A walk through the Black Forest and the vineyards near at Nellele in Southern Germany is spectacular on a sunny autumn day.

Golden Fall Foliage in Nellele

These vineyards have a beautiful golden glow as the warm sunlight shines on it in late October.

View over Vinyards near Baden-Baden

The ruins of Alt-Eberstein castle overlook Baden-Baden and look spectacular surrounded by fall foliage.

Alt-Eberstein Castle

The Black Forest is beautiful at all times of the year, but my favourite time is autumn when the orange foliage paints the forest in amazing colours.

Black Forest in Autumn

Jaipur and is surroundings is full of amazing ancient palaces and forts. Amer Fort is one of the most impressive places.

Sunrise in Amer Fort, India

Osaka in autumn was spectacular when I visited in November 2018. I hitchhiked to Hoshida Park to enjoy the fall foliage there.

Suspension Bridge in Hoshida Park, Osaka

This boat is transporting tomatoes in a channel of Inle Lake. I did a bike trip around Inle Lake and took the bicycle on a small boat like this.

Boat in Inle Lake, Myanmar

Akihabara is Tokyo's nerd heaven filled with shops offering manga, anime, and video games, trading cards, collectibles and maid cafes.

Akihabara, Tokyo

Bagan is home to thousands of ancient temples. It is Myanmar's most popular tourist attraction, but due to the size of Bagan it is possible to roam for hours in between small pagodas without meeting anyone.

Sunset in Bagan, Myanmar

The Ciudad de las Artes y de las Ciencias is an iconic landmark of Valencia. I was lucky to capture a beautiful sunset at this fascinating place.

City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia

I enjoyed the beautiful fall foliage in Japan.

Fall Foliage

This is another award-winning rose from the annual rose competition in Baden-Baden.

Rose in Baden-Baden

I was lucky to have a few sunny days when I visited Japan in November. I loved the autumn colours in Osaka!

Autumn in Osaka

In the Mekong Delta in Vietnam there are still some floating markets. I visited this one near Can Tho.

Floating Geese Vendor at Cai Rang Floating Market

The famous shrine in Kyoto made of thousands of torii draws large crowds, but due to its size, it does not appear overcrowded and with some luck, shots without people like this one are possible.

Fushimi Inari-Taisha

The traffic in Thailand's busy capital city is crazy! The skywalks near the centralworld mall offer a panoramic view the traffic.

Traffic in Bangkok

Sevilla has several impressive buildings that bear witness of the Moorish history of the city. The royal palace is one of the most impressive sites.

Cistern in Royal Alcázar, Sevilla

On an organised hike from Hsipaw we visited this newly-built school for the kids from the local village

Kids at school in rural Myanmar

I visited Japan for 11 days during my exchange semester in Taiwan, so unfortunately I did not have that much time in this fascinating country. This is as close as I got to Mt. Fuji.

Mt. Fuji from Kamakura

Loikaw is a remote town in Eastern Myanmar and sees very little foreign visitors. I met many amazing people there when hitchhiking. After a scary fast motorbike ride, the group of friends who gave me a lift took me to this impressive pagoda.

Pagoda near Loikaw, Myanmar

The view from Nahargarh Fort over Jaipur is incredible!

Sunset view over Jaipur from Nahargarh Fort

The coast of Montenegro is scattered with historical old towns and sunny beaches.

Old Town Beach in Budva

India has its share of impressive cultural monuments and Jaipur for sure is one of the places with the highest density of beautiful palaces and forts. The morning light at Amber Fort was especially beautiful.

Amber Fort, Jaipur at sunrise

Pushkar is an amazing place: The small town in Rajasthan attracts not only many Hindu and Sikh pilgrims, but also a lot of foreigners who enjoy the chilled vibe of Pushkar. We didn't want to leave!

Sunset in Pushkar

The Plain of Jars boasts thousands of ancient jars scattered around the fields which are thought to be ancient burial sites. As many cool places in Laos, the Plain of Jars is quite remote, but once there, a motorbike makes for a convenient way to reach the sites that are scattered in the area around Phonsavan. It is important to stick to the marked paths though since the area has a very sad recent history: During the Vietnam war, American planes dumped more than two million tons of bombs on Laos and the Plain of Jars was one of the areas that saw the worst impact. While the sites of the Plain of Jars have been cleared of bombs, countless bomb craters remain and many people in the area are dying every year from unexploded bombs.

