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    • China
      • Shanghai
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      • Three Gorges Dam
      • Dazu Rock Carving
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      • Milarepa Palace, Hezuo
      • Langmusi (Part 1)
      • Langmusi (Part 2)
      • Labrang
      • Ganja Grasslands
    • Ethiopia
      • What to do in Danakil
      • Abreha We Atsbeha
      • Women in Asso Bhole
      • Dallol
      • The Salt Flats in Ahmed Ela
      • Lake Assale
      • Harar
      • Feeding Hyenas in Harar
      • Babile Camel Market
      • Night tales from Erta Ale Volcano
      • Africa splits in two
      • Travel photographer took incredible shots in Danakil Depression
    • India
      • Tamil Nadu & Kerala
        • What to do in Tamil Nadu
        • Chennai, Odissi dance and Crocodile Reserve
        • Mamallapuram
        • Tiruvannamalai
        • Auroville
        • Pondicherry
        • Kumbakonam
        • Thanjavur
        • Thirumayam Fort
        • Madurai
        • Munnar
        • Periyar National Park
        • Kathakali
        • Kalaripayattu
        • Kerala Backwaters
        • Kochi
      • Varanasi
        • Whato to do in Varanasi
        • Varanasi Life along the Ghats
        • Varanasi Death along the Ghats
        • Varanasi Ganga Aarti Ceremony
        • Varanasi demolished to honor Shiva
        • Varanasi Fruit Market
        • “Varanasi, A Journey into the Infinite”
        • Sarnath
        • All about River Ganges
        • Holy Shit. All about Indian Cow Dung
        • Clean India Project
        • Brick factories
        • Tilaka, pundra, bindi: what is the mark on Indian foreheads?
    • Kazakhstan
      • What to do in Mangystau Desert
      • Mangystau painted desert
      • Mangystau Valley of Castles
      • Mangystau Tiramisu Mountains (Kyzylkup)
      • Mangystau Bozzhira Canyons
      • Mangystau Tuzbair Lake
    • Mongolia
      • Ulaanbaatar, the coldest capital in the world
      • What to do in Ulaanbaatar
      • Chinggis Khan Museum, 6 floors of Mongolian history
      • Gorkhi-Terelj National Park and Bodgkhan Natural Reserve
      • Altai Mountains, Things to do in Olgii and Sagsai
      • Living with the Eagle Hunters
      • Sagsai Eagle Festival
      • Navrus Festival
      • Xöömej, Mongolian throat singing
      • Mongolian Food
    • Myanmar
      • What to do in Myanmar
      • 10 wonderful customs of Myanmar
      • Yangon
      • Myanmar Water Festival
      • Kakku
      • Pa’o People
      • Giraffe Women
      • Inle lake
      • Mandalay & surroundings
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      • Ava ( Inwa)
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      • Bago
    • Senegal
      • Things to do in Senegal
      • Goree
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      • Joal Fadiouth
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      • What to do in Uzbekistan
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CHINA
A journey of over 5000 kilometers, analysing aspects of contemporary Chinese culture - from overcrowded cities to rural provinces. Shanghai, Beijing, Chendgu, Pingyao and Xian. The banks of Yangtze river flowing to the majestic Three Gorges Dam; the autonomous Tibetan provinces and the isolated monasteries of Labrang and Langmusi. A unique experience that has changed the way I see China.
Explore China
ETHIOPIA
A journey through the Danakil Desert, Ethiopia. The ancient crater of Dallol, with its poisonous and psychedelic concretions; the incredible reflections of Lake Assale and the salt caravans of Ahmed Ela. The city of Harar, with its fascinating traditions, hyena mouth-feeding and Babile Camel Market.
Explore Ethiopia
SENEGAL
A trip to Senegal takes your breath away: learn about the tragic history of Goree, the island of slaves, and watch the fishermen in Kayar; meet the Peul people in their villages and explore the Saloum river national park. Lastly, the cemetery-village of Joal-Fadiouth will open your heart.
Explore Senegal
INDIA
A trip to India can confuse the certainties of every Western traveller. In search of a deeper sense, I visit the sacred city of Varanasi, in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Then I relax in southern India, discovering the magnificent temples of Tamil Nadu and enjoy Kerala's backwaters.
Explore India
KAZAKHSTAN
Discover Mangystau, the "painted desert". A journey through the colorful rocky massifs and breathtaking landscapes of Kazakhstan.
Explore Kazakhstan
MONGOLIA
From the crowded streets of Ulaanbaatar to the steppes of Olgii and Sagsai, to spend a few days with the Kazakh eagle hunters. Winter Mongolia is awesome!
Explore Mongolia
MYANMAR
A total immersion in the land of a thousand golden pagodas and infinite kindness. From Yangon to Golden Rock, through Inle Lake and Bagan.
Explore Myanmar
UZBEKISTAN
On the ancient Silk Road, Uzbekistan. A journey that will bring you to the ancient caravan cities of Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand, then reaches Moynaq for a quick visit to the Aral Sea Memorial.
Explore Uzbekistan
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ANY PLACE IS HOME

