After 1.450km & 14 Hours Of Driving: You Have Reached Your Final Destination.

Matera is located in a remote corner of southern Italy in the small region Basilicata. It’s not the easiest place to reach and it took 14 hours of driving from Vienna, but because of its remoteness Matera has managed to remain relatively unknown, especially to foreign tourists. Getting there without a car is possible, but nerve wracking. You can fly into Bari, but then you’re pretty much on your own. Still, since it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, visitor numbers have slowly increased. And they will continue to increase even more if you ask me.

From A Lost City To A Culture Capital.

It’s difficult to imagine that not too long ago Matera was known for its poverty. Inside the sassi (Italian for stones), families lived alongside their livestock without electricity, running water or sewage. In such unhygienic conditions, diseases were on the daily menu. In 1952 the government forcibly relocated the approximately 20.000 inhabitants into modern housing in the new town on top of the cliff. Ironically, Sassi di Matera, once the shame of Italy, turned into the fame of Italy. What was an ancient network of subterranean slums has been transformed into a destination unlike any other in Italy and may be Europe’s most dramatic rebirth.

Things To Do In And Around Matera.

• Strolling through Sassi di Matera: Start of at the Church of San Agostino and continue walking along the Via Madonna delle Virtù from where you have an amazing view of Murgia National Park. Once you reach the beautiful Church of St. Pietro Caveoso, be sure to walk back through the old towns center past Matera Cathedral. Around every corner lies another building or view that will leave you breathless.
• Hiking in Murgia National Park: The park is located between the towns of Matera and Montescaglioso and is characterised by a soft limestone, which has played an essential role in the shape of the landscape.
• A visit to the ghost town Craco: Approximately 60km south of Matera lies the town of Craco. It was abandoned due to natural disasters and has since then become a famous tourist destination in the area.
• A day trip to the town Pietrapertosa: Pietrapertosa is a 1 1/2 hour drive (80km) west from Matera, but well worth the trip. This picturesque hilltop town is classed as one of the most beautiful towns in all of Basilicata, and also the highest. It overlooks the stunningly beautiful mountains of the Dolomiti lucane.

Best Place To Stay In Matera.

There are many cave hotels in Sassi di Matera, but Albergo Sextantio Le Grotte Della Civita is definitely the best choice! It was one of the coolest, most unique and luxurious hotels we’ve ever stayed at. A detailed review will follow soon!

This is the view of Sassi di Matera from Church of San Agostino. It’S the most iconic image of the city.

Welcome to the real Flinstones village. The ancient Sassi di Matera is believed to be the oldest continuously inhabited cave city in the world.

Matera Cathedral is located on the highest point of Sassi di Matera and it’s tower is the landmark of the city.

In 2019, Matera will be the host of the European Capital of Culture.

The Sassi district has gone through extensive re-development and hosts some incredible cave hotels, private homes and restaurants, lovingly restored to enhance their original features.

Sassi di Matera features some breathtaking buildings such as the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Today approximately 2.000 people live in Sassi di Matera. Most of the caves are either still abandoned or occupied by little chic restaurants and hotels.

Sassi di Matera is a maze with hidden gems around every corner.

Cappadocia: A World Heritage Dreamland.

Millions of years ago volcanic eruptions shaped these bizarre mushrooms, fairy chimneys and pointed caps out of stone. The landscape of Cappadocia, with houses carved into stone, looks like a different world, a dreamland many say. Even today several people still live in these caves made of lava stone.

Uchisar is the most famous town in Cappadocia. Not only is it the highest point of the region, but also the most striking thanks to it’s natural 60 metre high rock castle. It can be seen from a great distance and is visited by pretty much every tourist who comes to this area. It draws attention and lets you imagine how special and adventurous the area around Uchisar is.

It’s said that the long defense tunnels of towns with citadels (like Uchisar) reached far into the surrounding areas. However, since these tunnels have collapsed in places, the theory can’t be confirmed, but is still a popular myth.

The rock citadel in Ushisar, Cappadocia has many underground rooms and walkways. This, as well as the fantastic view from the hisar are well worth a trip.

