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| Barcelona - Barna - Barça - BCN: March 2010 |
Mercedes and Marc, another HC couple (from Barna and from Britain, resp.) , who had also kindly offered to host me, played the guides for a day and showed me some special places: thanks to you, too!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Viva Art Nouveau!
Please click on the photo to see all
5 days in Barcelona are too short, of course: this is why I did not see much more than the obvious tourist attractions - but I was lucky enough to have wonderful Hospitality Club hosts (who, being intelligent and inquisitive individuals from Peru and Argentina respectively, probably know more about Barna than the average local - thanks, Claudia & Pato!)
Mercedes and Marc, another HC couple (from Barna and from Britain, resp.) , who had also kindly offered to host me, played the guides for a day and showed me some special places: thanks to you, too!
Mercedes and Marc, another HC couple (from Barna and from Britain, resp.) , who had also kindly offered to host me, played the guides for a day and showed me some special places: thanks to you, too!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Vienna for Insiders
This is the type of photo people associate with Vienna:
Johann Strauss monument, Stadtpark
However, Vienna has been depicted by so many excellent photographers who I could never hold a candle to - that's why I do what nobody else can do: show MY VIENNA (or some aspects of it).
PLEASE CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO SEE ALL:
However, Vienna has been depicted by so many excellent photographers who I could never hold a candle to - that's why I do what nobody else can do: show MY VIENNA (or some aspects of it).
PLEASE CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO SEE ALL:
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| Wien ist anders - Vienna is different |
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Island in Thailand: Ko Kradan
Warning: this was written as a guide to Kradan Island and contains accommodation details etc. that may be boring for people who have no intention to go there!
Before I arrived on Kradan I experienced an entertaining transfer from Phuket (see the chapter "Thailand/Krabi").
Why did I pick Kradan?
Before I left Austria I had googled "snorkeling straight off the beach", and Kradan was among the places recommended by fellow snorkelers. I liked it so much that I did not go anywhere else once I was there, contrary to my original plans.
Tigerline's website
http://www.tigerlinetravel.com/index.php?cat=lineboat&new_language=1
makes it look as if there was a ferry service all the way from Phuket to Langkawi, but unfortunately that is not the case (although they may be thinking about establishing it). True, they do sell you tickets from Phuket to any of the islands mentioned in the timetable, but the fact that 6-8 hours of the journey will be by minivan and only 1- 2 hours by boat is hidden away somewhere in the depths of the website. During my farcical trip Phuket - Krabi - Hat Yao I met several passengers who had booked online and were highly disappointed that they weren't going on a leisurely cruise, but a cramped minivan trip.
When I go to the Andamans again (and I'm pretty sure I will) I'll fly to Trang or Krabi and avoid the tiresome transfer from Phuket. But maybe they will have managed to establish a ferry connection between Phuket and the islands in a few years...
As of Dec. 09 there were 6 resorts; all of them are roughly the same standard (simple bungalows, no swimming pool), apart from the upmarket Seven Seas.
One new resort is under construction right at the Tigerline disembarkation point.
On the main beach (the east side of the island):
Kradan Beach (formerly Paradise Beach): closest to where you disembark from the Tigerline ferry, in the middle of the main beach; their reception also functions as reservation booth for Tigerline tickets, and they change money in their restaurant.
http://kradanbeachresort.com/index_en.html
Adjacent is the new and expensive Seven Seas Resort, the only one with a swimming pool.
www.sevenseasresorts.com/about_resort.asp
Further north is Kalumé, opened recently by an Italian (overpriced in my opinion, both bungalows and restaurant).
www.kalumekradan.com/2008/11/island
The northernmost resort is Kradan Island, which was the best value for money in Dec.09 (the exactly same kind of bungalow was 500 Baht at Kradan Island and 900 B. at Kalumé; the Kradan Beach bungalows are a bit better, but more expensive). I thought the food at their restaurant was delicious, and really cheap. The resort belongs to a local Thai family.
www.kradanisland.com
On the southern beach (west of the National Park area):
Ao Niang Resort, run by a Thai gentleman from Trang, is situated in a beautiful cove by itself; at high tide it's accessible by boat only (unless you want to wade through waist-high water). Accommodation and restaurant prices are about the same as at Kradan Island Resort.
