Without further ado, here are the next 20 travel experiences in no particular order:
80. Bathing in Budapest’s public baths in the snow
There is something incredibly ‘exotic’ to bathing in the outdoors with outside temperatures of -3°C . Add a stunning architectural backdrop and a blanket of snow and the picture is complete! At Széchenyi Thermal Baths
We tracked down the restaurants serving Michelin starred dim sum. “If I don’t like those, I can officially say I don’t like dim sum.” As it turns out, I do like dim sum! Click on title to read about surprising Hong Kong.
78. Floating in the dead sea in Israel
It’s a strange feeling to be almost completely weightless. Unlike anything else!
Swimming, eating, relaxing with cool beers, waking up to the chirp of little birds… That’s what our time in Bunyonyi was all about. Click on the title to read more about Lake Bunyonyi.
76. Crashing a grand Indian engagement party
The night I arrived in Delhi, my host took me to a party. Once there I realised it was a huge engagement party with incredible food, an open bar and blasting Bollywood music. Though totally underdressed and tired from my flight, I was warmly welcomed by my new friends.
75. Pick-nicking in the Summer Palace in St-Petersburg
As it was my travel mate’s birthday, we took the opportunity to indulge in a blini and caviar pick-nick with the Summer Palace as a backdrop. I don’t even like caviar but it seemed like the most appropriate thing to eat.
74. Spending 24 hours in Qatar with people I had never met before
A midnight drive around, shisha in the souq, Lebanese brunch and shopping in a recreation of Venice… Thanks to local expats who took me under their wings for 24 hours, I really enjoyed the city of Doha in Qatar.
73. Discovering the bizarre ghost towns of Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a peculiar country. The town seems deserted and overrun by desert sand, yet there is a certain mystique in the air… Notice this woman shovelling sand from her front door. The Saharan winds bring the dunes right into people’s homes…
The hummingbirds of Mindo touched my soul and brought back some inner peace . Click on the title to read more about magical Mindo.
71. Road tripping the Irish countryside
I was stunned by the natural beauty of the Irish country side. Stopping for a pint of Guiness and a minced meat pie in a local pub made the experience all the more memorable. A road trip not to be missed!
The rain doesn’t take hitchhikers into account… We hitched rides from Belgium to Denmark through The Netherlands and Germany. Even though we had it relatively easy being two women asking for a ride, hitch hiking turned out to be hard work! The exciting and fun kind of hard work. Click on the title to read about doing Copenhagen on the cheap.
68. Getting pampered with fantastic massages in Southeast Asia
Incredible how a luxury service in the West can be such an ordinary one in the East. Long live affordable massages and the soothing tea’s that follow!
67. Finding evidence of the slave trade in Ghana
Behind the walls of this fort, lie the dungeons where Ghanian men and women were held captive to be sold as slaves and shipped off in those parts of the world. You can actually still smell the human distress in the dungeons. very confronting…
66. Meeting the Garifuna tribe in Honduras
The Garifuna are descendants of the West African people living on the Central American Caribbean coast. They speak their own language and live in communities which reminded me very much of the African villages. Even their food and music have obvious African influences. It felt a little like home after having spent some time in Latin America.
65. Hiking to the top of Mt. Sinai to see the sunrise
The hike started in the middle of the night, following a trail of candle holding pilgrims. Once at the top we had just enough time to catch our breaths before the first rays of light made their appearance. Being surrounded by pilgrims singing, praying, crying and admiring the sun, it was almost a religious experience.
64. Fishing in South India
Though I didn’t work quite as hard as the fisherman, taking part of their daily activity and sharing the (slim) catch was nothing short of enriching.20 years earlier, I was doing the exact same thing (yes, that little girl in the bathing suit is me) Photo by A. Van Den Daele
63. Transforming into a Burmese lady in Myanmar
In a beauty parlour of small town in Myanmar, I found out the techniques Burmese ladies and ladyboys use to achieve their beauty ideal. Lightening the skin is just one of them. Here is the Burmese version of me and my talented make-up artist.
62. Snorkelling with manta rays
They’re so much bigger than I could have imagined, I was frightened. These majestic creatures slide under the surface of the ocean, not slightly fearing the clumsy “human fish”. Photo by Shawn Heinrichs
61. Going on spontaneous trips
There’s nothing more exciting than deciding to take a trip on a whim. Decide today, leave tomorrow… That’s how I ended up in Warsaw, Denmark, Paris, Kosovo, Brunei, Amsterdam, Cuba…
Continue reading part 3, part 4, part 5 and part 6! If you’ve mist the part 1, catch up here… I’ll be posting the rest of the list every other Thursday!
