Well, better to give an update on Vietnam as I am leaving for Laos in a few hours. I crossed over the border in the south of Vietnam and have since made my way north. In Saigon I went to see the Cu Chi tunnels, which were used in the Vietnam war. And what better place to shoot some guns. The beach in Nha Trang was next up. Snorkeling boat trip was a clear winner there. Check out the lunch that was included on the boat! My favorite place in Vietnam was next. Hoi An is a very cool town with a good atmosphere. The town is known for its tailors so I used the opportunity to get some clothes made. After that I moved on to Hue. My hotel had a rooftop pool that made the stay there quite relaxing. Halong Bay was the next place and I took a boat ride there as well as a kayaking tour. Beautiful place and not quite as touristy as I though. Hanoi was the last stop. It is loud and crowded and traffic here is quite different. If you want to cross the street you just have to start walking and the cars and scooters will swerve around you. Sounds easy doesn't it. Now it is time for a new stamp!
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Last day in Cambodia. The days here have been pretty action packed. It all started with on of the most anticipated stop on the entire trip, Angkor Wat. It lived up to its reputation, extremely impressive. As well as going to Angkor Wat I also visited other temples, including the one made famous by Hollywood and afterward most commonly referred to as the Tomb Raider temple. Amazing seeing how the trees have taken over the temple. But Siem Reap wasn't just a one hit wonder. It had another ace up it's sleeve, Quad Biking. Really exciting racing around the Cambodian countryside. And then finishing the day by getting a picture on a buffalo. After Siem Reap I made my way over to the capital of Cambodia where the Killing Fields and the S21 prison camp was my next necessary stop to really get to know Cambodia. Would not say it was an enjoyable visit but it definitely leaves its mark. Last stop in Cambodia was Sihanoukville to do some snorkeling and relaxing on the beach. Next time you'll hear from I'll be in Vietnam!! One word for Thailand...HOT. First stop was Krabi and obviously when here, one has to visit some beaches. And enjoy the sunset. I also went rock climing on Railay island. A must do when visiting Krabi. After Krabi I went to Bangkok and it surprised me. Far more interesting than I thought. Highlights include a canal boat ride, visiting a gigantic buddab statue and doing the Flight of the Gibbon, a zip lining course through the jungle. This morning I got to add a new country to the list by crossing over to Cambodia. Will be posting again when I have done anything interesting. My stay in Malaysia is coming to an end. The last week has been interesting. First up was Malaka were I had my first real taste of Asia's street food culture. From there I went to Kuala Lumpur and even though I didn't really connect with the city I got some good food and one of the best photo sessions of the trip. Went to a place called SkyBar, which is located on the 33rd floor of a hotel close to KL's twin towers. From there the view was pretty amazing but you'll have to wait a while to have a sneak peak at those photos. Next up was a hunt for the world's biggest flower. That took me to the Cameron Highlands and after quite a hike in the jungle I got my reward; check that one of the list. Visited a few other places there, including a tea plantation, butterfly farm and a strawberry farm, where I finally got to taste some deep fried icecream. Last stop was Penang, which has probably been the highlight of Malaysia. Good food and interesting places to see. Went on a treasure hunt of sorts yesterday looking for the street art pieces that are located around the city. Here are a few examples. Now I am getting ready to leave for Thailand. From Ecuador I headed over to Los Angeles to meet up with some old friends and relax a bit before continuing over to Asia. Then I stepped on the longest flight I have taken so far. 14 hours from LA to Taipei, Taiwan. Luckily the plane wasn't full so I ended up getting 3 seats for myself, which made the flight a lot more comfortable than it would have been. In Taipei I, among other things, went hiking and cycling to take in the views. I was also treated to some awesome foods there as well as some odd ones, including snake soup and green tea ice cream. Now I am in Singapore, for the shortest stop on the trip, as I leave for Malaysia tomorrow. Unbelievable that my time in South America is already over. Two and a half months sounded like a lot before I set off. It wasn't. Since my last post I have barely stopped to breath, there was so much to be done. As one of the most anticipated location on my trip the Galapagos did not let me down. I visited four different islands, San Cristobal, Floreana, Isabella and Santa Cruz. Highlight from San Cristobal was playing with two sea lion cubs. Next up was Floreana and my favorite from that island was swimming with turtles. As well as the great sunset, which I enjoyed from just outside the cabin. Isabella and Santa Cruz had the same highlight, giant tortoises! They were truly amazing. Got lucky enough to have one come super close, even though the picture didn't come out that good (luckily have a better one on my dslr). Tonight I head over to the US with Los Angeles being my next stop. So, It has been a while since my last update and I blame that solely on bad internet connections in Peru. Peru had its ups and downs. I was sick a lot so I did not feel too sad when I left it. Still managed to do some awesome things, as well as some extremely stupid things. But here are some of the highlights: Paragliding (awesome) Bungee Jumping (very, very stupid) Slingshot (stupid) Sand Buggies (great) Sandboarding (good) Nazca lines flightover (very nice) Now I am in the Galapagos as most of you know. Will be writing more about that shortly. But here is a sneakpeak: First days in Peru have been up and down, from feeling great to being stuck in bed sick. Still been able to visit some interesting places. First stop after coming over the border from Bolivia was Lake Titicaca, which belongs to both countries. So obviously it was time for a boatride to explore it. First where the floating islands of Uru. They are manmade islands around 30 minutes from the mainland. The islands are pretty cool even though they are extremely touristy. I also stayed with a local family for 2 days, herding sheep, harvesting quinoa and off course playing some more high altitute football. That experience was more real than the floating islands even though it is clearly tainted by excessive tourism. But got a pretty comfy bed instead. But this morning I just finished the highlight of the trip so far. Machu Picchu!!! Still have over a week left in Peru so I will be updating soon! In Potosi I visited an active silver mine in one of the most famous silver mountains in the world, Cerro Rico. A part from that the stay in Potosi was quite uneventful but the view over the city was great. Then I headed to the capital of Bolivia, Sucre. There I went rock climbing in the mountains above the city, pretty fun. Also went to see some dinosaur footprints which was cool. From Sucre I took an overnight bus to La Paz. Do not really like the city. Sucre was a lot nicer. However La Paz has a trick up its sleeve. Death Road!!! Probably the single greatest thing I have ever done. Started of going up to 4700 meters, snow and all. After cycling around 24 km on tarmac as warm up it was time for Death Road, one of the most dangerous roads in the world. 30 km on dirt with a mountain on one side and a huge drop of on the other side of the road. The bottom was at 1200 meters so the change in altitude was extreme. Thankfully my body seems to have gotten used to the altitude so I had no problems. And then zip lining to finish the day off. Tomorrow I head to Peru!!! First days in Bolivia have been a roller coaster. First day I got up to 5000 meters above sea level. That did take a toll on the body, with headaches and sleepiness. But also saw some awesome places. But even though the altitude was difficult it did not stop me from playing some football before bed (at 4000 meters). Awesome experience but just a small sprint leaves you breathless. One of the most spectacular places on earth was next up. The Uyuni Salt Flat stood up to its name. What a place!! Just breathtaking. Now I am in Potosi, one of the highest cities in the world, at 4090 meters. Until next time! |
Purrkur
Icelandic, Photographer, Archives
July 2015
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