Travel Guides

As a traveler you must have found many funny or unconventional hotels. What I found in Ljubliana, Slovenia was nevertheless something special: a former jail decorated as a hotel. It is cheap, interesting and comfy. Artists from all over the world brought their contribution to this hotel. But in some places you guess the jail and the cells! Try it if you arrive in Ljubliana! And tell me about other strange hotels you met!

Mainly bad news, I am sorry. But this is the truth, and I think to be one of my duties to inform you correctly!

1. Lufthansa rose the prices of the tickets due to record oil prices. Other companies are preparing to do the same.

2. Avoid California, there are huge wood fires, and many of them are out of control. Thus will America maybe become more environmental aware.

3. Protect yourself from the bug bites, they are dangerous, and even lethal. In Greece and Turkey the Congo fever made already 40 victims.

4. Avoid Turkey: Three Germans were kidnapped by a Kurd organization, the PKK. Thus they try to force Germany making pressure against Ankara for the independence of Kurdistan. But the tourists have nothing to do with it, dear Kurd guys!

A trip along the silk road is simultaneously a travel in space and a travel in the past. The silk road has a fabulous history, it has played for many thousand years a major role in the evolution of mankind.

Along the silk road were build and flourished many cities. Some of them are still existing today, being among the world’s oldest cities. Samarkand is an example, but I have others too!

On the northern Silk Road, between Yazd (Iran) and Turpan (China), along the Taklamakan desert, the most important cities were (and are) : Merv (Turkmenistan); Urgench (Turkmenistan); Bukhara (Uzbekistan); Kujand (tadjikistan); Istaravshan (Tadjikistan); Shahrisabz (Uzbekistan); Hazrat-e Turkestan (Kazahstan) and Urumqi (China)

If you are a natural born trader and dream to develop your own business, it would be maybe usefull to you to understand the way of doing business a few time ago. You can practice and train your negociations capacities in a multilingual and multicultural environment.

As I visited Samarkand in June, and saw a little fraction of the Silk road, I am able to tell you more about it.

In the antique times the silk had the same price as the gold! It was one of the safest way to get rich to bring some silk from China, the only one producer. But which route to choose?

As an antique merchant and businessman you had more possibilities, as in the map bellow.

The Silk Road with its three variants is world’s oldest trading road. It is a 8000 km way leading up to Rome for example, from China. The Silk Road was an engine and a lung for the developing of all neighboring countries and cultures (Chinese, Indian, Egyptian, roman, mongol, central Asia etc). Along it flourished also the culture, and are situated some important cities, some of them lasting even today. Controlling the silk road was vital for any growing empire, and many wars have been led with this wish. Along the Silk Road spread all major religions as Buddhism, Islamism and Nestorianism.

There are many cultures, and in some places they simply clush. I am nevertheless optimistic about the future of the mankind, a real culture must be able to understand, tolerate and even mix with others. It is my deep conviction.

I found many places where different cultures meet. And I took some photos to share with you; one picture is from the American Mexican border, and the other one in a public market from Germany.

I hope not to bring the slightest offence to any of these cultures.

Samarkand is an exotic place in Central Asia, Uzbekistan. I discovered it in June, and was already too hot. There is no shadow there, there is no hope for rains. Despite all these, an impressive city I falled in love with!

Samarkand is one of the oldest world’s cities. It is 2700 years old and was founded in the same time with Rome and Babylone, under the name of Afrasiab. Its actually name of Samarkand has a persian origin, and means the stonefort.

Samarkand was named the pearl of the Orient, the oriental Rome. It is first of all an islamic city and a traditionally islamic centre of scholar studies. You can find, see and admire here three islamic universities from different periods of times, based in the fascinating square of Registan. The Registan is a typically islamic architecture, similar with the spanish Alhambra and the Istanbul Blue Mosque. Registan means the sandy place, here were made the public executions and the sand were used for cleaning.

Thailand attracts throngs of visitors from all around the world. People go to Thailand in search of sun, sea, sand and everything else in between. Famed for its beaches and islands, Thailand has some of the most beautiful scenery on earth. The most popular beach destination in Thailand is the island of Phuket, which is home to about one million people and 500 square kilometers of jungle, beach and concrete.

Phuket is said to attract something like five million visitors a year. While much of the unspoiled beauty of the island has been lost to development, there are still some serene, magical spots.

Phuket is a large, modern island. It has all the contemporary conveniences you could want, with everything from budget guesthouses and markets to luxury resorts and large shopping malls. Phuket is easy to reach, connected to the rest of Thailand by buses and the rest of the world by Phuket International Airport.

If someone is going to ask me about what I will be in 5 years, I have no answer. In 100 years I will probably leave this wonderful world and this blog. But in one more million years?

I don’t intend to make you sad. The truth is, I have an extraordinary other question to ask you: what was on the Earth 47 millions years ago? I am asking you this question because visiting the Mesel Cave near Darmstadt, Germany I found some interesting very well preserved fossils. I think this cave is heaven on Earth for any naturalist! In the photo you see an ancient art of horse, the Propalaeotherium! Which is exactly 47 millions years old! Really amazing.