Are any of these experiences on your “been there done that” list?
One of the photography goals I’ve recently set for myself, is to focus more on themes: to capture recurring colours, patterns or situation. I find most of the themes I’ve been working around so far, quite average. I usually collect pictures of exotic drinks, dishes, mistranslations, strange signs and a couple of funny ones I’ll be sharing in future posts. That’s why it was quite a challenge to find suitable photographs to enter the “Explore the elements” contest organised by Thomas Cook.
Fellow travel blogger Colleen of “Colleen Brynn Travels“ nominated me to join the competition and it took me quite some time to browse through thousands of pictures, looking for shots that reflect the four elements, a theme that never really crossed my mind before. Since I love a good challenge, I kept searching and came up with these:
EARTH
After the rain (click to enlarge)
I took this picture in a small village in the hills of North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Most of the children in this village spend their days exploring this earth shoeless. Visitors often wonder how these children are so full of laughter and happiness when they can’t even afford to buy shoes. My theory: being connected with nature and having the freedom to play unrestrictedly outside, brings greater joy than any material thing could ever.
WATER
Water brings life (click to enlarge)
A man in Myanmar teaches his 7 year old son how to catch dinner. Presence of lakes, seas and oceans make us feel happy and calm because we know that where there is water, there is life.
FIRE
Burmese woman and her guilty pleasure (click to enlarge)
I met this lady near a temple in Myanmar. We didn’t speak each other’s language but we shared laughter and exchanged sunscreens- traditional natural Burmese sun protection for a squirt of western SPF20. We didn’t connect through words but through spirit and energy. When she lit up her big cigar, I just sat next to her and together we watched the smoke dance around us.
AIR
Clothes above the clouds (click to enlarge)
This shot comes from the Himalayas in Nepal. As a visitor, covered head to toe in (expensive?) hiking gear, you pass by small places like these… Reminding you that what is a physical adventure and a vacation to you, is someone else’s daily life with quotidian routines and chores just like yours but in a different setting.
So as it turns out, I did find a secondary theme while “exploring the elements”… That of daily life. These are all travel pictures, but they’re not of tourist attractions or cultural festivals… They all reflect life in local communities which is exactly what the elements do: they are part of our lives, we deal with them on a day to day basis, we need them. Such great power!
Though I’m posting this rather close to the deadline, I’ll still nominate a few bloggers to enter the competition. -All very cool travel blogs, if you want to check them out
The past 7 years I’ve been so lucky to celebrate the start of a new life year abroad, either doing something exciting or lazing in the shade of a coconut tree. Because this year was so different, I thought I’d look back on those past birthdays.
Turning…
…22! Stargazing in Liechtenstein’s Alps
As wild camping is legal in Liechtenstein, my then boyfriend and I made our way to the Alps. We pitched a tent in a beautiful meadow and spent the evening celebrating under the stars with bubbles and smoked salmon. It was my first time camping in the wild and I loved being totally isolated in nature. Though I must admit, there were moments at night where I was convinced a mad serial killer was scratching our tent… Tsss, city girls…
the Alps…bubbles and salmon“bathing” in nature
…23! Exploring Marrakech and its bazaars
A birthday in the old city of Marrakech was a perfect ending to a two week trip through South Morocco and Western Sahara. We exchanged our dusty desert clothes for urban wear and spent the evening bargaining in the souk and sampling Moroccan wines on rooftop bars.
Djema el-Fna from rooftopthe damage
…24! Solo in Egypt
Instead of flying straight home after a conference in Egypt, I prolonged my stay to see as much of the country as I possibly could. Birthdays are usually spent with friends and/or family, but that time, it was just me. I was proud to be a 24-year-old assertive and mature enough to ‘survive’ the chaos of Caïro. I was proud to be fit enough to climb Mount Sinai for the sunrise. I was proud to be brave enough to travel solo in an unknown, male-dominant country. I felt lucky to have the freedom to do what I was doing.
fighting off touts around the pyramidsloving solo travelHoly Mount Sinai
…25! On a 40 hour train ride across India
Being crammed on a stuffy Indian train might be one of my most unglamorous birthdays . A group of Indian men sitting on the bed opposite mine, staring at my every move. Rats sprinting across the wagon, passengers loudly clearing their noses by spitting everywhere, toilet floors inundated with urine… It wasn’t much of a celebration, but rather an extremely long two days to get through. After the 40 hour ride, I was treated to a huge cake and beautiful views over Udaipur.
