Snowboarding in Hokkaido (08.03.2016 - 20.03.2016)

With our trip long over it was time of to start the tale. A while ago the idea to go snowboarding in Japan got much more popular with the flight prices plummeting. So it came that Melanie, Patric and Patrick (aka Winston) ended up in Hokkaido for almost two weeks of snow and fun. 

Our days up north were split between Furano and Niseko. The two more famous ski areas I could find online ;) 

Furano had a lot of hotels with german names like Naturwald or Edel Wärme o_O. Quite weird hearing them pronounce it, hehe. There weren’t many other foreign tourists (or any tourists at all). It was snowing on the night we arrived and then again almost every day.
We mostly spent our days riding the fluffy powder between the birch trees! Sooooooo an amazing experience. This is THE (emphasised enough?) reason to go again! 

Patric and Patrick in the chair behind us ;)

Unlike back home it isn’t generally prohibited to enter the forests. Usually there were designated gates to cross over or they asked you to take off your skis/board not to leave tracks which any beginners then would follow :D
Speaking of beginners, the riding level is definitely lower than in Europe. And snowboarding is still “cool” :D Not many skiers, all Japanese cool kids are snowboarding ;)

Niseko on the other hand is way more popular with western tourists. Mostly Australians, Expats and others from Singapore or Hong Kong. This makes the main town of Hirafu a bit sad, when entering a bar and not a single local is inside… 

To avoid the crowds and especially the high lodging prices we stayed in the nearby town/hamlet of Moiwa. There is a little independent ski resort here which allows you to reach the bigger Niseko United resort and ski back in the evening. The Moiwa Lodge was great and we had some enjoyable days. Sadly it only started snowing again when we left. There was enough snow left (about 3 meters), don’t get me wrong. Just not the fluffy powder we had come to love in Furano ;) 

Here they have even more back country possibilities accessed by so called gates. Seeing the runs we have missed we definitely have to visit again!

Brown = Groomed slopes, G1 - G11 access to the back country.
We stayed were I'm pointing ;)

Of course we spent some days on the Honshu main island, more to that in a future post!

Tao company & foundation

TaoPhilippines.com

To get from El Nido to Coron in style we booked a trip with Tao. They offer different tours from day trips, private tours and the expedition style we did.

All together we where 23 on the fully booked and just recently renovated (overhauled?) ship. Sounds like much but you have to keep in mind that we didn't sleep on the ship itself but on so called base camps on some lonely islands. These camps, scattered all around the route, consist of some huts, an outdoor shower and toilet, a little kitchen and a communal area.

The day before departure we got briefed and had the chance to buy some beers, rum and pineapple juice for the general drinks pool, so we wouldn’t die of thirst on the remote islands ;) This way nobody had to count beers or hide a stash of rum somewhere. 

Also there they warned us beforehand that we all would gain weight, so true! The food the guys cooked in the little kitchen either on the boat or on the islands was just extraordinary! The best food we tasted in our whole trip (yes, shame on you Hong Kong)!

Also worth mentioning is that most of the food came either from their own farm or got supplied by locals from the islands. Tao company has a foundation which it supports to develop, help and support the local islanders by giving them opportunities to earn a buck and help preserve their tiny islands for the next generation. 

We stayed one night on their farm and had a chance to look around. They explained the different plants they grow, the newly build pig pen (the little piggies get distributed around the islands and then bought back once they are fully grown), the duck and the fish pond.

The foundation tries to spread ideas and techniques like using rice wash for doing the laundry or leaving dead plants over the soil and roots instead of burning it, so it would retain moisture. Because one of the main problems for the islanders is the few fresh water they get, so everything which helps to save and reduce is welcome!

This fusion of old and new ideas is best seen in the huts and buildings they are now building. With new plans is mind (to resist the yearly typhoons) these constructions get built by using local resources (mostly bamboo) and local techniques employed by the fisherman since generations to build their boats.

All in all a good cause! So lets go and have a holiday! :D

Mango Tree - Fish Pond - Papay Tree - Duck Pond

Expo 2015, Milano (18.09.2015 - 20.09.2015)

As a quick getaway before the "real" holidays Melanie and I headed south to visit the expo. This years motto is Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life which especially interested me, with my little aquaponics setup at home ;)

Taking the train we arrived 3.5 hours and some metro ride later in our lovely AirBnB residence.
Earlyish the next morning we ventured to the expo. The many people luckily dispersed themselves among the many pavilions. Nevertheless were there some quite large queues in front of some nations. For example Japan had a sign that the waiting time would be 150 minutes for the 50 minutes tour! But probably the biggest line was in front of the Italian complex, all the narcissistic Italians ;)
We skipped the lines and usually headed to the next exhibition, a wise decision as later on many queues had disappeared. Sadly many nations weren't really showing any theme related exhibition, only propaganda and advertisement. Mostly the banana republics were displaying their great leaders, wealth and countryside. I don't know how this will end up with Kazakhstan presenting the expo 2017 with the theme of Future's Energy. Ridiculous as they have giant reserves of oil, natural gas, coal and uranium... Not exactly what I would call future energy sources... 

So the conclusion, skip the queues and visit the first world nations if you want to see anything food related. Nevertheless I can just encourage everybody to visit, if only for the gigantic choice of food and drink!

The next day we spent strolling through Milano as I've never visited the city before. One thing we wanted to see for sure was the Bosco Verticale (vertical forest). A "skyscraper" with 800 trees planted on its balconies! An awesome sight and makes you wonder how the cities of the future might look like.

Bosco Verticle, this is by the way not an Instagram effect but my camera which is slowly dying :(

Side note, what really astounded me were the amount of Chinese people living in Milano. A wiki excursion later revealed that 2% of the inhabitants are of Chinese decent, almost 20'000 people!

