Things we really have to see and do

Every trip has it's highlights, so well, so does this one! We want to figure out some main highlights we really want to see, do or visit and plan our trip towards and around them. Ofcourse there are many many things to see and do if you go on a journey like this one and people might say: "You can't see and do them all..." But.. Why can't we? We're going to make the trip of our lives, and hell yeah we're going to see and do all the stuff we want to see and do, at least we'll try to do all of them.

As you might have read earlier, we will probably skip a couple of very interesting countries, so no, we're not seing ALL of the whole world, but we have to save some highlights for another time, another trip, since we plan to keep traveling for a long time.. Per country and/or region we'll make a page and/or plan with the things that are hightlights to us. If you feel something is missing (or overrated!) or do you have some extra information on one of the must do's, please feel free to e-mail us. Information about contacting can be found on the contact-page, just left from here, in the menu. ;)

So well, the list of Countries and Highligths, always under construction:

The Netherlands

In short

Capital: Amsterdam
Population: 16,150,511
Area: 41,526 SQ KM
Official Language: Dutch

Home

Our departing point, the place we hope to see back, but not for quite a while!

Germany

In short

Capital: Berlin
Population: 82,398,326
Area: 357,021 SQ KM
Official Language: German

Austria

In short

Capital: Vienna
Population: 8,188,207
Area: 83,858 SQ KM
Official Language: German

Hungary

In short

Capital: Budapest
Population: 10,045,407
Area: 93,030 SQ KM
Official Language: Hungarian

To do

• Eat Goulash

Romania

In short

Capital: Bucharest
Population: 22,271,839
Area: 237,500 SQ KM
Official Language: Romanian

To do

• Visit Dracula's Castle in Bran

Transfăgărăşan (Mountain pass)

In the Carpathian Mountains, this beautiful mountain pass travels between the two highest mountains in Romania. It reaches just over 2,000 metres altitude.

Moldavia?

In short

Capital: Chişinău
Population: 4,439,509
Area: 33,843 SQ KM
Official Language: Moldavian

Ukraïne

In short

Capital: Kyiv
Population: 48,055,439
Area: 603,700 SQ
Official Language: Ukrainian

Russia

In short

Capital: Moscow
Population: 144,526,278
Area: 17,075,200 SQ KM
Official Language: Russian

Lake Baikal

Gaze at the crystal blue water..

Kazakhstan

In short

Capital: Astana
Population: 16,763,795
Area: 2,717,300 SQ KM
Official Language: Kazakh, Russian

Russia (again)

(see above)

Mongolia

In short

Capital: Ulaan Baatar
Population: 2,712,315
Area: 1,565,000 SQ KM
Official Language: Mongolian

To do

• Visit and/or sleep in a ger (large white felt tents symbolic of Mongolia's nomadic heritage).
• Camping out under the stars in the Gobi Desert

The Great White Lake

A beautiful and impressive lake!

China

In short

Capital: Beijing
Population: 1,286,975,500
Area: 9,596,960 SQ KM
Official Language: Mandarin Chinese

The Terracotta Army

The terracotta figures, dating from 210 BC, were discovered in 1974 by several local farmers near Xi'an, Shanxi province, China near the Mausouleum of the First Qin Emperor. (Chinese: 秦始皇陵; pinyin: Qín Shǐhuáng Líng).
The figures vary in height (183–195cm - 6ft–6ft 5in), according to their role, the tallest being the generals.
The figures include warriors, chariots, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians. Current estimates are that in the three pits containing the Terracotta Army there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried in the pits.

The Great Wall of China

There's just no way not seeing it when passing through China!

Vietnam

In short

Capital: Hanoi
Population: 81,624,716
Area: 329,560 SQ KM
Official Language: Vietnamese

To do

• Floating a boat along the Mekong River
• Grabbing a bycilce and takeing the ride of our life through the streets of Ho Chi Minh City

Laos

In short

Capital: Vientiane
Population: 5,921,545
Area: 236,800 SQ KM
Official Language: Lao

Cambodia

In short

Capital: Phnom Penh
Population: 13,124,800
Area: 181,040 SQ KM
Official Language: Khmer

Temples of Angkor

Visiting these architectural wonders of the world is on our list.
The temples of the Angkor area number over one thousand, ranging in scale from nondescript piles of brick rubble scattered through rice fields to the magnificent Angkor Wat, said to be the world's largest single religious monument. Many of the temples at Angkor have been restored, and together they comprise the most significant site of Khmer architecture.

Thailand

In short

Capital: Bangkok
Population: 64,265,276
Area: 514,000 SQ KM
Official Language: Thai

Ayuthaya City

The former capital of Thailand.
The city was founded in 1350 by King U-Thong, who came here to escape a smallpox outbreak in Lop Buri, and proclaimed it the capital of his kingdom, often referred to as the Ayutthaya kingdom or Siam.
Ayutthaya was named after the city of Ayodhya in India, the birthplace of Rama in the Ramayana (Thai, Ramakien). In 1767 the city was destroyed by the Burmese army, and the ruins of the old city now form the Ayutthaya historical park, which is recognized internationally as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was refounded a few kilometers to the east.

