Georgia: Hiking, Wine and Mark Becomes a Wedding Photographer

It’s been a while since the last post. We were on a hiatus of sorts in Europe. Landing in London we had a week in the old city catching up with friends, concerts and cricket. Moving on to Belgium to Rock Werchter, which was a truly amazing festival, then making our way to Switzerland by way of Antwerp and Aachen, where, you guessed it, we caught up with mates. Another 2 weeks in Switzerland, Mark popped to London for the ill fated Cricket World Cup Final, where NZ lost by zero runs, but mercifully for Martina, he couldn’t dwell too long, as we had to turn attention to the next phase of our journey, Georgia and further, into Central Asia.

Kruger National Park

“There’s nowhere like Kruger!” affirmed the owners of our hostel, just outside the gates, and to be honest it’s hard to argue. We say this not just because of our African game reserve novice status, but because the scope of the park and the fact that you can explore it on your own are truly remarkable. Whether it’s the immaculate roads, of which they have a purported 6000kms, or the fact you can get a reasonable priced cafe breakfast whilst overlooking Sabie river. While you’re sipping your flat white, elephants sip water at the banks, all at the same price as you’d pay anywhere else in South Africa, they even offer craft beer in the park!

Into Incredible India

Blessings for sale, Varanasi.

India, it really is a land of extremes and contrasts. Extreme wealth contrasted by extreme poverty, the highs of the Himalayas to the beaches on the Indian ocean, lush rain forests to bone dry deserts, chaotic cities to chilled out towns or villages and the majesty of the Royal Bengal tiger to the common run of the mill street dog. Although there are some constants, great food, great people and you can be shocked, enthralled and entertained in the same moment, it has a way of getting under your skin in ways other countries don’t. The other constant is a gaggle of fellow travellers who dress in a manner that is to say “I’ve found myself, and have found enlightenment you will never know, now if you don’t mind I have to check on Facebook and post this killer selfie on Insta” – India, as the tagline goes, really is incredible.

Bangladesh: River Sides and Bus Rides

 

The rare Hoolock Gibbon

Bangladesh, often over shadowed by its largest neighbour and, lately at least, in the news for the wrong reasons, is a land criss-crossed by rivers and at times strikingly beautiful is an up and coming tourist destination. We were asked many time why we were heading here, and if we are honest, mainly out of curiosity – curiosity that is reciprocated by the locals. Bangladesh gained independence in 1971 after a bloody war with its erstwhile overlords Pakistan. With a population somewhere around 168m people, it is the most densely populated country on the planet, cramming  in a remarkable 1252 ppl per sq.km! (By way of comparison NZ has just 14 ppl per sq.km). That means we’ve now been to the most densely and most sparsely populated (Mongolia) countries in the world on this trip. 

Mongolia Part 2…and Back to China

#GERlife y’all

After 5 and a bit days of exploring the impressive Gobi desert, we were on the move North, into the beautiful UNESCO protected Orkhon Valley. After several punishing hours in the van over deeply rutted dirt roads and river crossings, the scenery got greener, with eagles buzzing the van and vultures devouring their meals nearby. Thanks to our talented driver Loya, we’d made it to our destination.