Exotic places#
- Introduction
Motto: Travelling makes us more modest. We realize what a small place we live in in our world (G. Flaubert, 1821-1880)
This section explains how agriculture was introduced in the world, following an old African mythos.
It also shows, that is necessary to look at all phenomena carefully.
Do you see the animal?
Concluding Motto: The highest humans can achieve is astonishment (J.W. Goethe, 1749-1832)
- Matopo Hills; Greetings from the stone age
Motto: "How little we know we only realize when our children are starting to ask questions. (African Wisdom)"
A part of Zimbabwe in Africa reveals a fortification over 20.000 years old that comes as a coplete surprise. More on it see the Huber Pictures.
- Zen: Less is more
Motto: "Touch the emptiness in your life, and flowers will bloom " (ZEN wisdom)
This part is on Japan and Buddhism. There are no Huber pictures of Japan in our collection right now, but you will get some impressions by looking at Japan Pictures.
A pity if you missed all the beauties and stories Huber was showing!
- Toraja -Symbiosis of Life and Death
Motto: "Our life is how our thoughts shape it" (Emperor Marc Aurel, 121-180)
The Torajas immigrated into Indonesia some 4.000 years ago.
They have a religion based much on the belief that their ancestors require worship to do good or bad. Death is considered as the main part of our life.
There are no Huber Pictures on Indonesia in our current collection, but quite a bit of other interesting pictorial material and stories.
- Dead Sea - Deep below Sea level
Motto: "Everyone should believe in someting. I believe I should go to the beach. (Touristic Wisdom)"
Rather than showing here tidbits of Hubers presentation please have a look at the pictures or the panoramas there, and the panaoramas under Israel.
- Kampung Ayer - Venice of the East
Motto: "A bird prefers a simple twig to a golden cage" (Eastern Wisdom)
Foto: © G. Huber
Foto: © G. Huber
Foto: © G. Huber
Foto: © G. Huber
People in Brunei traditionally habe been living in villages on the River (Kampung Ayer) for 1300 years. The houses are connected with 63km footbridges. The infrastructure is also fully developed, every house is connected to the power and water supply. Today the amount of people who move from the mainland to the water villages is increasing. Therefore modern houses and flats were built.
- Taroko - The shining of marble
Motto: " One's own faults one can see best through the eyes of someone else". (Kofuzius, 551-49. B.C.)
Taiwan is one of the most underrated destinations of Asia. Besides the impressive coast of Yehliu with its surrealistic sandstone formation, Taroko Taroko, Taiwan canyon is another highlight. 2 hundred million years ago under the pressure of tectonic plates, sedimentation turned into limestone and later to marble. Tectonic raising moved this formation 500m above sea level. Weather, wind and water fulfilled the work of erosion.
At the foot of the overgrown rock several Buddhistic monasteries settled down.
- Mount Abu - Sculpture at its best
Motto: " Eye for eye - and all of mankind will be blind" (Mahatma Ghandi, 1869-1948)
To honor the Hinduistic belief of nonviolence and the protection of every single life, a marble temple was built at Mount Abu Munt Abu, India . In the 15th century the marble palace of Mount Abu was completed and has been a pilgrimage ever since.
1440 pillars, 72 shrines and richly decorated domes show stone carving at its highest precision.
- Great Sand Dunes- Symphony of Ice and Sands
Motto: "Listen. Or your tongue will make you deaf" (Indian Wisdom)
The contrast of a desert with large sand-dunes with snow covered peaks of the Rocky Mountains in the background (Colorado) is more than unusual.
- Holmavik - In Spiritus Sancti- Amen!
Motto: "Magic is the art to turn superstition into money" (Ambrose Bierce, 1842-1914)
Iceland is experiencing quite a touristic boom. The "Westfjorde" are still remote, however. Look at many pictures on Iceland. We give here only two samples from Huber's collection. He shows recipes for unusual things like invisibility, the world's only Phallus museum (with a 2 m long phallus of a whale) and much more.
- White Island- Where the earth opens
Motto: "The people of New Zealand fear two things; One, that NZ drops off the map of the world; two, nobody notices. (Complaint of a "Kiwi")
White island White Island, New Zealand is a small island in the Bay of Plenty some 50 km off the coast of the Northern NZ Island, some 200 km SSE of Auckland. It has been famous for a long time because of its volcano that has created a plume of steam visible from a distance of almost 100 kilometers. For a long time it was a tourist attraction to fly over the island by helicopter (from as far away as Rotorua) or visit it with guides on a boat, walking to look into the volcanic crater-lake. All this changed when the volcano explosively erupted on 9 December 2019. There were 47 people on the island at the time. Twenty-one people were killed or declared dead because nothing was found of two of them. A further twenty-six people suffered injuries, mainly severe burns. The ongoing seismic and volcanic activity in the area as well as heavy rainfall, low visibility and toxic gases hampered recovery efforts.
