NETHERLANDS | Tuesday, 5 Apr 2011 | Views [566]
The blue Facebook pages show on every hostel computer, shabby looking travelers draped themselves on the shabbier looking couch and the true backpacker – always keeping and eye on the budget – is eating cheap noodles in the hostel kitchen. I'm back ... Read more >
NETHERLANDS | Tuesday, 5 Apr 2011 | Views [367]
Travel is a passion of many. We fly thousands and thousands of miles, we visit ancient heritage listed sites by the dozen, we take pictures, we buy souvenirs, we gawk at local people. Sometimes we feel insecure. Are we respecting local customs? Are ... Read more >
Tags: responsible travel, sustainability, tourism, travel
NETHERLANDS | Tuesday, 5 Apr 2011 | Views [1968]
Souvenirs, who does not like ‘em. They’re a way to remember your great holiday, or your adventurous trip. But do you know that many souvenirs are made out of animals or plants that are threatened with extinction? You would not be the first to have your ... Read more >
Tags: souvenirs, trafficking
NETHERLANDS | Tuesday, 5 Apr 2011 | Views [1759] | Comments [1]
Hiroshima. August 6th. It’s 8.15 am in the year of 1945. Not a cloud in the sky. People are ready to start their day. Suddenly…the city is shaken up by a tremendous explosion, followed by an intense blaze of fire that destroys everything – and that ... Read more >
Tags: atomic bomb, hiroshima, japan, peace memorial park
NETHERLANDS | Tuesday, 5 Apr 2011 | Views [52420] | Comments [3]
Sumo wrestling: national sport of Japan Sumo is one of the many unique things Japan is known for. It is a fast, powerful and technical contact sport between two people in a ring. Seeing it for the first time can be a thrilling but confusing experience ... Read more >
Tags: japan, sumo, wrestling
NETHERLANDS | Tuesday, 5 Apr 2011 | Views [2258]
Picture this: a vast and empty plain that stretches out as far as the eye can see. I’m in the Argentinian part of Patagonia. The emptiness of the Patagonian landscape is soothing and thrilling at the same time. There is nothing and yet there is everything.... Read more >
Tags: animal, chile, photography, vicuña
NETHERLANDS | Monday, 4 Apr 2011 | Views [1144]
Xi’an: home to China’s famous Army of Terracotta Horses and Warriors Xi’an, a Chinese city with 4 million inhabitants, is the capital of the Shaanxi province. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), it even was the capital of China. At that time, the city was ... Read more >
NETHERLANDS | Monday, 4 Apr 2011 | Views [632]
Picture this: I get off my horse’s back and plant my feet in lush green grass. My back is aching from the short, yet pretty rough horseback ride. A ride that is the opposite from the ones back home. This might be due to the different saddle, but my ... Read more >
Tags: mongolia, photography
JAPAN | Monday, 21 Mar 2011 | Views [721] | Scholarship Entry
“Konnichiwa”. I greet the staff at the eatery that is hidden in a small alley, behind white paper lanterns and blue cloths mentioning signs I don’t understand. The soft wind spreads the smoke from the kitchen through the air. Great advertisement that ... Read more >
Tags: #2011writing, travel writing scholarship 2011