I can stare right back…delicious personalised birthday cakeUdaipur
…26! Searching for the best “pasteis” and Port in Portugal
What a road trip; driving from city to city and around the country side, sampling on all the goodness Portugal has to offer. Learning about the Portuguese cuisine and culture was my gift to myself.
Port wine served with a selection of fine cheesespasteis for the roadBelèm
…27! Love Cake in Kathmandu
We stalled our big hike in the Himalayas to get mentally ready for the trek. So I spent this birthday in Kathmandu visualising myself on the top of a mountain. I can’t remember specific details about that day except… Except the love cake… A famous chocolate cake that has been mentioned as a must-try since the 70’s hippie trail. I wasn’t expecting much -as usual when it comes to chocolate anything outside of Western Europe- but my mind was blown. I was utterly quiet for a few minutes, couldn’t believe I just tasted what I did. Pure bliss! I must admit, my opinion might have been influenced by the fact that I had been eating nothing but flavourless “dahl bhat” and instant noodles for two weeks, but either way, to this day I still think of the Love cake as my favourite chocolate cake EVER!
KathmanduLove Cake
…28! By the pool in Myanmar
With temperatures reaching 40°C, there wasn’t much else to do than lie by the pool in Bagan. Temple visits in the mornings and evenings, cooling off in the swimming pool during the day. A lazy 28th. I was surprised with a gorgeous and elaborate cake… with zero flavour -unless ‘fat’ counts as a flavour. I ended up splitting donating the entire cake to the staff members.
the only way to deal with heatmisleading cakeenjoying a good view
…29! Cheese and wine with family
This year no palm trees, no temples and no exotic food, but something that’s at least just as good, maybe even better: stinky cheese and red wine with my family in Belgium. It might not be a dream destination, but it’s exactly where I want to be!
What about you, is celebrating your birthday at home a “must”?
Who doesn’t love a smashing new year’s party? What if I told you this party lasts a few days, takes place in the sunny outdoors and involves insane amounts of water… That’s Thingyan, the water festival leading to the Burmese New Year. The festival takes place throughout Myanmar around mid april, during the country’s hottest period. Similar waterfestivals are celebrated in the neighbouring buddhist countries Thailand, Laos (Songkran) and Cambodia (Chaul Chnam Thmey).
We were lucky enough to be in Myanmar for Thingyan. It’s the most important public holiday in the country and we were told that the best place to celebrate, is in the capital. So we set off to Yangon a couple of days before the festival as there is very limited transportation during the festival.
I hadn’t expected the water festival to be a big deal. Boy, was I wrong! It started in the taxi on the way to the centre. The driver had covered the seats and dashboard with plastic.
stupidly thinking I stood a chance with my super soaker…
I asked him: “why is you car completely covered in pla…”
SPLASH!
An excited young man standing by the side of the road had just emptied a full bucket of ice water over my head. The taxi driver roared with laughter. “Happy happy?” he asked.
“Yes, happy…” I replied startled.
And so the tone was set…
ready for Thingyan
Although there is water thrown around absolutely everywhere, all the time -walking down the street in dry clothes is impossible- there are several areas where entertainment is provided. Most tourists found their way to the main square where a stage was set up featuring traditional dancers and water hoses. The dancing was beautiful but compared to what was going on in other parts of town this was quite boring.
THE place to be for Thingyan in Yangon is at theKandawgyi Lake. That’s where all the cool kids go. It’s fun, loud, and utter madness. Dozens of temporary water spraying stations are set up and double as dance stages. Pop and electro music blares from the speakers as the people dance, play and sing under what can only be described as the world’s largest shower. Every two steps a cheerful Burmese shakes your hand and asks “happy happy?”. You reply “happy happy!”.
world’s largest shower (1.5km long)
Every single person is soaking wet and carries some kind of container filled with water. When you’re not standing under the “mega shower” someone empties their container over you and simultaneously wishes you a ‘Happy New Year’.