In a clearing in the forest southwest of Kradan Beach Resort:
Wally's Paradise Lost (Wally, a sailor from Hawaii, is famous among Andaman Islands connoisseurs - his resort used to be the only one on Kradan until not long ago). Prices and quality of the bungalows are similar to Kradan Beach; the restaurant boasts large portions (at relatively high prices).
The location in the forest is very pretty as such, but I would not want to stay there because there is no sea view, and no pleasant breeze in the evening to keep the mosquitoes at bay (not that there were many when I was there).
http://www.kokradan.com/
The southern part of the main beach is taken up by the Anantara Beach Club (formerly Amari) - a fancy structure for day-trippers from the luxury Anantara Hotel at Si Kao on the mainland.
The southeast corner of the island is part of the Hat Chao Mai National Park, and it grieves me deeply what I have to report about it: the only architectural crime on the island was committed by some corrupt N.P. officials or affiliates!
A number of ugly concrete cabins were constructed illegally and abandoned when the offense was detected. Now the ruins blemish one of the most beautiful spots on the island.
The island is popular for diving + snorkeling trips, but the boats never arrive before ten am, and are usually gone by 4 pm; I was there over Christmas, which is supposed to be high season, but if there were three tour boats at the same time the locals would mutter "busy today"...
You can walk the whole length of the island - it's only about 4 km - if you watch the tides (several of the sandy beaches will be covered completely at high tide). Wading is no problem, however, because the water is body temperature.
Supplies
for the island
have arrived
Longtail boats
The entire island is densely forested, with a steep ridge running along the middle (see map):
http://www.sevenseasresorts.com/map.asp
The western shore is largely inaccessible on foot (too steep and overgrown); there are three small sandy coves that lost a large amount of their sand to a recent storm so that there is practically no beach left at high tide (but a fisherman told me that it would not take very long for the sand to be deposited again by the waves). Unfortunately the waves also deposit heaps of garbage, and as there are no resorts that keep cleaning up, all three coves could be called "Garbage Beach".
The southern one is called Sunset Beach, however, and can be reached on a steep trail from Wally's Paradise Lost; at the top of the ridge a short trail branches off to the left, to a driftwood bench erected at a spot called "Sunset View".
The middle one is also "Sunset Beach" and can be reached from Kradan Island Resort; the Italians at Kalumé called it "Flip Flop Beach" - very apt indeed, because you wade through thousands of washed-up flip-flops before you get to the beach (while plastic waste is getting recycled now, they have not found a solution for rubber flip-flops yet).
The northern one is quite far away and difficult to find; my directions were "after the very big tree on the beach look for the ropes leading up on the left", and although you can't miss the big tree you really have to look for the ropes concealed in the undergrowth. The beach is different from the other two, because behind the sandy part there is a wide flat area with wild banana trees - the reason for some people calling it "Banana Beach".
Before I arrived on Kradan I experienced an entertaining transfer from Phuket (see the chapter "Thailand/Krabi").
Why did I pick Kradan?
Before I left Austria I had googled "snorkeling straight off the beach", and Kradan was among the places recommended by fellow snorkelers. I liked it so much that I did not go anywhere else once I was there, contrary to my original plans.
Beach just round the corner from Hat Yao
Hat Yao Pier is the small port where Tigerline's fast ferries depart for the Andaman Islands; there are several other piers in the area where longtail boats offer their taxi boat services from the mainland to various islands. The Tigerline ferries are faster than the longtails and make island hopping possible; they service Lanta, Ngai, Kradan, Mook, Laoliang, Lipe, and Langkawi just across the border in Malaysia.Tigerline's website
http://www.tigerlinetravel.com/index.php?cat=lineboat&new_language=1
makes it look as if there was a ferry service all the way from Phuket to Langkawi, but unfortunately that is not the case (although they may be thinking about establishing it). True, they do sell you tickets from Phuket to any of the islands mentioned in the timetable, but the fact that 6-8 hours of the journey will be by minivan and only 1- 2 hours by boat is hidden away somewhere in the depths of the website. During my farcical trip Phuket - Krabi - Hat Yao I met several passengers who had booked online and were highly disappointed that they weren't going on a leisurely cruise, but a cramped minivan trip.
