Festivities
Store openings are celebrated with fanfare and colourful decorations.
As soon as the festivities have ended, off go the rented ornaments to the next new establishment.
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Mesmerizing
Mesmeric
Neon reflections on Guihu lake in Guilin.
Its a light show we never tired of watching.
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Market
Bazaar
At the market whole pigs were laid out for sale while chickens were brought in for slaughter.
Some products we recognized but others, forget it!
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Tianfu square
Amiable
Chengdu has more than 14 million inhabitants, but you wouldn’t realize that while strolling through Tianfu Square.
The atmosphere is relaxed, with people coming to watch the light show and chat with friends.
Another Chengdu impression:
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Neon
Hypnotic
After too much climbing – we lay comatose on our hotel bed.
Through the window, we stared at the neon sign on the other side of the street.
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Main street
Main street
The real India can be found in its villages, rich with all of their countless activities.
On Badami’s main street, preparations were beginning for the Diwali festival.
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Enthusiasm
Enthusiasm
Schools out for the day. And if you chance upon a foreign cyclist, why not stop them?
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Kyzyl-Aart Pass
Stunning
The landscape heading up from Sary Tash is spectacular, with its multi-colored mountains and thick snow packs.
But its not a place you want to linger since multi-day storms regularly pass through…
Another Kyzyl Aart impression:
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Murgab market
Bazaar
Murgab market first appeared bleak and deserted.
Then the shops, built from refurbished shipping containers, opened.
Out spilled bright colored clothes, Chinese plastic, and fruits from Osh, Kyrgyzstan.
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Karakul town
Melancholy
Where is everybody?
An eerie silence pervaded the place as we wandered Karakul’s dusty streets.
The town used to be an important military base. Nowadays the local youth have left to find work in Osh, Kyrgyzstan.
Another Karakul impression:
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Descent
Far-off
The landscape is so vast that even when we saw the town of Karakul in the distance, it took us the whole day to reach it.
Another Karakul impression:
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Pamir Landscape
Vast
Vast, enormous, immense, are just some of the adjectives used to describe the scenery.
To truly appreciate it, you have to pedal it yourself.
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Bus station
Lively
We were mobbed at the bus station. Everybody wanted to help us buy tickets to Medan.
Yet nobody knew when, where or even if a bus would be leaving in that direction.
Another Bukkittingi impression:
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Harangaol market
Market
Every Friday villagers from around the lake sail to Haranggaol for the weekly market.
After a day of shopping, they return with food, beer, and the latest news.
As for us, we were able to catch a lift to Samosir Island.
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Chess in Sumatra
Chess
The ‘Kasparov’ chess computer was to be ‘put to the test’.
Chess masters were summoned to the local café for the match.
The final result; ‘Kasparov’ was defeated in just under 2 minutes.
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