A Travel Blog by Andrea Marchegiani

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He who returns from a journey is not the same as he who left.
Andrea MarchegianiTravel Storyteller
Andrea Marchegiani

A Chinese saying reads: “He who returns from a journey is not the same as he who left”. Amazing things happen to people on the road, changing them deeply.  When people return from a journey, they are enriched by all the difficulties they have encountered, by the people who have smiled at them, by new thoughts in their heads, they are enriched with ideas they would never have thought before leaving. In my travel blog I write about the most remote places in the world. I describe customs and habits far from ours, I tell the experiences I have lived and the lessons I have drawn from them. And I also give useful tips for those wishing to embark on my own journey.

I hope, with my stories, to convince you to leave your comfort zone, to inspire you in the choice of your next trip. We can all live a greater life than we would have imagined!

All photos and stories in this Travel Blog are by Andrea Marchegiani

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Most Appreciated Posts

The most appreciated articles from my travel blog. Incredible experiences must be shared!

Dallol, Hell is a place on earth

Dallol is an ancient volcanic crater in Danakil, on the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is known as the most inhospitable in the world. Hell on earth, basically, with temperatures reaching 60ºC, salty deserts, pools of toxic water and craters with boiling lava in the open air. Dallol's formations...
LEGGI TUTTO >>
December 19, 2022
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AndreaMarchegiani

Labrang, To Have or To Be?

Located 3000m high, in a valley between the mountains of the Tibetan plateau, Labrang is one of the 6 largest monasteries of Buddhism. Founded in 1709, it belongs to the religious school of the Gelugpa, also known as "Yellow Hat School", whose supreme head is the Dalai Lama. It occupies...
LEGGI TUTTO >>
February 16, 2023
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AndreaMarchegiani

Kayar, Senegal’s biggest fishing harbour

We get up early to reach Kayar’s fish market. What I’m about to see will fill my eyes with wonder. Kayar is a village about 60 km north of Dakar and is home to one of the largest fishing centers in Senegal. You would expect large boats equipped with industrial...
LEGGI TUTTO >>
January 21, 2023
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AndreaMarchegiani

Mangystau, the magical canyons of Bozzhira

We wake up at dawn, have a frugal breakfast and jump on our jeeps. We are moving towards the canyons of Bozshira, perhaps the most famous place in the Mangystau desert. If it was still fashionable to send postcards, we’d all like to send one from here. And we’ll keep...
LEGGI TUTTO >>
January 11, 2023
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AndreaMarchegiani

Bukhara, the city of storks

I continue my journey along the ancient Silk Road and arrive in Bukhara. Here is the most fascinating artistic heritage of all Central Asia: Bukhara suffered a less invasive restoration than Samarkand and today still looks like the way Turkestan looked before the Russians arrived. Every time I look up,...
LEGGI TUTTO >>
January 16, 2023
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AndreaMarchegiani

Golden Rock (Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda), Myanmar

They say it takes just one visit to Golden Rock, in Myanmar, to become a Buddhist. I think that’s absolutely true. It is impossible to visit this archeological site without going to Myanmar and, once in Myanmar, you will certainly fall in love with Theravada Buddhism. How could you possibly...
LEGGI TUTTO >>
January 29, 2023
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AndreaMarchegiani

Varanasi Death along the Ghats

Hinduism is one of the oldest and most complicated religions in the world; the creation-destruction duality is overcome in a worldview that embraces both. Varanasi fully shows this melting of opposing elements especially in Manikarnika Ghat, the largest of the two crematory ghats in the city. Here you find a...
LEGGI TUTTO >>
December 23, 2022
|
AndreaMarchegiani

Recent Posts

The most recent articles from my travel blog. Stories, news and peculiarities from all over the world. All you need to know to prepare for your next trip. 

India

The river Ganges between sacred and profane

7 things to know about the River Ganges, the most sacred and polluted river in the world. The Ganges is not just a river traced on maps; the Ganges is a loving mother who washes, quenches her thirst, comforts and cares.

Read More »
28 December 2022 No Comments
India

Sarnath, Buddha’s first speech

In Sarnath you can find a shrine dedicated to the figure of Gautama Siddhartha. Here, in fact, in 527 BC, the Buddha began his preaching and exposed the sermons which contain the core of Buddhist doctrine: the four noble truths and the eightfold path. Today Sarnath is one of the four most important sites for Buddhists. In 1998, the Indian government asked UNESCO to include it on the World Heritage List.

