上海市

By Judith Scharnowski on May 2, 2015

The high speed train from Beijing to Shanghai – about 1’200 km –  takes only 5 hours. It feels like you’re flying a few meters above ground level through the country, past giant unknown cities, many farm fields and hilly areas. We stayed with Markus’ friends Richard and Cinnamon in the suburbs of Shanghai and they made our stay...

Cherry Trees and a Tea Ceremony

By Judith Scharnowski on Apr 17, 2015

The small town with the name Yoshino lies on top of a mountain in the Nara Prefecture surrounded by cherry trees. There is a huge old gate half way up to the top. It once was the gate between earth and the spiritual world, and history tells that pilgrims went there to leave everything earthly behind them and come closer to heaven. It was a place where spirituality...

Hot Springs and Roller Coasters

By Judith Scharnowski on Apr 15, 2015

When planning our Japan trip, we wanted to buy a rail pass and travel through Japan by train and busses. Our dear friend Manuel then came up with the excellent idea of renting a camper van instead, avoiding overbooked hotels and enabling us to travel more freely. We got one, and hit the road with Mount Fuji in mind. The beauty of this mountain has inspired a lot of...

A Weekend in Taipei

By Judith Scharnowski on Apr 8, 2015

The cherry blossom season just started in Japan, and since Cherry Blossom Viewing in Japan is a point on our bucket list, it is about time we headed to Tokyo. But instead of flying directly to Tokyo, we decided to stop over in Taipei. It costs about the same as flying directly, so nothing speaks against visiting Taiwan. As we were looking for a couch surfer to host...

Good Morning Vietnam! Da Lat

By Judith Scharnowski on Mar 31, 2015

Da Lat, also known as Vegetable Garden of Vietnam, City of Eternal Spring and City of Thousands of Pine Trees, lies 1’500 meter above sea level and is a popular place for honeymooners and nature lovers. The bus ride to Da Lat was rather horrible, mostly because of the 1’000 construction sites we had to cross, but all the pain was gone in the minute we...

Good Morning Vietnam! Hue

By Judith Scharnowski on Mar 28, 2015

Sometimes, life as a traveler can get too overwhelming. All you need at this point is a cozy bungalow and a beach. In case this happens to you around the middle of Vietnam, as it did to us, we highly recommend staying a day or two at Beach Bar Hue. Although the city of Hue surely is nice, we preferred staying at the beach and doing nothing (well, almost). Do: Go for...