamas

Powerboat Tour – Bahamas

http://www.powerboatadventures.com By powerboat to Exuma Islands. Quite remote and untouched. Agenda: feed some iguanas on a nice beach food and beers at 11am feed stingrays more food more beers Guide feeds sharks (contrary to yesterday with diving I DO NOT APPROVE...
Shark feeding / diving – Bahamas

Shark feeding / diving – Bahamas

just WOW…. just watch the video. and NO – sharks are not the dangerous beasts everyone think they are, even though there are a few incidents with snorkelers and surfers who just seem like perfect food. And then it’s only very few of the many...
Hello Caribbean!

Hello Caribbean!

What a difference… I had to add two pics from leaving Munich… The flight was a bit long and US imigration took very long as usual (I had 2:10hours for my layover in Philadelphia – but had to run really fast to get my connecting flight! but I made it). The...
Last day in Dubai

Last day in Dubai

What a fantastic week. Really feeling sad to leave Dubai as it blew all my expectations. Especially thanks to Youssef which showed us things other tourist are not able to see. It was a fully packed week with lots of attractions and activities, but also with some...

The last evening :(

After my diving today meeting up with the boys again for one last evening in Dubai. Of course we had a shisha, then a huge portion of meat and then a shisha again 🙂 That’s the way to end such a week. The place we went to is really beautiful (a market with loads of...
Diving in Oman (Musandam)

Diving in Oman (Musandam)

Ok, getting up at 5:45am after the Stones Gig yesterday in Abu Dhabi was a bit difficult (back at the hotel at 2am) – but it was worth it. My driver picked me up at 6:30 and we drove to Dibba (Oman). I have never seen such a slow driver – ok, there was a...
The Rolling Stones (14 on Fire Tour / Abu Dhabi)

The Rolling Stones (14 on Fire Tour / Abu Dhabi)

“Start me up” – was the first song. No need for a support band if you have such a song to start the gigg. Wow, these men are old! But they don’t behave like that! On the one side it felt a bit weird to see such old men behave like 20 year olds – but on the...
The Beach and a nice meal

The Beach and a nice meal

A relaxing afternoon at the beach. We had the beach, beer, the ocean, a shisha… The water was a bit cold though… Youssef  showed us a small little restaurant which is famous for seafood. Youssef knows the owner and this is a real hidden treasure! One of the best meals...
Burj Khalifa – At the Top

Burj Khalifa – At the Top

We started the morning with a trip to the observatory at the Burh Khalifa. I have done this a couple of times now (Petronas Towers, Auckland, Sydney, Shanghai) and I was a bit disappointed that the observatory is “only” at like 452m (the building is >800m in...
A day in Dubai

A day in Dubai

A relaxing day without too much on the agenda. Started with visiting the Dubai mall for some shopping (well for me: eating). We chose to go not for a “healthy, fat reduced burger chain” but instead went to “FAT BURGER”. The name is well chosen. Even though we didn’t...
Desert Safari

Desert Safari

Youssef organized a Desert Safari for us. It started with dune bashing – driving ONTO the sand dunes with a 4×4 and not too slow! Really great – but next time I want a private charter. We had a 5-year old in the car and the driver had to slow down....
Emirates Golf Course

Emirates Golf Course

Martin and I played a nice round of golf at the Emirates Golf Club. Really nice course and the skyscrapers in the background gave the course (layed out by Nick Faldo) a realyl nice touch. We both played a horrible round, but we had fun 🙂 The beer was...
Burj Al Arab

Burj Al Arab

Luckily Youssef is working in tourism and very well connected in Dubai. We were able to get into the Burj al Arab and had our own private tour (normally it is only possible with a tour or a booking for afternoon tea – none of which is even close to what we were...
Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi

We drove to Abu Dhabi as Youseff mentioned Friday (when we are there for the Stones gig) is not a good day to visit. We visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and the Emirates PalaceNice buildings! I’m not so into Mosques, and anyone who is following my blog know that...
Dubai Marina, Mall of Emirates

Dubai Marina, Mall of Emirates

Nice walk through the Dubai Marina (a place we were staying nearly every night for the next week – best area in dubai!) and “The Walk”.Went to the Mall of Emirates to get a local SIM card and visit the indoor Ski Arena – CRAZY!!! (I didn’t ski) The first...

