Travel Photography Blog by Nisa Maier and Ulli Maier. » Boat

Amsterdam Pride Parade 2014 – What A Festival!

Nisa — Wed, 06 Aug 2014 09:41:22 +0000

I finally got around to look at all the photos I took during my visit to Amsterdam last week. About 65 % of all photos are from this years Pride Parade, which was definitely my highlight.

The parade started out with two boats carrying white-dressed colleagues of AIDS campaigners who were killed in the MH17 crash in Ukraine marked the start to the gay parade. Signs reading “Remembering our colleagues on MH17″ and music made this a very emotional start into an otherwise flamboyant party. 80 boats, thousands of spectators along the canals, brilliant costumes and vibrant sounds.

Members of the Aids Fonds organisation pay tribute to the victims of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 at the start of the Amsterdam Canal Parade.

It was my third pride parade this year (after Auckland & Vienna) but I’ve never felt the kind of spirit & energy as I have in Amsterdam. The entire city went along. Hotels & restaurants advertised the parade, rainbow flags hung from several apartment buildings and posters & flags were hung up everywhere. Amsterdam is such an open and tolerant city and I love that!

80 boats started from Westerkerk church down the Prinsengracht.

Westerkerk Church was covered in a rainbow flag during the Pride Parade. Something you unfortunately don’t see very often, but in Amsterdam EVERYONE goes along – also the church.

The Amsterdam Pride Parade is one of the best and most fun prides in the world.

The Amsterdam Pride Parade is fun for everyone – gay and non-gay.

About 500.000 people from around the world attended the multicoloured beats-fuelled Pride Parade in historically tolerant Amsterdam.

The Amsterdam Pride Parade shows people celebrate equality & freedom together.

Even the planes diverted their route to fly over the Amsterdam Canal Parade.

Pride Parades are held all across the globe, but Amsterdam is the only city that has the parade on boats.

Amsterdam’s reputation of being the “gay capital of the world” is severely tested as thousands of people flood the city.

Moroccan and Jewish boats debut at this years Amsterdam Pride Parade.

After King’s Day, the Amsterdam Pride Parade is the biggest event in Amsterdam.

The Netherlands was the first country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage in 2001. Another reason, why it is such a popular destination for LGBT visitors.

Amsterdammers decorate their own boats along the Gracht to celebrate the Amsterdam Pride Parade.

Large companies such as Absolute Vodka or Google have started to sponsor the Pride Parade by joining the parade on their own boat.

Nowhere in the world you will find so many gay-friendly attractions per square metre as in the city centre of Amsterdam.

The Amsterdam Pride Parade tends to have a more profound meaning than just party. Every year boats from a more “controversial” background – like the police or military for example.

Amsterdam could be considered the birthplace of LGBT rights. Homosexuality was decriminalized here in 1811.

The party crowd didn’t let a little rain get in the way of celebrating the 19th annual Amsterdam Pride Parade.

“Live and let live” is one of the city’s favourite sayings.

The Amsterdam Pride Parade was my personal highlight during my 4-day visit.

The Daily Chaos At Sadarghat Port In Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Nisa — Thu, 10 Jul 2014 13:21:26 +0000

Today we took a cycle Rickshaw to Sadarghat port. There we hired one of the boats for a “cruise” along the Buriganga river…

The minute we arrived, we were surrounded by ferrymen who were all eager to row us up and down the river in one of the the many Sampan ferries – the small wooden boats, powered and steered by one person. They wait in a cue to pick up passengers. Watching & documenting the daily life at this very busy port has already fascinated us during our visit in 2012 and we were eager to experience it all over again.

Once we settled the price (roughly 150 Taka per hour – excluding tips), the journey took its course. Rush hour in the Dhaka mean that thousands of people have to cross the busy waters of the Buriganga river. It’s said that this is one of the most dangerous waterways on Earth … and most dangerous for the ferrymen.

These men are really talented and fast with their boats; they navigate them like the cycle Rickshaw drivers maneuver their through the chaotic traffic in the city. It’s hard physical work too with temperatures of up to 40° Celsius (and very often the ferrymen are over 70 years old). Very impressive! It’s not a comfortable ride tough, because you have to sit cross-legged on the wooden boat deck, so cramps are a certain factor if you’re not used to sit in such a position (and of course this was the case for us).

Traffic along the Buriganga river is most common and happening at almost any given hour of the day: big boats and small boats filled with all sorts of different goods make their way up or down the river stream, launches (this is what ferries are called in Bangladesh) come and go, cargo-ships that need a repair job are parked along the waterway…all is normal here at Sadarghat port. As you can imagine with all these boats, several movements of these ferrymen are clearly not for the faint-hearted, but somehow it works out most of the times. Still, every day one or two boats capsize. And sometimes people die.

