Travelling slowly since 2014
Fun, Fails & Random Acts of Kindness
Starting in 2014, we spend one and a half year criss-crossing South America exploring windy Patagonias wilderness and the glowing life in the Amazon rain forest. Then discovering the jungles of Madagascar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, the forests of India and Nepal and the woods of Norway, Sweden and Finland.
Fascinated with all things green – the natural heritage of a destination, collecting treelore and observing wildlife.
Could you spend from dawn till noon sitting surrounded by trees and birds?
Amateur Bird watching is really all about the quest for balance – between the curious animal at the near end of the binoculars and the wild animal at the far end – between the identifiable and the indescribably mysterious – between a tremendous yearning to be outside looking at creatures – between disturbing them and conservation. Sometimes, I feel like I need to see them all… Someday I’ll do a proper bird list.
Exploring the bountiful gifts of nature, the wealth of edible and medicinal plants of earth – Ethnobotany gives us meaningful learning opportunities.
Observing wildlife can be a gateway into recognizing and appreciating a wider world that was there all along. Nature has to be felt: not only the ground beneath us is alive – We’re not grumbling about the National Geographic worthy, world of critters that infest our beds some nights.
Over the past years we’ve hiked Volcanoes in Thailand and Indonesia, the Alps – Switzerland, North Italy, Tirol, Austria – the Andes in Chile, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia – the Himalayas of Nepal and India.
In any walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.
John Muir
We rode camels in the Gobi of Mongolia and inhaled the sand of the Sahara in Egypt, the Atacama of Argentina, Peru and Bolivia and the Rub’ al Khali in Oman – grasping the mystical expanse of the deserts.
Like visiting the Indian Rann of Kutch (Kachchh), a salt marsh of the Thar Desert, or the crossing the Salar de Uyuni of Bolivia and Chile proved that a dry place is not, by default hot. It was a freezing experience.
On board of the ship to Kap horn I got to learn what Kinetosis is, I got seasick – really vomitous.
Diving and snorkeling in Indonesia thought us how to wonder: Creatures, so strange we couldn’t even attribute them – plant, animal or both?
Pristine, candy-hued coral stretching out like a Monet. Forests shooting up from the seabed. There were giants, like whales and mantas and tiny plankton type organisms that shine at night – a dance of bio luminescence – brilliant.
Since 2016 we are traveling on motorbike. Right now we have an iconic Royal Enfield Himalayan under our swollen butts, from countless road and off- road trips. We enjoy the freedom, the independence.
Stopping along the way to smell “the roses” and enjoy the view. Riding on broken roads bears no real issues, even on a tricky stage we are passed by a grandma in flip flops on a motorbike with her whole family on the back…
They’re funny things. Accidents. You never have them ’till you’re having them
Fail – WHOOMP! – crash
We are OK!
A little banged up, but not broken. A reminder to be grateful for overcoming the week long feeling to have been in a wash machine on spin gear, and for the road ahead. ✧ °.・
We’ve spent countless nights in the middle of nowhere, usually near a majestic tree, a gentle river, the rough ocean or a calm lake, and sometimes a filthy roadside… and my partner has all the mosquito bites to prove it.
History & Heritage
At earthstoriez, we particularly treasure those threads of the fabric of knowledge that carry an awareness of how a FOLK is woven into a place.
LORE has for millennia informed young people in how to be human in a natural world. Lore comes from the same root word as learn. It includes both historical knowledge and know-how, passed down from one generation to another.
Because the passing on of storieZ – history, mythology, legend and folklore – and traditions is intrinsically human, and something we can all come together to share.
Everything here on earthstOriez is based on our personal experience.
We compile, share and preserve storieZ from history & heritage.
The word HISTORY can refer to the past; the study of the past; and/or the meaning(s) of the past. History is not just about things ‘long ago and far away’ – though it includes that – but it is about all that makes humanity human – up close and personal.
The term HERITAGE has evolved considerably over time. Initially referring exclusively to the monumental remains of cultures – the concept of heritage has gradually been expanded to embrace – living culture and contemporary expressions – IDENTITY & MEMORY – and history connects them between past and present.
There is no history of mankind, there are only many
Karl Popper, philosopher of science (1902-94)
histories of all kinds of aspects of human life.
Cultural heritage is in the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the religions we follow, the skills we learn – the storiez we tell.
