I got a little hint that I promised to take a selfie every day on my trip. Yes, I did my duty and yes I have uploaded them… but I have to say the motives look much better without me 😉 If the system is working fine you just have to klick on the picture and you will see the next one… within 70 clicks you traveled once trough Asia 😉

Hey,

after 2 Month, 10 flights, 8 night trains, uncountable buses, 6 boats, one quart, 9 scooter, X tuck-tucks and taxies I’m back to real life in Germany. I guess, I will need some more weeks so see all my pictures and edit them but as a first shot I uploaded a few more:

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Servus,

this time from Vietnam :). Until now their is not to much to tell – I’m not very good in squid fishing at least not with the equipment I got. With a spear it would be much easier :). Currently, I’m enjoying a dry place in a nice cafe in Hoi An – yes a lot of rain here but due to the fact that the old town here is a world heritage a visit in one of these houses counts a tourist activity ;). I have not too much new pictures to show but ONE:

Very very cool place near by – hope you enjoy the scene.

CU

Servus,

for those who read my Blogs a bit longer (since Japan) it will be not surprising that I have to write one specific post about Toilets all over the world. Due to the fact, that it is my last day in Bangkok and I’m doing café hopping I thought it’s time for it now.

I have to start with a big THX @ Airbus. On my way to Bangkok I had that, what nobody wants to experience – a weak stomach during a flight. Air India was not that bad like I expected it but the food was nothing for my stomach. So just after the Lunch my stomach give me a little radio signal that it is time to go to the lavatory and just in that moment the pilot decided to activate the “seatbelt fasten” sign as well. So after a short inner body discussion the decision was clear I have to GO. I got in the aisle, the steward was shaking his head but this couldn’t stop me – I passed him with the words: Believe me it is better for all of us… Finally I god to the toilet but of cause it was locked like always when the “fasten seatbelt” sign is activated. And now my huge Airbus knowledge got finally a useful application – beyond that little steal lavatory sign is the lock/unlock mechanism which I instantly used to unlock the door 🙂 which was a very big surprise for the steward *ggg*.

(Safety check for hand luggage just in front of the aircraft – imagine this in Frankfurt – it took ages)

But coming back to the Toilet topics. I experienced some new features which weren’t known by me so far:

Shit Chopsticks
At least we named them so… As already mentioned I had the pleasure to experience several Chinese Night Trains. The Toilets startet in a bad condition and got more and more in the direction of disgusting. Of cause they were all squat style and a flush is a luxury item which is not always available. So what to do if you are not able to hit the little hole in the ground and you have to do bigger business. And their it is the wonderful invention of the “Shit Chopsticks” which are there so put everything into the little hole which missed it. *ggg* Too bad that not many people used this glorious item which brings me to my new night train toilet strategy: DON’T GO! which worked by the way fine until the 48h train to Lasa and 5-6l drinking a day…

Locking Chopsticks:
Yes there is even more useful things you can do with chopsticks. You probably know all the locking mechanism with the small steal bold which you push into a little hole to lock the door. But what is when this bold disappeared and you have no proxy??? Yes of cause you could use a chopstick:

Toilet environment:
If you thing public toilets in Europe are bad – China opens a new level concerning bad. Even if their are even in big cities like Beijing or Shanghai plenty of public toilets, not all houses have an own toilet, cleanness comes not really into vogue. Worst toilet was at a bus stop at the Yangtze river. The toilet walls were probably 60cm high, the Chinese people you were crossing were smiling at you – yes why to close the door if you can have an audience??? – flies all over the place and the smell was so bad that I nearly puked. And the very best – it was not even for free!!! So especially in Tibet I decided to pee at the toilet not in the toilet ;). Sorry I was not able to make a picture of that… Needed my Hand to cover my mouth.

Boys on the left, girls on the right:
Yes this principle from Africa I tried to import to Tibet. Worked not really because the girls were a bit more picky – so we decided the girls choose a side and the boys took the other one. Too bad that once one girl decided to go right and the other to go left which leads to little protests from the men *ggg*. Sorry girls but peeing into the bus is not our style.

