They call it the most dangerous road in the world. Yungas Road has earned its reputation by claiming hundreds of victims. Every year. I’m deciding to travel down this road. By bike. There’s no shortage of tour agencies of various quality in South America. This is one tour where you do not want to go cheap; one where the quality of guides and equipment can actually make a difference between life and death. I choose a company named Gravity, seemingly with a good reputation, solid experience, and professional staff. The group meets early in the morning at a coffee shop in [View Full Entry]

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Another sleepless night, but the altitude sickness is wearing off, and I feel surprisingly fresh. With military efficiency we get up, get ready, pack our stuff, and eat breakfast. We want to see the sun rise over the middle of the salt flats, no time to waste. Stuff on top of the car, ourselves inside the car, and race to get as far out as possible before the sun rises. Our German astronomer friend knows his stuff, and down to the minute he predicts how long time we have before the sun is up. Other cars are racing alongside ours. Like [View Full Entry]

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One of the symptoms of altitude sickness is insomnia. With zero minutes of sleep at this altitude of 4,200 meters above sea level I think it’s safe to conclude I suffered a little bit from this condition. Personally, more of an annoyance than an obstacle. I’ve got limited holidays, can sleep when I get back to (at) work. Rise and shine. Luckily my fellow travel mates are equally alert in the morning, and we’re eager to get an early start to beat the traffic - the traffic being the other tourist cars competing for the same sights. Unfortunately our driver isn’t [View Full Entry]

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Early October morning in San Pedro de Atacama. A group of sleepy tourists on the sleepy main street in this sleepy dry desert town, waiting for the - probably - sleepy tour guide. I’m observing the assembly of co-travelers, knowing that I’m about to spend practically every second of the next three days with a number of strangers. Some talkative, some reserved, some more awake than others. The early morning is doing an effective job at disguising the level of anticipation and excitement among us. From my research on which tour operator to choose for this tour I found that it [View Full Entry]

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The conditions are simple: Chile beats Colombia, and they’re qualified for the World Cup soccer. If not, they'll get more chances later on. Chilean people know this. But the Chileans don’t want to wait. It’s Saturday, they want to party. We arrive early at the Irish-styled pub, to get a good seat. A wise decision. We do get a table with a good view of the massive big screen. People who arrive late aren’t as lucky, they have to take a seat wherever they can find one. Except for Piñera. The place is packed. Apparently a popular place. National television is [View Full Entry]

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All over the world they’re referred to as Irish pubs. Here they’re just pubs. Dublin is all about the pubs. Sure, it’s got its cultural and historical scene as well, but at the end of the day - literally - you end up in a pub. And, when in the pub, why not mingle with the locals. The Irish are friendly and fun-loving. And some of them completely incomprehensible. The table next to ours hosts three older gentlemen; one Egyptian and two Irish. The chat is on. The two Irish men are curious about our stay, and eager to help with [View Full Entry]

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It’s a good day. Saturday. The skies are blue, the air is warm. Festival time. Getting to Megaland in Landgraaf takes longer than planned. Traffic, lack of proper directions, a completely illogical parking system, and funny logistics to the actual festival ground gets us in the gates right in the middle of The Killers’ performance. Little do I care. Sure, they’ve got a few good songs, but they’re no heavyweights yet. A few hours and beers later the main act takes the stage. Years of anticipation to see The Boss in concert becomes reality. As is customary, the intro to Badlands [View Full Entry]

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Finding a place to eat in a new city can be a tricky thing. With a couple of strong-minded fellow travelers, even more so. Reims may not have gained its fame for the abundance of restaurants, but like every French settlement with a population greater than two, there are a few establishments to choose from. Finally we agree on trying one on what appears to be a rather major and popular square. The weather has been sunny and dry all day on our way through three countries, so the prospect of sitting outside in the spring in the middle of the [View Full Entry]

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I’m not a religious man, but that doesn’t mean I don’t respect religion. And it certainly doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the sometimes magnificent architecture that comes with places of worship. To be truthful, I have often stated that “if you’ve seen one cathedral you’ve seen them all”. This is obviously not true, they are all unique in various ways, but many churches and cathedrals resemble each other. A lot. Same shape, same exterior, same interior, same purpose. A lot of the things that can be found in most churches can be found in St. Peter’s Basilica as well. And then [View Full Entry]

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Stadio Olimpico, Rome. This modern day Colosseum, where the gladiators are substituted by football mercenaries; where the battle for life and death is swapped for a fight to kick the ball behind enemy lines; and where the reward for victory is no longer your precious life, but fame, glory, and obscene amounts of Euro. This day AS Roma is hosting Siena. A small group of dedicated opponent fans occupy a small section of the stadium. An equal or larger amount of policemen are surrounding them. Seemingly a waste of resources, as no one appears to pay any attention to this little [View Full Entry]

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