The smaller, or rather less famous brother of the rock castle in Ushisar is located in the town Ortahisar, less than 15 driving minutes from there. Of course this town is also marked by the striking rock castle, but several small side alleys and a beautiful main square made this the place to set our base. Hezen Cave Hotel is not only a beautiful and well decorated boutique hotel, but also offers what a hotel in the area should offer: cave rooms. The view of the rock castle from the hotels terraces was truly breathtaking!

Ortahisar means “middle castle,” and as its name implies, it is central among the Cappadocian towns. Still, it stayed more or less on the sidelines despite its central location, which made it perfect for us.

Heven Cave Hotel in Ortahisar has several beautiful terrace to enjoy the stunning view.

Ortahisar is known for its friendly people, picturesque stone houses, narrow streets and lovely churches as well as the castle-like rock formation after which the town is named.

Wander downwards from the main square Ortahisar and you’ll discover cobbled streets framed by stone-house ruins leading out to a gorge of pigeon house–speckled rock.

The Other Kind Of Turkey: Welcome To Fantastica.

Some might have erotic fantasies when driving through Cappadocia, I rather see these stone formations as smoking fairy chimneys, mushrooms or pointed caps. It almost feels like as if garden gnomes dominate the area. Depending from which side you come from, you either start in the Devrent valley or Pasabag Monks valley. Michael Endes Fantastica from the Neverending Story greets you, because your imagination won’t have any boundaries here.

In Cappadocia magic seem real. How could geology explain such a surreal phenomenon of fairy like chimneys? The landscape truly looks like something out of a Salvador Dali dream.

The fairy chimneys in Devrent Valley (also known as Imaginary Valley) form a lunar landscape by their strange look and is known for its many animal shaped rocks.

Volcanic eruptions created this surreal landscape of Cappadocia. The lava flows formed tuff rock, which wind and rain sculpted into sinuous valleys with curvy cliff faces and pointy fairy chimneys.

Pasabag valley contains some of the most striking fairy chimneys in Cappadocia with twin and even triple rock caps.

Exploring Cappadocia was everything I expected it to be: exciting, adventurous, inspiring and beautiful. I hope to return again soon.

The sights of the area are so diverse that there is something new to explore around every corner. We could have spent many more days here, but we still had Pamukkale and the beautiful Turkish Riviera on our travel list.

So a while ago, we decided to skip a weekend of couch-surfing at home for a road trip to a small but very well-known town not far from the Austrian border, in the South Bohemian region of the Czech Republic: Český Krumlov. Český Krumlov and Prague, are the two most popular destinations in the Czech Republic and an absolute must visit place for any traveller! Once you’ve been here, it’s not hard to understand why.

Getting to Český Krumlov isn’t too hard. It’s just a day trip from Prague, Salzburg or Vienna and if you get up early enough, even Munich. Driving to Český Krumlov from Vienna is a bit dull (there’s really not that much around), especially with unclear weather, however, once it comes into sight, you’ll be speechless by the beauty of this little town that is so well preserved, it’s almost unreal.

Český Krumlov Highlights.

We were lucky to find a parking spot right behind the multistorey castle – under normal circumstances, (free) parking nearby is close to impossible. We entered the old town from the back of the castle, walked right through the massive Cloak Bridge, which connects the castle complex with the gardens that crown it on the summits of the cliffs, before we came to one of the little bridges that connect the inner and outer part of town.

Český Krumlov literally looks like something out of a fairytale with the huge castle overlooking the picturesque, magical old town and the Vltava river winding its way around it. The narrow, labyrinth-like lanes (though admittingly, it’s not handicap friendly) make you feel like you’re walking in an old Disney film.

Most visitors set their sight on the mighty castle (as did we). And they’re right to do so: It’s one of the most beautiful and well-preserved castles in Europe, the second largest in the Czech Republic, with magnificent and elaborate exterior facades, forty buildings and palaces, situated within five courts. The castle itself offers many sights, yet the most striking one for us was the colorful round tower, featuring a 162-step climb to the top, from where you have an amazing 360° view.

A Well Deserved UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Český Krumlov doesn’t seem to force anything onto anyone (like for example demanding lots of cash for entering the castle), and there’s no need to rip-off visitors. It’s quite rare that a place of such beauty behaves so modest.

With its simple charm and wonderful medieval feel, Český Krumlov is not only a well deserved UNESCO World Heritage Site, but exactly the kind of quite, small town in Europe that many people dream of experiencing.

