A pleasant walk along the lake; Hangzhou

Photo: West lake at Hangzhou, China - 11/11/10

In China it is very easy to rent bicycles, and this way of transport is promoted quite a lot to the tourists. After a good night of sleep in the hostel next to the west lake, I decided to go and rent a bike and cycle around town. It's quite a place, and most of the points of interests are spread around the city and the lake. Also I was told by some tourists that it's impossible to go around the lake in 1 day and especially by foot, since it is more than a 10k to get around.

Photo: Beautiful autumn trees - Hangzhou, China - 11/11/10

The day before while walking to the hostel on please autumn tree-lined road, I saw a few bike rental places along the streets; those places also being used by locals who own a chip card, press it against a chip card reader and one of the bicycles is being unlocked. I noticed as well that each rental place had a little information point and with a bit of luck they rent out bikes to tourists....

Mt. Huangshan in Cotton Paradise

Photo: Mountain Huangshan, China - 17/11/10

In the hostel in Shanghai I met Julien from Belgium. We got along pretty well and we both planned to climb Mountain Huangshan, a few hundred kilometers west of Shanghai. We planned to go on the Monday or Tuesday and checked for the weather forecast which gave us some disappointing information....clouds and light snow!!! Not exactly what you hope for to enjoy the wide views when climbing a mountain. Luckily on Wednesday the weather was predicted to be clear and sunny.
Since there are quite a few peaks on the top, and a long route was sat out, we planned to go in two days.
On Monday evening we took the night train K8418 leaving at 17.45 from Shanghai for which we had reserved bed in the hard-sleeper, carriage 8, bed row 9, with for me an comfortable upper-berth. There are actually price differences between the lower-, middle- and upper-berth, lower being most expensive, upper cheapest. Our expected arrival in Huangshan Shi, also know as Tunxi was early in the morning.

Indecisive Chinese train journeys

Photo: Train station of Shanghai, China - 15/11/10

A matter of being flexible in China too. While in a touristic town full with canals and many interesting views, I met an English chap, Ed, who at his turn met two Chinese tourists. The four of us spent the day walking around in the city, and the next day Ed and I where leaving for the train station. Ed taking his train back home to a town outside Shanghai, ready to go back to work teaching English, me catching another train to my next destination.
Ed, being able to speak quite some Chinese, helped me getting the train ticket, and after lunch he left to catch his train.
While I was waiting for my train, I was browsing through the lonely planet and re-reading where I was going, what I planned before. Suddenly I realized that I might not want to go to the little villages I planned to go. I didn't feel in the mood to go to these little villages, which probably are beautiful in the summer as per the lonely planet, but in the winter, well suddenly I had a very depressing image in my head with poor looking people doing hard work carrying heavy stuff etc.

Feeling numb in Chengdu

Photo: Chengdu, China - 06/11/10

Six months after my departure, I found myself on a big airbus a319 heading for the airport of Chengdu, located more or less in the middle of China. This country was among my list of countries to which I have been curious when I was a child.
China, is a whole new experience for me and it is so different than the countries where I have spent my last 6 months! To be starting with the temperature, I was nervous to not have enough clothes to protect me against the winter cold. From the moment I left home, I spent walking in 30 up to 42 degrees celcius. And now suddenly I would step into 15 degrees. Brrrrr, as at night and in the morning it will be around 4 only.
During the flight I was reading one of Paul Theroux's travel books, which I bought the day before. Coincidentally in his book he was traveling to China in 1986 ;) I thought that would be reading in style. I was reading a chapter in which he, together with a group travelers, he crossed the border by train from Mongolia into China. One of the guys from the group was screaming through the train that the border police had taken two guys for questioning as they were carrying an edition of 'the economist'.

The other corner of Europe: Istanbul

Photo: Istanbul, Turkey - 16/07/10

Once my visas for Azerbaijan and Iran were arranged I could finally really move out. I should aim in between the two compass needles of the South and the East, however at this moment I couldn't really be bothered to look at the compass (my brother gave it as a present before leaving) as I allowed my captain, flying for blu express, control the integrated compass of this airbus a320, which by the way urgently requires a re-make-over according to the latest fashion. I could send a letter with some photos to 'MTV's pimp my flight' and guaranteed Xzibit will be impressed by it's current state.
After two hours or so we reached the cloudless sky of Istanbul and the captain made the airbus touch ground safely, under the sounds of a loud applause reminding me I was accompanied with many tourist aboard.
From the airport well outside the city there were a few bus lines and I got on bus #10 bringing us to the Asian part of Istanbul city.

The three Flamencos of Spain - Part 3

Photo: La Alhambra, Granada, Spain - 15/05/10

See also:
The three Flamencos of Spain - Part 1
The three Flamencos of Spain - Part 2

It's been some time ago already, but that last flamingo was still out there waiting for me to be given shape, colors, a character and simply to be written about. While I am sitting in the train in Italia. To give you an image of my situation, it's the train from Pisa to Roma. It's 19:23h and this is a nice ride along the coast with the last sunshines warming my right cheek in this cold air conditioned coupé. I would take a photo so you could see me again wearing my blue jumper. I really dislike airco! The people who have been traveling with me are in any sense aware that I simply hate airco! Outside it's 30 to 40 degrees and you arrive somewhere inside, BAM! 15 to 20 degrees! Now that is cold after 1 week non stop in these temperatures! A t-shirt would not be sufficient. Nor shorts! Hence the blue jumper. Ah wait I am going to show you anyway!

