Kerala and the last Days of “Heading East”

Kerala and the last Days of "Heading East"

I left my hometown in northern Germany on a Monday morning in April, just before sunrise. A year and more than 50,000 kilometers later, with no longer fresh looking clothes, scuffed boots, some scratches and a dusty face, I arrived in Mumbai, the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It was a Sunday evening long after sunset.

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The Tropical South of India

The Tropical South of India

What I might have missed out on exciting jungle safaris in Dandeli, was more than offset by an adventurous motorcycle ride through the jungle. I was initially of the opinion to follow a generally used road through the forest. But the more my current position deviated from the original GPS track, the more “interesting” became the ride through the jungle.

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Kolkata & Varanasi

Kolkata & Varanasi

I don’t know when I first heard of Kolkata, but as long as I can remember, I always inevitably associated the name of the city with the name “Mother Teresa”. Thus it should not surprise that my visit to the home of 15 million people was primarily dedicated to the life-work of this woman. I wanted to know, see and experience what this little woman had built with the simple strength of her faith.

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The Taj Mahal, Rajasthan and Gujarat

The Taj Mahal, Rajasthan and Gujarat

The story of the Taj Mahal is also the story of great love, it is the story of a shattered family, the story of inconsolable grief and a story about power and influence. Rabindranath Tagore described the gem as “a teardrop on the cheek of Eternity”, Rudyard Kipling as “the embodiment of all things pure”, while its creator, Emperor Schah Jahan, said it made “the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes”

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India – Incredible India

India - Incredible India

India is incredible in many ways: Incredibly colorful and beautiful but at the same time so incredibly chaotic, dirty and noisy. Incredibly rich in culture and history, and yet so incredible poor, strange and different from the Western world

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Mustang – A ride to remember

Mustang – A ride to remember

It was by far the toughest off-road ride I’ve ever undertaken, and I wouldn’t do it again on a fully loaded GS Adventure. The experience, however, is priceless and by no means would I want to miss these days. It was probably a challenge I was looking for when going into the Himalayas, but it was much more energy-sapping than I had expected

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Kathmandu – Dusty Streets and Power Cuts

Kathmandu - Dusty Streets and Power Cuts

Poverty in Nepal has surprised me despite the many months I have been on the road. No capital in Southeast Asia is as underdeveloped and has to deal with such poor infrastructure as Kathmandu. Even Phnom Penh in Cambodia and Vientiane in Laos look significantly better than the capital of Nepal.

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Thailand – Bangkok vs. Koh Mak

Thailand  -  Bangkok  vs.  Koh Mak

Bangkok was a milestone on this journey and to dive in the city with your own motorcycle was somehow special. The traffic is not very much relaxing though but you wouldn’t expect a laid back atmosphere in a metropolis of 8 million people, would you? I had to organize a whole lot of things here.

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Laos in three Stages

Laos in three Stages

It was the third time that I crossed the border to Laos within a few weeks. The first time coming from China and leaving towards Thailand. Afterwards crossing the north of Laos while going to Vietnam and now from the south. Thus, it was also the third time that I had to acquire a visa. The prices were different at all three boarder gates, which leaves a slightly bitter aftertaste.

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Tuol Sleng – Another sad Memorial Site of History

Tuol Sleng - Another sad Memorial Site of History

When I crossed the border to Cambodia , it was hard not to think about what had happened here in the late 70’s … The Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot – also called “Brother No. 1” – started a cruel “experiment” by creating a purely agrarian-based Communist society. Speaker of the Red Khmer announced the beginning of a new revolutionary era in which every form of oppression and tyranny would be abolished. However, within the first months of this revolutionary era the country was transformed into a giant labor and prison camp.

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