Český Krumlov has long been recognised as one of the most charming fairytale towns in all of Europe.

The Vlatava River surrounds the fairytale town of Český Krumlov.

The 360° Český Krumlov view from the Caste Tower is an absolute must for any visitor. The banner at the top shines at a height of 86 m above the Vltava River. The tower has a Gothic core, but it was completed in Renaissance style and is probably the most famous symbol of Český Krumlov, built to guard the medieval river crossing.

Renaissance mural paintings are well preserved all over the Český Krumlov Castle.

Český Krumlov castle is built right into the side of the mountain wall.

The area of the Vth courtyard is accessible from the buildings of the Upper Český Krumlov Castle across the Cloak Bridge.

The three-storied covered arched Cloak bridge of the Český Krumlov Castle stands on massive stone pillars and is a technically daring and impressive construction.

Wall paintings of the IIIrd Courtyard of Český Krumlov Castle.

Forbidden City Or The Great Wall Of China?

Last August we managed to visit Beijing again and had to make a choice between the Forbidden City or the Great Wall. We didn’t have time to do both (plus we’ve visited both sights before), and since the Forbidden City had hundreds of people waiting in line, the Great Wall it was! It would be our second visit – and probably our last (at least the part near Beijing).

This famous landmark is found on several “must-do-lists”; must-do before you die; must-visit landmarks; must-visit in China … and so forth. So naturally the Great Wall really should be visited at least once in a lifetime. Or even twice.

Our first visit to the Great Wall turned out to become our worst nightmare because we landed on a package tour. We don’t like package tours at all, and we learned from our mistake. So to to avoid all that, we decided to take the public bus.

How To Get To The Great Wall Of China By Public Transport.

Get out of metro line Nr. 2 at the station Dongzhimen and continue to exit B (be careful not to mess it up with the airport line). From here you just go to the bus station to your left and look for bus Nr. 916 to Huairou. We can’t remember what the bus charged for the trip, but it was really cheap.

The ride takes about 1.5 hour. It’s best to tell the driver that you want to go to Mutianyu Great Wall. This part of the Wall is approximately 70km northeast of Beijing. Actually you’d assume that they know where where a tourist heads to, but just in case the driver is a bit absent, tell him anyway.

Once you get off, there’ll be minivans or cabs waiting for visitors. To save money, simply share one with fellow bus passengers who’re also on a self-guided tour. The cab price is negotiable, but it was around 15 US$. 20 minutes later and you’re at one of the most iconic landmarks of our planet.

Your next step is getting an entrance ticket. Unless you’re willing to crawl through thick bushes to avoid the ticket inspector, there’s no way around buying one. Still, you have a few options:

• A return cable car ticket (for the lazy ones)
• A single cable car ticket (walking one direction, or an alternate method of descent by single-rider personal wheeled toboggan)
• Walking both directions (which means avoiding the crowds lining up for the cable car ride)

We Finally Arrived At The Great Wall Of China.

It was a hot August morning and we were one of the first visitors, which was a nice change from busy Beijing. We’re pretty fit, so we decided to skip the cable car. Walking up all these stairs wears you out, so next time, we’d take a single-way ticket – though this also means that one should be there early, otherwise the waiting line is very very (very!) long. You can also buy a single ticket up at the Wall, but it’s more expensive, so make sure you know in advance what you want to do.

Walking along the Great Wall itself is pretty easy, only the crowds can be a bit annoying at times – especially if you want to take photos without people (which is almost impossible after 10.00 am).

Resume Of Our Visit To The Great Wall Of China.

Of course the Great Wall of China is a must visit! After all, it’s one if the most impressive structures ever build by humans. But next time we’d to travel to Jinshanling (approx. 130km northeast of Beijing) or Jiayu Pass (Western part), simply because you’ll come across less tourists. This is one of the things that really bother us about China: Mass-tourism. It makes even the most amazing area or sight overcrowded and un-charming…

A Few Fact Of The Great Wall Of China.