When I go to the Andamans again (and I'm pretty sure I will) I'll fly to Trang or Krabi and avoid the tiresome transfer from Phuket. But maybe they will have managed to establish a ferry connection between Phuket and the islands in a few years...
Approaching Ko Kradan
There are no roads and no motor vehicles on the island, except for Wally's sidecar-motorbike; no ATM, and only a tiny shop offering a very limited range of goods.As of Dec. 09 there were 6 resorts; all of them are roughly the same standard (simple bungalows, no swimming pool), apart from the upmarket Seven Seas.
One new resort is under construction right at the Tigerline disembarkation point.
On the main beach (the east side of the island):
Kradan Beach (formerly Paradise Beach): closest to where you disembark from the Tigerline ferry, in the middle of the main beach; their reception also functions as reservation booth for Tigerline tickets, and they change money in their restaurant.
http://kradanbeachresort.com/index_en.html
Adjacent is the new and expensive Seven Seas Resort, the only one with a swimming pool.
www.sevenseasresorts.com/about_resort.asp
Further north is Kalumé, opened recently by an Italian (overpriced in my opinion, both bungalows and restaurant).
www.kalumekradan.com/2008/11/island
The northernmost resort is Kradan Island, which was the best value for money in Dec.09 (the exactly same kind of bungalow was 500 Baht at Kradan Island and 900 B. at Kalumé; the Kradan Beach bungalows are a bit better, but more expensive). I thought the food at their restaurant was delicious, and really cheap. The resort belongs to a local Thai family.
www.kradanisland.com
my bungalow at Kradan Island Resort
view from the bungalow porch
the beach in front of Kradan Island Resort
Ao Niang Resort, run by a Thai gentleman from Trang, is situated in a beautiful cove by itself; at high tide it's accessible by boat only (unless you want to wade through waist-high water). Accommodation and restaurant prices are about the same as at Kradan Island Resort.
In a clearing in the forest southwest of Kradan Beach Resort:
Wally's Paradise Lost (Wally, a sailor from Hawaii, is famous among Andaman Islands connoisseurs - his resort used to be the only one on Kradan until not long ago). Prices and quality of the bungalows are similar to Kradan Beach; the restaurant boasts large portions (at relatively high prices).
The location in the forest is very pretty as such, but I would not want to stay there because there is no sea view, and no pleasant breeze in the evening to keep the mosquitoes at bay (not that there were many when I was there).
http://www.kokradan.com/
The southern part of the main beach is taken up by the Anantara Beach Club (formerly Amari) - a fancy structure for day-trippers from the luxury Anantara Hotel at Si Kao on the mainland.
The southeast corner of the island is part of the Hat Chao Mai National Park, and it grieves me deeply what I have to report about it: the only architectural crime on the island was committed by some corrupt N.P. officials or affiliates!
A number of ugly concrete cabins were constructed illegally and abandoned when the offense was detected. Now the ruins blemish one of the most beautiful spots on the island.
National Park beach
Fortunately the reef is undamaged, and that part is still the best for snorkeling.The island is popular for diving + snorkeling trips, but the boats never arrive before ten am, and are usually gone by 4 pm; I was there over Christmas, which is supposed to be high season, but if there were three tour boats at the same time the locals would mutter "busy today"...
You can walk the whole length of the island - it's only about 4 km - if you watch the tides (several of the sandy beaches will be covered completely at high tide). Wading is no problem, however, because the water is body temperature.
North eastern shore at high tide
On my way to the northernmost tip of the island I met a few fishermen - the only other people living on the island beside the resort employees.
Flora and Fauna:
Flower and seed pod of a tree that is common on the island
Buttressed trees on the way to the "Hidden Cove" (my name for it) at the southern end of the island.
There is a short overland trail, or you can swim/wade from Ao Niang Cove.
This lovely guy shared my bungalow (and my fruit) with me
(he's a long-haired rabbit)
Crabs stranded in a tidepool at low tide
The Kradan Island Resort Christmas tree (!)