Sometimes we can touch and see what makes up a culture – other times it is intangible. Like knowledge apparent in the worldview of a people, preserved through books, artifacts, objects, pictures, photographs, art, and oral tradition. StorieZ bear the characteristics of culture, folklore and customs of the people from which they originate.
Using history & heritage to tell the story of our journey.
By delving into storieZ and traditions of communities, we can explore the similarities that run through our EARTH. – STORIEZ are a great way of connecting to a heritage, and an excellent way of learning about us – appreciating how we’re different and how we are all the same – and those moments, when just for an instant – we feel close to the people and the meaning of a place.
It is growing in the process – making the strange familiar, and the familiar strange.
We visit communities, because some storieZ you won’t find anywhere else in the world but from the mouths of the people themselves.
earthstOriez & place
Riding off with no clue where we will end up to. Having no very clear idea what may happen along the way, nor indeed when we shall reach. That very uncertainty is disquieting for some, we delight in the magic of the unexpected.
We take to the back streets and try to understand what makes a community tick.
A punched tire, can create new opportunities… kindness everywhere, we stay invited into private houses by perfect strangers.
While travelling we were often shown kindness, generosity and courtesy by perfect strangers – hospitality everywhere.
Thank you all.
earthstoriez
We try to visit places cherished by the local community, these are not necessarily the same as the big tourist sights. In fact there are no ‘must-see’ places.
At earthstoriez, we find the process of experiencing a place is essentially phenomenological. The city square or local market was not designed for tourists, but rather as the context for everyday lives.
Deserving more than a casual glance – cityscapes are there to be studied and observed in detail. They are spurs to meditation, and only much later can words flow – and what is true of cities is equally true, often even more true, of rural places.
Behind every place lie storieZ, traditions and time-honored practices, preserved by women and men whose identities and cultures have evolved over centuries.
Living culture is incorporating changes alongside continuities, hence there’s nothing like a rigid divide between past and present. We can see this also in the landscape of agriculture and forested land, as well, as in buildings, towns, and in archaeological remains.
earthstOriez & people
At earthstoriez, we share without expecting anything.
Slowly and attentively we try to immerse in a culture and seek out people whose knowledge and passion can deepen our own understanding and appreciation of a place. All people and peoples are living histories.
It’s a pleasure to discover somewhere through those who know and love it. By choosing to travel slowly, we have time to shape our relationship with the communities through which we pass on our journey.
Swirling with myth, rippling with history and surrounded by some of the most haunting landscapes, travelling to rural communities, is time travel – it’s visiting the ancients – giving us a literal way of touching the past.
No matter which country we traveled, we found women and men to be welcoming, kind and generous.
earthstoriez
Nothing brings us together like festivals do, so we try to be there – celebrating the sacred and profane together, because festivals are about sharing happy moments and creating memories. Observing social practices – customs & rituals – , listening to oral traditions and watching performing arts, like dance and music, universal languages, that we all have the ability to speak.
We feel enormously fortunate to have the pleasure of meeting people who enjoy sharing storieZ, challenge our thinking and keep moving forward.
A living culture is made of practices concerning nature and the universe or/and the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts and of course – gastronomic traditions.
Like savoring café culture and espresso for us is a way to experience a place. We skip coffee at chains, and stick to locally owned roadside stalls and enjoy regional specialties. Those places without our beloved espresso are full of caffeinated surprises: Türk Kahvesi, Indian filter kaapi, kopi Aceh, white kopi, mate, tereré , tea and cocoa.
Eating and drinking is a mind-broadening and an enjoyable cultural experience. Joining in with culinary traditions does enrich our taste buds. However, there are likely to be many surprises along the way.
A folklore and mythology disclaimer
Since the heritage of myths and folklore of our earth are too vast and varied to be examined properly here, our website is meant as only a brief and admittedly incomplete survey of cultural heritage we encounter, it’s storieZ.
Etc.
What you read is derived from our experiences, encounters and observations, only then we go and try to deepen our knowledge using scholarly literature, historical papers and reports. We are carefully researching and typing each and every word on earthstoriez.
We want to educate with our culture storieZ and try to keep our content accurate and trustworthy.
Do not expect a peer-reviewed academic article from amateur writers, sitting on the computer typing as long as it takes to get an article ready. We are bikers and nature lovers with degrees, visiting places with an essence of heritage, history and biodiversity.
Languages give us the power to communicate in an attempt to make sense of people and places. Both of us grew up Bi lingual, making us aware that languages open doors & hearts. That is why we take time to get a feel for the languages and dialects of locals we visit and study a few phrases. Or learn the language.