No Toilets in public busses – No Problem!
I had once the pleasure to use a public overland bus. One of these cultural experiences you do not need twice. After some Chinese already decided to through their gnawed bones into the aisle a little boy needed to go toilet. Normally I would expect to alert the driver for a quick stop but why wasting time? Just put a peace of newspaper at the floor and the little boy was shitting straight on this… No wonder, sometimes I had the feeling going to toilet has a social component in that country *ggg*

Luxus in Bangkok:
After all that interesting experiences I had a very nice one in Bangkok. In one of the luxury malls I decided to go into a public toilet again and there it was – the “Neorest”. A Japanese style high end high-tech toilet. The toilet lid opened automatically, the UV light unit disinfected the seat again after a spay and wishing unit already done that, the seat was of cause heated, massage and music opens ready for using and toilet shower and air dryer of cause integrated… Damm where was that baby all my trip long???

So far so good, I guess you got a little impression about the toilet situation in Asia – at least it was with all the people I traveled so far a very donating topic. First person which was going to toilet was always asked: How was it? But after all these disgusting toilets you asked better before you go – otherwise every little stone in nature is a better choice 😉

CU

Hey,

I’m currently on a small travel holiday in Bangkok ;). Tibet was quite exhausting but I finally reached my final goal for this trip – reaching the Everest base camp.

I was not only reaching the base camp, together with a British guy we decided to go a bit further until we had the whole mountain without any other hills in front of us. I rendered some pictures from the trip but don’t expect to much – it is just a quick selection without big post processing.

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CU

Hey,

sorry that their is not to much posting here but the Internet is just horrible here. Even iMessage is to heavy for that connection. Hope in Bangkok it will be better…

Little Story on the way: Did anybody ever tried to order in a Chinese restaurant and the service woman couldn’t read or write? Pointing on the text was not really working and there were no pictures…

CU

Hey,

after a 46h train ride I’m finally in Lhasa :). Dream come true and I’m really looking forward for the next days. Hope my body will manage the hight. Until now everything is fine but my room in the 4th floor is definitely a challenge.

My first picture of the palace 🙂

Hey Guys,

Again I found a bit time to write something down. Reason – I’m in another night train. This time I’m going for leaving/not leaving China. It’s so confusing I’m leaving now China via China to go back to China, meaning in terms of Cities I’m going from Guilin to Hong Kong to Beijing. But not too much about the future the past has to be reported – so as just to I sorted it up by the place.

Mountain Emei

Last time I wrote it would be Mount Eki, which was totally wrong! It was Mount Emei. At the End I guess you have no Idea where this is anyway ;). We stayed 3 nights with the monks. It was soooooo cool. I enjoyed a lot of nature, hiking, hot springs and silence! Temperature was around 30° and humidity is rising and rising => I’m swedding like hell. Best experience was definitely to hike on the a bit more hidden paths and swing by some temples being without anybody. Our American follower had a bid bad luck. She god be bitten by a monkey and not just a bit. After some waxiness and visits at hospitals she is fine but not the perfect place to get bitten. For me everything went really well. At the end I was a bit too relaxed because I forgot my notebook charger… So this is the main reason why I’m a bit behind. After that nature highlight we were heading to:

Yangtze Riverboat Cruse

Yea I’m getting older and it was time to do a riverboat cruse ;). NO I just wanted to see the famous 3 gouaches and from my Point of view it was very nice. Incredible nature even if china flooded almost half of it after they build the big dam. This one dam is producing 5% of Chinas electrical power which is from my point of view amazing. Another thing, which I learned: Do not play Chinese drinking games in your age… More details only for good friends ;). I think the pictures of the river will say more than these lines.