Sunset over Plain of Jars

While hiking at the beautiful Lake Ohrid in Macedonia, I found myself in a meadow of wild flowers overlooking the blue lake.

Poppy Flowers at Lake Ohrid

The area around Vang Vieng boasts countless caves and viewpoints, but at one point a local tour guide started promoting a swimming spot as the "blue lagoon". It became such a hit with the ever-increasing number of tourists that countless other "blue lagoons" popped up. While some lagoons now see large tour groups pulling in, this one called "Blue Lagoon 4" is one of the lesser-visited lagoons and made for a fun day chilling in the water and jumping off the rope swing.

Blue Lagoon 4 in Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng has seen a rapid transformation from remote backwater to hidden gem to an infamous drug-fueled backpacker party hotpot to an upper-end destination for Korean and Chinese tourists, but it still makes for a convenient base to explore the breathtaking landscape surrounding the town.

Sunset in Vang Vieng Bamboo Bridge

Nong Khiaw is a laid-back village in rural Laos. A highlight was the climb to Pha Daeng Peak from where we watched an amazing sunset. The next day, we took a small boat further up the river.

Pha Daeng Peak in Nong Khiaw

Hitchhiking in the Balkans is in many cases easier than taking a bus. One time, I managed to hitch a 6 hour ride from Northern Montenegro all the way to Belgrade in Serbia! Before that, my first ride of the day stopped at Tara Bridge for me from where I captured this shot looking down at picturesque Tapa river.

Tapa River from Tara Bridge, Montenegro

Located just across the Mekong from Chiang Khong in Thailand, Huay Xai was the first place in Northern Laos that I set foot into. The small town on the river is rather unspectacular, but I enjoyed visiting this temple.

Wat Chomkao Manylath, Huay Xai

While Montenegro's coast wasn't my favourite part of the Balkans, I loved the mountainous landscapes of Durmitor National Park. I was lucky to hitch a ride with a few guys from the hostel to the start of the hike to Bobotov Kuk, the highest peak of Durmitor. This view from the parking area offered a first taste of the amazing views I was going to experience that day.

Road in Durmitor National Park

The Rose Society Garden in Baden-Baden awards prizes to the best new roses every year and boasts a collection of the past winners. This one is rather classic compared to some of the more exotic roses.

Rose Macro

On our way back to Vang Vieng from exploring the natural wonders of the region, it got dark quickly and driving the motorbike on the small and bumpy roads in the dim light of the headlight was quite an adventure. But then, who wants to leave early from such a beautiful sunset?

Pink Sky over Bridge near Vang Vieng

The Bamboo Forest in Arashiyama is one of Kyoto's most popular tourist destinations and can get a bit crowded, but since it's free to enter I'd still recommend visiting if you're in the area.

Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

Luang Prabang, the former capital of ancient Laos, today is a small, laid-back town and home to countless ancient temples. While Luang Prabang is the number one tourist destination in Laos, it sees far less visitors than other cities in Southeast Asia.

Wat Pa Phai in Luang Prabang

Though not far away from Northern Thailand's tourist hotspots by linear distance, Loikaw sees only a handful of foreigners visiting a year: With the border to Thailand closed, this undiscovered backwater is a long distance away from Myanmar's tourist destinations. It took me a day to get here from Inle Lake and on the way back, I spent 16 hours in a bumpy, packed bus to get to Yangon. But the long trip was worth it to get a glimpse of this rural part of Myanmar that is home to beautiful temples like this one. With no tourist infrastructure in place and no option to rent a motorbike, I relied on hitchhiking to explore the region around Loikaw. It was an amazing experience and I met so many incredibly nice people!

Taw Kyat Taung Pagoda near Loikaw

The Bamboo Bridge near Pai offers picturesque views over the rice fields harvested by the villagers.

