Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Facebook YouTube
Facebook YouTube
Martin Malik
Bunker

My name is Martin and this is my story. I travel because it is fun and a great way to continue self-education which enriches the worldview and opens my eyes to unnoticeable things, both in the distant countries and the closest ones. Let's get to know other cultures but let's also respect and defend our own.

Read more ABOUT THE AUTHOR

YouTube channel

I recommend my adventurous YouTube channel

Make a donation

If you like Kompas and you’d like to support this project, make a donation by clicking the button below.

The Politics of Truth

Search
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Trips to Asia

Spy – book

Space for advert

A few words from the author

Whilst travelling from the Christian remains of Constantinople and the ancient sands of Persia, through the Himalayas, the Great Wall of China and the dense jungles of Borneo, I realized that the world must have its order. Therefore despite my beautiful adventures and experiences I always remembered which culture I myself belonged to, and I also appreciated the beauty and values of our beautiful - White Christian civilization.

Currency Converter

CurrencyRate

Weather forecast

You are browsing category

Travel reports

Travel reports are articles about trips to Asia. Each article is about a different country  or part of a country in a given year. There are plans on how to organize trips and practical information on how to travel in specific Asian countries. I think that these articles would be useful to  both experienced travelers and beginners.

Travel reports

Expedition to Saudi Arabia 2022

By: Martin Malik
The real pearl of Saudi tourism however are primarily the ancient tombs of Hegra, in the desert near Al Ula. It is a very picturesque and historically rich corner of Saudia. It is there that one can feel the beauty of the desert and see the impressive large rock formations, and the way people try to cultivate the land in the desert.
Travel reports

Trip to Singapore 2004

By: Martin Malik
Marina Bay is the real power of Singapore. It is an impressive financial centre with the largest banks in the world. When in Singapore I recommend to pay attention at Merlion - the symbol of the city which I saw several times. The lion represents the roots of Singapore as a "lion city" and fish means close ties to water.
Travel reports

Trip to Thailand 2004

By: Martin Malik
Thai boxing, known as muay thai is a national sport of Thailand. I saw in Thais a real fighting spirit which in Europe is not that strong. I think that if someone is a master in Europe than in Thailand, (without previous training) he could be quickly put into his place. Here, this sport has its soul and I saw it on the ring, on their faces and in the accompanying music.
Travel reports

Trip to Laos 2004

By: Martin Malik
When I travel by tuk tuk people wave to me from rice fields and they laugh to me, and when I see someone for the first time they greet me with the words "sa bai dee" what means "hello". Especially in Vang Vieng, always on the road outside the city children sell their products and fruit. People often keep talking mynah birds in cages and they always allow me to make contact with them.
Travel reports

Trip to Vietnam 2004

By: Martin Malik
The Museum of War in Saigon has a large collection of weapons, photos and other relics of the tragic past past. There are also American soldiers aiming rifles at defenseless Vietnamese children and a huge propaganda poster "U.S. Out of South East Asia. " Even many years after the war, in the 80's and 90's, many crippled and underdeveloped children were born because the Americans dropped bombs with dioxin.
Travel reports

Trip to Malaysia 2004

By: Martin Malik
I went to Merdeka Square or the Liberty Square. It was there in 1957 where the British flag was removed for the first time and the flag of the independent Malaya was displayed. In the middle of the square there is a cricket pitch, called Padang and Selangoror club. In the British era Merdeka Square was used for games and sporting events and today it is home to many exhibitions, cultural events and also sport.
Travel reports

Trip to Cambodia 2004

By: Martin Malik
Cambodia was beautiful and definitely worth a visit. There is a lot of poverty and the roads are a real challenge but many things compensate for that inconvenience. In the first place I definitely put the temples of Angkor Wat and the whole ancient capital of the Khmer Empire, which strikes with their size, ingenuity and the weight of history. In addition, the whole of Cambodia is charming and full of beautiful, unspoilt nature.
Travel reports

Trip to Burma 2004

By: Martin Malik
I was delighted with this country. To me Burma will always be a land of glamorous Golden Pagodas. Burma is a country where one can move a few centuries back. The paradox is that on one hand I saw oxen plowing fields and I had to ride on nightmarish roads, and on the other hand among the misery of local people emerge temples made of gold and precious stones.
Travel reports

Trip to Hong Kong 2006

By: Martin Malik
When we reached Hong Kong island we looked up to the skyscrapers built in many different ways. It was from this island that the great British trade with China began and the great financial centre was created - and today it is one of the world's most powerful. But I didn't want to take Hong Kong only that way, Relatively small part of the island is urbanized. Most of it is still wild and green.
Travel reports

