World Traditions

After realising in Madrid how much I could enjoy strolling through the cities, I ended up doing the same in all the cities I visited in Spain. This was one of my Barcelona walks.

Started around Ciutadella Park, passed through the Cathedral of Barcelona, and ended near La Pedrera - Casa Mila.

What I liked was that, just like Madrid, it never felt like the fun was only at the attractions themselves. A lot of what I enjoyed was everything in between. The city kept changing as I walked through it.

Ciutadella Park felt calm and nice to start from, though I’ll admit that the dirt walkways made it a little underwhelming for me especially after El Retiro in Madrid . Then the cathedral area had a lot more old character, more people, more market energy, and felt a lot more alive. By the time I got to the La Pedrera side, the whole vibe had changed again and felt much more polished and grand. (Got to know about Gaudí's work a bit)

I think I really liked doing it this way, first taking a stroll around the city and get the vibe, and then later coming back to explore different parts in more detail.

Not exactly a trip report as I took these pictures during 5 different trips to Ireland between 2016 and 2019. But I just wanted to share some of my favourite photos I took while travelling to Dublin, Galway, and along the Wild Atlantic Way, from Co. Donegal to Dingle. 🥰

I’ve been thinking about how isolated New Zealand is compared to most other developed countries. It’s pretty far from major population centers like Europe, North America, and even parts of Asia, which seems like it could limit migration, trade, and overall growth.

If New Zealand were located closer to other continents or major global hubs, do you think it would have a significantly larger population today? Or are factors like its terrain, economy, and government policies more important than geographic isolation?

Curious how much of its relatively small population is due to pure distance vs other constraints.

Google Map Link

27M Japan - I recently took a trip to Indonesia. I had some local friends on Java and did half of the trip solo and half with the group. I mostly explored south central Java with some time in Jakarta.

Indonesia is a wonderful country with some of the best views on earth. Its more casual Islam is a very unique cultural experience, and in general Indonesians are very laid back happy people. In more rural locations, because I am a 181cm tall white man (which is average in the west), at times locals literally stood in line to take pictures with me or would ask to take large group pictures. It was an interesting experience to regularly be the tourist attraction instead of the tourist. Western currencies are very strong against the Rupiah, and prices are similar to other SEA countries.

Jakarta is technically the most populous city on earth right now, and it certainly feels like it when you're there. I only spent a day in Jakarta and I'm glad I spent more time with rural locals than in the city.

Prambanan and Borobudur were always bucket list items for me, and I highly recommend you make the trek to Jogja to visit them. They are very exotic UNESCO sites while also being close to the accommodations of a major city. I caught Borobudur in a thunderstorm, had the whole site to myself and it really felt like out of a movie. You can plan a pretty picnic but you can't predict the weather!

Trip Length: 8 days

Destination(s):

• 2 nights Jogja
• 1 night Petanahan
• 1 night Cilicap
• 1 night Kebumen
• 1 night Jogja
• 1 night Jakarta

A few weeks ago, I shared an Asian map of tree cover: https://www.reddit.com/r/geography/s/n2oUF1AGrr.

Although my post focused on the boreal forests, there was a pinch of astonishment after seeing the thematic map of the Indian part.

As evident from the map, the major clusters are located in:

1. North East India (due to far eastern Himalayas, and heavy rainfall - this is the wettest place on Earth),

2. The Himalayan belt (Bhutan, Nepal, provinces of Uttarakhand, Himachal, Jammu & Kashmir, and Northern Pakistan),

3. Central India (Deccan plateau regions, presence of deciduous forests. Fun fact: infamous of Revolutionary Communist insurgency)

4. Western Ghats (Hilly region, forests exist due to extensive rainfall in the windward side)

5. Tropical island of Andaman & Nicobar and Sri Lanka,

some minor green patches in Rajasthan (due to Aravalli), and Eastern ghat region in the south, exist too.

With all these stats, it may appear that India has sufficient forest cover, but it is clearly under insufficient considering the human geography of India. The lack of dense tree cover is clearly visible when we zoom out and have a look at East Asian, Russian and South East Asian maps (in the comments below). The majority of the population lives in the Northern Indian plain, traversing states that cumulatively contain more population than the entire South America. The region is blessed by the Ganges river and its tributaries, which enables productive agriculture; However that comes at a cost of forest clearance. The same pattern repeats in Bangladesh (Ganga-Brahamputra delta), Punjab province of Pakistan (Indus river course), and even in the eastern flowing rivers of South India.

For context: While Prague is world-famous for its medieval streets and gothic architecture, there is a completely different world right beneath the surface. I am part of the team that built this underground labyrinth called Fun Arena, and our goal was to create a sanctuary for arcade history and cyberpunk culture in the heart of the city. The space houses over 180 original machines, from rare Japanese cabinets to retro classics. We really wanted to showcase the stark contrast between the historic city above and this neon-drenched atmosphere below. It is a unique part of the local subculture that offers a very different perspective on the city's nightlife and gaming scene.

The Blue Banana is a highly urbanized corridor in Western Europe stretching from England to northern Italy.

It is home to around 111 million people and includes some of the continent’s main economic centers, such as London, Frankfurt, and Milan.

A significant share of Europe’s wealth is concentrated in this corridor.