Rice Fields in Pai

When I visited the Rose Society Garden in Baden-Baden recently, I captured over 500 shots of bees on roses to end up with a selection of 10 good shots.

Bee on Rose

Osaka was the first city I visited in Japan and I was instantly fascinated by the country. I was lucky to enjoy a warm and sunny day in Osaka.

Modern Architecture in Osaka

As one of Asia's most known cultural tourist attractions, I expected Bagan in Myanmar to be very crowded, but since there are thousands of pagodas scattered around the landscape, I found myself exploring the amazing area with very few tourists around.

Cows in front of Temple in Bagan

Norway certainly has its shares of stunning nature, but even the cities are picturesque with colourful houses like this ones in Trondheim.

Stilt Houses in Trondheim, Norway

After arriving in Sri Lanka late at night, I spent my first day in the country in the city of Negombo near the airport. Apart from the amazing curries I had for lunch, the highlight of that day was definitely my visit to the local fish market.

Fish Vendor at Negombo Fish Market

Shibuya Crossing is certainly the world's most famous pedestrian crossing, some claim it is the most busiest as well. Typical for Japan, despite hundreds of pedestrians waiting to cross the road, there is no chaos and everyone is waiting patiently for the light to turn green to continue their journey through Shibuya, which turns into a popular nightlife district when people celebrate the end of their work week on Fridays.

Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo

Tirana may be one of Europe's least visited capital cities, but the combination of Ottoman heritage and communist buildings make for an interesting combination of architecture. When I visited on a hot summer day, the climate on the huge square was quite comfortable, thanks to numerous the fountains.

Skanderbeg Square, Tirana

Sigiriya rock is Sri Lanka's most famous tourist attraction and visiting early in the morning, I was able to capture some great shots before the crowds arrived. My favourite shot of the day, however, is this young monkey that was hanging out near the top.

Young Monkey in Sigiriya

Thean Hou is probably Kuala Lumpur's most colourful Chinese temple and certainly worth a visit.

Thean Hou Temple, Kuala Lumpur

Having spent the months before in Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan, when I came to Japan, I had doubts that Japan's famed buddhist temples and shrines would be able to impress me. I was wrong! Japan's temples have a very unique style that proved to be fascinating.

Lanterns at Kasuga Shrine, Nara

Taiwan has a fascinating history: After WWII, the Japanese Colony was returned to China, where the government of Chiang Kai Shek was fighting Mao and his communist rebels. After loosing the civil war, Chiang Kai Shek moved the government to Taipei. Since then, both the governments of China (officially People's Republic of China) and Taiwan (officially Republic of China) claim to rule over both countries. While in the 1950s Chiang Kai Shek's supporters were dreaming of reconquering China, today it's mostly China that wants to bring Taiwan under its control. Taipei's impressive monument, the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, is an interesting place to learn about the complicated history.

Archway of Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall in Taipei

The remote village of Theth in the Albanian Alps has become popular with hikers in recent years. I managed to hitchhike to Theth from Shkodra, getting rides on these remote roads by a number of awesome Albanians. The next day, I got up early to capture the sun rising behind the mountains and hike a very scenic path to the village of Valbona, which is more accessible thanks to a paved road, but lacks the vibe that remote Theth has.

Sunrise behind Theth Church, Albanian Alps

Hsipaw, a rural town north-east of Mandalay, has become Myanmar's hidden hiking hotspot. A highlight of my hike through tribe villages and the rainforest was the stop in this village's school that only recently opened. Even though public schools are not free on Myanmar, the government doesn't spend the money to hire teachers for every village, so many kids in rural areas grow up without going to school. This is school is operated privately, but free for the kids to attend, paid for by an individual from Hspiaw who is earning well from tourism and giving back to the community.

School in Rural Myanmar

Fushimi Inari is Kyoto's most famous structures: Thousands of orange arches wind up the Inari mountain, revealing a breathtaking view over Japan's former capital city.

Sunset View from Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kyoto

I got the location of this place from a photographer friend who has posted several amazing photos from here, so I knew that I had to check out this place myself. This luxury resort in Vang Vieng certainly is one of the most photogenic spots in Laos!

