Christian's Travel Blog

1991, when I prepared my first trip east-bound around-the-world trip, travel guides like Lonely Planet refered to an article by the  TIME magazine that ranked Tioman as one of the ten most beautiful islands on our globe. In addition I stummbled that time a few weeks before my departure over a similar vote in the GEO travel magazine. For sure, Tioman should be my first destination - and weeks later I went upon my arrival at Changi airport in Singapore straight to Mersing, the gateway to Tioman island.  Although the jetlag and the humid-hot climatic conditions gave me a hard welcome to paradise, I still own a memorable picture of myself posing in front of my tiny wooden A-frame hut located direct at the sandy beach of Juara, the east coast's sole settlement. Alone getting there was already adventurous. Tioman was at that time - except the short way from the narrow airstripe in Tekek - an island without cars and no roads connected the few local...

20 years in Africa didn't transform me into a Jungle Boy , but firmly linked my heart to the wildlife and places of overwhelming nature on our globe. 2005 I had the opportunity to see for the first time the fascinating Orang Utah. F2F! Indeed looking straight into that big pair of eyes while they observe you in a calm, though mimic manner. 2012, traveling eastwards from Sumatra, visiting friends in Java back from my time at Nias, it therefore came into my mind to find a way to see the unique Komodo Dragons in nature. Approaching the Komodo National Park takes its time. And a boat. Visitors are not allowed to stay on one of the two main islands of the park, though this is not related to the circumstances that feeding the dragons was suspended in the late 80ies. It is said the population is growing, and my recent visit to Rinca and Komodo at least does confirm a great number of deer as well as buffalo. "In hard times they turn cannibals", my accompanying park range...

The bump was felt throughout all the wagons as the economic class was connected to the business and executive class. Somehow it must have been like that, when Richard Katz boarded the train to Probolinggo, a small station and popular approach to the Bromo region, already in the 20ies best known for its awesome volcanic scenery. Probably Katz booked a seat in the "Dutch" departments - corresponding with today’s executive class - but compensating for the different standards over time, I decided to join the busy economic wagons for less than 3 Euros for the next 10 hours along rice fields and majestic sleeping volcanoes. Departing from Yogyakarta, one of the best preserved and most attractive cities in Java, I finally will have my first "in loco" encounter with Katz, exchanging impressions based on his chapter "Bob – the Java Pony" from his travel book "Ein Bummel um die Welt".  We arrived late in Probolinggo and it was getting dark w...

2004, December 26 - As many as 200.000 lives were  wiped  out within minutes when a giant tsunami hit Aceh's west coast on Sumatra; ten times the figure of the recent tsunami that stroke Japan in February 2011. It took some days till the world public could grasp the devastating situation in Banda Aceh, as a long-lasting civil war between the central government and members of the Free Aceh Movement had escalated the years before and made it a non-go-zone for foreigners. When I arrived end of February in the province of North Sumatra to coordinate on site Caritas Austria's aid efforts for the people on Nias Island, just off   " fireline " along the western coast of Sumatra, I felt the island somehow escaped the worst of the tsunami's deadly destruction. But a few weeks in, a second powerful underwater earthquake struck Nias on Easter weekend 2005, causing not only the loss of additional lives but indeed destroying many buildings in its capital Gunung Sitoli, ...

For a globetrotter, including travelers, the journey is the reward. I do understand that tourists on their vacation want to get most out of their chosen destination, but it inevitably leads to that kind of "from A to B" with no patience for any delay of any kind of transportation "getting there", as well as "back home to duty". What about a road trip in Sumatra? I invite you to take a seat next me in one of the long-distance buses, like the colorful painted SUTRA buses from Medan to Berastagi (75 km/1 USD fare). Did you enjoy it? Than let's get into it and try the local short-distance "Minivan" from the Hot Springs at Semangat Gunung Village back to Berastagi (12 km/50 Cent fare). More about my reencounter with scenes and people from Sumatera Utara in my next blog.

Catching the bus from Krabi to Hat Yai - a traffic junction close to the Thai-Malaysian border - I had to make a difficult decision during the 3-hours Minivan drive: Taking midnight the train along the east cost to Kota Bharu, the starting point of the "Jungle Railway", which winds through the valleys and round the sandstone hills down to Singapore, or heading west to Butterworth to board upon arrival one of the regular ferries that connect Georgetown (Penang) with the Malaysian peninsular. Funny, I never thought time might become a constraint on a one-year journey around the world. Eventually I delayed my departure in Vienna for one month, as I did not spend even a month during my previous two trips around the world in Asia, limiting myself to Singapore as hub to visit the than "Top-10-Islands-to-visit" of Tioman, before heading for more familiar terrains like Australia and New Zealand. Hey, meanwhile I am touring some 2 1/2 months through Southeast Asia. Hav...

The last time I eventually walked along a beach was in April the day before I left Beira and the African continent behind. And while globetrotting for two months up north Thailand and Laos, I finally arrived at the old- fashioned  sea-bath of Hua Hin, known for its small fishing port and fresh seafood. It makes a nice stop-over on the way down to the famous islands on the east and west of Thailand, scattered over the Golf of Siam and the Andaman Sea. Celebrating the occasion, I enjoyed my sun-downer right at the jetty watching the local fishermen unloading the daily catch, while others departed for a long night of hard work offshore. Next day I took the night ferry to Ko Samui, one of Thailand's pearls southeast. On board I met a group of American students on an exchange program in Singapore, all heading for the probably biggest party event in Southeast Asia: The Haad Rin Full Moon Party on Ko Pha Ngan ( www.phangan.info ). It went off some 25 years ago as someone'...