Back home…

After one week it was time to go back home. It was a nice time and a many things went on  with no pictures or stories to tell 🙂 I enjoyed the time here as it showed me a different side of China compared to my visit last Year in Beijing and Hohot. Now I’d say it’s time...
Flight to Shanghai

Flight to Shanghai

It started off very well. I got upgraded to First Class on my flight to Shanghai and this was a very nice experience. Loads of Wine, caviar, fantastic food – and a bed. I slept really well! The captain was very cool as well – as was the whole crew. We then...
Russia: Moscow – END OF MY JOURNEY

Russia: Moscow – END OF MY JOURNEY

Well, this is the end of my one year journey around the world. I can’t possibly explain what an experience this was. Meeting the people, cultures, sights, beers, food, attractions, activities, mountains, dive spots, golf courses etc for which someone might need...
Russia: Suzdal

Russia: Suzdal

Quiet little town with even more churches 🙂 – was nice and relaxing – especially as I decided not to stay in the hostel from the tour but in a nice hotel with banya (russian sauna) attached. Really relaxing!!!...
Russia: Kazan

Russia: Kazan

Well, these are the last entries on my blog – and as the year is almost over and I’m about to go back to munich the last entries are a bit shorter 🙂 About Kazan: Nice little town, lot of churches, nice kremlin – FANTASTIC food. Might be a good idea...
Russia: Siberia: Lake Baikal

Russia: Siberia: Lake Baikal

Now we are in Irkutsk or more precise in Listvyanka at lake baikal. Much more interesting than Ulan Ude. What a lake! Lake Baikal is the most voluminous freshwater lake in the world, containing roughly 20% of the world’s unfrozen surface fresh water....
Russia: Siberia: Ulan Ude

Russia: Siberia: Ulan Ude

After another long wait at the border – we are now in Mother Russia!Not much to add to Ulan Ude. Not that much to see apart from a huge Lenin head – again failed to find a shisha...
Mongolia: Riding a camel

Mongolia: Riding a camel

was really nice! And it didn’t seem that there are too many tourists coming through and the camels are being used “normally” as well – and well taken care...
Mongolia: countryside and gers

Mongolia: countryside and gers

Now 3 days/2 nights of to the country side. Sleeping in ger camps – traditional Mongolian tents which are still being used my the nomads today (still a lot of people, I think our honcho said 40%, live a nomadic live). Long drives to get there (for example it...
Mongolia: UB “local” Performance

Mongolia: UB “local” Performance

On the first evening in UB we also went to a show/performance with music (traditional Mongolian throat singing) dance and  Contortionist (“Schlangenmensch”). Was really VERY interesting. With some of their music they could have a show on a heavy metal...
Mongolia: Ulaan Baatar (UB)

Mongolia: Ulaan Baatar (UB)

After a long train ride and hours of waiting at the border (8 hours?) we arrived in Mongolia/Ulaan Baatar.We walked around the city a bit – I was on the (unsuccessful) adventure to find a shisha – and we saw the big statue of Chinghis khaan.Even though we...
China: Hohhot

China: Hohhot

On our way to Mongolia we had one day in Hohhot – Inner Mongolia (still china!). Not much to see in the town (a few pictures show mosques and more temples and a park… etc.) – nothing special – so we (the vodkatrain tour) went outside for the...
China: Beijing Sights

China: Beijing Sights

Sightseeing in Beihing – the usual suspects: – Tian’anmen square- Forbidden City- Jingshan park- Yu’er Hutongs Especially Forbidden City: just too many people for my taste…. and another Beijing Duck at Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant (apparently...
China: The Great Wall

China: The Great Wall

That has been the most impressive sight since a long time. Really impressive. And we went to the good part of the wall which is not crowded like the Octoberfest! (I have seen some pictures with so many chinese people on the wall that I thought it actually might...
China: Beijing Dining

China: Beijing Dining

Right after arriving I had a nice dinner with Joerg and a friend of him. Really cool and good again. Then we went for some drinks and I couldn’t resist to have a “Franziskaner Weißbier” in Beijing (only one, the other beers where local again). The...
South Korea: Busan

South Korea: Busan

Miyeon showing me Korea. Thanks so much. The food was so good – I will never forget that Korean BBQ – delicious and a lot of food! Then a good night out with beers and soju and after a “hangover soup” the next day (yes, that’s apparently...
South Korea: Seoul Day 1

South Korea: Seoul Day 1

After just having a beer and a Shisha the day I arrived (still hangover from Tokyo) today I went sightseeing in a quite efficient way: -Namchang Market- N Seoul Tower- Gyeongbokgung     Palace- Bukchon Umgebung- really nice food/lunch- Cheonggyechon river- Itaewon...
Japan: Tokyo: Sumo Training