Rice fields in Vang Vieng

Due to the Covid situation, I can't travel this summer as I usually would, but I am trying to make the best of it by exploring some places nearby to where I live. A highlight was my visit to the Rose Society Garden in Baden-Baden where not only the annual International Competition for New Rose Varieties is hosted, but also some of the most beautiful award winning roses from past years are showcased.

Rose in Rose Society Garden, Baden-Baden

Jaipur features countless beautiful palaces, but Jal Mahal is the best one to see at sunrise

Sunrise at Jal Mahal, Jaipur

The Kuang Si Waterfalls are located less than one hour by motorbike away from Luang Prabang in Laos. Understandably, they get many visitors, but the place feels not overcrowded since it boasts with many smaller and larger waterfalls over the length of more than one kilometre! These falls were one of my favourites.

Kuang Si Falls

When we wanted to visit the famous White Temple near Chiang Rai in the late afternoon, it was already closed, but I managed to capture some nice shots in the evening light.

White Temple in Chiang Rai

At first I was hesitant of even visiting Pai since I had heard that it was quite touristy, but I ended up falling in love with the small town and staying for over a month. This Bamboo Bridge is only one of the countless places to visit around Pai.

Bamboo Bridge in Pai

Pai was my home for 5 weeks at the end of last year. The small town is surrounded by beautiful landscape. I was staying near the White Buddha temple and loved catching the sunset views from there!

Sunset View from White Buddha in Pai

Kuala Lumpur's Merdeka Square, a cricket ground in colonial times, is the historic hearth of Malaysia's capital. In the background, the TV tower and Petronas Towers are two more famous icons of the fast-growing city.

Merdeka Square, Kuala Lumpur

One of my favourite things about Asia are the colourful temples. Malaysia, home to a large ethnic Chinese population, has many amazing temples. This is a photo that I took at Thean Hou Temple when I recently visited Kuala Lumpur for a second time.

Lampions at Thean Hou Temple in Kuala Lumpur

I recently spent a day in Surat Thani, a city in Southern Thailand. Due to monsoon season it was raining a lot, but when I visited the awesome night market, the sky cleared up and I was able to capture this beautiful sunset behind a temple.

Temple in Surat Thani

Durmitor National Park in Montenegro is home to some of the most impressive mountain landscape in the Balkans. After an exhausting hike to an ice cave nested in the Alpine landscape, I arrived at this mountain village on my way back to my hostel in Durmitor in the afternoon.

Mountain Village near Durmitor

When I visited Durmitor National Park in Montenegro, I did several of the spectacular hikes in the national park. This shot is near the peak of Bobotov Kuk, the highest point in Durmitor, offering spectacular views on the Alpine landscape.

Bobotov Kuk

Gjirokaster is a beautiful historic town in Albania with clearly visible Ottoman legacy. High above the town, the huge castle offers panoramic views on the surrounding valleys and mountains.

Gjirokaster

Gjirokaster is a beautiful town in Albania where the Ottoman legacy is clearly visible. High above the town the huge castle offers panoramic views on the surrounding valleys and mountains.

Clock tower at Gjirokaster castle

When I left for the border crossing from Macedonia to Albania, it was already past noon. I had originally planned on hitchhiking to Berat, but my last ride of the day advised me to join him to Durres instead since it was getting dark and I would have a hard time catching another ride towards Berat. This is how I ended up at this beach resort town. It certainly was an interesting experience to see this side of Albania, but I prefer the less developed beaches further South.

Manhattan Beach in Durres

Mavrovo National Park offers some of the best hiking in Macedonia, but it is also home to the artificial Mavrovo lake. After a hike in the mountains, I enjoyed this beautiful view when cycling back to the hostel.

Sunset at Mavrovo Lake

Macedonia is not a very touristy country, and the few tourists that make it to this hidden gem in the Balkans hardly take in the small town in between the country's two main destinations, Lake Ohrid and the capital Skopje. They are missing out on beautiful landscapes, friendly people and picturesque countryside towns like Prilep.