Sadarghat port is an experience itself and a must for every Bangladesh visitor – the daily chaos with all these boats on the river will stay with you for a long time.

The Sampans – the small wooden boats, powered and steered by one oar – are a lifeline in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Over 25.000 people cross the Buriganga river in Dhaka every day…

This ship is stationed in Sadarghat port to get a new paint-job done…

Transporting bricks along the Buriganga river and through Sadarghat port in Dhaka.

The daily chaos at Sadarghat port in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Ferrymen have to push for position in the queue to pick up passengers.

A ferryman taking people across the Buriganga River in his wooden boat.

How We Ended Up On The Andaman Islands.

Ulli — Sat, 17 Aug 2013 07:45:44 +0000

10 days of almost constant rain (no wonder since we trekked through the wettest place on earth during the monsoon season) leaves even the most weather proof traveller a bit tired and longing for a change. So we took out our map of India and the Andaman Islands immediately caught our attention … for several reasons: First, because we’ve never been and second because we always connect islands with white sandy beaches, swaying palm trees and of course bright and sunny days – which is exactly what we needed.

Booking the trip from from Port Blair via Kolkata was a bit challenging from Guwahati. Due to the heavy monsoon in Megahalya the internet connectivity was often interrupted. So we didn’t have the time to check out these islands thoroughly and were on our way faster than expected.

If you have a lot of time and are up for adventure, take the ferry ship from Kolkata to Port Blair, Andaman Islands.

The flight with Indigo was smooth except for the last fifteen minutes; then it got a bit bumpy and the look out of the window showed thick clouds…

Nevertheless, the landing went smoothly and Port Blair greeted us with tiny sun-rays after a heavy thunderstorm. Custom officers picked us out immediately to provide us with this very important special permit – without it, you can’t travel anywhere on the Andaman Islands since police checks are very common.

The main street in Port Blair, Andaman Islands.

After checking into Aashiana Residency guest house, we immediately walked to the jetty nearby to get tickets for the next day to Long Island. Booking the tickets for the ferry was a bit time consuming all over the Andaman Islands. As was getting a bus ticket. Try to bring several passport and visa copies, plus some copies of the special permit because authorities and hotels will ask for it on every occasion. If you’re female, insist on a “lady-line” – even if there doesn’t seem to be one. This will at least reduce your waiting time. So after a bit of a hassle (which is normal all over India), we finally got our tickets.

Our ferry “Jolly Buoy” waiting in Port Blair’s harbour.

The passenger cabin of the ferry “Jolly Buoy”, Andaman Islands.

Transport & Hotels in General.

There are some rather basic hotels in some of the towns, as well as some bus companies, that wont take on a foreigner. This is because these businesses don’t have the licence to take on foreign nationals. We didn’t know that at first and got the explanation only after it happened the second time. It’s not a real problem, but you should just calculate a little more time to find the right company to continue your trip. It’s better not to be in a hurry…

Overall, transport possibilities on the Andaman Islands are excellent; ferries, buses and private Jeeps are available at all arrival points, so if you step off a ferry, a waiting taxi or a bus is almost always available. The only bus that needs to be pre-booked in any case is the bus from Port Blair to Diglipur, because there is no regular bus connection between these two towns. So after the seats are full, there’s no other way to get there by public transport. In major towns like Rangat, Mayabundar and Diglipur, accommodation with some western standard are available … just tell the driver to let you out in front of one of these hotels. Don’t count on any internet connection, and mobile phones reception in many areas … at certain points during our trip here, we felt like time on the Andaman Islands simply stood still. But then again, it does feel pretty nice to be offline for a while as well.

We’ll write about our adventures, experiences and impressions on the Andaman Islands soon, so stay tuned.

If You’re In Varanasi, A Boat Tour On The Ganges River Is A Must.

Nisa — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 15:29:08 +0000

Last summer, we (again) started our long vacation trip in New Delhi before heading to Varanasi and continuing further East. India is one of these countries you just can’t get enough of. Plus of course, you could spend your entire live travelling through it and still not see it all. It was already our second visit to Varanasi – the holiest city in Hinduism, as well as Buddhism and Jainism – and it surly wouldn’t be our last one …

Once in every lifetime an observant Hindu hopes to make a pilgrimage to the holy city of Varanasi. Some come to wash away sickness and sin in the Ganges River. Others bring their dead to be burned. Still others come to live their last days here, for to die and be cremated in Varanasi guarantees eternal release from the cycle of birth and death.

