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Khiva – Uzbekistan, a city out of One Thousand and One Nights
To be honest, Khiva almost fell off my itinerary for Uzbekistan. Not because it didn’t seem interesting. Quite the opposite – when I was planning my trip to Uzbekistan, I knew it was one of those places I simply had to see. The problem was something completely different… logistics. Or, to be more precise: my first day in Uzbekistan was, to put it mildly, rather ambitious. 😉 After a night flight to Tashkent, by which point I felt that coffee was the only thing keeping my vital functions going, I still had a domestic flight to Urgench ahead of me. That was where I was picking up my hire car.…
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New Zealand, Dunedin – Scottish vibes and extreme streets
At first glance, Dunedin looks like a very serious city. Gothic, austere architecture, grand cathedrals, and a railway station that looks more like a palace with luxurious chambers. But beneath that façade lies a vibrant city, pulsing with the energy of students from the University of Otago – New Zealand’s oldest university. You can see it in the city’s nooks and backstreets, where interesting street art and colourful murals are hidden behind the stately buildings. Although today Dunedin seems to be relatively calm, in the 19th century it was the richest and most populous city in the whole New Zealand. The Otago Gold Rush of the 1860s brought people from…
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Queenstown and its surroundings – adrenaline, gold and lingerie on the fence
Queenstown is mainly known as the city of extreme sports. Ziplining, skydiving, rafting, jet boating, paragliding, or even catapults – that’s just a fraction of the thrills you can experience in the area. And for true connoisseurs, there’s bungee jumping. In 1988, AJ Hackett and Henry van Asch kick-started bungee jumping on the Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge. Inspired by the ritual vine jumps performed by the people of Vanuatu, they decided to try it themselves – first in Auckland, and then (why not) from the Eiffel Tower. That’s how Kawarau became a mecca for bungee jumpers. For those scared before the jump, at least the view on the way down…
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Surreal Nairobi – between safari and concrete
It’s hard to believe that the land now occupied by Kenya’s capital was once covered in swamps. The Maasai called this place Enkare Nyrobi, meaning “cool waters.” This is where the name of the metropolis comes from. Nairobi’s development began at the end of the 19th century, when the area’s potential as a trade center was recognized. As the city grew, the Maasai, who grazed cattle here, were displaced. Today, Nairobi is called the “Silicon Savannah” due to its flourishing tech industry. It is also known as the “Green City in the Sun,” and for good reason. The city boasts numerous parks and green spaces. Nevertheless, it is a city…
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The Paeroa and Waihi area – a giant bottle, murals, gold and tunnels
Can anything be more abstractive than starting sightseeing with a giant bottle? In New Zealand: absolutely. Especially in the town of Paeroa, home of the iconic Lemon & Paeroa drink. It has a sweet, citrusy taste and feels like something halfway between Sprite and some solid childhood chemistry experiment. The drink was created right here in 1907, using local mineral water. The L&P logo is everywhere, and the enormous brown bottle is a source of genuine local pride. From Paeroa I headed to the Karangahake Gorge – a former gold-mining hub. There are two walking tracks here, each about 2.5 kilometres long. The first, Windows Walk, winds through forest and…
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Ouarzazate – Morocco’s Cardboard Hollywood
The Ouarzazate region has been luring filmmakers for years. This is where classics like Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, and The Mummy were brought to life. Most tourists begin and end their sightseeing at the famous Atlas Studios. Sure, it’s worth a visit, but limiting yourself to that alone is like watching only the trailer of a good movie. The real adventure with Moroccan cinematography begins in the middle of nowhere. The film world has pretty much forgotten these places. Picture this: massive palaces, fortified castles, and ancient temples built solely for a few scenes, then just… abandoned. No recycling, no dismantling, no packing things into containers. These sets are left…
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Hobbiton – The Shire vs. the Sheep: The Story of an Annexed Farm
As I drove towards Hobbiton, or rather the town of Matamata, I immediately knew I was heading in the right direction. The landscape was dotted with perfectly undulating hills, practically begging to be turned into Hobbit holes. It looked like it had been plucked straight from a film set. Yet the most captivating part of the view was the greenery. The grass was so vividly green it almost seemed unreal. At that moment, I thought it was a fair trade-off for the previous day, when a wall of rain had driven me to despair and offered no hope for the rest of the trip. Incredible how the scenery can transform…
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Arthur’s Pass National Park: The Most Beautiful Route in New Zealand?
Arthur’s Pass National Park – or more precisely, the Great Alpine Highway that runs through it, is often considered the most beautiful road in New Zealand. It’s the oldest national park on the South Island (and the third oldest in the entire country), lying across a key mountain pass that links the eastern and western coast. Yet, driving along the Great Alpine Highway is far from an ordinary experience. The road through Arthur’s Pass is a true feat of engineering. Viaducts, bridges, rock shelters and diverted waterfalls, all designed to make it possible to cross from one side of the island to the other. The pass itself rises more than…
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Auckland – a metropolis on a volcanic minefield
Auckland isn’t actually the capital of New Zealand, though it tries very hard to look like it is. Historically, it did hold that title between 1841 and 1865. Today, its modern business district, with towering skyscrapers and cosmopolitan cafés, still feels like the country’s command centre. The city regularly ranks high in quality-of-life surveys, because life here is simply good. Sure, it’s more expensive than other parts of New Zealand, but that clearly doesn’t put anyone off, least of all tourists. Auckland can boast a pretty unique setting. It sits on the Auckland Volcanic Field, a volcanic area made up of roughly 50–53 volcanoes. They’re all dormant now, but the…