• Chinese Name: Wann Li Channg-Ch’ng (meaning: Long Wall of 10.000 Li)
• Length: The wall’s length – without its branches and other secondary sections – was thought to extend for some 6.690 km (4.160 miles)
• Built: Construction of the earliest sections began during in 770 – 476 B.C.
• Completed: By the time construction on most of the stone-and-brick Great Wall, with its turrets and watchtowers, was completed during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644)
• Visitors: Approximately 10 million each year
• Myth: It’s said that the Great Wall of China is the only human-built structure that can be seen from space. But it’s not true. The reality is that you can’t easily see the Great Wall from low Earth orbit with the naked eye – you need some serious equipment to do so…

With a history of more than 2.000 years, some of the sections are now in ruins or have disappeared. However, it is still one of the most appealing attractions all around the world owing to its architectural grandeur and historical significance.

Just like a gigantic dragon, the Great Wall winds up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus, stretching approximately 8.851 km from east to west of China.

The Wall we see today was mostly built during the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644). It starts from Hushan in the east to Jiayuguan Pass in the west traversing Liaoning, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Gansu and Qinghai.

The Great Wall of China is the greatest tourist attraction in China and approximately 10 million people visit this landmark each year.

A bunch of happy officers at the Great Wall in China during our first visit.

Our road trip through Oman meant 3.330 kilometres from Muscat to Salalah & return.

Driving From Muscat To Al Ashkharah.

We decided to drive along smaller roads from Muscat, partly through mountains, along fluffy sand dunes and irresistible beaches. It took us the entire first day until we finally arrived up at the coastal village of Al Ashkharah. It’s not really a tourist spot and there were just two hotels to choose from – good enough for us. We were the only tourists in sight and it turned out that the village was more interesting than we thought at first.

Things To Do In Al Ashkharah.

Most of the activity happens directly at the beach with fishing and trading. Watching the fishermen (or better their Toyota’s) pull in the nets was what kept us there for quite a while. Driving along the coast, we stopped at several beach locations where fish was just hauled in or boats were ready to go out. Huge freezer trucks were ready to be loaded with fresh fish and thousands of seagulls flew around just waiting for their chance to steal some fish.

As Al Ashkarah is the only village for many kilometres around, a lot of market activities are going on every morning, which also makes this place worth visiting.

Continuing Further West – With A Little Detour.

Somewhere past Masirah Island we took a wrong turn and only realized a while later that we were on highway 37, inland to a place called Haima. It was not on our agenda at first, but we continued and Haima turned out to be a cute little city with few hotels, good restaurants and a petrol stations From here we drove to Al Gayfah. This town is actually just an in-between stop to fill up you tank. We stayed at the only rest-house there was, which was actually not that bad.

• Travel Tip: Make sure you fill up your car as soon as it’s half empty because sometimes even petrol stations can run out of gas – or the petrol station is closed due to renovation (happened to us in Al Ashkharah).

From A World Heritage Site To Salalah.

We continued our trip with a side trip to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Shisr, the Land of Frankincense. It was a 40 km off-road trip through the desert, sometimes with pretty deep sand. You pass an agricultural area, where different plants grow for further commercial use. Huge water irrigation systems are needed to turn the desert into a blossoming oasis. Shisr was a lonely village. Hundred of years ago, it was the last stop where water could be found before the long enduring trip north through the Rub’ al Khali desert. Nowadays only one frankincense tree is left and that’s about it – sorry to say, but this World Heritage Site is not so worth visiting.

Once you come closer to Salalah, the area starts to become more interesting again, with mountains rising just behind Thumrait. Salalah and the ocean can be seen in the distance when arriving from the north – quite an impressive picture.

What To Expect In Salalah.

Driving into Salalah is like driving into a big city with huge palm tree lined Boulevards. Salalah is spread out vastly, but only 100.000 people live here. The largest building is the Sultans Palace facing the ocean and a lot of streets near it are closed for the public, as well as the beautiful white sand beach.

We were tired and checked into the Al Nile Hotel, a super nice and clean place with perfectly working internet for only 20 Omani Rial. Nearby was a supermarket and a bakery, which was very convenient.

Salalah has an old market where you can satisfy all your frankincense needs; beside that, the market is a bit uninspiring and the entire area has the clock ticking before it’s torn down completely to make space for new buildings. Along the beach an entire strip of the city is already abandoned while bulldozers and heavy machinery is tearing down the houses. We were told that new housing complexes for government officials would be built here. Somehow it reminded us for an earthquake zone and people must have left pretty much over night, since you could still find all sort of things inside…

Straight roads for several hundred kilometres are nothing unusual when driving through Oman.