The water is pumped out of the lake and is flowing morning to sunset, non-stop. Hoses used to soak festivalgoers vary from regular garden hoses to fire hoses! At some point I was even sprayed down with a high-pressure washer which was quiet painful. But it’s for a good cause: thefestival is held to wash away evil deeds, bad luck and sins from the past year before entering the new. Many of the adolescents take advantage of the more or less ‘free pass’ to commit some last minute “sins”. Drinking in public, walking hand in hand with their crushes, dressing and dancing provocatively…
the cool kids in town
Black Culture, organiser of one of the spraying stations, invited us to party on their dance floor. The DJ played some good beats and we mingled with the teenagers, hosing down passers-by. It reminded me of the City Parade, plus shower.
from the spraying platformon the dance/hose down stage, photo by Marc-Antoine Martineauparty at Black Culture, photo by Marc-Antoine Martineau
The enthusiasm, excitement and happiness of the people were mind blowing. But then again, not really… This is the only time a year where the Burmese government permits crowds to gather in public areas. It’s the only time where colour, rank and status have little or no significance. Everyone is included; kids, grand-parents, business men in suits, tourists, bus drivers…
hiding under dad’s coat
The Burmese usually come across as soft-spoken, shy people, however, during Thingyan, they change into a fun-loving, outgoing crowd. Seeing this metamorphosis -maybe partly due to their alcohol consumption- is one of the things I enjoyed most about the water festival.
joking around with local women, photo by Marc-Antoine Martineau
The festival lasts 3 to 5 days and the parties are mainly during day light. After sunset the participants return home and get a good night’s rest to resume the festivities the following day.
ending a fun day with a sleeping smile, photo by Marc-Antoine Martineau
TIPS
It’s important to really participate. Let go of your inhibitions and dance, jump, party… Get in there, allow people to talk to you. Go just as nuts as they do!
Those wanting to take a break from the madness or wish to take it easy, there are funfairs and (wet) food stands around the premises.
greasy snacks
Don’t forget to protect your camera and other tech stuff from the water!
If you do manage to take a train or bus during Thingyan, don’t think your safe. You will get hosed down in there too!
Celebrate Thingyan in 2014 from Sunday April 13th to Wednesday April 16th.
Have you heard of Thingyan? Would you enjoy such a festival?
Myanmar is often called “land of a thousand pagodas”. Thousand is definitely inaccurate. It surely feels like ‘a thousand’ should be replaced by “hundreds of thousands”. The Burmese dedicate their lives to honouring Buddha and constructing pagodas/stupas/temples. Each stupa or temple is filled with relics or statues of Buddha. Building a stupa ensures the believers of Myanmar several extra karma points, allowing them to be reincarnated on a higher spiritual level in their next life and eventually reach “nirvana”.
Traveling through the country, I noticed that the Burmese have a unique way of practicing the Buddhist religion. In this version, there is a heaven and a hell. Hell is depicted as a dark place deep under the ground where sinners reside temporarily before being reincarnated. Terrifying monsters spend their days torturing said sinners. Heaven is portrayed as a beautiful setting in the sky where there is no hunger, no pain and no sadness. It’s both a mental and physical nirvana.
very graphic depiction of hell
Back to the stupas and why there are so many. Constructing a stupa dedicated to Buddha clears off a large amount of committed sins. It was confirmed to me that most people in Myanmar believe that building and sustaining several temples outweigh a lifetime of thieving, cheating, misconduct or even murder. Although the latter would require an extra large amount of temples. One still has a good chance of crossing the gates to the afterlife paradise providing he/she has enough cash to build a couple of pagodas.
I can’t help but wonder if that’s the reason why everywhere you turn, there are stupas, temples and absurd amounts of Buddha statues. Is this evidence of unacceptable behaviour of the rich and powerful throughout the ancient and modern history of Myanmar? I wonder…
grave Buddhas
After 3 weeks in Myanmar, I remember thinking: “how is this even possible?!” We would be in the middle of nowhere, not one human soul to be detected, yet there it was… A temple emerging from the untamed wilderness, covered with thousands of tiny Buddhas. Mind blowing at first, overly predictable later. I found out the hard way there is such thing as a “Buddha overdose”. I could no longer be bothered to enter another temple or look at another Buddha.
Places of prayer are one of my favourite points of interest in foreign countries. I have seen countless temples in India and Nepal, huge amounts of cathedrals in Europe and a large number of mosques in the “Arab world”, but never have I seen this many houses of prayer in one country.
ancient Buddhastiny wall Buddhas32 storey BuddhaBuddha highwaycan you spot the 15 Buddhas?the smaller the Buddhas, the more you can fit in one templereclining Buddha with bizarre entrance locationaccidental Buddha
Even though by the end of the trip I had seen enough Buddhas for the next few years; I enjoyed getting to the point of disinterest.
Buddha wallpaper
Have you ever gotten insensible to a local custom or curiosity while traveling?