After a few hours of walking upstream to the outskirts of the city, we decided to take a boat and float downstream. A boat ride along the Ganges river is one of the absolute musts when visiting Varanasi. You have to negotiate the price a little bit because boats are in high demand and many tourists spoil the rates. One boatman offered us a very good price immediately and as it turned out, he had to bring his mother to the doctor at the other side of the town anyway. Good for him and good for us :)

He really knew every building and had a very good knowledge about all the gossip happening in Varanasi. Many owners of the huge buildings along the river live somewhere else in more fashionable areas because for them, the city too busy and too old-fashioned. They rent out their fortresses and only come occasionally to collect the money.

Many of the buildings are (sort of) retirement homes for people who come to Varanasi for their final time because a seat in heaven is guaranteed if you die here. What’s really fascinating is that even though death is part of the daily routine for all the people here, it’s still a place of hope and colours. Especially the colours of the buildings along the ghats are eye dropping.

All in all, Varanasi truly is a fantastic place with lots of amazing photo opportunities, friendly people and yummy food. It’s one of these cities every traveller should visit at least once in a lifetime.

A boat ride along the Ganges river in Varanasi is an absolute must for any visitor!

You can start your boat ride anywhere along the Ghats.

The view of the Varanasi skyline is breathtaking – especially from a boat.

Drying and washing of clothes happens all along the Ghats in Varanasi.

The view of the Varanasi skyline is breathtaking – especially from a boat.

Thousands of people bathe in the Ganges holy water every day.

The view of Varanasi from a boat ride on the Ganges river.

The Things You’ll See Near The Ganges River In Varanasi, India.

Nisa — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:49:32 +0000

Varanasi (also knows as the “holy city of India”) is a fantastic place! The atmosphere of this city is one of a kind and there are so many reasons for that. For example it’s the city where Buddhism was founded and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. What fascinated us about it, was that there is simply so much to see (far too much for one visit); especially if you’re near the famous Ganges river.

Most of the Varanasi ghats were built after 1700 AD. Many ghats are associated with legends or mythologies while many others are also privately owned. Morning boat ride on the Ganges across the ghats is a popular visitors attraction.

There are two main burning Ghats in Varanasi. Manikarnika Ghat can be seen here, which is also the largest one.

The water of the Ganges is considered holy and people from all over Indi take some of the water with them once they travel home.

Boats are essential in Varanasi and are a great way of transport to explore the city.

As they wash their clothes, human ashes are dumped into the water just meters away. Today the Ganges river is among the world’s most polluted.

The city of Varanasi has nearly 100 ghats. Most of them are bathing and ceremony ghats, while a few are used exclusively as cremation sites, like the one you can see in the above image.

Several places sacred to Hindus lie along the banks of the Ganges, including Gangotri, Haridwar, Allahabad and also Varanasi. Therefore people from across the country come to the city every day.

Untreated sewage is a source of river pollution all across India. City municipal waste and untreated sewage is the largest source of pollution of Ganges river near the Ghats in Varanasi.

Buffaloes also take a dip in the holy Ganges.

Beach Paradise Sumatra.

Nisa — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 08:05:50 +0000

Ok, it’s Monday morning and I (maybe you too) need something to cheer me up. So I thought I’d post a couple of amazing beach paradise photos from Indonesia.

Just off the coast of Sumatra lie thousands of beautiful (pretty much uninhabited) islands. We’ve been here many times before (first time when I was just 9 years old). Why? Well, check out the photos below; they pretty much speak for themselves anyway…

Caution: Wanderlust danger!

Sumatra offers many islands for which “Beach Paradise” is the only right wording.

Cubadak island is one of the beach paradise island off the West coast of Sumatra.

Island hopping by boat is just one of the things you can do in West Sumatra.

Beach paradises can be found all over Indonesia. And Sumnatra is definitely a great place for a real beach holiday.

Double rainbows are nothing out of the ordinary in West Sumatra.

Also the beaches on the mainland of Sumatra are not to be underestimated. Here you can see fishermen pulling in the catch of the day at Bungus beach.

We’ve seen many many amazing beaches during our years of travelling but Sumatra’s coast (plus the Mentawai Islands) truly is one of the best places for a beach adventure.

The islands off the coast of West Sumatra are often hit with meter-high waves.

Walking along the beautiful beaches in Sumatra can is something well-worth to remember.

…on which you can play “Robinson Crusoe”.

Walking around the island is no problem…all you need is time.