Time for a delayed trip report! On Monday I followed Hiba’s invitation for a tour around Nablus. The town is about an hour from Ramallah on the shared taxi. I managed to arrive half an hour late by first forgetting my passport (had to return to get it) and then taking the one taxi that […]
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 […]
Wreck Diving
Another first! This time it was wreck diving, something I had had on my list for quite a while. As already mentioned, Coron is a great place for this as the surrounding waters feature more than a dozen wrecks, most of them 100+ meter long ships in good condition. Today it took us more than […]
Dust
Bagan is a dusty place – and this is just the end of the rainy season! Under the shower the water quickly turns brown and when I open the computer, I have to give it a quick wipe first. During sunset the haze does add to the spectacle though. I’ve started the day with another […]
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 […]
Tazaungdaing Festival
The Tazaungdaing Festival, also known as the Festival of Lights, held on the full moon day of Tazaungmon, the eighth month of the Burmese calendar, is celebrated as a national holiday in Burma (Myanmar) and marks the end of the rainy season. It also marks the end of the Kathina season, during which monks are […]