We travelled all around Iceland on the Ring Road with several detours, starting in Reykjavík, and then through the southern, eastern, northern, central, and south-western regions. Stephen Markley, American author of Tales of Iceland, summed up his experience of travelling through Iceland by writing: “The problem with driving around Iceland is that you’re basically confronted by a new soul-enriching, breath-taking, life-affirming natural sight every five minutes. It’s totally exhausting.” I could not have said it any better! Iceland is unique. Truly unique. A place that [MORE...]
By Marion Halliday –Bizarrely shaped trees lift their twisted fingers against the perfect, vivid blue dome of the sky. Semi-submerged crocodiles snooze in the sun on sandbanks and gravel bars beneath towering cliffs. Unusual beehive-shaped formations bedded in ancient Precambrian rock dot the landscape, and fragments of a Devonian reef, once the ocean floor, rise from plains and riverbanks. The waters of a massive lake stretch almost to infinity, scattered with islands formed by the peaks of a drowned mountain range. In the subterranean depths of a sunken waterhole, goannas laze on the [MORE...]
Thailand has numerous festivals throughout the year. One of the most colourful and extreme is the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, also known as the “Vegetarian Festival”, which takes place in September or October. While this festival is celebrated across the country, including Bangkok, it is most elaborate on the island of Phuket, especially in and around the Old Town. Legend has it that the Nine Emperor Gods Festival originated in 1825 in the Kathu District of Phuket at a time when tin mines were flourishing. A mass influx of Chinese miners, mainly Hokkien-speaking Hoklo people from the [MORE...]
Archaeologists and anthropologists generally agree that the world’s great civilisations originated from small villages with minimalist lifestyles. This is especially true in Iran, where today’s villages are excellent examples of what people were capable of creating centuries ago. Many of the country’s villages have a history that goes back hundreds of years, though in some it seems as if time has stood still. Nowadays, these villages offer us a glimpse into the knowledge, culture, art and architecture of civilisations from a bygone era. They provide the opportunity to experience [MORE...]
Lake Ohrid sprawls out between the mountainous south-western part of North Macedonia and eastern Albania. Located in the Lake Ohrid Basin, to the south-west lies Lake Macro Prespa, the smaller Lake Micro Prespa, and Greece. As one of the deepest lakes in Europe and the deepest in the Balkans, it is known as one of the most diverse ancient lakes in the world in terms of its unique aquatic ecosystem and more than 200 endemic species, including a number of relict species or “living fossils”. No less than 10 of the lake’s 17 identified fish species are endemic, including the coveted and now [MORE...]
MEET THE PHOTOGRAPHER: Pongtharin Tanthasindhu. Also known as Pong, GlobeRovers Magazine talks with him about his photography and a recent journey he made to photograph the Yanomami people in the Venezuelan state of Amazonas. He is a fearless intrepid traveller and passionate photographer. Pong was born in Thailand but grew up in India, Canada and Switzerland. In 2010, he decided to take a gap year from university to explore the world. Since then he has explored and photographed over 180 countries. ALL PHOTOS BY PONG READ THE FULL ARTICLE IN GlobeRovers Magazine December 2021 THIS ARTICLE [MORE...]
Words by Steve Kennedy & Photography by Peter Steyn — Lying deep behind where the former Iron Curtain once cast its oppressive shadow, the city of Vilnius probably remains the least visited capital city of any of the Baltic countries. Yet, slowly, it is starting to appear more and more on the itineraries of intrepid travellers. What a city full of surprises it is! With a chequered past, it is probably one of the last places you’d expect to find such a cosmopolitan mix of Soviet and religious history alongside a brimming artistic cauldron of life and culture. Located in south-eastern [MORE...]
Finding gorgeous beaches on Thailand’s many islands is easy. But finding the most idyllic, tranquil, and unspoiled beaches where you can wander alone and swim in crystal clear turquoise waters, is becoming more challenging. We searched many of Thailand’s islands to find beaches to satisfy even the most discerning intrepid beach lovers. These beaches have their good and bad times of the year—so visit during the right season, and at the right time of the day, and you will be in paradise! READ THE FULL ARTICLE IN GlobeRovers Magazine July 2021 THIS ARTICLE CONTINUES ONLINE IN GlobeRovers [MORE...]
Villa de San Francisco de Quito, better known as Quito, is the capital of the Republic of Ecuador, a country in north-western South America. Ecuador is one of the most environmentally diverse countries in the world and includes the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean, large sections of the Amazon rainforest known as Ecuador’s El Oriente, and parts of the mighty Andes Mountains ranging here in height from 1,500 metres (4,921 ft) to 6,310 metres (20,701 ft). When the Spaniards colonised the land they called it El Ecuador, or “The Equator”, a fitting name as the country lies smack on [MORE...]
Words by Keith Lyons & Photography by Peter Steyn — Sichuan Province in China’s south-west is isolated from the rest of the Middle Kingdom by mountain ranges, with the fertile and densely-populated Red Basin providing something distinctly different for the intrepid traveller. Sichuan’s long history and culture are evoked in teahouses, temples and lantern-lit streets found around easy-going Chengdu, Sichuan’s capital and home to China’s unique spicy cuisine and another national treasure: giant pandas. A serene Buddha statue carved into a cliff face is close enough to Chengdu for [MORE...]
