SINAI PENINSULA, Egypt | from Sharm El-Sheikh to Nuweiba

Katja EGYPT Leave a Comment

Back in 2004 we spent a week in Sharm el-Sheikh, which was also our FIRST TIME IN EGYPT. We had a great time relaxing on beautiful beaches, discovering the underwater world and the desert – many credits for having such a great time also go to our dear friend T who made us feel especially welcomed ;). In 2008 we came back to Egypt, but this time we flew to HURGHADA and spent 8 days on a NILE CRUISE, but in 2009 it was time for SINAI again. It seemed very convenient, tourism was blooming, there were many flights to Sharm el-Sheik and we had other special reasons to visit the place. So, we were off – but this time we planned to travel around a bit more, we stayed in Sharm for a couple of nights at friends and climbed up MOUNT SINAI for the sunrise, spend some time in DAHAB and NUWEIBA, before returning to Sharm. In 2009 it was safe to go anywhere and we had a good time – unfortunatelly today (in 2015), the picure is a bit different as many tourists avoid the area due to the current situation on the Middle East and previous events on the Sinai Peninsula.

Read More

Tignes France skiing in French Alps

TIGNES, France | skiing winter holiday

Katja FRANCE, WINTER SPORTS Leave a Comment

When we were younger we used to ski always either in Austria or in Italy (besides Slovenia). But then, at one point we went to France and went again and again and again. You get the picture. Austria, Italy and Slovenia were good for a day, or a weekend, or a ski opening, but seriously, it´s hard to compete with France! We went always for a week towards the end of March, because then the weather was normally also better, warm enough to sit outside in just a T-shirt in the sun, and yet cold enough that the snow didn´t melt. We went to Tignes a couple of times as well as to Val Thorens and other ski resorts in the region.

Read More

EGYPT | 8 days Nile cruise & beach holidays at the Red Sea

Katja EGYPT, SPECIAL EXPERIENCES Leave a Comment

November always seems to be a great month to get away from Europe´s grey weather and catch some sun! And so we were off to Egypt for a Nile cruise and a couple of days at the beach. We enjoyed 8 days of great FOOD, great COMPANY and great HISTORY. Nice sunny weather made it a great Autumn escape and the temples on the river Nile banks are really something one should see at some point!

Read More

Laos food and drinks - typical Lao dishes and what to eat in Laos

LAOS food & drinks | typical lao dishes and what to eat in Laos

Katja FOOD + RECIPES, LAOS Leave a Comment

We were so happy to see FRENCH BAGUETTE, the first thing I ordered when we arrived into Luang Prabang was a TUNA SANDWICH. I would most certainly not do that if we were not already travelling for weeks and I really missed good BREAD for breakfast. Red wine was still too luxurious for our pockets, but 600mL BEER LAO made up for that. We loved STICKY RICE, PAPAYA SALADS, FISH and fresh FRUITS. We even got used to the FISH SAUCE taste. Surprisingly there were lots of INDIAN RESTAURANTS, so when we got sick of rice, we went there for some naan. So, here are a few Lao culinary specials.

Read More

Laos-Asia-travel-backpacking

LAOS | 3 weeks backpacking from the north to the south

Katja LAOS Leave a Comment

We didn´t know if it´s Tuesday or Wednesday and we did not even care. WE HAD ALL THE TIEM IN THE WORLD, well at least until our plane left from Bangkok. We started our SE ASIAN TRIP in CAMBODIA, travelled through VIETNAM from the south to the north, where we crossed the border to LAOS. We had no plan where in Laos we wanted to go and where we will cross the border to Thailand, so we just took it day by day. Everything was PEACEFUL in Laos – no mad horn beeping, not much traffic on the road, naked children were running around in small villages, sometimes we shared outside bathrooms with pigs, the electricity was often shut off in the evenings. In other words, it was exactly like some other countries were years before. It was great.