I don't have an underwater camera (yet), so no snorkeling pictures of my own, sorry! I wish I had had one for my snorkeling highlights: a luminescent squid with two young, and several moray eels with spots like leopards. There are plenty of colorful fish and also a variety of both soft and hard coral, but I was not lucky enough to see large fish or sea turtles.
At low tide the shallow area along the main beach becomes (almost) dry; you can walk the approximately 70-100 m out to the reef edge, where the snorkeling is good.
In the National Park the reef is very close to the shore, and the best coral can be seen right there.
Supplies
for the island
have arrived
Longtail boats The entire island is densely forested, with a steep ridge running along the middle (see map):
http://www.sevenseasresorts.com/map.asp
The western shore is largely inaccessible on foot (too steep and overgrown); there are three small sandy coves that lost a large amount of their sand to a recent storm so that there is practically no beach left at high tide (but a fisherman told me that it would not take very long for the sand to be deposited again by the waves). Unfortunately the waves also deposit heaps of garbage, and as there are no resorts that keep cleaning up, all three coves could be called "Garbage Beach".
The southern one is called Sunset Beach, however, and can be reached on a steep trail from Wally's Paradise Lost; at the top of the ridge a short trail branches off to the left, to a driftwood bench erected at a spot called "Sunset View".
The middle one is also "Sunset Beach" and can be reached from Kradan Island Resort; the Italians at Kalumé called it "Flip Flop Beach" - very apt indeed, because you wade through thousands of washed-up flip-flops before you get to the beach (while plastic waste is getting recycled now, they have not found a solution for rubber flip-flops yet).
The northern one is quite far away and difficult to find; my directions were "after the very big tree on the beach look for the ropes leading up on the left", and although you can't miss the big tree you really have to look for the ropes concealed in the undergrowth. The beach is different from the other two, because behind the sandy part there is a wide flat area with wild banana trees - the reason for some people calling it "Banana Beach".
Trail (with ropes) down to Banana Beach
(doesn't look at all precipitous in the photo, but it is!)
(doesn't look at all precipitous in the photo, but it is!)
Sunrise seen from Kradan Island Resort
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Thailand Dec 09
Before reaching my dream island, I had to go through Bangkok, Phuket, and Krabi.
Reclining Buddha (46 m long, 15 m high), Wat Pho temple complex
the Buddha's mother-of-pearl feet
expensively decorated temples and simple "khlong" (canal) dwellings in the same neighborhood
Supermarket for lottery tickets near Khao San Road
Maharat Road: where you can buy the most powerful amulets...
...or a life-size buddha
near Wat Chanasongkhram you can buy larger-than-life royals
Khao San Road: backpackers haven, where the street food is cheap, and everything goes...
the fakers appear at night, put up their signs in the middle of the road, and do a stiff business (with the police patrols keeping a benign eye on them)
I was really happy about this very generous hotel!
For a Sunday afternoon treat, try the merry-go-round in the park, or the dance performance in the National museum:
CHICKEN DANCE
Otherwise it is a surprisingly normal mid-sized town where people live their lives without paying much attention to the tourist craziness that is going on at the beaches.
They use the open-air public buses
I had not intended to visit Krabi, but courtesy of Tigerline Travel I had a short weird stopover, which was part of an equally weird trip...
Tigerline is the ferry company that offers transfers from various points of departure in addition to their ferry services from the mainland to the Andaman Islands. I had read all kinds of horror stories about the unreliability of Tigerline, so it was with some anxiety that I waited for their minivan to pick me up at my Phuket hotel at 6 am, but alas, the van was punctual, new, clean - and empty. That is, I was the only passenger, but there were three other people who made the trip: the driver, naturally, the boss of the travel agency where I had bought the ticket, and another guy whose function I could not figure out (I suspect it was some cousin who just came along on the ride).
When we reached Krabi, things started getting funny; first we spent about an hour parked at the river promenade, while Mr.Boss talked on the phone to the Tigerline office where they were supposed to deliver me, and in between went off to have a drink with a friend.
When we got going again, the whole thing became funnier still: they drove hither and thither in Krabi, turned back, stopped to ask directions at gas stations, called the office numerous times...
I didn't mind, because this way I got to see most of Krabi, including the weird over-sized statues that hold the traffic lights on the main roads - but it did cross my mind that I could have slept an hour or two longer in the morning if the guys had been more efficient.