English isn’t our native language and we have the impudence to write also in other languages – not often good but for that seldom. We do not use automation or AI-generation when we write, but we do not know if we quote someone using it.
We use tools for proofreading and our friend Klaus (PhD in Mathematics and Music) helps us with that.
Guest posts are marked with a star * .
Guido grazie for the photograph.
The authors of this website are anonymous, only friends know who we are.
We are a money free educational website.
If you find any inspiration in HISTORY & HERITAGE – MYTH & FOLKLORE & what earthstoriez does, please consider a
Storiez were preserved so they could be told and retold – feel free to share. Browse through the rich wealth of storiez that are capable of leading you to special places.
After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.
Philip Pullman
What people say about earthstoriez and us
We’d love to hear your thoughts. If you’d like to give a feedback, you can use the form on the end of this page – just scroll down. Thank you.
27 responses to “Fun, Fails & Random Acts of Kindness”
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Hi! I just discovered your blog. I read the article about Komodo dragon and I loved it. Really like the way you tell stories. I love telling stories as well and it was so nice reading your blog posts!
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Hello,
My name is Maci and I run landscape architecture podcast and IG page. I have been having difficulty researching landscape folklore and mythology ….until I found your website. I think the stories you have collected are beautiful and well told.
Folklore is a special interest of mine because my design approach is rooted in non-western narratives.
Anyways, I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate your website and work. I’ll be sure to tell everybody about it.
Nerdiest Regards,
Maci -
Hey there I love your website and stories you write. Your skill and passion doesn’t go unnoticed.
Thank you for blessing us with your knowledge ❤️ -
Thank you for all the information!
I have just found your website and have read only one article so far, but I’ll definitely read more.Thank you, as an anthropologist who loves mythology and folklore. -
It’s very trouble-free to find out any matter on net as compared to textbooks,
as I found this paragraph at this web page. -
Thank you for collecting this history. I’m a Spanish high school teacher and I can’t wait to share some of your work around chocolate and mate with my classes. 🙂
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Plants and trees have nurtured us, feed us, sheltered us, and provided medication and energy to us, the plant kingdom speaks to us because our bodies speak the same genetic and chemical language.
There are deep reasons why morphine, coffee, chocolate, tobacco and chilli make up some of the biggest financial industries in the world.
Hominids have coevolved with plants and trees for millions of years. so entwined are we that we share 50 % of our DNA with the botanical world, and the connections between us are profound.
I connected with Earthstories the moment I found you!
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Love your articles, glimpses into far-away lands. They remind me that our world is so rich in culture and makes my bones ache in longing for travels.
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Hello!
Earthstoriez is an amazing project and I am so thrilled that I’ve happened upon it.
Thank you for your time and consideration by email.
Warmly,Kristin Scarola
Museum Educator
New York, NY -
What an interesting idea and great way to understand and explore different cultural aspects beyond the normal tourist itinerary.
I think the stories here are quirky and give more in-depth cultural perspective so good for sure. -
Interesting and beautiful stories and myths directly from the womb of our mother earth.
This project stimulate the curiosity and to discover and learn more.
It is a pleasant read thanks to the clarity of language used by earthstoriez.
Thank you so much for sharing your work! -
A lovely website to understand deeper . Well researched nice stories written so well. Thanks for sharing these stories with the world.
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Thank you for sharing your knowledge about Annapurna with me it was very enlightening. It has certainly given me food for thought ? about my own relationship with food.
Big love ❤️ -
This pages bring back memories of places that I have lived. As I started reading, I remembered things I had not thought of in years. Thank you
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Dear Sir / Madam, Greetings, My name is Utba Mahmood from Singapore. I came across this website by chance. Its very informative! Thank you for your time to post these articles. I would love to learn more about them. Do have a nice day <3 Best regards, Utba Mahmood
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Ich liebe diese Seiten!!! sie sind eine Fundgrube voller Schätze. Reich an Geschichten, Sagen, Legenden, und Mythen. Und das Besondere, in den Erzählungen ist etwas Verbindendes, etwas universell Verbindendes, ich glaube dass wir Menschen uns durch diese Art von Erzählungen näher kommen, denn alle haben wir doch letztendlich dieselben Bedürfnisse (wenn auch nicht immer unbedingt zur selben Zeit). Für mich ist es eine Fundgrube von Wissen und immer geltende Weisheit.
