http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Mike0802/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Mike0802 en-us Thu, 24 Dec 2009 06:13:44 +0000 Thu, 24 Dec 2009 06:13:44 +0000 Belize was quite a contrast to Guatemala. Within no time you travel from a Latin American country to a very Caribbean style place. With not too much time on my hands I had to pick and choose where to go. After a few days in San Ignacio I headed to the coast to explore the cayes and reefs from a Raggamuffin sailing boat. My camera is not water proof so all the nurse sharks sea turtles and stingray http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Belize/blog-284206.html I had just a week in Guatemala. I based myself in Antigua and did some day trips to the highlands and to Pacaya volcano. After spending 8 hours on chicken buses to get to Lake Atitlan I treated myself to a flight to Flores close to Tikal. After the cool highlands the tropical plains of El Peten felt quite sticky. And then the rains which arrived about a week too early this year caught up with http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/blog-283478.html My bags stayed behind in Helsinki but my good memories came with me. A week out there in Karelia close to the Russian border with over 20 sled dogs and only a few people that's a very special experience. Some tracks were prepared. On other occasions Valentijn our guide had to navigate his experienced dog team through deep snow and creeks. We crossed countless lakes and Patvinsuo National Park http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Finland/blog-254255.html Zum Abschluss meines halben sabbaticals habe ich mir noch zwei Schitourenwochen in Tirol gegnnt. Wie schon vor 2 Jahren war ich wieder mit Hans und der USIGruppe unterwegs. Brennerregion Die erste Woche in der Brennerregion war eher zum eingehen gedacht. Das verregnete Obernberg hat so gar nicht nach Schitouren hergeschaut aber in netter Gesellschaft lsst sich so eine Woche auch bei bes http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Austria/Tyrol/blog-140305.html After acclimatising in Tibet for 8 days on altitudes between 3500m and 5000m we move on to Rongbuk the highest monastery in the world at 5000m. Just next to it is the last guesthouse before Everest base camp.Facilities are very basic here. Only one room is heated. That's where everybody hangs out over tea a plate of fried rice or pot noodles. You can meet serious mountaineers and climbers sh http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Tibet/Everest/blog-131366.html Can you imagine a place so quiet that it screams at you Taking a cruise on the Kerala backwaters is such an experience. The boatsman propels the boat with a long pole and only very few fisherboats use engines. There are palm trees as far as the eye can see. After all Kerala means country of the palm trees.Coconuts are used for a lot of different things you can drink the milk while they are still http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Kerala/Kollam/blog-131352.html Ooty or if you prefer Udhagamandalam used to be a British hill station on 2240m altitude. Now it is a welcome escape from the heat of the lowlands for both foreign and Indian tourists and honeymoon couples.We had a more or less pleasant walk through the hills and tea plantations. Although in the dry season it rained quite heavily in the morning. Some people thought that irreversible climate cha http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Tamil-Nadu/Ooty/blog-131322.html On the sleeper bus to Hampi I have the pleasure to share the rear top bed with another traveller. It's narrow short always keep your knees tucked in and the potholes make you take off from your bed and approaching the low ceiling. Only two metal posts prevent me from falling.... but I should not complain after all I was lucky to get a place on this bus to start with...Hampi used to be the capi http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Karnataka/Hampi/blog-131036.html Goa is a very nice starting and finishing point on an India trip. This former Portuguese colony caters for all types of tourists. I prefer the more basic places with bamboo huts on the beach. These places used to be hippie hangouts but these days just anybody looking for a relaxing time goes there. Prices and crowds get crazy over Christmas and New Year but by mid January I found very peaceful bea http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Goa/blog-130988.html At first sight Mumbai alias Bombay didn't seem as fullon and frentic as expected. But you only get to see a small part when you stay in Colaba the part of town where most travellers stay. Only when I took the local commuter train I started realising what this city is about. I had all my bags with me and got a seat so I thought I was fine. Only when people around me warned me it would be diffic http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Maharashtra/Mumbai/blog-126557.html Cambodia to me was a country of great monuments a tragic recent history and great fun loving people that's the impression I got on my short visit. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/blog-118606.html Natural beauty of Vietnam http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/blog-116625.html Architectural variety in Vietnam http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/blog-116646.html Communist and war legacy in Vietnam http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/blog-116614.html Snake dinner http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Hanoi/blog-116621.html People and faces of Vietnam http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/blog-116603.html In this part of the country travelling by songthaew bus and boat is really slow but it's definitely worth it. I went north from Luang Prabang to Nong Khiaw up the Nam Ou river to Muang Ngoi Neua then on to Vieng Kham and Vieng Xai. From there I crossed the border to Vietnam. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/blog-111866.html Luang Prabang benefits from a beautiful location on a peninsula formed by the Mekong river and the Nam Som. It has more a small town than city feel to it and would be even nicer if fewer tourists where around. But there are still some authentic places to discover. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/West/Luang-Prabang/blog-109825.html I was told that Vang Vieng is a place full of drunk backpackers who only watch Friends episodes in TV bars. Partly true but you can escape from that and the river and surrounding limestone mountains and caves are just stunningly beautiful. You can discover the monkey in you on one of the many swings over the river kayak down the Nam Song and explore villages and caves around town. So all in al http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/West/Vang-Vieng/blog-109814.html Some pictures from the hills of the Kathmandu valley and the royal cities Bakthapur and Patan. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/Bhaktapur/blog-108844.html