Read More

Cambodia backpacking trip 7 days Siem Reap Battambang Angkor Wat Phnom Penh

CAMBODIA | 1 week low budget backpacking from Phnom Penh to Battambang, Tonle Sap lake, Siem Reap & Angkor Wat

Katja CAMBODIA Leave a Comment

Cambodia was first up on OUR LONGER SE ASIA TRIP on which we also visited VIETNAM, LAOS and a small part of THAILAND. We flew in to Phnom Penh from Europe via BKK and tried to survive the first couple of days not getting hit by a motorbike crossing the road. We learned soon enough the best way to do it is to be patient and wait for the right moment or even better – just follow the locals. Always walk steadily and do not panic. Once you´ve mastered that, you are all ready to go out and explore.

Read More

Vietnam food and drinks - typical Vietnamese dishes and what to eat in Vietnam

VIETNAM food & drinks | typical Vietnamese dishes and what to eat in Vietnam

Katja FOOD + RECIPES, VIETNAM Leave a Comment

One evening in Ho Chi Minh City we wanted to try something truly Vietnamese. We saw a very nice restaurant, so we decided to give it a try. It was extremely expensive compared to what we would normally pay for food and we were not quite sure what we ordered as the waitress couldn´t speak English so good. She brought us the food and we thought it´s just the appetizer. We even said to ourselves something like “wow, that´s quite a lot of food for an appetizer”. Well, it turned out this was it – this was the main dish, for the both of us. Rice cakes with shrimps, pork paste in banana leaf and something with rice. Hm, tasted good, but we left hungry.

Read More

VIETNAM | 2 weeks backpacking from the south to the north

Katja VIETNAM Leave a Comment

Coming in to HO CHI MINH CITY from CAMBODIA was a pretty EASY BUS RIDE and the BORDER CHECK was rather quick. After staying in the city a couple of days and exploring the MEKONG DELTA we moved on towards the north. Altogether it was about a month and we ate so many delicious new food, the COUNTRYSIDE IS SO DIVERSE that you almost forget what you have all seen when you come to the end. From BIG TOWNS with GREAT HISTRORY to BEACHES, JUNGLES, RICE FIELDS and LIMESTONE ISLANDS. It´s more developed and more expensive than Cambodia, but still relatively cheap. There are also, much more tourists here. We had some inconveniences with the locals trying to get money out of us, at times being also quite persistent and even AGGRESSIVE. And the officials often did not not know important information. And again, there was the “CROSSING THE ROAD” problem, but it did seem a bit more organized than in Phnom Penh for instance. We successfully escaped all the Buzz and Fuss and spend a few great days in the NINH BINH area, cycling around the fields and enjoying the nature.

Read More

ICELAND | 10 days road trip around the island on the Ring Road

Katja ICELAND 2 Comments

I never thought I would end up spending my main summer holidays in Iceland, but it just so happened at the end. I did not know much of the country, since I would in general always prefer to go some place warm and sunny, but I must admit, the more I read about it the more I was intrigued. This land of countless waterfalls, mighty volcanoes and glaciers, geothermal springs, geysers, strange language with names of towns nobody can pronounce, expensive food and moody weather made me totally forget that I traded the pleasant 30 C back home for 9-15C for the next 10 days. Once we were there there was no doubt anymore – this was one of the best trips ever! I was more than positively surprised by these amazing landscapes. There were many firsts on this trip and we could easily spend much more time there without getting bored.

Read More

NAMIBIA | 3 weeks circular road trip with a rented car

Katja NAMIBIA, SAFARI 4 Comments

When you think of NAMIBIA, what comes to your mind? Not much, hm? Well, I had similar asociations. I knew where it is geographically, but I had no clue what is there to explore, other than wildlife. Once we were there, it was mindblowing, how many DIFFERENT LANDSCAPES and impressions this country has to offer. In about 3 WEEKS we saw Africa´s biggest CANYON, played football with the kids in TOWNSHIPS, followed dinosaur tracks, touched the largest known METEORITE ever fallen on Earth, climbed the red dunes of SOSSUSVLEI, explored the barren coastline, silently observed WILDLIFE in ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK, ate worms and “Apfelkuchen”, walked through abandoned towns and lively MARKETS and much more.

Read More