Selected
JOURNEYS
"Travelling - it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller",
by Ibn Battuta.
Our journeys are bold and ambitious, and perhaps the flagship of this homepage.
Although we are also trekking and island nerds, our journeys are sorts of trailblazing travel expeditions which are unique, challenging and adventurous, and thus they epitomize our spirit within adventure.
Often, the regions, countries and places we visit during our journeys take on an exotic quality. What matters is to get away from the established routes and seek something that little bit more special and authentic. Often, we might have to overcome a bit of hardship and logistical challenges since our journeys most often don’t run smoothly. This is all part of the fun.
In our view, a journey is something you would recommend to others. To us, what really matters, is to get away from the established routes and seek something that little bit more special and authentic. We are not talking about the ultimate expedition, but to move away from the familiar, out of the comfort zone, where everyday situations and events take on an exotic quality.
Selected
JOURNEYS
"Travelling - it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller",
by Ibn Battuta.
Our journeys are bold and ambitious, and perhaps the flagship of this homepage.
Although we are also trekking and island nerds, our journeys are sorts of trailblazing travel expeditions which are unique, challenging and adventurous, and thus they epitomize our spirit within adventure.
Often, the regions, countries and places we visit during our journeys take on an exotic quality. What matters is to get away from the established routes and seek something that little bit more special and authentic. Often, we might have to overcome a bit of hardship and logistical challenges since our journeys most often don’t run smoothly. This is all part of the fun.
In our view, a journey is something you would recommend to others. To us, what really matters, is to get away from the established routes and seek something that little bit more special and authentic. We are not talking about the ultimate expedition, but to move away from the familiar, out of the comfort zone, where everyday situations and events take on an exotic quality.
Selected
JOURNEYS
"Travelling - it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller",
by Ibn Battuta.
Our journeys are bold and ambitious, and perhaps the flagship of this homepage.
Although we are also trekking and island nerds, our journeys are sorts of trailblazing travel expeditions which are unique, challenging and adventurous, and thus they epitomize our spirit within adventure.
Often, the regions, countries and places we visit during our journeys take on an exotic quality. What matters is to get away from the established routes and seek something that little bit more special and authentic. Often, we might have to overcome a bit of hardship and logistical challenges since our journeys most often don’t run smoothly. This is all part of the fun.
In our view, a journey is something you would recommend to others. To us, what really matters, is to get away from the established routes and seek something that little bit more special and authentic. We are not talking about the ultimate expedition, but to move away from the familiar, out of the comfort zone, where everyday situations and events take on an exotic quality.
Selected
JOURNEYS
"Travelling - it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller",
by Ibn Battuta.
Our journeys are bold and ambitious, and perhaps the flagship of this homepage.
Although we are also trekking and island nerds, our journeys are sorts of trailblazing travel expeditions which are unique, challenging and adventurous, and thus they epitomize our spirit within adventure.
Often, the regions, countries and places we visit during our journeys take on an exotic quality. What matters is to get away from the established routes and seek something that little bit more special and authentic. Often, we might have to overcome a bit of hardship and logistical challenges since our journeys most often don’t run smoothly. This is all part of the fun.
In our view, a journey is something you would recommend to others. To us, what really matters, is to get away from the established routes and seek something that little bit more special and authentic. We are not talking about the ultimate expedition, but to move away from the familiar, out of the comfort zone, where everyday situations and events take on an exotic quality.
Selected
JOURNEYS
"Travelling - it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller",
by Ibn Battuta.
Our journeys are bold and ambitious, and perhaps the flagship of this homepage.
Although we are also trekking and island nerds, our journeys are sorts of trailblazing travel expeditions which are unique, challenging and adventurous, and thus they epitomize our spirit within adventure.
Often, the regions, countries and places we visit during our journeys take on an exotic quality. What matters is to get away from the established routes and seek something that little bit more special and authentic. Often, we might have to overcome a bit of hardship and logistical challenges since our journeys most often don’t run smoothly. This is all part of the fun.
