Minmaxing Life

Spent a few days in Kyoto.
Had never seen it in autumn.
Felt like sharing the beauty.

I’ve spent the last week eating, reading, swimming and sleeping on Zanzibar’s most beautiful beaches. Pongwe, Matemwe and the magical Mnemba island for a spectacular finale with Suni antelopes, chocolate and pepper cookies and a crazy night dive. This is probably as good as it gets…

Chumbe - a tiny corallian island on the west coast of Zanzibar - is an ecological reserve and a fascinating experiment in sustainable living.

With the blessing of the government, a non-profit organization runs it in a way that strives to have the smallest possible impact on the surrounding nature. Researchers from around the world come [...]

Jozani Forest: its red mahogany trees, its mangrove but mostly its endemic red colobus monkeys.

In truth, Stone Town should be called Fusion City. It’s a fascinating mix of cultures: African, Arab, Indian and European influences intertwined everywhere. From the rooftops you’ll realize that the mosque, the indian temple and the christian cathedral are no further than 200 meters apart. One day you could eat Swahili food, the next Indian [...]

Today I was in the city of Nara - about half an hour by train from Kyoto - where I visited the Todai-ji, a temple which is said to be the largest wooden building in the world and is home to a huge 15 meter bronze Buddha.

I also spent a little time at the local [...]

I think I’ve just had the ultimate Tokyo experience…
About half an hour ago, northern Japan was hit by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. There were a few casualties. I was woken up by a loud squeaking noise coming from the windows. At first, I thought it was the window cleaning guys. But then the squeaking got [...]

…can you have lunch at a “dog cafe”, were the owners have a small sandwich while their dogs feast on designer cookies while waiting for their beauty session at the dog grooming shop. I even saw an impeccably dressed guy spoon feed his (pictured below) chihuahua. Then he let the dog lick him on his [...]

The past four days in Sainte Marie have not been as sunny as one would have hoped. After all winter is coming in Madagascar, and the rain with it. But no one cares under water so - rather than spending all my time lying on the white sand - I went diving. I am constantly [...]

The past few days have been all about the Lemurs. I went across the private reserve of the Vakôna lodge and Ankanin’ny Nofy - the dream nest - a small island made into a beautiful reserve. So I’ve made lots of new friends: Propithecus diadema (Diademed Sifaka), Varecia Variegata (the Vari), [...]