The quest for the silkworms in the Isaan region

Thailand as it once was, simple, wild, poor, unadulterated, genuine, exists still in this region. Isaan is the north eastern region of Thailand surrounded by the Mekong River in the north and east on the border with Laos and by Cambodia in the south. The name Isaan derives from the Sanskrit word “Ishan” which means "north east direction". This region is famous for its “wild nature”, cultural characteristics closer to Laos and Cambodia then Thailand, delicious and original wild food, agriculture, hot and dry climate, muay thai boxing, cockfights, silk and poverty.

3000 curves and northern Thailand

We took a rest in this northern triangle between Thailand, Burma and Laos. The area is known as The Golden Triangle and it is one of two major illicit opium producing areas in Asia. Since 1920, this area is, along with Afghanistan and Pakistan, the largest producer of heroin, while in the 21 century, Afghanistan took the lead. Bounded by the Ruak river on the border with Burma and the Mekong River on the border with Laos, this is the home of rice fields, hills and mountains, the highest peak of Thailand (Doi Inthanon, 2565 m) and dense jungle, elephants, snakes, malaria and many minorities who've made a life here. Time here runs much slower.

On the way from Bangkok to the North..

On the way to the north of Thailand, we stopped at some historic places on the tourist line. When you go by train to the north you see poverty and ruined homes that surround the tracks within the suburbs of Bangkok. The people here are living in conditions you assume that rats cannot live here. But these people here are resistant and full of energy.
When you step away from the city and go north wetlands and homes that float on them start to appear. These provinces are known for the ancient kingdoms of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya, which once ruled this area. Remains from that period are visible at every step, surrounded by overgrown vegetation and by newly built homes and streets.

Bangkok

Krung Thep Maha Nakhon *** (please read the description at the end of this article) is the Thai name for this crazy and lively city that never stops with surprises and diversity. Bangkok is the capital and largest city in Thailand, located on the delta of the Chao Phraya River, which is also an important transport route. This metropolis is home to more than 8 million people and the suburbs to more than 14 million people.

Welcome to Friesland, Netherlands..

Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands. It actually was a part of the ancient and larger region of Frisia which included the coastal region along the south-eastern corner of the North Sea. Frisia is the traditional homeland of the Frisians, Germanic people who speak Frisian, a language group closely related to the English language. It extends from the north-western Netherlands across north-western Germany to the border of Denmark.

The AWP back in Portugal

I surf because…

… it's how my heart tells my to live.

I used this phrase from the Billabong advertisement because it’s an accurate description of this sport and lifestyle. This year on our Portugal Surf Trip we changed to Shortboards, began to catch the first better waves, had a couple of the worst wipeouts ever and on our adventure we were accompanied by our windsurf guru Kahuna Kiki, Irina, and in the other car Tamara and Trevoro.
This year we accomplished our surf trip to Portugal in our usual style, which includes a ton of suicidal wipeouts, waves from 2 to 4 meters, two broken boards in the first two days, with car burglaries and a robbery at the beach, lost luggage, bumps in the car door, purchase of a new board which in the end was broken in transport by AirFrance. Also, we were almost late for all planes, including that we missed the only plane for which we came on time and waited at the gate for 4 hours, the plane from Paris to Zagreb. The mystery remains. And it seems that a 100 people boarded the plane beside us and we did not even notice.
Yet despite all these situations, the important moments in the water remain, those breathtaking moments, the energy, the flow of the ocean, all the wonderful things that breathe and live in it and beyond. Because of that this is the king of all sports.

Karadeniz, along the Black Sea..

After a couple of weeks of terrible dry heat in central Turkey and the horrible humidity in the southwest, this area is a surprise and, finally, a little refreshment. The sky is often gray, the land is green and rich, it’s touristicly exploited only for locals, foreigners are rare, people are more conservative, the scenery is unbelievable, the coast is dramatic, full of cliffs and hidden coves.