In our view, a journey is something you would recommend to others. To us, what really matters, is to get away from the established routes and seek something that little bit more special and authentic. We are not talking about the ultimate expedition, but to move away from the familiar, out of the comfort zone, where everyday situations and events take on an exotic quality.
From Europe to the Himalayas along
THE HIPPY TRAIL
Part II
From Europe to the Himalayas along
THE HIPPY TRAIL
Part II
From Europe to the Himalayas along
THE HIPPY TRAIL
Part III
From Europe to the Himalayas along
THE HIPPY TRAIL
Part III
TravelTwins.dk
Exploring the less beaten paths of the world
- look, read, dream, travel!
Into the remote Kingdoms of the
EAST HIMALAYAS
The last true illusion of Shangri La?
A 4x4 expedition took us across some of
the most mythic parts of the Himalayas.
Here is a note from one of our travel diaries:
"Today I woke up to the sweet sound of a puja, a three-metre-long ancient Buddhist trumpet, played by a young monk dressed in red, sitting on the terrace of a remote temple deep in the mountains.
Sounding like the song of elephants, the trumpet produced a long, deep, whirring and haunting tone that carried me somewhere beyond the highest Himalayan peaks and, at the same time, back into my mother's womb".
It cvontinues: "As the first rays of the sun softly touched my face, I opened my eyes and saw a massive mountain covered in lush green forests and snow.I then crawled out of my sleeping bag onto the wooden terrace, still wet with dew. Above us stretched a crystal-clear blue sky, monks sat meditating here and there, and in the air I could smell fresh bread being baked over an open fire..."
Welcome to the East Himalayas!
Locations: Bhutan, Sikkim and India's Northern Bengal, during 1 month
We are enormously fascinated by these ancient lands and old kingdoms. They are remote, beautiful and enchanting, probably among the last places on Earth where Mahayana Buddhist culture survives as an integral part of everyday life. We have visited the Himalayas several times, but this particular journey took us through Sikkim and Bhutan.
We started in Darjeeling, a beautifully situated hill station in Northern Bengal, spread like ribbons across a steep mountain ridge and surrounded by emerald-green tea plantations. A backdrop of jagged white Himalayan peaks floating above distant clouds can be seen from almost everywhere in town, and in clear weather we could see both Khangchendzonga and Mt. Everest. In the narrow streets, we encountered a fascinating mix of Himalayan peoples from Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet. From here, we continued by 4x4 into Sikkim, one of India's smallest states, which was once an independent kingdom. Travelling overland was the only option, as there was no airport in Sikkim at the time. Nestled deep within the folds of the Himalayas, Sikkim is landlocked between Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan. Compared to much of India, it felt like the perfect antidote: few people, little hassle, a clean environment and crisp mountain air.
The culmination of our journey was Bhutan: the Land of the Thunder Dragon, as its name translates. This must surely be one of the most extraordinary, mythical, complex and little-known countries on the planet. We now understand why some Himalayan connoisseurs have described Bhutan as the last true illusion of the Himalayas. In Bhutan, traditional dress is still worn daily; fishing is discouraged by Buddhist beliefs; cigarettes were long heavily restricted; and many aspects of modern life arrived surprisingly late. Bhutan remained largely closed to foreign influence for centuries and only opened its doors to the outside world relatively recently. Since then, the King's policy has been to minimise outside influence while preserving the country's traditional culture and pristine natural environment. It is certainly not a cheap destination. At the time of our visit, we had to pay a visa and tourism fee of around US$200 per person per day to stay in the country. Yet Bhutan remains an extraordinary destination for adventurous travellers willing to pay the price to experience a society deeply shaped by Buddhist values and traditions – while it still remains one of the world's most unique places.
