Category Archives: Asia

Asia

Asia, Bhutan

Paro (I) Entering Bhutan: Temples and Landscape

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Getting up early, 3am, for a flight at 5:50 to Bhutan. Where is Bhutan?, you might ask. That’s fair. The immigration officer at Bangkok airport ask me the same thing: “Where is Paro?” (the city stated on my boarding pass) “In Bhutan.” – “Bhutan?…Is that between India and China?” – “Yes, right there, in the Himalayans” – “Oh!”

You should expect that Bangkok immigration officers have to do with Bhutan more often. Druk Air, the Royal Bhutan Airways, doesn’t fly from many places. Bangkok is one of them. But the lady was just curious. Continue reading Paro (I) Entering Bhutan: Temples and Landscape →

Asia, Cambodia

Angkor (III) Carvings and Angkor Wat again

Today (09-OCT) was the day of long motorcycle rides. There are two sites, which are a bit out of the way, but luckily in the same direction. As a matter of fact, when you drive out to Kbal Spean for the underwater carvings you pass by Banteay Srei, a temple known for its unique stone carvings. So the day is all about carvings 😉 Continue reading Angkor (III) Carvings and Angkor Wat again →

Asia, Cambodia

Angkor (I) The Main Sights

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The reason most people (including me) come to Cambodia: Angkor Wat! Or to be more precise, something I learned from my book: Angkor Wat is actually the name for ‘just’ the main temple. Angkor refers to the old capital of the kingdom of Cambodia during most parts of the Angkorian Period (802-1432). A long time. While Angkor Wat is so magnificient that the Cologne Cathedral looks like child play (except for one thing…we’ll come back to that…hm, maybe two ;)), 600 years are sufficient to build a lot more. The city of Angkor, Angkor Thom, was close by and has been built and abandoned twice. Some remains, those built from stone, the material reserved for the gods, can still be seen. The rest was made from wood, and it doesn’t need much imagination to figure out what happened to that. Hence, I put these documents under its own category “Angkor”, as this in fact is a city’s name. Continue reading Angkor (I) The Main Sights →

Asia, Cambodia

Phnom Penh to Siem Reap

Today was mostly about getting from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, which is the place where you stay for visiting the temples of Angkor. My Phnom Penh Tuktuk driver brought me to the bus company and bid me farewell. The bus was highly comfortable with all seats on the top floor and me sitting in the very front, so I could also watch straight ahead through the wind shield. And: I was surprisingly the only foreigner. Only five other locals on the bus. During lunch break a westerner arriving with a different bus company joined my table. Apparently the same service, about the same price, but bus full. Well…this time I probably made the better deal with this more local company.
Continue reading Phnom Penh to Siem Reap →

Asia, Cambodia

Phnom Penh – Culture, Busyness, and Genocide

After one month on the road again, starting off in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. To be honest, it took some self-conviction to leave the ease of life in Frankfurt, where I had not to work for the past month, know where to get everything, don’t need to pack things every other day, can meet family, friends, and colleagues. But Asia, even South-East Asia, is larger than ‘only’ China and Vietnam. And so I boarded a Thai Airways flight to Bangkok, changed there to Phnom Penh, and here I am, back in the backpacker’s life. Continue reading Phnom Penh – Culture, Busyness, and Genocide →

Asia, Europe, Germany

IAA – International Motor Show Cars

IAA…that’s not really about Asia, but I have been to two Motor Shows in Shanghai, so I thought I simply have to take the chance to go to the IAA (“Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung” or International Motor Show Cars) right here in Frankfurt and see what’s the difference. The difference is clear right from the very beginning: In Frankfurt (nearly) all is about ecological locomotion. In Shanghai it was a mere display of car makers’ abilities: “We are here, we sell these cars.” Continue reading IAA – International Motor Show Cars →

Asia

Future Plans: Cambodia, Bhutan, Thailand

Plans are becoming more and more clear: There is the already fixed date of 12-OCT through 23-OCT in Bhutan. Around that I planned a Thailand trip of about 2 weeks with two friends, which now is added after Bhutan. In order not to extend too far into the year I will likely visit Cambodia before going to Bhutan. One of the countries has to be the one on the edge of the raining season…

After Thailand there might be time for a quick look into Malaysia and Singapore. Continue reading Future Plans: Cambodia, Bhutan, Thailand →

Asia, Germany

Frankfurt – Relaxing from all the Travel

I am back in Frankfurt, Germany, at least temporarily. After a last delicious Japanese dinner and a (Swedish ;)) massage I headed for Pudong Airport. Somehow the massage had taken half an hour longer than we had planned. Still, I was at the airport 1,5 hours before departure time. But nonetheless it meant I was the very last person to check in for the flight. Surprised me a bit, but so it was. And it certainly meant that I got the worst seat: In the middle of a row in the far back of the plane. I survived. The advantage was: In Frankfurt my luggage was out quite early. 😉 Continue reading Frankfurt – Relaxing from all the Travel →