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Earthstoriez is for someone wanting to delve deeper into mythology and lore of trees. Humanity has deep and significant ties to trees and woods- which we have largely forgotten, this website serves as a reminder.
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Das ist eine Schatzkammer des Wissens, aber auch der ästhetischen Vermittlung desselben. Auf earthstoriez läßt sich eine derartige Fülle von Informationen erfahren, läßt sich so tief in die Geschichte und Geschichten der Kulturen der Welt eintauchen, daß es eine wahre Freude ist.
Die Sagen, Märchen, Legenden und mythischen Episoden werden jeweils nacherzählt und meist auch in den Zusammenhang mit anderen Geschichten gestellt.
Die schönen Bilder sind eine Augenweide und ein ganz wesentlicher Grund für die Güte der Webseite: geschmackvoll ausgewählt, ästhetisch angeordnet und schlicht schwarz weiß.
Das ist interkulturelle Wissensvermittlung, wie ich sie mir vorstelle.
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On our trip we realized how much we can learn from others and their stories of their lifes. In the end it’s sharing another perspective, opinion, lifestyle, memory or learing. Having a collection of all the old sayings and stories is really great, those one’s should be even more usefull for us, as they’ve been told and rememberd for so long. So, it’s an amazing idea of having a collection of learings of the world here on this website.
Thanks also for the stories and learings we got from you in person :). -
Very interesting reading the folklore you collected.
I love it ❤ -
leggere questi testi è un pó come sognare ad occhi aperti.. per chi viaggia sa cosa intendo dire, è come sentire di nuovo i profumi, i suoni e le sensazioni..
Ogniuno di noi potrebbe forse scrivere un libro sulle proprie storie, esperienze e sui propi avvenimenti della sua vita, e forse tutti sarebbero dei bestseller 😉 la cosa importante e dare anche valore a tutto ció, chiaccherare con gli amici, famiglia, sconosciuti o passanti, condividere il vissuto, i sogni e le speranze. Questo mondo è un pozzo di saggiezza, se solo lo vediamo e se solo sappiamo apprezzarlo. Auguro a tutti noi di farci continuamente ispirare da questo stupendo posto chiamato terra.
Vielseitig und spritzig tanx friends -
Qué bonitas historias! Me encanta poder leer leyendas de lugares en los que no he visitado o que nunca me contaron. Enriquecedor y Lindísimooooo!
QUEREMOS MÁSSSSS!
Un beso fuerte! -
This is a treasure chest full of jewels for personal enjoyment, but it is also a very important site to share because we desperately need better understanding of each other in this world. Different peoples, different cultures have always met and exchanged stories since humans began our first great migrations, slowly and gradually, extended by trading and curiosity. We have all benefited from this mingling and mixing whether or not we realise it or understand the details. But in today’s world, change is faster, people are thrown together with less time for communication and we are made to feel competitive when we need to be collaborative. The survival of us all depends on having our stories heard and listening to the stories of others. Many myths known today have origins going back millennia and have been handed down and passed along over whole continents and across continents – long before social media 🙂 We share vast ancient histories we do not even know but can sometimes feel in others’ myths that are really our own myths, too. Apart from the love of story, I have a special interest in that I am a social anthropologist and have studied the stories of peoples from many countries. I couldn’t agree more with this ‘wandering historian’ that people make place as they make history also. Thank you for gathering and maintaining this wonderful story-place.
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Wunderbare Seite. Interessante und lehrreiche Beiträge. Von Herzen empfehlenswert. ❤
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I think it’s so important to share stories, as that’s why we travel in the first place.
From hearing others stories, the direction of my life has changed several times. We often think that it’s important to find stories from interesting people, quoting things that famous people have said, but in all this we forget that everyone has such a unique and interesting story, though it’s just generally not heard. I am yet to meet someone without an interesting life.
As I meet people on my travels around the world, I hear things that you can’t find in any book or in any quotes, and listening to what others have to say regardless of their age is what makes this life so enriching.
As someone once told me in George Town, Penang; “it’s never too late to have a happy childhood” and I think it’s important to listen to people’s stories, the same way we did with awe and wonder when we were children.
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Very interesting storieZ, and good translation work!
Congratulations -
Se dimentichiamo le nostre leggende, temo che dovremmo chiudere una porta importante all’immaginazione ~ James Christense
Divulgare Storie é aprirsi al dialogo, é vivere pienamente e con leggerezza la nostra quotidianità.
Grazie per questo grande patrimonio dell’umanità.
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