A “white city” we came across during our road trip through Oman: Musquin.

Toyotas seem to be the desired car brand in Oman.

These are the typical fishing boats in Oman. We came across them at the beach near Al Ashkharah.

Watching the fishermen near Al Ashkharah was interesting and also a great photo opportunity.

Throughout our road trip through Oman, locals greeted us in the most friendly way possible.

A camel herder near Thumrait.

The Rub’ al Khali or Empty Quarter is the second largest sand desert in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula.

In the south of Oman the landscape becomes more mountainous again and therefore roads can become more winding at times.

Camels crossed our way several times when driving through Oman.

The coastal landscape near Salalah is truly out of this world. The water is as turquoise as in the Pacific and the beaches are absolutely amazing!

“Sea of the Viennese”.

Due to its location, the lake offers perfect conditions for sailing and windsurfing. But the “Sea of the Viennese” as we like to call it (it’s only about 45 kilometres from the capital city), has more to offer than just water sports. The most western steppe lake in Europe provides a natural habitat for a unique diversity of flora, fauna and wild life. Since 2001, the region around lake Neusiedl is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. All of that makes it a special location worth visiting.

Often Underestimated.

Lake Neusield is very often underestimated. Yes, it’s not surrounded by imposing mountain landscape, it doesn’t offer cute little towns right next to the lake like Hallstatt (even though the town Rust for example is very charming), and some might even find the brown colour of the water disturbing. But as said, don’t underestimate it!

Almost the entire lake is surrounded by reeds, which serve as a habitat for wildlife, making the lake an important resting place for migratory birds. The region is actually known for its bird species-richness and some even say it’s one of the most exciting bird paradises in Europe. Equip yourself with a pair of Swarovski Optik CL Pocket 10 x 25 binoculars, a wind-proof jacket and some hiking boots and you’re pretty much ready to go.

Sailing is one of the main reasons people come to Lake Neusield in Austria.

There are several sailing schools around Lake Neusiedl, for beginners and experts.

Reed around Lake Neusiedl in Austria.

Swarovski CL Pocket 8 x 25 Binoculars.

After an action filled programme, Seerestaurant Katamaran in Rust is a great place to finish off the day.

Seerestaurant Katamaran in Rust is especially beautiful at sunset, sitting on the terrace and enjoying a good meal with a nice glass of wine.

How we got there.

We were on a 7-week long journey with China as our final destination. Travelling around in Asia is pretty easy and convenient thanks to Air Asia, because the airlines covers so many points of interest for a traveller around the continent. And it’s also one of the most reliable ones… Anyway, so from Bangkok, we headed to Kunming, which is the starting point for the Honghe Hani rice terraces. After an overnight stay, we hopped onto one of the buses to Xinjie, departing from the southern station. It’s a long drive, so calculate at least 6 to 7 hours. Make sure you clarify which Yuanyang you are going to when you hop on a bus, since Xinjie is also knows as Old/New Yuangyang, depending on where you are… yes, it’s pretty confusing.

The village of Xinjie.

The closer you get to Xinjie, the more interesting the landscape becomes. Xinjie itself is a neat town with a very interesting local market and community gatherings in the evenings on the main plaza.

Once a week every larger surrounding village has its market day and then the area gets really busy. Ethnic groups can be seen in their traditional costumes, since western clothing isn’t very common here; locals simply love their traditions, which also includes men smoking strange looking pipes that seem to be unique to this area…

Xinjie village – aka Old Yuanyang – is the traditional heart of the county.

Xinjie, Old Yuanyang or New Yuanyang?! To make things complicated, if you are in Nansha, then you are in Yuanyang, and Yuangyang Old Town is Xinjie, and if you are in Xinjie, then you are in Yuanyang, and Yuangyang New City is Nansha. Got it?!

An old woman of the Hani minority at the market in Xinjie, Yunnan Province, China.

Men smoking a pipe in Xinjie, Yunnan Province, China.

The market hall in Xinjie is pretty impressing.

Shopping for chicken at the market in Xinjie, Yunnan Province, China.

The Honghe Hani Rice Terraces.

