After my visit to the impressive ruins of Teotihuacán I left Mexico City and spent the rest of my holiday in what used to be the Mayan empire - the Yucatan peninsula. That's the Yucatan; as soon as you escape the horrors of the Riviera Maya, where no theme is too tacky, you enter one of the most laid-back regions in the world. Besides the Mayan ruins dotted all over the peninsula, there is almost an over-abundance of beauty: rolling miles of emerald jungle, punctuated by deep cenot [View Full Entry]

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After I had seen the amazing ruins at Tikal I left Guatemala on a minibus bound for Melchor de Mencos at the Belize border (2h, Q25). Once I was through immigration I took a taxi (B$20) to San Ignacio where I booked a tour to the famous Actun Tunichil Muknal cave (better known as ATM cave) for the next day (US$75 at Mayawalk Tours). Actun Tunichil Muknal Actun Tunichil Muknal slept with its dark secrets for more than [View Full Entry]

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The border crossing from Mexico to Guatemala was quite unique and went surprisingly smooth. In Mexico, I visited the small immigration office in Frontera Corozal where I was asked to pay M$100 for a re-entry visa to Mexico. Then I walked down to the Usumacinta river which forms the border between Mexico and Guatemala. I joined some fellow backpackers for the 20 minute boat ride to the Guatemalan side. Once I had disembarked on a muddy riverbank I went through immigration (I was asked to pay a US$5 immigration fee) and waited for the inland bus to take me to the [View Full Entry]

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Teotihuacan is a large archaeological site located about 40 km north of Mexico City. It was built more than 1,000 years before the arrival of the Aztec in central Mexico. But it was the Aztec, descending on the abandoned site, who gave it a name: Teotihuacan, which means "city of the gods." A total of three pyramids reside at Teotihuacan as do temples, palaces and residential compounds. The city reached its peak around 500 AD when it was the centre of a powerful culture that dominated Mesoamerica. Teotihuacan was abandoned around the year 800 AD however the causes of the fall [View Full Entry]

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Without having seen the Sistine Chapel one can form no appreciable idea of what one man is capable of achieving Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1787 The Vatican City is the world's smallest state by both population (less than 1,000) and area. It is one of only three sovereign city-state worldwide and located within the city of Rome. For the best approach to the Vatican walk across the beautiful Ponte Sant'Angelo to Castel Sant' Angelo, then turn left into Via della Concillazione which takes you straight to St. P [View Full Entry]

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Rome's history spans over two and half thousand years, starting as a small Italian village to the centre of a vast empire to the capital of today's Italy. Rome was founded as a small village sometime in the 8th century BC surrounding Palatine Hill. The small settlement developed into the capital of the Roman Kingdom before becoming the seat of the Roman Republic at around 500 BC, and then the centre of the Roman Empire from 27 BC. For almost 1,000 years, Rome was the largest, wealthiest and most powerful city in the Western World with dominance over most of Europe. [View Full Entry]

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No doubt about it, Mosi-oa-Tunya (meaning "The Smoke That Thunders") - but more commonly known as Victoria Falls - is one of the most amazing sights in the world. Just a few kilometres outside the town of Livingstone, the Victoria Falls are twice as tall as Niagara Falls, and several times longer. The falls are some 1,700m wide which makes them the largest curtain of water in the world. The thundering water and the towering column of spray are an awesome experience, especially from the air. Livingstone Livingstone is the closest town to Victoria Falls. A rather dusty Zambian town [View Full Entry]

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Although Sossusvlei is one of Namibia's premier tourist destinations it is rather difficult to get there. There is no public transport which means to either join an expensive guided tour or rent your own car. I did the latter and took the quickest route from Windhoek: south on the B1 to Rehoboth (80km on tarred road), then west on various C-roads through the Namib Naukluft Park to Sesriem (230km on gravel road) where I stayed the night. Although the scenery was starkly beautiful, the five-hour drive was rather tiring. I would recommend to bring an exact map as the signposting is [View Full Entry]

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Cape Town Cape Town is one of the most popular destinations in South Africa. It boasts stunning beaches, an abundance of daytime activities and a number of cultural and natural gems, with the most famous being Table Mountain. The Castle of Good Hope is a good starting point for first-time visitors to Cape Town. It is the oldest surviving building and provides visitors with details on the Cape Town's interesting history. A visit to Long Street should not be missed. And long it certainly is: the one-way street stretches [View Full Entry]

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The Isle of Man is located in the Irish Sea at the geographical centre of the British Isles. It is not a part of the European Union and not even a part of the United Kingdom but a self-governing Crown dependency. The island is approximately 50km long and between 13 km and 24 km wide. Some 80,000 people live on the Isle of Man. For centuries, the Island's symbol has been its ancient triskelion: three bent legs, each with a spur, joined at the thigh. The three legs relate directly to the island's motto: Quocunque Jeceris Stabit, traditionally translated from Latin [View Full Entry]

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