It is clear that it will not be a place for tourists for a long item, if not for ever. The pictures are from an excursion a few years prior to the eruption mentioned.
- Dogonland- Trip into a mythical world
Motto: "To climb a tree, you start at the bottom, not at the top" (African wisdom)
The Dogon people are one of the most interesting of the 130 ethnic groups that make up Mali. They live at the bottom of a steep mountain from their own cultural products with their own rites and mythology. In the "city hall" decisisons are made by a group of elders. The Dogon are separated from other groups by a big lake made dangerous by big crocodiles. Hence they see the crocodiles as their protectors and friends.
- Taal Lake - Nothing for weak nerves
Motto: It is easy to be born. It is difficult to become a human (Philippine wisdom)
The island of Taal is well documented by Huber. It is a beautiful and typical Philippine place, yet the volcano in the lake can erupt again any moment. People shrug their shoulders and just ignore the danger. Could you live that way?
- Aliyev Cultural Center - Beyond space and time
Motto: "We have art so that we can survive reality" (Friedrich Nietsche, 1844- 1900)
Baku in Aserbaidschan with over 2 million people, rich due to the abundance of oil, houses a spectacular museum and much more. And has also a beautiful national nature park not far from the city.
- Derinkuyu- Shock therapy for claustrophobic persons
Motto: "With the first trees cut down, culture started. With the last trees cut down, culture ends." (Source unknown)
Cappadocia in Turkey owes much of its current day fertility and attractivity to the eruption of huge volcanoes thousands of years ago, like the eruption shown in the first picture (it is actually the eruption of Mount St. Helen).
- Musadam - and the story of the world
Motto: "The wound inflicted by a sword can heal, the wound inflicted by words cannot" (Arabian wisdom)
Mudadam, a barren rock bound desert peninsula is of moderate touristic interest and traffic, hence offers some insight how life was in the region before oil created supercities and super millionaires. The small peninsula Musadam, Oman is politically part of Oman, but separated from it by the Strait of Hormuz, only 55 km wide and critical for oil shipments from Iran.
- Turmi - looking for a bride can be painful
Motto: "If a girlfriend is getting too expensive, marry her" (Peter Sellers, 1925-1980)
The rift valley in Ethiopia houses many different ethnical groups, including the people of Turmi. As is common all over Ethiopia, people live on agriculutre. Each group has developed special rituals. In Turmi to get a bride all kinds of rituals are perforemd, like the whipping of girls. Guys have to survive bull-jumping and endure other serious tests, a dangerous and often painful affair. More on Turmi and habits or on all of Ethiopia on the far over one thousdand pictures Ethiopia by Huber.
- Ah shi sle pa - Hobbits in the desert
Motto: "Nature does speak. But humans often cannot hear her" (Terrence McKenna, 1946-2000)
The "ah shi sle pah wilderness) in New Mexico, USA, located on a mountain plateau that has seen erosion transform the place into a fairy tale landscape.
- Valleè de Mai- evolution at a touch
Motto: "Luck is not a gift of gods, but the fruit of inner convictions" (Erich Fromm, 1900-1980)
The Seychelles not only have the big Island Mahe as main tourist destination but also islands that have preserved more of their original culture and nature like Praslin, with some 150 pictures and explanations. This is what Huber showed in his presentation, with an emphasis on The Vallée de Mai Nature Preserve, established in 1979, known for the unique coco de mer and vanilla orchids.
You find more pictures of Praslin and the Seychelles by both G. Huber and U. Thausing and 38 (!) 360° panoramans in Pictures of the Seychelles. The summary on Aldabra and the Outer Seychelles by AirPano is certainly also worth reading and looking at!
- Al Wathaba- With an electric scredriver to victory
Motto: "There are camels with one hump and camels with two. But the largest camels have no hump." (Arthur Shopenhauer, 1788-1860)
In Al Wathaba, 50 km S of Abu Dhabi, there are regular camel races.
To avoid burdening camels with a rider, these days hightech is used: A small roboter with a whip is atttached to the back of the camel, and can be directed to guide/encourage the camel from afar.
Roads along the race tracks allow cars to drive parallel to the camels and wireless transmit commands to the roboter.
Is this really what high-tech is for?
- Alstrom Point- Beyond our material world
Motto: "Even when times are really rough. Each day is good. Because you still live." (Indian wisdom)
The Colorado river with its Great Canyon is truly great - its two dams create two impressive canyon lakes. Particularly Lake Powell is famous, and particuclarly grand when viewed from Alstrom Point (picture 4).
Have a look at some of the panoramas of the canyon or read the picture story under AZ-Arizona by Suave and Laura or look at the pictures by Judt: Grand Canyon and more.