Japan: Tokyo: Sumo Training

I never imagined that Sumo ringers train that hard. Absolutely stunning. Check the Video!This one guy was going so far beyond his limit – I really thought he will die just now! I have much more respect of that sport now – was a very good lesson! And so...
Japan: Tokyo

Japan: Tokyo

The trip from Gotemba to tokyo took a bit longer than planed (4 hours instead of 2 hours by bus) – as there was so much traffic (end of Obon). But once in Tokyo I had to rethink my “not much English here” experience. The hotel staff spoke very good...
Japan: Mount Fuji (3776m)

Japan: Mount Fuji (3776m)

Japans highest Mountain. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Fuji What a nice hike. The view was nearly a bit like Chimborazo as there is no other mountain near with similar hight (nr. 35 of mountains sorted by prominence...
Japan: Nara

Japan: Nara

Based on recommendations from Miyeon I went to Nara to see some deer. Wow, there was a lot of deer! I really thought about “Hirschbraten” in one of my favorite Munich restaurants (Osterwaldgarten). Nice scene: It is amazing where this deer is laying...
Japan: Kyoto

Japan: Kyoto

Temples, Temples, Temples … was nice again – but seen enough temples now :)Has been a nice day (very hot again) – and the traditional clothes were interesting to see. But soooo many people … Apparently it was “Obon” where EVERYONE – has...
Japan: Osaka

Japan: Osaka

What a first impression: no queue at the immigration desk (Hello UK/US!!!!) and a beer vending machine while waiting for the speed train. Everything clean, modern – as expected. Had quite a nice hotel – even though the staff was not too friendly and only 1...
Manila

Manila

Hmmm… What’s there to see in Manila? Couldn’t find anything… ;)just another big city…(but I needed some time to “really” do nothing...
Dive Safari Southern Leyte

Dive Safari Southern Leyte

WOW. this was a nice trip. Again – see the Video “Diving in the Philippines” in the video section. Such a lovely group and really well organized by JC and Sito! Thanks so much to everyone. Don’t know what else to add to this what you cannot see...
Philippines – Cebu

Philippines – Cebu

While in Boracay I was thinking what other islands I should visit. Unfortunately I already decided that there isn’t enough time for “Palau” and “Chuuck” (diving) so I was deciding in between Palawan and Cebu… I chose Cebu for diving....
Philippines – Boracay

Philippines – Boracay

After a very exhausting travel from HCMC/Saigon to here (21 hours – 36hours awake – due to bad planing on my side) I arrived in Boracay. What a lovely beach – and very great nightlife – and good (not fantastic) diving. Shishas at nearly every...
Good Bye Saigon

Good Bye Saigon

Last day in HCMC/Saigon. Started of with sleeping in (didn’t sleep well the last 3 nights in Phu Quoc and Can Tho because of Waves/boat-noise) 🙂 – Then a Shisha, then to the Saigon Skydeck on the 49th floor of the Bitexco Financial Tower and then to 4...
Phu Quoc Island

Phu Quoc Island

Nice little Island – apparently one of the best places in Vietnam for relaxing and beaches. It’s supposed to be Phuket but 10 years earlier. Well, the first thing: visit during the dry season – not the wet season like I did :)The island was quiet...
Mekong Delta – Can Tho

Mekong Delta – Can Tho

5.00am start!!!! How stupid am I? This is supposed to be vacation! But the reason was to see the sunrise on the Mekong and also the floating market which is much bigger than yesterday. We didn’t see a sunrise (or the sun for that matter 🙂 ) – but...
Mekong Delta – Cai Be

Mekong Delta – Cai Be

First day of a 2 day Mekong Delta Tour with my private tour guide Jason. 7:30 start and then a nice drive with a lot of information to Cai Be. There we spent a lot of time on a boat on the Mekong delta. Visiting the “floating market” (like a marketplace on...
Saigon by night

Saigon by night

… views from Henry’s flat … nice … Henry showed me many places. Really cool. Great nightlife with many bars with live-music (the first one we went to featured a kind of Vietnamese Heavy Metal band – how cool is that!). In that weekend we managed to visit ...
Cu Chi Tunnels

Cu Chi Tunnels

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cu_Chi_tunnels Felt like in all those movies 🙂 – Amazing how small they are! (the ones you/a westerner can go through have been enlarged). All these “simple” but effective traps from the Vietcong – nearly felt...
Saigon / HCMC by scooter