A quick stop at the gigantic cathedral and the market hall later we took the metro further south to the canal district. Here centuries ago all the merchandise got transshipped. Now this is the trendy and tourist place with lots of bars, restaurants and shops.

The last day we spent again strolling from cafe to restaurant before boarding the train back home. 

Weekend market, San Telmo Buenos Aires

San Telmo, Buenos Aires

Every sunday is a huge market along the Defensa street in the San Telmo area. All kinde of market stalls sell all kine of things. The origin of the market is on the Plaza Dorego, the heart and origin of the market. You can buy antiques and watch the professionals performing argentinian tango. This is the place to be on sunday!

Granja El Roble (11.04.2014 - 15.04.2014)

www.paraguay.ch

In Belen, 20km east of Concepcion lies the Granja El Roble. Run by Peter from Germany together with his Paraguayan wife and their three kids. Besides some chickens, pigs & cows from his earlier days as a milk producer Peter has giant fish ponds for Tilapia, Surubí & Pacu. But the main income are the cabañas, the restaurant and the entrance to his little zoo. By word of mouth it came to be known that he has a heart for discarded pets and hurt animals, so they end up in his place. When we visited him he had a blind Anaconda (probably run over), a discarded howler monkey (became too aggressive), different parrots and doves, a Screamer bird (evil creature), a Toucan and best of all a Tapir as his guests!

A stay at El Roble is always full board, meaning three meals a day which you eat together with the family on one long table. You can relax in the garden, in the pool or one of the hammocks. You can gaze at the fish in their aquariums or in the koi pond. Play with the various pets or follow the Tapir around the house. In the morning they drive the kids to school, so you can tag along and have a look around Concepcion. We visited the tiny (and rund down) museum, which nevertheless welcomed us heartily and showed us around, free of charge. 

The main "attraction" is Peter itself. After twenty years in Paraguay he has always a tale to tell or a documentary (about the country or in which he helped/participated) to show off. 

From Concepcion leaves a boat once a week to plough up north with the possibility to cross into Brazil later. Since having heard of this opportunity we (okok, I) wanted to take this route. Sadly the catholic nature of latin america made this impossible, on new years eve and easter the boat doesn't run =/

So we headed north-east by bus to the border of Brazil, wanting to reach Bonito...

LOVE IT!

Laura Hartwig, Santa Cruz

laurahartwig.cl

If you like to visit a wine yard which is close to Santa Cruz, Laura Hartwig it is. This lovely family run company produces wine in the second generation and exports it all over the word. Nevertheless it could maintain its charm as a little wine yard.
The tour starts with a ride on horse and carriage trough the yard followed with a tour trough the production and the wine cellar. Rounded up with a wine tasting at the end.
This tour cost around 15USD.

San Pedro Market, Cusco

Tupac Amaru, Cusco 

This market has everything from clothes, accessories, fruits, vegetables, meat, cheese, bread, delicious fruit juice, food stalls and much more. A perfect place to have lunch peruvian style and way cheaper then all the posh restaurants around the main plaza.

La Almeda, Cali

Alameda, Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia

I always love to go to local markets to look around, try and buy some new local fruits and vegetables. You also can get everyday household items, spices and fresh fish.
In addition you can have lunch in one of the different restaurants, of course with fresh ingredients.

Flea Market, Bogota

Calle 120/Carrera 5 | Usaquen Village, Bogota, Colombia

Every sunday is the flea market in this residential neighbourhood with lots of colonial charm. A nice area to spend a relaxed sunday and buying jewellery, crafts, foods, clothes, souvenirs and much more. In the same area are plenty of different nice cafes, bars and restaurants.

The easiest way to get there (or elsewhere in Bogota) is by taxi. The system is very simple and user friendly - they all have to drive with the taximeter. Insist on it or get out of the cab again. Normally they have in the pocket behind the driver seat a list with all the rates.

Posada La Casita, Ciudad Bolivar

posada-la-casita.com

In the heart of Venezuela, near the "small" town of Ciudad Bolivar, you will find the Posada La Casita witch is run by Peter Rothfuss and his wife Maria.
Peter, also called "El Aleman" has his own world in a green park including pool and a little zoo. He offers rooms or free standing "casitas" all with air con, privat bathroom and hot water. A room costs 25$ and a cabin 32$, he accepts transaction or you can pay cash in bolivar, dollar or euro.
The place is a 20 minutes drive away from the center but he has a shuttle service twice a day and will pick you up if you give him a call.
Peter also has his own travel agency named Gekko Tours and an airplane to Canaima. He has the best connections and fair prices. If you plan to go to Salto Angel he is your guy!

Fish Market, Panama City

Panama Citys Fish Market is worth a short trip. All week long except on monday they trade fresh fish. In and around the market you can finde heaps of little restaurants wich sell different ceviches and other tasty fish dishes. If you walk along the Ciclovia Cinta Costera (the promenade along the coast) and follow the fishy smell you won’t miss it.

Volcano Boarding, Leon

Bigfoot Hostel & Volcano boarding

Leon is a nice little town and famous for the volcano boarding. Bigfoot was the first shop who offered this adventure and is probably the best organised one.

The view from the top of the black gravel volcano is phenomenal! This volcano spew the last time in 1999 and you can still see fumes in the crater.

For 25$ they transport you to the volcano, get you a board, a fancy orange overall and a cool beer after the crazy ride. They have a laser speed gun, so you know how fast you were! The record is 93km/h for boys and 91km/h for girls. The fastest per day get a free night at their sister hostel at las Penitas.
Bigfoot offers daily tours and leave at 9am. It's not necessary to stay with them to go volcano boarding.

In case of an emergency...

Marcial was the fastest of the day with 69km/h