Christian's Travel Blog

A mix of animated voices comes over the lake wharf while I am setting up my tent in the late evening sun. It's Christmas time and local people having their annual festive company events. It won't be that tranquile as last evening, listening only to the bridal chorus of hundereds of black swans and other birds in this lakeside sanctuary in the heartland of the Maori people. Neither could be the experience I had this early, rather chilly morning on my way to hike the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, probably the most spectacular one day trek in "Middle Earth". I still tried to figure out the heater while steering the first hundreds meters along the empty highway, when out of nowhere a Maori appeared on a black horse - a musculous man with long black hairs, barfoot, shorts, and body shirt, riding without saddle but only a lose cord in one hand to support his commands. He disappeared the same way in my mirror in the early morning fog - and when I turned my eyes again for

12/12/12 - what a date to arrive in "Middle Earth". The day of the world premiere of the first part of the Hobbit trilogy . Probably not only whole New Zealand stands still, but Tolkien fans around the world too. Already my arrival with Air New Zealand gave me a first impression of the importance the buzz around the Hobbits created: the safety trailer on board - that received by now 23 million clicks, five times the population of "Middle Earth" - is presented in "Hobbit" style, as eventually most of local advertisements refer to the new trade mark "Land of Middle Earth". I guess the "Aussies" - usually making mostly bad jokes like "Last week I wanted to visit New Zealand, but it was closed" - seem worried and jealous about the new proudness and self-confidence of their "small" neighbours. I only still have some difficulties to distinguish between the Hobbits and Santa Clauses on my first warm and sunny afternoon at

A few days before leaving Southeast Asia (SEA) behind, right in the heart of the beauty of Bali and four month into my journey around the globe, my ways crossed a third time with a full beard French guy. "Hey, still around ... where are you heading to? Probably we meet next in Australia." "Oh no, too expensive, I'm heading straight to New Zealand" he replied with a smile of an experienced globetrotter. Well, two weeks into my trip from Adelaide to Brisbane, I rescheduled my departure: one week less. Let's hope prices are a bit less in nominal value, in addition to a better exchange rate; not only to contributing staying within an envisaged overall monthly budget of 1000 USD, but in first place having joy on such a big road trip.   I should have been warned. I am not even comparing with my journey 20 years ago. Just look at the Lonely Planet Guide from the Sydney 2000 Olympics of the millennium year: backpacker dorms were listed between 12-15 Australian

A few weeks ago I crossed the Melaka Straight, one of the world's busiest shipping routes. Its name comes from a city, that saw during its glory peak in the 15th century under the reign of a sultan up to 200 ships harbouring in exchange of goods between the east and west. Singapore was by than a fisherman's village. And though travel books highlight Georgetown further up the coast as the place to travel back in time, it is Melaka that revives best the imagination of a time, when upcoming trade by sea created new dynamics and wealth. Vibrant regional tourism confirms the popularity of Melaka as a place where the spirits and tastes of the past live on in the narrow streets of China Town, Little India, and the old Colonial Quarter that saw Portuguese, British and Dutch ruler-ship over time. What a contrast. Only three hours by bus and you reach the bridge that leads into the future: the cosmopolitan city-state of Singapore. Europe, probably "the Western World"