Saigon / HCMC by scooter

Henry was so kind to let me have his scooter for the day (and following days) – Thanks so much :)How much fun it is to drive through Saigon with a scooter – unbelievable. Initially it looks crazy – but Saigon traffic has its own rules. I really...
Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh City / Saigon

Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh City / Saigon

First impressions of HCMC. Staying with Henry (friend of Jan) – Thanks! The War Remnants Museum was quite shocking. Interesting to see the “other” side compared to the american “version”. It’s really sad what happened – and...
Cambodia – Silk Farm (@Siem Reap)

Cambodia – Silk Farm (@Siem Reap)

Due to taking a plane instead of the bus I had one extra day in Siem Reap. As I had enough of temples I decided to visit a silk farm. The showed the whole process from the little worm to the big worm to the cocoon to the silk and weaving. Very amazing – that you...
Cambodia – Angkor Wat

Cambodia – Angkor Wat

Got to Siem Reap by bus (6 hours) and it was a nice drive. Nevertheless, after being on the bus for 2 hours I decided to change my original plan which was to use the bus again to get to Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon (Vietnam – 13 hours!) – and booked a flight...
Cambodia – Phnom Penh

Cambodia – Phnom Penh

Interesting country/city with different architecture. I liked the houses like the palace and so. Did some sightseeing with Temples, Royal Palace, Wat Phnom, Prison S-21, Killing Fields an more. There are two main things I take from my visit:1- By visiting the prison...
Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur

Spent 4 days – really interesting and I had a great time.The Petrona Twin Towers were amazing. The tour to the skybridge and then to the top. Impressive building.I also went to the Batu Caves in the north – quite interesting and many monkeys :)Then to the...
Singapore

Singapore

Just 2 days Singapore – but that’s also sufficient. It’s a city in the end :)The first evening started with a really good food. My hotel was in the center of Chinatown and I had some really spicy but delicious Korean food (spicy chicken). Next day I...

Bali – Summary

I have stayed on Bali for 29 days now (extended my original 23 day stay after the 2nd day). I loved it. It was so different from Australia and New Zealand. AUS and NZ were fantastic for sightseeing and doing stuff – but I wouldn’t go there for relaxing. In...
Bali – Daytrip

Bali – Daytrip

Today Jeremy (the other divemaster candidate) and I hired a car + driver and covered A LOT of attractions of the Island: We first stopped at the water temple of Taman Ayun – where we where still discussing whether it is a UNESCO world heritage site or just the...
Bali – Uluwati

Bali – Uluwati

Drove to the Russian Consul on Bali today to get my Visa. Quite expensive – 120USD! (instead of 50USD if I would have gone to the embassy in Jakarta). But hey, I’m happy I was able to get the Visa while traveling.Rented a motorbike in order to get there...

… gone diving …

On Bali now until the 5th of July for -EFR Course – Rescue Course – Divemaster Course relaxing – no tours – no pictures …   next update to expect in July 🙂   UPDATE: See Video! https://bronxi.de/?page_id=2889...
Jumping Crocodiles

Jumping Crocodiles

On the way back from Kakadu to Darwin (to catch my flight to Bali that same day) I stopped by to see some crocs (“salties”) jumping. Very cool 🙂 (I wouldn’t want to swim here 🙂 ) You can also see the really nice place I was staying in Kakadu as well...
Kakadu National Park Day 2

Kakadu National Park Day 2

On day 2 I went to different sites and also went to one of the “free ranger activities” where they explained even more about the land and the people. Again very interesting – which is a bit uncommon for me to enjoy but the ranger was fun and...
Kakadu National Park Day 1

Kakadu National Park Day 1

Instead of going with a tour I just hired a 4WD and did a 2.5 days tour on my own – and I don’t regret it 🙂 First day was a lot of driving (well, actually every day 🙂 ) – and I saw a couple of the (intended/planed) fires which are common during this...
Broome

Broome

Not much to tell about – not a “must see attraction in Australia” 🙂 (stayed there just one night to wait for the plane back to Darwin). The only noticeable thing: So far the UGLIEST lighthouse I have ever seen :)Ah, and: The Matso’s brewery....
Fitzroy Crossing and Geikie Gorge

Fitzroy Crossing and Geikie Gorge

Fitzroy Crossing and Geikie Gorge I just find it amazing that this “little creek” can be such a big river if the rain comes. You can see based on the color of the stones in the river. There were signs in the “visitor center” that shows the...
Bungle Bungles