Fresh & Washed; new life!

Photo: Napoli, Italia - 09/07/10

Somewhere along the road, I started meeting people, started spending long days in discovering places I was visiting. In our whole life we are bound to assign priorities and make choices. We prefer to do what we like to do, and in a life without or at least with hardly any responsibilities, I think people end up only doing what they like to do. And why not! I can't blame these choices. Why would you choose for things you don't like to do if you don't have to do them? Why choose for the dirty dish if you got a nice dish served at the same time? So did I make choices in how to plan my day, as far as I planned them. The largest part of my trip I did not plan what was coming up, with a result of many surprises each day again. I met people on the way, decided to join them. Make plans together where to go our just follow their ideas when they have planned their day or next destination.

Photo's Iran part 2

The faces of old Iran

The walls for characterization the country and symbolization of the book. Check out each face in this post.

Photo's of Masuleh, Iran

Ok ok, then also some photo's of Iran!

This was in the village Masuleh, build in the mountains. Fresh air and a lot of nature!
It's character is recognizable for the houses build in the foot of the mountain with a very sharp angle, so one persons from pavement is the roof of the front door neighbours.

I spent my time in Masuleh with Ainova and Oscar from Barcalona which was loads of fun! Coño! I should get some photo's tagged by them soon on Facebook. But the website is blocked in Iran :)

Two forgotten photo's from Marrakech

Yessss finally an update!
But I am afraid I have to disappoint you, since these are only two photo's from Morocco.
No new exciting stories of Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, nor Iran.

I haven't found much time, nor inspiration to write new stories, but I hope I can share some hot news soon!

But first these two photo's I forgot to put online.
The big square in Marrakech. During the day it's an 'empty' place, with guys playing the flute making their snakes stand straight, and other people selling their stuff, and ofcourse the unforgettable motorcycles and moppets.
During the night, you won't recognize the sqaure from the way during the day...it's completely transformed into one big restaurant. Only eateries, smoke, loads of different smells, and if you allow yourself, very good tastes! It is difficult to walk from one side to the other side without sitting down, as each eatery have their guy standing and waiting for you asking to sit down and have some food. You say no thank you? They didn't hear you, or pretend to and ask you again. You're already past him? No worries, there is a next guy half a meter further away asking you :)

It is, like Milko says, a Shpectacular to see the place by evening, as it's all dark, but strong lights as if you are at a building side. A lot going on, many people, and the smoke makes it's a brilliant place. If you take some time, I am sure you can take the most beautiful action shots here!

What they know about the world

Everbody must have heard some time about the people who share their
knowledge about countries and capitals in the world even when their
general knowledge is not as strong as others'. The jokes about some
people saying 'ah, France, thats the capitol of Paris!' or the
other one where they say that Amsterdam is that country in Europe
where people can smoke a joint in the coffeeshop....

I have experienced a few new ones, never heard about before. Maybe
never existed before. But first a few years back when I lived in
Manchester, England. I heard this one many times from many English
people. It is always Germany again who causes the trouble. Maybe Jason
Statham referts to the good old past when everything was ok, when the
future was still good. Maybe he referts to that in the movie Catch
saying 'before ze Germans are here'.
When the English asked me where I am from, and I replied with the
answer 'I am Dutch',

The world supporting Benfica

Two months ago when I was in Lisboa for a few days, Paulo took me to his friends to have a dinner. Me being in the middle of proper Benfica Lisboa fans, I was telling Joao about my trip around the world. He was impressed and he decided to abuse me to promote his own club! Nearly propaganda!

He gave me a scarf of Benfica and made me promisse to show that the world loves Benfica!

Enjoy the first results :)

Bull-fights in Sevilla

Photo: Bull-fights, Sevilla, Spain - 09/05/10

For the people who speak Dutch, I like to ask you to have a look at
Reishonger.nl where I wrote an article about my curious visit to a
bull-fighting game where I experienced a very mean game of killing
bulls in a harsh way which I will never support any more in any way.

Where is Fred?

Photo: In the dunes in Morocco, playing the tamtam big time!

Yes, where am I?? When was the last post?? You people must have stopped checking the blog already....no update, no update, no update.
I had a tooo great time in the desert of Morocco playing the tamtams, as you see on the photo :)

No, actually I HAVE BRILLIANT NEWS!!! Today I received my visa for Iran! Mister Ahmadinejad allows me to visit his country for up to 30 days. I better not ask for a tourism tour to one of the nuclear factories....I might end up in jail labelled as a spy!
So today I arrived back in Rome, for the third time(as you can read on the 'follow my footsteps page' which I just updated with all the places I have been). This morning my alarm rang at 5.00am, to catch the train from Rimini to Rome. I will explain later why I left so early!
So anyway, I was supposed to go first to the Embassy of Iran to pick up my passport with new visa. Yes to pick up my passport. They had to have my passport, I couldnt bring it with me. So the problem was, I could not request a visa for Azerbeijan at the same time. So I had to wait for a week for my Visa for Iran to be finished, which I picked up this morning, exactly one week later.