If you simply love the Himalayas and the Indian subcontinent:
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Check out our extremely wild travel along the Karakorum Highway in neighboring Pakistan
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See our mountaineering in the Hunza Valley
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We also did a journey across India and Sri Lanka along the Hippy Trail
Selected pics from this encounter:
(to see all photos, click Show More at the end of the gallery)
After arriving in Shiliguri we arrange a jeep to take us through the Bangla Hills we you can loose yourself in tea plantations and wonderful views. These hills penetrate the West Bengal all the way to Tibet, and the route we take follows the old trade route to Darjeeling.
Darjeeling is a wonderful hill station resort town. It affords spectacular panoramic vistas of the distant snow-clad peaks of the Eastern Himalayas. Accommodation there tends to be remarkable as the imperial legacy of the Raj lives on in buildings and hotels.
The world’s third highest mountain, on the border between Sikkim and Nepal.
In Darjeeling, you will find yourself surrounded by mountain people from all over the eastern Himalaya who have come to work, to trade or, in the case of many Tibetans, as refugees.
Naya Bazaar is on the border with Sikkim. The population of Sikkim is approximately 18% Lepcha, 75% Nepali, and the other 7% are various mountain people from other northern states. It has never been easy to visit Sikkim and even now you need a special permit to enter.
Anders in front of the large 45m Samdruptse Buddha near Namchi.
On the banks of the Rengeet River, Legship is a chaotic and cluttered little village surrounded by wooden hills. It has that wellknown ramshackle appreal. We met this couple in the sacred Shiva temple in Legship.
We stayed in Pelling for a couple of days on this hotel with views towards Kanchenjunga (8.598m). There are some fine hikes in the area surrounding Pelling.
From Pelling you can do the "monestary loop" - which is a splendid hike that circles the Pemayangtse Gompa (Surrounded on two sides by snow-capped mountains), Rabdentse Palace (fine views, too) and Sangachoeling Gompa (magnificient glimpses of many peaks to the north).
This beautiful lake lies in a valley surrounded by prayer flags and forested hills. Nearby, is the ramshackle village of Tsojo. You can continue by foot towards Yuksom and onwards into Nepal to the west.
Definitely one of the best temple complexes in Sikkim and all of the Eastern Himalayas
On the route between Darjeeling and Bhutan. In the monsson season, as in the picture, the streets and hills of many of the mountain villages are enshrouded in mist. But even then the views are magnificient.
On the road between Shiliguri in the West Bengal and Phuentsholing in Bhutan. We had to fix a tyre.
The mighty Paro Rinpung Dzong, sitting amongst paddy fields in the fertile Paro Valley. The Paro valley is one of the most loveliest in Bhutan with whitewashed country houses, green terraced fields, forested hills, willow trees, and the charming small town.
Inside the the vast Kychu Monastry
Although Paro town has seen some modernization you will still see that many shops have a strange latter system that provides an entry though the front window of the shop instead of a door.
Trekking to the most spectacular monastery in Bhutan and – perhaps – in all of the Himalayas. The Taktsang Goemba – or Tiger’s Nest – miraculously perched on the side of a sheer cliff, 900m above the Paro valley floor.
It is believed that the great saint Padma Sambhava, known as the second Buddha in Bhutan, came at Taktsang in the 8th century on a flying tigress and meditated in a cave for 3 months, thereby subduing the demons that were trying to stop the spread of Buddhism.
Gigantic phallic penises are painted at the walls of most houses in Bhutan
mpu is set in a narrow, wooded valley, climbing up the hillside from the Wang Chuu River and dotted with prayer flags fluttering in the wind. Almost all buildings follow the traditional Bhutanese style with large flat roofs, highly decorated wooden balconies, and wall paintings.
Young monks at the Dechenphodrang Monastic School in Thimpu
We also visited the Dechenphodrang Monastic School and got a glimpse of the life of young monks and saw the evening prayers.
At the hill above of the city stands the Trashicchoe Dzong, housing the throne of the King. The highlight is the courtyard of Trashichho Dzong, which houses the Central Secretariat of the Government and the Throne Room of the King as well as the Headquarters of the Central Monk Body.