Bungle Bungles

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purnululu_National_Park (Purnululu National Park National Park) Just… WOW… Really interesting mountain range. First the sunset with champaign and Didgeridoo (even I played and apparently not that bad for the first time!). Next day a bit of...
The Kimberley’s

The Kimberley’s

6 days of camping with a nice group of Aussies (+1 French). I admit I was a bit worried in the beginning as I saw the average age of about … hmmm … 60? (including myself in the math!) … (max age about  72)  – but it turned out to be a really great time. There...
Katherine’s Gorge

Katherine’s Gorge

nice little boat ride … enjoy the pics… At that point I realized that the average age on that train is probably >60 🙂 … Met Karen though – which was a really nice company until late evening in Darwin :)Thanks...
The GHAN Train

The GHAN Train

short: expensive and at least for the “Alice Springs => Darwin” part not really worth it. Problem is that you mainly travel at night (departure 18:00) – and don’t really see a lot… At 8am you arrive in Kathrine (where I did the “Gorge...
Larapinta Trail (50KM!!!) @West Macdonnel Ranges

Larapinta Trail (50KM!!!) @West Macdonnel Ranges

I did the Heavitreetrek sections: http://www.larapintatrail.com.au/overnightwalks.html You can find KML data there – my GPS recording app crashed again after 30km – unfortunately that KML above isn’t quite accurate as well). It’s supposed to be...
Kings Canyon

Kings Canyon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kings_Canyon_%28Northern_Territory%29 6:00am hotel pick-up… but worth it! just enjoy the pics – can you spot the rabbit? Unfortunately again one of these things that can’t really be captured on a photograph. Impossible to...
The Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_ocean_road It started of with really bad weather – but I’m happy we still went for it. Hired a car, started our drive – it was quite dark… we went to an Info center in Torquay and the guy told us more rain is...
AFL Game (footy) @MCG in Melbourne

AFL Game (footy) @MCG in Melbourne

After a really cool night out the day before where Elena and I met some nice locals I gladly accepted the invitation from Tom to go to the MCG stadium for a game of AFL (Richmond vs. Melbourne).The stadium is really amazing – unfortunately not quite full 🙂 (I...
Bondi Beach

Bondi Beach

Took the ferry to Watson bay and then Bondi Beach. Really nice beach – but I have seen many in the last months :)Then a short walk to Bronte...
More Sydney

More Sydney

Another stroll through Sydney and a close-up of the Opera-House. Then Lunch at the 360 Restaurant at the Sydney Tower. Nice Views, right?...
Sydney!

Sydney!

Sydney… hmm. what’s there to add? Did the “Free Walking tour” – which I really like (did this couple of times now) – a good way to see the sights of a city…...
Gold Coast and Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

Gold Coast and Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

Kangaroos: checkKoalas: checkmany other Aussi animals: check Again, the weather could have been better. But I didn’t expect to come that close to kangaroos. That was really nice. And the Koalas? really cool.Much better than a zoo (we were thinking of going to...
Town of 1770 and Agnes Water

Town of 1770 and Agnes Water

For today I organized a diving trip for Elena so she could do her first Scuba diving experience and on top of that do her first dive in the Great Barrier Reef. Wasn’t easy to organize due to time constraints and distances we want to cover – but I found a...
Frasier Island

Frasier Island

For the next 16 days I’m traveling with Elena – who I know from Buenos Aires (but she is American – was just in B.A. for a couple of months…) Today: Frasier Island with a 4×4 – that was fun (expensive fun – but wouldn’t miss...
Hamilton Island Golf Course

Hamilton Island Golf Course

Played golf on Hamilton Island Golf Club (which actually is not on Hamilton Island but on Dent Island 🙂 ). On the way there I met Bill and we decided to go on the course together. http://www.hamiltonislandgolfclub.com.au/ Yes it was a bit more expensive as the other...
40km – Hiking near Airlie Beach (Conway National Park)

40km – Hiking near Airlie Beach (Conway National Park)

http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/great-walks-whitsunday/ Ok, so Aussies are as slow as Kiwi’s with hiking 🙂 — suggesting 3 days for a (flat) 30km walk… what are they going to do if they visit the Alps???? So I made it a bit more challenging and extended...
Whitsunday Islands

Whitsunday Islands

Full day out on the boat. First to Whitehaven Beach – the No. 1 “must-do” around here. Definitely one of the best beaches I’ve seen so far. The sand was really amazing – so white and so fine… Never seen anything like that before. You...
Townsville and ReefHQ