After about 45 minutes Mr. Boss confessed that none of my three cavalier escorts had ever been to Krabi before, and that they hadn't got a clue - but they did find the office eventually.
That's when the real farce started; I was to board another van destined for Hat Yao Pier, where the ferry boats depart - the van was full. Tigerline employees were running to and fro, talking into their cellphones, counting the passengers, counting again, and then asked me to squeeze into the front of the van where there were two and a quarter seats (one for the driver, and one slightly wider one which I shared with a polite Frenchman).
Wait, it gets even better!
The next destination was the airport, where a Swedish couple was waiting to be picked up. The driver looked at us in the front as we were politely trying to keep our limbs out of the way - looked at the people and the suitcases piled into the back - looked again, and then called the office to send another van.
Why on earth they had not dispatched two vans straight away is beyond me - but as exactly the same thing happened on the way back, my guess is: hope and faith. Hope that the airport passengers would not be there, contrary to their having phoned three times already to say that they were waiting; faith that the van would grow two or three more seats if they counted often enough...
Bangkok: Religion and Superstition
Reclining Buddha (46 m long, 15 m high), Wat Pho temple complex
the Buddha's mother-of-pearl feet
Wat Pho at night
expensively decorated temples and simple "khlong" (canal) dwellings in the same neighborhood
flower garlands for pious offerings in the temple
are being produced all night
Maharat Road: where you can buy the most powerful amulets...
...or a life-size buddha
Khao San Road: backpackers haven, where the street food is cheap, and everything goes...
the fakers appear at night, put up their signs in the middle of the road, and do a stiff business (with the police patrols keeping a benign eye on them)
I was really happy about this very generous hotel!
For a Sunday afternoon treat, try the merry-go-round in the park, or the dance performance in the National museum:
Phuket Town: not where the beach-party crowd gathers
Phuket Town has a few streets with pretty architecture, but the most striking sight (sadly enough) are the electrical cables:
Otherwise it is a surprisingly normal mid-sized town where people live their lives without paying much attention to the tourist craziness that is going on at the beaches.
They use the open-air public buses
sell their wares
buy food from street kitchens
or mobile greengrocers
and dry their laundry in the back alleys.
Krabi: between Karst and King Kong
I had not intended to visit Krabi, but courtesy of Tigerline Travel I had a short weird stopover, which was part of an equally weird trip...
Tigerline is the ferry company that offers transfers from various points of departure in addition to their ferry services from the mainland to the Andaman Islands. I had read all kinds of horror stories about the unreliability of Tigerline, so it was with some anxiety that I waited for their minivan to pick me up at my Phuket hotel at 6 am, but alas, the van was punctual, new, clean - and empty. That is, I was the only passenger, but there were three other people who made the trip: the driver, naturally, the boss of the travel agency where I had bought the ticket, and another guy whose function I could not figure out (I suspect it was some cousin who just came along on the ride).
When we reached Krabi, things started getting funny; first we spent about an hour parked at the river promenade, while Mr.Boss talked on the phone to the Tigerline office where they were supposed to deliver me, and in between went off to have a drink with a friend.
After about 45 minutes Mr. Boss confessed that none of my three cavalier escorts had ever been to Krabi before, and that they hadn't got a clue - but they did find the office eventually.
That's when the real farce started; I was to board another van destined for Hat Yao Pier, where the ferry boats depart - the van was full. Tigerline employees were running to and fro, talking into their cellphones, counting the passengers, counting again, and then asked me to squeeze into the front of the van where there were two and a quarter seats (one for the driver, and one slightly wider one which I shared with a polite Frenchman).
Wait, it gets even better!
The next destination was the airport, where a Swedish couple was waiting to be picked up. The driver looked at us in the front as we were politely trying to keep our limbs out of the way - looked at the people and the suitcases piled into the back - looked again, and then called the office to send another van.
Why on earth they had not dispatched two vans straight away is beyond me - but as exactly the same thing happened on the way back, my guess is: hope and faith. Hope that the airport passengers would not be there, contrary to their having phoned three times already to say that they were waiting; faith that the van would grow two or three more seats if they counted often enough...
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