A few things (amongst many) to do in Christchurch, New Zealand
It is quite sad that many people only think of Christchurch as the earthquake city, and are somewhat reluctant to visit because of news that it's still recovering from the events which forever changed it, coupled with the fear of experiencing a strong quake while there. It's a pity, because, not only is Christchurch now the safest tremor city in New Zealand (all structurally unsound buildings have been demolished or sealed off, and new buildings have to adhere to strict guidelines), but it's also very much ready to welcome visitors and is full of fun, quirky, adrenaline-pumping and memorable things to ...
Christchurch, New Zealand: Not for the disaster, but for the rebirth
When disaster strikes somewhere, we all struggle to find a reason to return. In recent years it has happened with Bali and its terrorist attacks, and Japan with its nuclear crisis. And then there is Christchurch. On the 4th of September 2012, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the city, and although no one was killed, the city's buildings were heavily damaged, so that when the 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit on the 22nd of February 2011, buildings weakened by the previous shake came tumbling down, and 185 people died. An area which was from then on referred to as the red zone, was ...
How I changed my life for the better, not by turning to perpetual travel, not overnight
When it comes to taking steps to change my life when I am unhappy, it has always been a no-brainer to me. Life is too short to do what other people expect you to, or to settle for a comfortable and familiar routine when that same routine is killing you slowly inside. So at the beginning of this year, I went from freezing my ass off in Switzerland... ...to quiting my three jobs and catapulting myself in the beautiful and wonderful countries which are Vietnam and Singapore... ...to relocating my whole life and starting from square one in Melbourne, Australia. And I have never ...
More than just a place to sleep: What accommodation means to me while travelling
Though I was never ever comfortable doing the stay-in-a-dorm-full-of-strangers business, there was a time when I thought that the less money I spent on accommodation while travelling the better, because, after all, what am I going to do in that room but sleep? But as the years passed, and I became a frequent, seasoned traveller who was ofter on the road for longer than just a week or so, and I realised that in fact, I was doing much more than just sleeping in my accommodation, and the accommodation I chose was going much more than just giving me a ...
Down in the Mekong Delta: Part 2
There are times during our travels when, if we are open-minded enough, we get to see things which truly change our lives and our way of thinking. I am not speaking of a pretty temple, or an ancient palace, nor a memorable meal in a local restaurant. I am speaking about something which is so different from our own lives that we cannot but be hit by it like a slap in the face. This happens when we travel to see the dynamics of different people, living very different lives in corners of the world which seem a million lights years ...
Browsing Category 'Switzerland'
There is no information about Wildnis Park Langenberg on any guidebook I’ve read. When I type its name into Yahoo Images, only a handful of pictures turn up. A web search is not much more successful. There is, of course, an official website, but it’s only in German, as are most other online references to [...]
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Switzerland may not do cities very well, but it certainly knows how to do countryside. I say ‘do’ because even natural areas display that Swiss obsession with perfection and order, leaving pastures and fields looking as well-manicured as if they were someone’s enormous front lawn. I have nothing against this, of course, especially since the [...]
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Switzerland is a country riddled with clichés and the area of food is no exception. When asked about Swiss specialities, the average traveller will inevitably mention the fondue, but a less famous and, in my opinion, more worthwhile Swiss dish is Raclette. Apart from being the name of the dish, the word ‘Raclette’ also refers [...]
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‘Exploring Zurich’ is a guest post I wrote for www.everthenomad.com. Click here to read it: http://everthenomad.blogspot.com/2010/04/guest-post-zurich.html
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If you live in Europe, you might think that the closest rainforest to you is somewhere in Rwanda, but you don’t have to head towards the equator for your little piece of paradise. Just get yourself to Zurich zoo and its absolutely wonderful Masoala rainforest enclosure, the largest of its kind in Europe, where you [...]
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Original Post, March 8 2010 ‘When are the cows coming back?’ I ask Ferenc as we get out of the car in a near-empty parking lot on the first sunny Saturday in months and head to check out the ruins of an ancient castle. ‘Soon,’ he answers. In summer, I lay awake many times when [...]
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Nowadays, I am as likely to end my day with four squares of melt-on-your-tongue milk chocolate as my flatmate’s dog Shelby is to run with a speed I didn’t think normal dogs had in my direction as I do so in order to plead for a morsel. It was predictable though, since Switzerland is world [...]
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