Townsville and ReefHQ

walking through Townsville. Nice beach area. As everywhere around here there is no one in the water to due the risk of stings. There are some areas with a net where you can go into the water… Luckily I’m not a “Beach guy” (except when playing golf...
Magnetic Island

Magnetic Island

Magnetic Island by Bike. Many really nice beaches on a hot day. 44km… Can’t remember all the beaches/bays 🙂...
Townsville Golf Club

Townsville Golf Club

Played golf again… Monday Madness… Play as much as you want for 15AUS – and get one beer for free!!!! (a beer normally is like 7AUS). Played 28 holes (couldn’t find tee off 19 – so I played 1 and 2 to get to tee off 20)… and a few...
Port Douglas – Daintree – Golf

Port Douglas – Daintree – Golf

Drove from Cairns to Port Douglas to meet up with Gary (from the diving). We went to the Daintree forest but then decided instead of going further into the forest we rather turn around and play golf on one of the top rated golf courses in Australia: Pullman Port...
Black Sabbath !!! YEAH!

Black Sabbath !!! YEAH!

As I stayed in Cairns and Brisbane is just a 2 hour flight away I went to the Black Sabbath concert! Really cool!!! Ozzy last year was great – but with Black Sabbath it’s just even better… What is there to add…. well one thing: they used D-LINK...
Diving the Great Barrier Reef

Diving the Great Barrier Reef

3 Days diving on the Great Barrier Reef. Can’t keep up with Galapagos – but the corals were really great! 9 dives in 3 days – with Dive No. 57 now. Second best dive experience so far 🙂 The low altitude flight (sometimes only 600m low) was really...
Golf (Queenstown)

Golf (Queenstown)

Similar to 3 days ago, I wanted to do nothing. Again it didn’t work out 🙂 – the weather was just too good. I thought I might have trouble walking after the hike/run yesterday but as it wasn’t so bad I went for another round of golf for 15NZD :)23...
Routeburn Track (Queenstown)

Routeburn Track (Queenstown)

Finally a challenging walk/hike/run in NZ 🙂 Did the “Routeburn Track” today. http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/fiordland/northern-fiordland/routeburn-track/track-description/ Well, I thought 3 days is a too much for the 32km. So...
Lake Kirkpatrick (Queenstown)

Lake Kirkpatrick (Queenstown)

Rented the car today in order to do the Routeburn Track tomorrow. Just drove around without any plan – and found a beautiful lake… Really EVERYWHERE it’s beautiful ! 🙂 I like this country…...
Ben Lomond (Queenstown)

Ben Lomond (Queenstown)

Today I wanted to relax and do NOTHING (except maybe blog update). But when I finally got up at 11am I opened the window and the weather was sooooo nice – I had to go out and climb a mountain 🙂 I was a bit in a hurry, as I only started at 1pm and the hike to the...

Christchurch

just a night here – haven’t seen that much. Wanted to see what the Earthquake did to the city, but wasn’t really able to (arrived late yesterday evening, and taking the bus at 9am today to Queenstown). One interesting story though – showing how...
Swimming with Dolphins (Kaikoura)

Swimming with Dolphins (Kaikoura)

WOW. This day definitely appears in the top-10 of this world tour. I was expecting a couple of dolphins and thought the guide is taking the piss when she mentioned “approx. 400 dolphins” … well…. she wasn’t.They were so close. They were jumping all...
Golden Bay, Farewell Split, Wharariki Beach

Golden Bay, Farewell Split, Wharariki Beach

Just some more scenery – a small hike to a really nice beach at Wharariki… Again the driving was just so cool. Probably the day with the most km. as I continued to Hanmer Springs. Total km today: 468km (Yes, I did take a picture of a dead sheep 🙂 ) Did I mention...
Kayak (Abel Tasman National Park)

Kayak (Abel Tasman National Park)

So today Kayak. We started at 8:30 and boarded a boat which was being transported by a tractor to the sea! The reason is the big difference in the tide. Haven’t seen that before. Where we were with the horses on the beach yesterday you now can see like 5 meters...
Horseback Riding (Abel Tasman National Park)

Horseback Riding (Abel Tasman National Park)

So now for some horseback riding on the beach. This time it was finally more what I wanted – it was more like 2 hours “lessons” on horseback riding compared to other tourist attractions where you just sit on the horse for two hours.The guide...
Microlight flight (Abel Tasman National Park)

Microlight flight (Abel Tasman National Park)

So the beach was nice – but the Microlight flight was … WOOOOOW… http://www.skyadventures.co.nz/ This “thing” has power! While Skydiving in Florida that plane was airborne quite quickly – but this ultra light “hanglider with engine”...
Abel Tasman National Park

