Jens
Self-absorbed misanthropic humanist vs. the worldGo where the pepper grows
"In the matter of slavish imitation, man is the monkey's superior all the time. The average man is destitute of independence of opinion. He is not interested in contriving a opinion of his own, by study and reflection, but is only anxious to find out what his neighbor's opinion is and slavishly adopt it."
--- Mark Twain on imitation
Travels 2008/09/10/11/12:
January 2008 - Portugal, Spain, Morocco
February 2008 - Norway, Sweden, Slovenia
March 2008 - Poland, Slovakia
April 2008 - Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania
May 2008 - Latvia, Estonia, Singapore, Australia
June 2008 - Australia
July 2008 - Australia
August 2008 - Fiji, Samoa
September 2008 - New Zealand, Argentina, Chile
October 2008 - Argentina, Chile
November 2008 - Chile, Perú
December 2008 - Perú, Bolivia
January 2009 - Home
February 2009 - Italy, Vatican City, San Marino, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Hercegovina
March 2009 - Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo
April 2009 - Bulgaria, Turkey
May 2009 - Australia
June 2009 - Australia
July 2009 - Australia
August 2009 - Australia
September 2009 - Australia
October 2009 - Malaysia
November 2009 - Malaysia, Thailand
December 2009 - Thailand, Burma, Laos
January 2010 - Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam
June 2010 - Malta
December 2010 - Belgium
January 2011 - Israel, West Bank
April 2011 - Cyprus
May 2011 - Cyprus
June 2011 - Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, France, Monaco, Andorra
December 2011 - Russia
January 2012 - Russia
February 2012 - Qatar
March 2012 - China
Travel Blog Posts
February 29th 2012
I'd already been to the Gulf a handful of times - but only for a few hours each time on a stopover to Australia or Southeast Asia, never leaving the airport. Since I'm a naturally curious guy, I couldn't let that slide. Hence I booked a three-day stopover in Doha before my onwards flight to Shanghai. I really needed to know what these small, rich countries are all about. Qatar has become somewhat of a regional global player, or at least, that's how it sees itself. In 2006, it hosted the Asian Games, in 2011 the Arab Games. Last year the FIFA shocked the world when they announced that Qatar will host the football World Cup in 2022. On the political side, Qatar has become synonymous with the TV-channel Al-Jazeera, "the world's best known - and ... read more
You will be killed and your children will be eaten
Published: February 21st 2012Europe » Russia » Northwest » Moscow
December 31st 2011
I'm very happy to say that on the second try, I finally made it to Russia. My ill-fated first attempt in 2008 was aborted after a desultory stay in Ukraine and a depressing few days in Belarus. Long story short, I think I wasn't quite ready yet. It's easy enough to buy a plane or train or bus ticket and travel to a foreign country, but to be adequately prepared for the experience and the almost inevitable culture shock continues to be a different story altogether. Of course, it also depends on the approach at travelling you take, but let's not go there now. This time everything was to be different. I get off the plane at Moscow's Domodedovo (a word with four o's, none of which are pronounced like /o/) Airport and set foot on ... read more
Oh, Heidelberg! how I loathe thee...
Published: September 23rd 2011Europe » Germany » Baden-Württemberg » Heidelberg
September 6th 2011
What do I want? What will make me happy? Nothing, nothing, nothing Nothing! Hüsker Dü Heidelberg has something to offer for everyone: If you're a Chinese tourist, you don't have to go out of your way to experience the town's gorgeous two sights. Just stay in line, follow the group and listen to the tour guide's elaborate explanations. Try to take at least 700 photos in two hours. Locals are just there for decorative purposes, so stare and point at the ones that are either very tall or very hairy and shove your oversized lens in their faces. When the guide recommends a certain type of chocolate, you better buy lots to give him or her some face. To wrap up the visit, join the group at the town's best Chinese restaurant, where the owner will ... read more
'Worms on the Rhine - It's Worthwhile!'