 Yangshou

Another nature highlight. I guess most of you saw already photos of that landscape. Little mountains, quite straight rising with a round top and a river in the front. The River is called Li-River and the near by city/village is Yangshou. I enjoyed a biking and hiking day and 2 more relaxed day. Was quite happy to had my iphone with me, because just because your map is showing one way, it doesn’t mean that there is just one. I got also in a very heavy rain shower. At the end, water was coming out of my shoes when I was walking. But I have to do a small commercial for my F-Stop backpack. I was wet to my underwear even with rain jacked BUT my camera was still dry even without rain cover one. GREAT JOB guys.

So after all that nature I will go to Hong Kong – yes I know again Hong Kong. This time only 2 days and than my way to Tibet will start from Beijing. I hope that the train is nicer that these night trains because I will be 48h on that one. So I guess I will post that from Hong Kong and I will have last contact for a while in Beijing with you. Afterwards I thing it will get much more “basic”.

CU

So finally I find the time to write some lines fort he blog. Tonight no parties, no clubs, no walking around the streets – tonight I’m in a monastery. So at ten the doors are closing so I had time for some night shots and exactly these lines. But due to my lazy times before I have to start at the beginning:

Peking!

My very first stop of my trip. I wasn’t the luckiest person cornering the weather but saw all high light like the great wall, the forbidden city,the summer palest, the temple of heaven, the overview park thing which I can’t remember the name and much more…

Due to a little misunderstanding with a female bus driver and my travel companion Julia I had even a workout. I tried to ask the bus driver if this might be the right bus for a destination but instead of answering me she just closed the door and drove away. Julia remained with a quite shocked face expression at the bus stop *g*. Next stop I god out but when I was back at the first stop Julia was already gone. So I took the save Version the metro. Just when I left the metro station I saw Julia in a bus overtaking me. So I ran after the bus to the next stop but I was a bit late and knocking on the door didn’t attend the bus driver but also not Julia. So I jogged behind the bus that was gone anyway and 3km later I arrived the entrance of the overview point park but no Julia in sight – so I jogged on the little hill to meet probably there and believe it or not I arrived 20sec earlier then she did – but a bit more sweddy… So trying to get lost worked quite well at the 3^rd day ;).

Shanghai!

Got their by night train which is definitely an inter cultural experience… I learned that there are a shit chopsticks in the toilet which was at the beginning a 1 (from 10 – 10 is perfect) and it ended with an at least -5. Shanghai itself was great. Love that city already. Visited the financial center, which looks like a big bottle opener, had a small night river cruse, saw some museums and did some shopping (without any success). At the end I took the chance to go clubbing in a very cool club called the Shelter – old underground bunker which is definitely a very cool location for an electro club. So Shanghai could be a city to visit twice.

Xi’An! 

Another night train but different strategy! Even if the drive was one hour more I managed to go not to the toilet and the sleeping went also much better. So I think I get used to it ;). Xi’An itself is known for 2 things: The terra cotta army and the city wall => I visited the terra cotta army and I biked on the city wall. That and a lot of rain was Xi’An.

Chengdu!

Next morning, I had a very early flight in a brand new A321 CEO of China Eastern from Xi’An to Chengdu. Another 10mio city which I didn’t knew but here is the best place so see panda bears. Yes, a bit of wild life has to be done as well. So I visited this morning the panda bears then going to the biggest sitting Buddha statue of the world and finally to Mount Eki in the monasty.

Conclusion:

Until now, a lot of traveling but also a lot of new impressions and adventures. One thing is going very well: I’m getting constantly asked for pictures with me. So up to 10 requests a day is quite normal and at least 50 “hidden” shots. Hidden means sometimes that somebody is positing him/herself behind me and I just mention the flash or sometimes I’m getting frontal flashed in the metro. I take it so far with humor and a smile. Hope my trip continues like this and there is much more so see/experience.

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Hello everybody,

first week is over and it was very very busy. I saw already the great Wall, the forbidden City, some other things in Beijing, Shanghai and Xi’An which is most known for the terra-cotta army and its city wall. Up to now everything is really great but I have far to less time to write here or see my pictures. I added some I took with my Mobile:

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Hope I will write more very soon but the next days I will be offline in a monastery.

CU