Abel Tasman National Park

I did finally sleep a bit longer after quite a long drive yesterday and got into the I-Sight center to ask what I could do (like a “Fremdenverkehrsbüro” in Austria). The guy was really helpful – took I think an hour or 1.5! but then we had a plan…...
Queen Charlotte Sounds track

Queen Charlotte Sounds track

http://www.qctrack.co.nz/ Getting up early and doing a day trip for the Queen charlotte sounds track. The boat left at 8am for Torea Bay – then it’s a 24.5km walk to “Camp Bay” which should be 8 hours (you can see a picture with a sign that...
Wellington and Ferry to Picton

Wellington and Ferry to Picton

Well, the Wellington visit had to be cut short. I planned to stay there for 3 days, but after having such a great time with Trev I just stayed here for one night before catching the ferry to the south island (Picton) – even though I extended my camper-van rental...

Golf (Waipawa)

As Trev, his sister, his parents …. ALL OF THEM .. are playing golf we went for a nice 12 holes golf course in Waipawa. After that we went bar-hopping in Napier – too many beers… WOW… I think we managed 7 bars – I had like 13 beers before we started with...
Napier, Te Mata Peak, Cape Kidnappers Golf Club

Napier, Te Mata Peak, Cape Kidnappers Golf Club

While Trev had to fly to a business meeting to Auckland his sister, her two daughters and I went on a tour around Napier. First we went up to Te Mata Peak – really nice views. Then just had a look at one of the best rated golf courses in the world: “Cape...
Tui Brewery (Mangatainoka)

Tui Brewery (Mangatainoka)

After driving down to Palmerston North to meet Trev and his sister we stopped by at the Tui Brewery on our way back up to CHECK (where their parents live). First of all I really can’t describe the hospitality I experienced. Even though we just met on the plane...
Golf (Taupo)

Golf (Taupo)

Today I was scheduled to drive down to Palmerston north to visit Trev (see earlier posts). But after reading that 9 hole green fee is only 15NZD (about 9.50EUR) I just had to get up early to play golf first (8.00am tee-off). Rentals 10NZD… WOW… Everything in NZ is...
Hole-in-one Challenge (Taupo)

Hole-in-one Challenge (Taupo)

10.000NZD in cash for a hole in one! I tried 50 balls. It is really hard, even though it’s “just” 102 meters. But really funny! (lots of spectators supporting you!). At least I was able to hit that small Island twice (which gets you one free...
Tongariro Crossing

Tongariro Crossing

http://www.tongarirocrossing.org.nz/ First hiking in NZ. Probably the most common hike on the north island. Also famous for Mt. Ngauruhoe = Mount DOOM!!! (LOTR)They claim it is 8 hours for the crossing (crossing was closed so you had to walk back the same way –...
Waitomo Glowworm Caves

Waitomo Glowworm Caves

http://www.waitomo.com/waitomo-glowworm-caves.aspx There are several options you can do with the caves. You can do “standard” tours to go through the caves and look out for the glow-worms. Or you can go with the Black-water rafting company and have a more...
Redwoods (Rotorua)

Redwoods (Rotorua)

Ok, Yesterday I decided to leave Rotorua earlier as the forecast showed more rain, so I booked the Waitomo Caves (next blog entry) for 2pm. With a 2 hour drive I still had time to do some walking in the Redwoods. Originally I wanted to get up early and to the 3.5 hour...
Te Puia (Rotorua)

Te Puia (Rotorua)

http://www.tepuia.com/ Very impressive Geysers! Bubbling mud-pools and similar stuff. Didn’t do the Maori stuff as I did this yesterday already (and from what I’ve seen the Tamaki is better!) Pohutu GeyserThe most famous geyser, of the 65 geysers found in...
Rafting (Rotorua)

Rafting (Rotorua)

I was signed up to do some Kayaking (tandem) on a class V river. I was a not very happy in the morning as it was raining and quite cold. However when I arrived the sun came out and it was quite warm! Unfortunately the guide didn’t want to go ahead as apparently...
Tamaki Maori Village (Rotorua)

Tamaki Maori Village (Rotorua)

Again Culture! Some similarities to the Luau. Got to know the history and the customs of the Maori culture (indigenous people of NZ). Not many good pictures as it was quite dark and a lot of movement involved :)Nice dinner at the end with similar cooking then the Luau...
Hobbiton

Hobbiton

Today Hobbiton – the original movie set of LOTR and “The Hobbit”. I did like the additional info the tour gave. For example that the actors actually drank BEER while filming! (only 1% alc. but still!) – apparently in order to have authentic...
Campervan

Campervan

Today I picked up the camper-van and started my journey through NZ. Just the driving was such a great experience (2900km in total at the end!) – I absolutely loved...
Auckland

Auckland

Summary of 3 days in Auckland: Good food. Nice people. After arriving at 5am Monday morning I was able to check-in at the hotel at 7am which was really appreciated. I needed some more sleep (also to get sober 🙂 ). In the afternoon I did the...

