During the planning of our worldtrip we were trying to figure out what the best option was to fly from Indonesia to Chile. We knew that we wanted to go to Easter Island and as it turned out the best option was to fly from Bali via Auckland to Papeete and then to Hanga Roa. […]
Rainy season and rice paddies in spiritual Bali
Maluku and the Banda islands were for sure off the beaten track, but after three weeks it was time to continue our travels. Originally, we planned to go for a couple of days to Toraja in Sulawesi to see the traditional funeral rites that are practiced there. Afterwards we would go for a week to […]
Following the footsteps of the VOC, the remote Spice Islands
After spending the first 30 days in Indonesia it was necessary to renew our visa. We decided to fly to Kuala Lumpur. Since we missed our flight in Denpasar we had to buy a new ticket to Kuala Lumpur. This made our stay in Malaysia’s capital rather short. We arrived late in our hostel in […]
Discovering the beauty of Indonesia in good company
The moment we told Loes and Simon that we would go on a world trip, they were enthusiastic and wanted to meet up along the way. When Indonesia came into our planning, it was immediately decided that we would be meeting there. Loes lived in Indonesia for some time during her studies, so she has […]
A tropical adventure; the remote Togean Islands
Ever since reading about the remote Togean Islands we wanted to go. For us it sounded like the perfect destinations after our packed trip through Yunnan and Sichuan. After moving around every 2 to 3 days, it was time for some welldeserved vitamine Sea. So after a great flight with Silk airlines (never had so […]
The heart of Sichuan, the grasslands of Tagong
After the mountains of Yading it was time to head further East. We leave our hostel early to catch the bus that will take us to the highlands of inner Sichuan. Our final destination of the day: Tagong, the Buddhist center of the Sichuan province. But first a six-hour bus ride to Xinduqiao. On our […]
Holy Snow Mountains in Yading Nature Reserve
After spending a few days in Shangri-La we had the first taste of what Sichuan could be like. Compared to the rest of Yunnan, Shangri-La feels more like Sichuan. Unlike most people, we were going to travel Sichuan over land, instead of flying in from Chengdu. Before reaching our first destination we had to prepare […]
Tourist traps and the first Tibetan influences
When you read a travel guide on Yunnan, chances are that the list of recommended cities will contain Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-la. All played an important role as part of the Tea horse road and have an Old town that has been restored. These cities represent the success of the trade route and attract a […]
The Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of China’s finest trails
From the moment we read about something called the Tiger-leaping gorge, it was on No. 1 on our bucket list for China. This gorge, or canyon, is formed by the Jinsha river, which will go on and form the Yangtze/Yellow river, which is squeezed between two +5000 m snow-capped peaks. Over time, this has led […]
In the foot steps of the ancient tea horse road
When we decided on China as one of our destinations, we quickly knew that we would need a double entry visa, two times 30 days. A first period where we would explore the Beijing area and a second, more “adventurous”, period in the provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan. In between, there would be a quick […]