Malaysia

In short

Capital: Kuala Lumpur
Population: 23,092,940
Area: 329,750 SQ KM
Official Language: Bahasa Melayu

Taman Negara National Park

This National Park has the largest Canopy walkway in the World. René won't do this because he's afraid of heights, but Gaby might give it a try!

Singapore

In short

Capital: Singapore
Population: 4,608,595
Area: 693 SQ KM
Official Languages: Chinese, Malay, Tamil, English

Indonesia

In short

Capital: Jakarta
Population: 234,893,453
Area: 1,91,440 SQ KM
Official Language: Bahasa Indonesia

Gunung Batur

This active volcano is situated on Bali. The sunrises here are told to be 'exceptional' (Lonely Planet).

Australia

In short

Capital: Canberra
Population: 19,731,984
Area: 7,686,850 SQ KM
Official Language: English

Uluru

Can't go through Australia without seeing 'The Big Rock', also known as Ayers Rock! It's a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia.

Principality of Hutt River

This is the oldest micronation in Australia. It has it's own law, currency, post-office, and more. "Prince Leonard is the Sovereign of that entity, which he claims is an independent state — a position that is not supported officially by the government of Australia." (Wikipedia)

Chile

In short

Capital: Santiago
Population: 15,665,216
Area: 756,950 SQ KM
Official Language: Spanish

Atacama Desert

This desert is a virtually rainless plateau in South America, covering a 966 km (600 mi) strip of land on the Pacific coast of South America, west of the Andes mountains. The Atacama is, according to NASA, National Geographic and many other publications, the driest desert in the world

Peru

In short

Capital: Lima
Population: 28,409,897
Area: 1,285,220 SQ KM
Official Language: Spanish, Quechua

Machu Picchu

"The Lost City of the Inca's" was built around 1460 AD but was abandoned as an official site for the Inca rulers a hundred years later, at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Although known locally, it was said to have been forgotten for centuries when the site was brought to worldwide attention in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, an American historian.

Colombia

In short

Capital: Bogotá
Population: 41,662,073
Area: 1,138,910 SQ KM
Official Language: Spanish

Ciudad Perdida

"The Lost City". A pre-hispanic city hidden in a lush rainforest.
Ciudad Perdida was discovered in 1972, when a group of local treasure looters found a series of stone steps rising up the mountainside and followed them to an abandoned city which they named "Green Hell" or "Wide Set". When gold figurines and ceramic urns from this city began to appear in the local black market, authorities revealed the site in 1975.

Panama

In short

Capital: Panama City
Population: 3,120,000
Area: 78,200 SQ KM
Official Language: Spanish

Panama Canal

This canal is a man-made canal which joins the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, it had an enormous impact on shipping between the two oceans, replacing the long and treacherous route via the Drake Passage and Cape Horn at the southernmost tip of South America. A ship sailing from New York to San Francisco via the canal travels 9,500 km (6,000 miles), well under half the 22,500 km (14,000 mile) route around Cape Horn.

Costa Rica

In short

Capital: San José
Population: 3,896,092
Area: 51,100 SQ KM
Official Language: Spanish

Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio

Visit the majestic rainforest at Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio (Lonely Planet).

Nicaragua

In short

Capital: Managua
Population: 5,128,517
Area: 129,494 SQ KM
Official Language: Spanish

Honduras

In short

Capital: Tegucigalpa
Population: 6,669,789
Area: 112,090 SQ KM
Official Language: Spanish

Temples of Copán

The city of Copán is pre-Colombian and part of the old Mayan Kingdom.
The kingdom, anciently named Xukpi (Corner-Bundle), flourished from the 5th century AD to the early 9th century, with antecedents going back to at least the 2nd century AD. Its name is an apparent reference to the fact that it was situated at the far southern and eastern end of Maya territory. The nearby modern village of Copán Ruinas itself may have anciently been known as Oxwitik.

Guatemala

In short

Capital: Guatemala City
Population: 13,909,384
Area: 108,890 SQ KM
Official Language: Spanish

Mayan ruins at Tikal

Tikal is one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centers of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is located in the archaeological region of the Petén Basin in what is now modern-day northern Guatemala.

Mexico

In short

Capital: Mexico City
Population: 104,907,991
Area: 1,972,550 SQ KM
Official Language: Spanish

Mayan World of the Yucatán

Yucatan keeps one of the Mayan treasures of the world.

United States of America

In short

Capital: Washington DC
Population: 290,342,554
Area: 9,629,091 SQ KM
Official Language: English

Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and entertainment. Las Vegas, billed as The Entertainment Capital of the World, is famous for the number of casino resorts and associated entertainment.

Canada

In short

Capital: Ottawa
Population: 32,207,113
Area: 9,984,670 SQ KM
Official Language: English, French

Niagara Falls

On the border between the USA and Canada, this impressive Niagara Waterfalls can be found. It would be a shame to miss them.
The falls are 17 miles (27 km) north-northwest of Buffalo, New York and 75 miles (120 km) south-southeast of Toronto, Ontario, between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York. Niagara Falls is composed of two major sections separated by Goat Island: Horseshoe Falls, on the Canadian side of the border and American Falls on the American side. The smaller Bridal Veil Falls also is located on the American side, separated from the main falls by Luna Island.

?

Netherlands (again!)

Home

Our home, the place we hope to see back, after having been away for quite a while!