On the plane to New Zealand!

Well, actually that day didn’t exist for me due to crossing the international dateline! But the flight to Auckland was really cool (Business Class). A Kiwi sitting next to me (Trev) and I were chatting and drinking nearly the whole (9 hour) flight! Kiwis maybe...
Germain’s Luau

Germain’s Luau

After Pearl Harbor Lissy and I went to Germain’s Luau Culture Culture Culture… Amazing evening – a Birthday I will remember for a long time 🙂 Somehow they found out that it is my birthday – I normally don’t like to get up in front of I...
Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

Visited Pearl Harbor with Lissy. I mean it is a must do in Hawaii, right? Was actually really interesting to get a bit history on my trip. The aviation museum was really interesting (well, I was more reminded of “Battlefield 1942” PC-Game 🙂 ) and the USS...
Golf with Ed @Oahu Country Club

Golf with Ed @Oahu Country Club

On St. Patrick’s Day Ed invited me to play at his club “Oahu Country Club”, so we did on Wednesday. Again what a lovely course! And my game wasn’t that bad at all!Another perfect day…. Thank you so much Ed!!! Ah – I nearly forgott:...
Diving in Hawaii (Wrecks) – and then a Hike

Diving in Hawaii (Wrecks) – and then a Hike

Today I finally went diving in Hawaii. 2 dives and 3 Wrecks, quite effective 🙂 At some point there should be a video about it at the video section.Getting up at 7am… what a vacation…. After the dive I went for a burger to “Ted’s Burger” – just...
Maui => Oahu in private plane

Maui => Oahu in private plane

That’s traveling in style! Mr Frank Baker picked us up at Maui with his plane. So great. We flew by (really close) by the tallest sea cliffs in the world (Kalaupapa, Hawaii)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalaupapa,_Hawaii) The flight was amazing. We got some...
Golf @ King Kamehameha Golf Club

Golf @ King Kamehameha Golf Club

what a nice (again private) golf course! One of the members: Clint Eastwood – so you might get an idea of how exclusive this one was… Giant jacuzzi and sauna (and of course many beers) afterwards. Life is sooooo good to me...
Pools at Ohe’o (seven sacred pools)

Pools at Ohe’o (seven sacred pools)

OK. Martin P. really wanted to do this trip. Pools at Ohe’o or “seven sacred pools”. We got up at 5:30am as it was a long drive. Not much milage – but you couldn’t go fast. Well google said 2:20 minutes (which was exactely what it took...
Maui

Maui

Arrived in Maui today. What a nice flat again!...
Golf @ Waikoloa Golf Course

Golf @ Waikoloa Golf Course

After fishing – playing golf! Nice course. http://www.hiltonwaikoloavillage.com/resort_activities/kings_course.cfm After that a couple of Mai Thais at the...
Fishing

Fishing

Fishing on Big Island. Even though we only caught one fish (actually Martin P. pulled it) it was quite a nice morning (7am to 11am). Martin P. wasn’t really feeling well (event though you might not see this on the pics), but he did a great job getting that Mahi...
Big Island Road Trip

Big Island Road Trip

Big Island!!! Yippi. So different. We took an early 8am flight to Kona. We met with Tim for a breakfast at “Taco del Mar” and then did a fantastic road trip. We drove by Mauna Kea to Hilo. There we saw another nice beach/trail. Then drove to Akaka Falls....
Maunawili Falls Trail & Hanauma Bay

Maunawili Falls Trail & Hanauma Bay

Hiking again 🙂 and then to Hanauma Bay Park for some swimming and snorkeling. Was snorkeling with BIIIIGGGG turtels and they were really close (didn’t have my GoPro with me 🙁...
Hiking again

Hiking again

Hiking with Ted and Ulf. A very hidden track around the ridge near his house. Not just did we have nice views but we were also the only ones as this is a track only locals know of. Thanks Ted :)You can get a nice view of Teds house while we were on the opposite site...