The Honghe Hani rice terraces are the largest landscaped area in the world made entirely by hand. Carved on the mountains by the Hani people, they have a history of over 1.200 years. In between those steep walls of rice terraces are little villages where time seems to stand still. Community gatherings are very common; people cook together and share the food. Ethnic tribes live in harmony, while maintaining the rice paddies, farming vegetables, taking care of fish-ponds with ducks living between the rice fields and the occasional buffalo or cow herder walking along the road with their cattle.

There are viewing points near each of these villages, but walking along the road will give you amazing views as well. Some roads lead to even smaller villages situated between the rice paddies. This is especially helpful during the main season to avoid the masses of (mainly local) tourist.

Guesthouse tip: Belinda Backpackers Guesthouse in Xinjie is not far from the bus station and is a nice place to stay at. It’s reasonable priced with good Wi-Fi connection. Belinda herself speaks English very well and this is the biggest bonus! She can always be reached by phone if a problem occurs.

There’s some great atmosphere in the region and we could have spend many more days exploring it. So our tip would be to simply base yourself in one of the many guesthouses and take it from there…

Honghe Hani Rice Terraces in Yunnan, China.

Honghe Hani Rice Terraces in Yunnan, China.

In between the Honghe Hani rice terraces, you will come across farmers with buffaloes or cows.

Honghe Hani Rice Terraces in Yunnan, China.

Honghe Hani Rice Terraces in Yunnan, China.

It wasn’t the plan.

This time, thanks to our guide, the trip was pretty straightforward without any delays regarding engine trouble or flat tyres. After some fast moving hours the car stopped in Loropéni, a place where a UNESCO heritage site is situated. Actually our plan was to travel to Gaoua first and then go back to Loropéni to check out the area, but our plans changed very spontaneously: While waiting for the passengers to disembark, one guy approached us and explained that here in Loropéni there is a nice hotel “Why you want to go to Gaoua first? You can stay here overnight and visit the ruins.” He was very confident and we had nothing to lose anyway. So after some thinking we got out of the bush-taxi. The driver was a bit irritated because we paid all the way to Gaoua, but he didn’t seem to be too bothered after all… While walking through a real African village with huge Baobab & Mango trees and chicken crowing, our self proclaimed “tour guide” showed us the way to the hotel.

Not quite what we expected.

As it turned out after the first quick scan, this “hotel” was rather a renovators-delight. The electricity had blown up a few months ago, so what we got were some rooms with a bed, a huge drum filled with water and squatter toilets outside … and as we expected, we were the first guests since looooong time. Sometimes there is no immediate way out of such situations, and after a quick thought (“we have enough bottled water, some cerial-bars and still a small bunch of bananas“), we decided to make the best out of it.

Turned out just fine.

As it was only 2.00pm, we immediately organised motorbikes to see the ruins of Loropéni. Two locals were more than happy to drive us there. The entire complex is somewhat a scattered array of walls – still impressive though – because these ruins stand untouched since many hundred years.

The Ruins of Loropéni.

“The 11.130m2 property, the first to be inscribed in the country, with its imposing stone walls is the best preserved of ten fortresses in the Lobi area and is part of a larger group of 100 stone enclosures that bear testimony to the power of the trans-Saharan gold trade. Situated near the borders of Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo, the ruins have recently been shown to be at least 1,000 years old. The settlement was occupied by the Lohron or Koulango peoples, who controlled the extraction and transformation of gold in the region when it reached its apogee from the 14th to the 17th century. Much mystery surrounds this site large parts of which have yet to be excavated. The settlement seems to have been abandoned during some periods during its long history. The property which was finally deserted in the early 19th century is expected to yield much more information.” ~ UNESCO

Ruins of Loropéni, Burkina Faso | This was my guide for the day. The motorbike was still in repair minutes before we drove off as you can see. It’s a bit of a miracle that we made it to the ruins and back… I was already prepared for another bush-taxi adventure.

Ruins of Loropéni, Burkina Faso | Reminded me a bit of Angkor Wat (on the small scale of course) in Cambodia.

Ruins of Loropéni, Burkina Faso | The ruins might not look like the most attractive sight, but the atmosphere in the area was one of a kind.

Ruins of Loropéni, Burkina Faso | Getting around the ruins gave me the feeling of being in a maze…