Prilep Main Square

Prilep is a hidden gem in Macedonia: Close to the town, the ruins of an ancient castle are waiting to be explored. From there, I hiked to a monastery in the mountains that offers incredible views over the valley and ancient frescos.

Flowers in Prilep

Bay of Bones is a museum on Lake Ohrid about the lifestyle of an ancient civilisation of fishermen who used to live in stilt houses on the edge of the lake.

Bay of Bones

Ohrid is Macedonia's number one tourist destination and the town can get quite crowded. Lake Ohrid, however, is quite large and it is not hard to find a quiet spot to go for a swim or just enjoy the views on the crystal-clear waters.

Lake Ohrid

On my way back from Asia, I ended up in Krakow for a sunny weekend thanks to cheap flight connections from Jordan to Krakow and on to Germany. Krakow certainly is one of Europe's most beautiful cities!

Main Square of Krakow

While Amman is a modern city today, its roots go back to Roman times. A well-preserved Roman theatre is located in the centre of Amman. On the hill in the background you can spot the remains of the Amman citadel which also dates back to Roman times.

Roman Theatre in Amman

When I was travelling in Jordan in March as a one-week stopover on my way back to Europe, I was not sure if I would have time to visit the Roman ruins of Jerash, but when I started hitchhiking in Wadi Rum (Petra) early in the morning, my first ride took me all the way to Jerash where I arrived at 10 am with plenty of time to explore this fascinating place!

Roman Ruins of Jerash

Petra is such a fascinating place to visit. It has much more to offer than just the postcard views. The area of the ancient settlement is huge and has hundreds, if not thousands of houses built into the sand stone. An architectonic feat!

The cathedral in Petra, Jordan

On my way from Taiwan to Germany, I found some cheap flights that made it possible for me to stop in various countries over a time of two months for the price of a (semi-)direct flight. This is how it came that I only had one week to spend in Jordan, but I enjoyed my time there a lot. The Wadi Rum desert was one of the most impressive natural places that I visited on my trip!

Sunrise in Wadi Rum, Jordan

The Wadi Rum desert is one of the most impressive places of natural beauty in Jordan, but difficult to visit independently without a tour. While thinking if I should splurge on a tour, I met a camp owner and helped him with setting up his business online. In return he let me stay at his camp and join a jeep tour through this beautiful desert and I provided him with my photos.

Sunrise in Wadi Rum,  Jordan

The Wadi Rum desert is one of the most impressive places of natural beauty in Jordan. Dozens of Beduin camps offer tourist accommodation in the desert under clear night skies and surrounded by this beautiful landscape.

Morning Light at Wadi Rum, Jordan

Many people visit Wadi Rum, the most beautiful desert of Jordan, only on a Jeep tour, but there are some beautiful, if hard to find treks. Since my shoes were soaked from a rainy morning in Amman, I decided to go for a walk in my flip-flops, but they broke on the way and I ended up scrambling over these rocks barefoot!

Hiking in Wadi Rum, Jordan

In Galle, the heritage of the British Empire is clearly visible: Every building in the old town is white, built in a colonial style and very different from the surrounding, busy modern city.

Colonial buildings in Galle, Sri Lanka

The tracks to the top of Ella Rock in Sri Lanka are hard to find, but equipped with a good map on my phone and recommendations for the best route by travellers I had met earlier on my trip, I managed to find my way in the dark and enjoyed a beautiful sunrise.

Sunrise at Ella Rock, Sri Lanka

The slow but incredibly beautiful train ride from Kandy to the highlands in Ella is now a well-known tourist attractions. The price of a local train ticket continues to be very affordable in economy class, so the crowded wagons are a fun mix of Sri Lankans and tourists.

Train Ride in Sri Lanka

Sigiriya is one of the few places in Sri Lanka that are overcrowded with tourists, despite the hefty entrance fee. I went early in the morning and had about two hours to climb the rock and enjoy the stunning view from the top of the rock with relatively few people around. On the way down, I passed by hundreds of tourists.

Sigiriya,  Sri Lanka

Sigiriya is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Sri Lanka, but in the early morning, the amount of tourists is still low. The top of the "lion rock" features the impressive ruins of an ancient palace.

