most instagrammable - till death do us part

I love good photography. That's why I hate Instagram.

You'd be surprised on how many pictures death is present - even though not always visible.

It deteriorates the art of photography and makes the world a dangerous - and endangered - place. Till death do us part.

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The Ski Instructor of Sri Lanka

I'm often asked how it is to travel by myself. If I'm not scared. If I don't get lonely. If I'm not afraid that the sky may fall on my head tomorrow.

No, Sri Lanka looks nothing like this. Definitely not.
(Photo: Sondrekv, Påske, detail, cropped to 2:3, , CC0 1.0)

The answer has always been no - and meeting Sri Lanka's only ski instructor was proof that travelling solo is a great chance to come across people that open up to you in a blink of an eye.

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Ride with the Devil - Flashbacks on the Highway to Hell

Travelling by bus can be comfortable and cheap; but most of all fast. Very fast. Far too fast.

There are some countries where taking the bus is the biggest challenge and adventure - since the motorists drive like the devil on the highway to hell.

Taking the bus in Kuala Lumpur is fine. It's when you leave the city limits that the adventure begins.

My recent visit to Sri Lanka where I got the biggest adrenalin-rushes on buses between lovely, peaceful destinations, reminded me of some exciting rides and encounters with daredevils behind bus wheels I've had before.

Here is how the story went.

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The Great Cuba Robbery

I got robbed.

And eventually, I unveiled an even bigger theft.

These crimes happened in a quite and at the same time quite touristy place in Cuba.

Establishing my private witness protection program, I will neither specify the place nor giving you real names.

Still, this story will let your blood run cold!

For some crimes, it's really complicated to file charges.

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THE LANGUAGE LEARNING TRILOGY - I don't claim to be an A-student....

I'm looking so much forward going to Brazil next month: Two weeks Portuguese at a school in Rio de Janeiro including living like a teenage exchange student with a family.

Learning abroad means not exclusively increasing command of a language; it allows you to learn and grow and look at
things from a different perspective.
Here during my first language course in Rome on a visit to the GNAM - Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna:
Standing on "Passi" by Alfredo Pirri, consisting of a huge broken mirror on the floor
 of the Sala delle Colonne, the entrance hall.

On this occasion I'd like to look back at my previous language classes that took place in Italy and Turkey - and share some precious, fun and a bit quirky stories with you:

Part One: ROME

Part Two: IZMIR

Part Three: MILAN

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CAMBODIAN DIARY - 2nd CHAPTER - Confusion in Sihanoukville

After today I think I should change my blog's name: Even after four days in Cambodia, I haven't said that loudly "bye" to myself. And the ongoing mishaps really keep on testing me big time.

Yes, don't frown. Mind you, it's a journey, not a vacation.

I want my life - and my travels, too - planned and organized just as booked.
My life - and my trip - don't seem to know...or they just don't care.

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