Published: September 4th 2011Europe » Germany » Rhineland-Palatinate » Worms
August 21st 2011
Worms (pronounced as /voormz/, the -oo- in which being pronounced as in door) is one of those towns in the Southwest of Germany, which, despite having a colourful, troubled history and a rich cultural heritage, suffer from a lack of attention by tourists domestic and foreign. A cynic would probably argue that it only appeals to tour groups comprised of elderly Germans or those showing a keen interest in the ecclesiastical, which might not even be too far from the truth. Indeed, the town feels rather antiquated, almost as if an invisible layer of dust clings on to everything, including the silver-haired locals. Churches abound wherever you look, there are seven in the historical centre alone. There is a half-arsed war memorial at the end of a pretty little park lane lined with flowers and bushes. ... read more
Encounters and explorations on the Karpas Peninsula
Published: June 8th 2011Middle East » Cyprus » Famagusta » Karpass Peninsula
May 11th 2011
Towards the exit of Yenirerenköy, we pick up a hitchhiker, an old, traditional-looking man with moustache and hat. He looks a bit confused first upon seeing who has stopped for him, but when he asks "Dipkarpaz?", and we nod assertively, he gets in anyway. He says he's a "Kurdi", and that he speaks "no English, Türkçe, Türkçe!". Upon hearing I'm from Almanya, he oohs and aahs a bit and says: "Deutschland gut! Arbeit! Arbeit!" which I find kind of ironic, for I have my fair share of troubles with work in my home country. Seeing that we can't keep on saying "tamam, tamam", "evet" and "teşekkür ederim", the conversation sort of stops after that. We offer him some of our roasted chickpeas, but he just takes the open packet, looks at it for a while, says ... read more
May 7th 2011
The 'border guards' on the Greek Cypriot side only ask what our nationality is and wave us through when we tell them. We leave the Republic of Cyprus and thus the European Union. The UN Buffer Zone is lined by some surprisingly well-maintained buildings, including a German-Cypriot Culture Club, and there are tri-lingual signs saying 'No Photography'. The Turkish Cypriot 'border guards' give us a form to fill in and check our passports. We get a stamp serving as our 90-day 'visa' for the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC), a de facto independent state recognized only by Turkey. We enter Lefkoşa, or North Nicosia. After a bit of confusion and disorientation, we manage to navigate to Kyrenia Gate, one of the entrances to the Old City (well, the Northern part of it), where I exchange ... read more
May 5th 2011
When we arrive at the airport, we realize there's no petrol station, so we drive to the small nearby village of Dromolaxia. We have to ask our way to the petrol station, where we tank up and get the car washed, although I'm not sure whether the latter is really necessary. Finally, we return the car, buy the bus tickets to Nicosia, or Lefkosia, as it is locally known, and wait around until the departure. The freshly landed are a who's who of whom I'd rather not be around: there's scores of dull, tacky-looking tourists, including bald blokes wearing English football jerseys and clutching Carlsberg cans, their upper arms tattooed with the standard club crests and their forearms with those squiggly Latin dicta or their kids' and ex-wives' names, popularized by David Beckham and scores of ... read more
Goat droppings, lizard bobbings, and an omnipresent goddess
Published: May 19th 2011Middle East » Cyprus » Paphos » Polis
May 4th 2011
The owner of our hotel in Polis doesn't seem to like me a whole lot. He's friendly with Jaclyn, but when he looks at me, he squints, sending me waves that seem to express: "I know what you're up to. We don't take kindly to people like you around here." He must have me confused with someone else. He offers us a drink, or some sweets? twice and we say no thank you, waiting for him to hand over the key, so we can retreat to our room. We go for a little walk around town and find that it's neat, but not much to speak of, which is good, for we are in search of peace and quiet. When we get to the centre, there are cafés, restaurants and sports pubs lining the tiny pedestrian ... read more
April 30th 2011
We arrive at Larnaca airport at 2am, one of the worst possible times to land somewhere. First thing we do is compare car rental agencies, good that six of them are there and operating at this time of the night. We choose not the cheapest one, but the one with the most competent and trustworthy salesman, who offers us a decent package for six days. Our car is an orange Kia Picanto, and despite my initial scepticism, it turns out to be an alright car for our purposes. Getting used to left-hand driving again takes maybe 10 minutes, during which I have a mild freak-out, further fueled by heavy fatigue. When I have to make the first turn, I get confused and start screaming: "Aaarrrgggh!!! WHERE DO I GO??? WHAT DO I DO???? WHERE AM I?????" ... read more
April 2nd 2011
Speyer is one of those towns that I've already been to numerous times, without ever really taking a closer look at or an interest in it. The reason for this is probably that it's just too close, too quaint, it doesn't really offer anything out of the ordinary to me. It's only one of many smaller towns somewhere along the German Wine Road that we used to pass on the way to a castle or a forest to pick chestnuts on those weekend outings with my parents that I'd grown to dread as puberty set in. We probably stopped there every now and then for ice cream or Schnitzel mit Pommes. Sooner or later, the inevitable family row started, souring the trip for everybody involved. The people in that region speak a dialect that wouldn't be ... read more
Go where the pepper grows
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