Morning Lights at Sigiriya Rock, Sri Lanka

After a long day travelling from Anuradhapura to Sigiriya with stops at the temples of Mihintale and the caves paintings of Dambulla, I had little time left to make it up Pidurangala rock for sunset. Having arrived at my hostel, I was looking for a bicycle to get to the start of the hike, and some amazing Sri Lankans lent me their bike and I made it up just in time. When I returned the bike, they didn't want any money and even invited me for dinner. Sri Lankan people are awesome!

View from Pidurangala, Sri. Lanka

Anuradhapura is Sri Lanka's temple capital: Not only is Anuradhapura famous for the temple ruins of the ancient city, but is also home to many more modern temples located closer to modern Anuradhapura. I was lucky to be visiting Sri Lanka on full moon day, which is a public holiday in Sri Lanka. It was fascinating to watch how thousands of Sri Lankan Buddhists dressed in white gathered around the temples.

Stupa in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

On my way from Vientiane, the sleepy capital of Laos, to the border crossing to Thailand, the Buddha Park was a stop that I enjoyed a lot. This sculpture park was started by the priest Luang Pu in the 1950s; he later opened a similar park across the Mekong river on the Thai side of the border after fleeing from the communist revolution in Laos.

Statues in Buddha Park, Laos

This is another photo from Buddha Park; The statues in this place made for some great photos.

Faces of Buddha Park

I posted about my visit to Buddha Park near Vientiane, Laos yesterday already, but I also want to share this photo.

Three Faces

Dragon Cave is another beautiful cave on "the loop", the 500 km long route near Thakek in central Laos that is best explored on a motorbike.

Dragon Cave, Laos

For the last three days, I rode a motorbike through the amazing landscapes east of Thakek in central Laos. The road known as "the loop" passes by several impressive limestone caves. In this part of Laos there are no tour buses, only a few independent travellers on motorbikes; Contrary to many places in Southeast Asia that are overrun by tourists, I was able to explore these caves with rarely anyone else around.

Xieng Liap Cave, Laos

After four exchausting and amazing days on the motorbike in the Bolaven Plateu last week, I visited two of the 4000 islands that are located in the South of Laos in the Mekong River and are a great place to relax. I am a bit proud of myself that I actually managed to get some work done in this chilled and hot place; To reward myself, I rented a bicycle in the afternoon and explored Don Khon island where I found this beautiful waterfall just before sunset.

Don Khon Waterfall, Laos

I have posted photos from Tad Lo waterfall in Laos before, one of my all-time favourite waterfalls. I visited this beautiful place twice during golden hour and went crazy with long-exposures!

Tad Lo Waterfall, Laos

The Bolaven Plateau in Southern Laos boasts with beautiful waterfalls, but Tad Lo waterfall beats them all in beauty. I spent the night in a homestay in the village Tad Lo and got some great golden hour shots of the waterfall.

Tad Lo, Laos

The road between Danang and Hue in Vietnam across the Hai Van pass is known as one of the most beautiful routes in Asia. Several agencies offer one-way motorbike rentals including luggage transport, a great option with scenic views like this one!

Lang Co, Vietnam

Believe it or not, but I enjoy this beautiful view directly at my hostel in Ninh Binh. The karst landscape around this town in northern Vietnam is out of this world!

Hostel View in Ninh Binh, Vietnam

When I visited Ha Long Bay, I feared hords of tourists and cruise ships, but I was positively surprised: Apart from a few great backpackers in the hostel, there were few tourists around and I had a great time on Cat Ba Island and Ha Long Bay.

Monkey Island, Vietnam

Having spent the past 7 months in Buddhist countries, the temples that fascinated me in the beginning of my trip have become less exciting, but I still love visiting temples and discovering photogenic details such as these dragon heads in a temple in Hanoi.

Dragon heads in Vietnamese Temple

I lived in Taipei for five months, but it was only in the last week of my time in Taiwan that I visited the South of the country. Kaohsiung, the largest city in the South, hides beautiful temples, scenic views and stunning art installations behind its gray facade.

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