Most tourists come to Islay either by car or with their bicycles which is not the worst idea as public transportation is rather scarce. I don’t have either and using a bicycle on a windy island for hours wouldn’t be to my taste anyway. For Sunday I planned a visit to the Bowmore distillery which […]
Morituri in Bhaktapur
Happy Nepali New Year, everybody! Around here, the first day of the new year is not greeted by littered streets and hungover masses. Instead, people flock to the holy places to bring offerings. I joined my guest family on their visit to the chariot, where they wanted to offer rice, fruits and a chicken. The […]
Cockfight
According to common folklore, baby Jesus was born some 2000 years ago. Considering how Christianity has brought two millennia of terror and suffering onto the world, why not celebrate the anniversary with a little bloodshed. Stage free for cock-fighting in the village down the road. Just as on the Philippines, the cocks have a single […]
Yangon first Impressions
Looking for a taxi at the airport on Monday, another backpacker approached me and asked whether I’d be up for sharing a taxi. I certainly was and on the way into town I learned that my newly found companion had already spent time in Yangon in the past. Perfect – local advice! Today we met […]
Silom and Chinatown
During the day, Silom is a business district with office workers filling the streets. At night it’s still a business district but the industries have changed. One of the sois is home to the infamous Pat Pong sex tourist haven and the whole main road is lined with small shops selling… pretty much everything. Souvenir […]
More Abu Dhabi
With Abu Dhabi being oil sheik country, I expected my stay to be somewhat pricey. A quick glance at the hotel restaurant’s menu confirmed that and had me crunching numbers. Fortunately a stroll through the neighborhood revealed that even in Abu Dhabi there is street food. A local bakery produces some cheese filled pide bread […]