Ivana
100 000 steps challenge
The accidental attempt While hiking in Mongolia, in the Sukhbaatar region, I reached an (unplanned) total of 80 000 steps in one day. I just kept walking during the day in order to see the planned stuff, and the fitbit...
Interesting tidbits, observations and impressions from the trip to Namibia
As always, I had the honor of meeting a bunch of locals, despite my plan to drag myself along some insane gorgeous chunk of nature’s oddity alone with my thoughts. The words cannot describe how good and comfortable I felt...
Walk from Walvis bay to Swakopmund
Last but far from the least – the sweet treat The walk between two cities on the Atlantic coast – Walvis bay and Swakopmund – was the last proper strenuous activity in Namibia. Certainly, not the least; it really rounded...
The Dune 7 hike & climb
Walking challenges are something I do organically and I do not even perceive them as challenges anymore – I am so comfortable doing them that I just need to arrange and adjust the circumstances and go outside. The hike to...
Returning to Windhoek and going to Walvis bay
The ride back to Windhoek was interesting. The flood which stopped us on our way to Sossusvlei was only a small part of several days chained by seriously heavy rain which brought floods on the roads. As always, I was...
The hill, the red, and the sundowner
My favorite part of the preparation for daily activities is getting a decent amount of sleep beforehand. Sounds dull but it provides the base for intense activities during the next day, which are in my case quite packed and made...
Icebergs & dunes
I have had the opportunity to travel quite a lot and I was able to visit some visually extremely pleasing places. In my mind, nature always has the extra kick for a full blown favoritism; visiting cities to admire the...
Namibian fauna
While carving the namibian itinerary I intentionally avoided any sort of animal safaris; I wanted to focus on the physical challenges and endurance tests, and I intend to come back here with my child so we can explore such animal...
Sossusvlei, Dune 45 and Big Daddy experience – visiting the core of the Namib desert
There are no words known to humanity which can be used to describe the magnificence of icebergs and sand dunes. Looking at the majestic shapes of such extreme almost alive entities really leaves you in awe. The day I visited...
Reaching the Namib desert lodge
My first contact with the Namib desert was while traveling from Windhoek in order to reach the lodge in Hardap region near Solitaire, one of the base camps for activities in this region, which lies deep within one of the...
Dressing up for the desert
My favorite dress code, which easily topples every single possible occasion I can put some sort of specific clothes on, is the one for the Arctic circle. Dressing up for the Arctic I enjoy wearing all these layers as I...
The oldest desert in the world
One of the crucial moments which made me choose Namibia as a destination for my solo trip was realizing that by entering the Namib desert I would be visiting the world’s oldest desert. This is a very special place –...
Why Namibia?
When? Most of those who desire to visit african countries – including and especially Namibia – are guided by the animal activity, as the safaris are extremely popular with the tourists and offer some of the truly once in the...
Preparations for the trip to Namibia
Being someone who does not shy away from the colder regions, and basically thrives in such conditions, I surprised even myself with this one. It was the time to see the african continent. I have been listening for ages about...
From the Arctic to Namibia
This was the thought train which choo-chooed me to Namibia. Ice. I love ice. Greenland. Google: “list countries least population density” Results: Greenland. Mongolia. Iceland. Namibia. (…) :noticing a pattern: (Bonus – Svalbard. Not a country, but still…) (Hoped to...
Solo traveling tips – some questions you need to ask yourself before visiting a foreign place all by yourself
Solo <3 Solo traveling is fun. Way more fun I would ever assume before I tried doing that. You have the full freedom of enjoying a place on your own terms: deciding where, when, by what means, how, doing what.....
Impressions?
“Mom, where are we going to?” “Wherever we set our minds to.” Wise people say that in order to have a true confirmation that you lived a fulfilled and successful life you need to impress only two people: your eight-year-old...
Mongolia – a short summary of activities
I had a lovely time in Mongolia in early spring of 2024. Mongolia is a cultural wonder, rich in history and related experiences, even though my focus was doing nature related activities, mostly by hiking. After landing in Mongolia I...
Train ride from Ulaanbaatar to Sukhbaatar (and back)
Mongolia can be roughly divided into three major parts based on its climate and vegetation type – the desert (Gobi), the steppe (Mongolian-Manchurian grassland) and the forest part (Siberia). This trip was supposed to cover all of them, as I...
From Ulaanbaatar to Sainshand by train
Trains in Mongolia I am particularly looking forward to explaining where I went by train during my stay in Mongolia. Ages before the flight to Mongolia I started researching the train lines from Ulaanbaatar, prices, distances etc., as I wanted...
Across the mongolian steppe to Elsen tasarkhai sand dunes
Frozen landscapes I am extremely oriented towards “bad weather”. I love it when it’s cold and gloomy, as it makes the scenery even prettier compared to the one glowing under sunlight. That “bad weather” fits particularly with the vast and...
“If you drink their water, respect their customs”
I’ve seen a lot of sights and traveled many miles Shook a thousand hands and seen my share of smiles I’ve caused some great concern and told one too many lies And now I see the world through these sad,...
The eagle flies alone
When I travel alone, I truly try to plan, organize and execute those plans in a way that I am able to do them all by myself, as much as the circumstances allow me. Not needing any external assistance makes...
баярлалаа
Walking it off Despite the jet lag which was beating me up severely and was not allowing me almost any sleep during the night, the list for the second day in Ulaanbaatar was full of action and incredibly up-until-then distant...