Expedition to China 2006

By: Martin Malik
Mao Zedong has had a profound effect on China and many still show a deep respect for the leader and the nation's father, even though official figures say that he was 70% right and 30% wrong. Apparently 80 million dead, disease, famine, domestic conflicts, the hermetic closure of the country, the killing of the Chinese nobles and the scale of birth beyond limits fall within these 30%. Besides all of that he was wonderful.
Travel reports

Trip to South Korea 2006

By: Martin Malik
Changdeokgung Palace and Biwon gardens are listed on the Unesco heritage list and represent a wealth of the world culture. The construction begun in 1405 on the order of King Taejong and was finished in 1412. For years it was only a complex of beautiful temples and buildings which used to be the king's residence, but in 1463 King Sejo expanded the palace and created Biwon gardens, also called the "secret garden".
Travel reports

Trip to Dubai 2006

By: Martin Malik
The first thing that hit me when I got to the Emirates was the heat which I had never experienced before. It was dry heat that accompanied me all the time and it was hard to breathe. As it turned out even the water in the sea was definitely too warm. I was also surrounded by exotics plants. Everywhere there were tall, massive palm trees, whose shadow were a true blessing.
Travel reports

Trip to Macao 2006

By: Martin Malik
Senado Square is the heart of Macau rich in Portuguese architecture and very close to the ruins of St. Paul. I felt over there rather like in Lisbon than in China. Not only the buildings were Portuguese but also street names, the square itself, many Catholic churches, the town hall and the senate, even though the descendants of the Portuguese in Macau account for only 2% of the population.
Travel reports

Expedition to Nepal 2006

By: Martin Malik
Swayambhunath, also called the "monkey temple" is colloquially called that way because of large colonies of those animals living there. This temple is the most famous Buddhist building in the whole of Nepal. It is visited not only by tourists but above all by native Tibetans - both those living in northern Nepal as well as refugees from Tibet. In this picture I am with my financial adviser.
Travel reports

Expedition to Mongolia 2006

By: Martin Malik
The landscapes changed quickly. Once there were steppes where there was nothing beyond the flat horizon, other times there were mountains, sand dunes, rocks scattered all around (also on the road) and brooks which we had to cross. Regardless of the landscape however, we were accompanied by huge and majestic eagles that seemed to be hanged in the air. There were also many flocks of goats, yaks and bactrians (two-humped camels).
Travel reports

Expedition to Pakistan 2006

By: Martin Malik
When I was in Pakistan and I was travelling by bus with refugees from Afghanistan, I asked the bearded Afghans several times to not to smoke and finally one of them got a bit upset and said to me: 'Hey watch out, me and my buddies were terrorists in Afghanistan and the guy who he is sitting next to the driver is my brother and he blew up more buses than all of us.'
Travel reports

Expedition to Tibet 2006

By: Martin Malik
There are a lot of beggars and dirty, hungry, homeless children who ask for small pennies to simply survive. I changed money and gave them whatever I could. Oncce, when I was eating I was approached by a very dirty, about a 10 year old boy holding a wooden guitar in his hand. I invited him to the table, I fed him and gave him some money. These are the results of the Chinese politics towards Tibet.
Travel reports

Expedition to India 2006/2007

By: Martin Malik
Whilst travellling around India I noticed that many professions have been developed over there which don't exist in Europe. For example, people make pancakes out of cow shit which then are burned, and as I've heard Indians call it crap chapati. In India there are also ear cleaners, shoe scrubbers of course, men making plates out of banana leaves, someone who makes clay pots for drinking chai (Indian milk tea) and a beard shaver.
Travel reports

Expedition to Kazakhstan 2010

By: Martin Malik
Kolsay lakes are one of the most scenic spots in Kazakhstan and one of the most interesting trips from Almaty for independent tras. As birds fly it is only 110km from Almaty but on the Kazakh roads it is 300km. Kolsay lakes lie at the foot of the Küngey-Alatau mountains and are the starting point for many interesting expeditions, including a trip to Lake Issyk-Köl in Kyrgyzstan. 
Travel reports

Expedition to Kyrgyzstan 2010

By: Martin Malik
Lake Issyk-Köl is the national pride of Kyrgyzstan and the second largest mountain lake in the world (after Titicaca on the border of Peru and Bolivia). It is clean like a tear, never freezes and it is fed by about 50 sources of water from the glaciers around it. Issyk-Köl is a huge hole in the land to which a multitude of rivers flow in but never flow out. It has a diameter of about 170km times 70km.
  • Animals
  • The beach files
  • Interesting people - unforgettable faces
  • Burma (Myanmar)
  • Armenia
  • Tadżykistan