Monthly Archives: October 2025

Today marks the start of my 50-hour (addendum from the 22nd: no, only 38.5 hours!) train journey, so I can’t continue uploading until I’m back in Urumqi (October 22nd). At 10:00 a.m., Han started her free guided tour for Charlotte … Continue reading →

At breakfast, I heard the Austrian dialect for the first time since Yunnan, and in this case, it reminded me of everything I DON’T miss about Austria… The food was 50% Chinese-Western (I myself chose to 90% Chinese), and the … Continue reading →

Let’s say I fled from Hosam to the lounge yesterday, but he promised to follow me after I showered, and he did. A Mexican professor was also there, and she was desperate because she couldn’t do anything on her laptop, … Continue reading →

Hosam wanted to exchange money, and since Zotter didn’t open until 11:00, I had time to accompany him. A bank we’d seen on various maps didn’t exist, and even the locals didn’t know it. The Bank of Shanghai was still … Continue reading →

The night was short, although it had started promisingly, as I was alone in the room until midnight. But then, between midnight and 1:30 a.m., the door opened several times, sometimes for no apparent reason, sometimes it seemed as if … Continue reading →

Han, Peter, and I started at a pagoda on West Lake and my struggles what to tell here and what to skip also start here, because both of them could tell so much about the historical and cultural background that … Continue reading →

“This time” I woke up early 😉. Ben’s magic file had worked again yesterday after the hotel receptionist helped me with (better?) internet access. At least the procedure was different than in the room. So I could continue looking for … Continue reading →

Some worries woke me up at 5:30 and they had been confirmed in the next 2 hours. Yesterday, I received an email from Kazakhstan Railways stating that my ticket number 58739575 was invalid due to late payment. I could exchange … Continue reading →

You wake up quickly when you can’t sleep well anyway. So, I went where the emperor goes on foot (at least in the Austrian saying), and it blew hot and cold on me, in every sense of the word. A … Continue reading →

Another strange night, as the room became full. In the morning, I chatted briefly with a Canadian cyclist who was planning to circumnavigate Taiwan. Then I spent a while busy with my booking and planning tasks before heading to a … Continue reading →