Read More »
28 December 2022 No Comments
India

Varanasi demolished to honor Shiva

One of the city’s most historical quarters is being demolished to let pilgrims have a faster way down to the river ghats. India’s prime minister claims he’s doing it to please Shiva, who could not bare anymore the state of decay of the Golden Temple’s surroundings.

Read More »
27 December 2022 No Comments
India

Varanasi Fruit Market

On the road from Varanasi to the Buddhist shrine of Sarnath, there is a large fruit and vegetable market, the Panckoshi Fal Mandi. Intrigued by the non-tourist atmosphere, I decide to stop for a visit. In Varanasi, 80% of the population is vegetarian. Hinduism is based on the principle of ahimsa, nonviolence, and killing animals is considered an unclean act. A vegetarian diet is also considered healthier than an omnivorous diet and therefore able to guarantee a longer life.

Read More »
27 December 2022 No Comments
India

Varanasi Ganga Aarti Ceremony

Varanasi bewitches you. As evening falls, like moths to the flames, people gather in the Dasaswamedh Ghat to witness Ganga Aarti, a majestic ritual of thanksgiving to the river goddess, Ganga. The first time I attend, the ritual stuns my senses so much that I want to get away from it. You often find yourself in India feeling so overwhelmed that you need a break.

Read More »
24 December 2022 No Comments
India

Varanasi Death along the Ghats

Hinduism is one of the oldest and most complicated religions in the world; the creation-destruction duality is overcome in a worldview that embraces both. Varanasi fully shows this melting of opposing elements especially in Manikarnika Ghat, the largest of the two crematory ghats in the city. Here you find a fire that has been burning for many centuries. Every day, dozens of pyres are lit from embers left by the previous cremation. The original fire has been lit a millennium ago and it is still alive, thanks to the deceased who have fed it over the centuries.

Read More »
23 December 2022 No Comments
India

Varanasi Life along the Ghats

No one comes to Varanasi by chance. Yet, you are never prepared for the contradictory emotions that you experience here. Walk through the alleyways of the city and reach the 84 ghats that border the banks of the Ganges. Attend the daily ceremony of Ganga Aarti. Visit the burning ghats, where the well known public cremations take place. Varanasi can bring chaos into the minds of every Western traveller. Most run away; only the luckiest few understand its deep existential value.

Read More »
23 December 2022 No Comments
Ethiopia

Africa splits in two. A new ocean is about to submerge the dark continent

Dancalia, Ethiopia, is the most inhospitable place on earth. Here temperatures exceed 50 centigrade and the heat does not give respite even at night, when temperatures reach 35 degrees.
Ethiopia will build your character, especially if you decide to visit it in the hottest period of the year.
No wonder mother Earth decided to put here such a deep rift it will split the continent in two. Will Africa disappear under the waters of a new ocean?

Read More »
20 December 2022 No Comments
Ethiopia

Danakil nights, thrilling tales from Erta Ale Volcano

Some of the stories I was told in Danakil at night. “A tourist died nearby last year, but I don’t want to tell you where,” my friend Johnny tells me as we approach Erta Ale volcano. We hope to see the lava spring out of the crater. “He had left his group at night and came across some soldiers patrolling the border. They asked him for his papers, and this kid got scared, he was afraid he’d run into kidnappers. So, he turned and ran. The cops mistook him for a terrorist and shot him in the back. It was an accident”.

Read More »
20 December 2022 No Comments
Ethiopia

Babile Camel Market, Ethiopia. Mind your handshake

Close to the town of Harar you will find the Babile camel market. I’m not sure what to expect, but my friend Johnny assures me that it’s very picturesque and that we have to be careful with our cameras. “They are very jealous of their beasts and they might get angry if they see us taking pictures of them.”

In Ethiopia taking a photograph is always a gamble…

Read More »
20 December 2022 No Comments
Ethiopia

Magic in Harar, Ethiopia

Harar is a historic town, the fourth largest in the Muslim world. Situated in a strategic position, Harar has been a trade hub from ancient times. Today, the city has 250,000 inhabitants. With its 82 mosques, six gateways and colourful labyrinthine alleys, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. People got to know Harar as poet Rimbaud’s favorite place to live, but it is also famous for its exquisite coffee…

Read More »
19 December 2022 No Comments
Ethiopia

Lake Assale, Ethiopia. Sun marries Salt

Lake Assale, also known as Lake Karum, is a salt lake in the Afar region of Ethiopia, northeastern Dancalia. It is located 120 m below sea level and is surrounded by a vast salt plain, which is used as a salt mine.Temperatures are extreme and reach up to 50 degrees. Sunsets here are a real blast.

Read More »
19 December 2022 No Comments
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