Varanasi is the most holy city in Hinduism and the spiritual home of India’s Sadhus, or holy men who have renounced the worldly life. They are revered by Hindus as representatives of the Gods and sometimes worshiped as Gods themselves. They are ascetics and wanderers and are often displayed as private, dignified, selfless people, respected for their Holiness and feared for their curses.
travel photography
Morocco 2017
We are lucky enough to having visited Morocco twice in 2017. We went on an epic road trip in January from Marrakech to Ouarzazate and further on to the sand dunes of Merzouga. Quad biking through the dunes was one of the most memorable and fun things we’ve ever done. Driving through several gorges, such as Gorge du Dades and across the High Atlas Mountains round off this adventure. And in November we were here again during our adventure road trip from Vienna to Nouakchott in Mauritania.
India 2016
One lifetime wouldn’t be enough to explore all of India. We’re trying to see as much as we can. In 2016, we travelled from Mumbai all the way to the Pakistani border to a town called Bhuj and back across the country to Visakhapatnam. India has been in our heart for over two decades and it’s one of those places we can never get enough of.
Prague 2016
Prague was the capital site of the Habsburger Empire under Rudolf II. The city once was so tightly bound to what we call Western Europe today, that in the 17th century it was enough to through two catholic town councils and a secretary out of Prague’s castle to start a war; a war that would last 30 years and seized almost all of Europe.
Brilliant directors and writers like Antonin Dvorak and Franz Kafka have emerged here and until today it almost seems like, history has been captured behind the castles walls.
During the four days I’ve spent in Czech Republic’s capital, I have not only refreshed my history skills but I started appreciating all of the wonderful parts and impressions. I’ll be honest: Prague has made the top of my all-time favourite European cities! It’s clean, it’s beautiful, it’s full of history yet for some reason it’s still so underestimated … and that’s what makes it even more charming!
Turkey 2015
Turkey is one of the most diverse and beautiful countries. In 2015 we managed to go on an epic road trip across this beautiful nation. From Antalya to the world famous fairy chimneys in Cappadocia, further on to the hot springs of Pamukkale and to Bodrum on the Aegean coast. From here our road trip back to Antalya lead us across the stunningly beautiful Turkish Riviera.
China 2014
China might not be the most charming nation at times, yet the countryside and bustling cities make up for the lack of hospitality. For many years China as been one of our favourite travel destinations.
China is home to one of the world’s oldest and most complex civilizations covering a history of over 5.000 years. The nation covers a large geographical region with customs and traditions varying greatly between towns, cities and provinces.
Hong Kong 2014
Hong Kong offers culture, flair, lifestyle, luxury & adventure. For us, it’s one of the coolest cities in the world. It’s renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour. With a land mass of only 1.104 km2, it’s home to a population of more than seven million people, therefore Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world.
Sadarghat Port | Dhaka
The minute we arrived at Sadarghat Port, we were surrounded by ferrymen who were all eager to row us up and down the river in one of the the many Sampan ferries – the small wooden boats, powered and steered by one person. They wait in a cue to pick up passengers. Watching & documenting the daily life at this very busy port has already fascinated us during our visit in 2012 and we were eager to experience it all over again.
Once we settled the price (roughly 150 Taka per hour – excluding tips), the journey took its course. Rush hour in the Dhaka mean that thousands of people have to cross the busy waters of the Buriganga river. It’s said that this is one of the most dangerous waterways on Earth … and most dangerous for the ferrymen.
These men are really talented and fast with their boats; they navigate them like the cycle Rickshaw drivers maneuver their through the chaotic traffic in the city. It’s hard physical work too with temperatures of up to 40° Celsius (and very often the ferrymen are over 70 years old). Very impressive! It’s not a comfortable ride tough, because you have to sit cross-legged on the wooden boat deck, so cramps are a certain factor if you’re not used to sit in such a position (and of course this was the case for us).
Traffic along the Buriganga river is most common and happening at almost any given hour of the day: big boats and small boats filled with all sorts of different goods make their way up or down the river stream, launches (this is what ferries are called in Bangladesh) come and go, cargo-ships that need a repair job are parked along the waterway…all is normal here at Sadarghat port. As you can imagine with all these boats, several movements of these ferrymen are clearly not for the faint-hearted, but somehow it works out most of the times. Still, every day one or two boats capsize. And sometimes people die.
Sadarghat port is an experience itself and a must for every Bangladesh visitor – the daily chaos with all these boats on the river will stay with you for a long time.
Italy 2014
From North to South, Italy offers some of the most stunning landscapes one could ever find. And luckily, it’s also Austria’s neighbouring country, which makes visiting often quite simple.
Bangladesh 2014
Bangladesh is a stunning country located in the Indian-subcontinent. Formerly known as East Pakistan, it became independent in 1971 after 9 months of bloody war and brutal killings of 3 million people, mostly students and intellectuals.
Bangladesh is renowned for its Cox’s Bazaar beach which is the longest in the world, the beautiful and world’s largest mangrove forest, the Sunderbans, as well as the second largest ship breaking yard in Chittagong or Sadarghat Port, one of the toughest waterway crossings.
Despite being a poor country and devastated by natural disasters and periodic floods every year, Bangladesh is growing strong, gradually developing and is a country with the most welcoming people you’ll ever come across.