Realm of Hainan Noodles
Upon stepping on the island, you quickly realize that you have entered the realm of Hainan Rice Noodles, Hǎinán fěn 海南粉. Throw a handful of rice noodles into a bowl, add an assortment of toppings – such as fried peanuts, pieces of meat, chopped scallion, …
Dongshan Ridge 东山岭
I scrambled onto one of the many large boulders tucked on the jungle-overgrown slope to use it as a vantage point. While scoping the hills, I heard some bleats and saw movement in the bushes below me: silhouettes of a goat or two. I quickly …
Hainan: tea vs coffee
China is an empire of tea. You normally don’t associate her with coffee, unlike the neighboring Vietnam. Yet, tucked nearby where these two countries border on the South China Sea, is an island where both Camellia leaves and Coffea beans play a culture-forming role: Hainan. …
Dongjiao Coconut Grove
Sit back and scroll through the photographs I took in the Dongjiao Coconut Grove Scenic Area 东郊椰林风景区 in Weichang on Hainan Island. I explored the grove on a bicycle borrowed from the hostel I was staying in. It turned out to be a great idea. …
Sanya’s Farmers Market
Hainan is blessed with fertile soil bathed in tropical sunbeams and surrounded by generous waters that teem with life. I traveled all around the island, but no other place proved to give the justice to the diveristy of its produce as much as this one. …
Basic Georgian (food).
A tiny country wedged between mighty mountain ranges, neither Asian nor European, so close and yet so far from both Russia and the Middle East, Georgia is a unique place. Georgians speak a language that is not known to be related to any other. It …
The art of peanut oil
From peanut to oil. Take a look at how it is done in a small workshop in Yáchéng town 崖城镇 (ancient Yázhōu 崖州古城) on Hainan Island. …
Bishkek’s Osh Bazaar
Osh Bazaar is one of the most interesting produce markets in the Kyrgyz capital city of Bishkek. Sit back and let this photo gallery teleport you there. …
Dried yogurt? Yes of kurt!
Take a look at my pictures of these hard lumps of dried yogurt. Take a look at my pictures of these hard lumps of dried yogurt. You will find similar products everywhere between Inner Asia and the Middle East by names such as kurt (Kazakh), …
Sayram: of saints and samsas
On the surface it’s an unassuming dusty little town, but Sayram (Сайрам) is known over Kazakhstan and Central Asia for being the resting place of many holy men and called “a city of countless saints” («Сайрамда бар сансыз баб»). While researching the things worth seeing …
