When you walk through the grit of downtown Johannesburg today, your eyes eventually hit a "glitch" in the skyline. Standing on Marshall Street is a red-brick fortress that looks like it was teleported from medieval Europe and dropped into the heart of the 19th-century gold rush. This is the Three Castles Building, and it is… Continue reading The Architecture of Addiction: Johannesburg’s Victorian Fortress
Author: Frog on the border
A guy with a curiosity and eagerness to learn more about the places he has read about. Places of historical, cultural and political importance to me, and possibly to some other adventurers.
From the Furnace to the Bean: A Journey Through Eswatini’s High Heat and High Hopes
In the kingdom of Eswatini, the air in the high Lubombo Mountains is often thick with mist. But if you follow my local guide—a man with the sharp mind of a modern businessman and the heart of a storyteller—you’ll find that the true heat of the country isn't in the sun, but in the furnaces… Continue reading From the Furnace to the Bean: A Journey Through Eswatini’s High Heat and High Hopes
Exploring the Kome Caves: A National Heritage Site in Lesotho
Classified as a National Heritage Site, Kome Caves are a group of mud cave dwellings located in the district of Berea in Lesotho. The area is still inhabited by the descendants of the original people who built the little homes. Along with Eswatini, it is one of the few amazing locations I had the opportunity… Continue reading Exploring the Kome Caves: A National Heritage Site in Lesotho
Conquering the Snowy Slopes of Rishiri’s Volcano
Rishiri Mountain rises proudly out of the Sea of Japan to a height of 1,721m. The hike can be challenging as it involves some very steep parts on its two trails. Partway up the mountain from the dock, there is a campsite, and just below the summit, there is an unmanned shelter. There is also… Continue reading Conquering the Snowy Slopes of Rishiri’s Volcano
Tokashiki Suicide Site, Okinawa
Takashiki hides a darker part of the history of the Battle of Okinawa when the American forces landed on the island on March the 27th, 1945. The next day, on March the 28th, 394 inhabitants of Tokashiki, mostly from farming families, at the command of Japanese soldiers, committed a mass suicide using grenades, practice known… Continue reading Tokashiki Suicide Site, Okinawa
Atomic Dome, Hiroshima, Japan
This used to be the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall until the 6th of August 1945 when the atomic bomb exploded 600 metres above, 160 metres southeast. The blast exerted 35 tons of pressure per square metre and created a powerful wind speed at 440 metres per second. The building absorbed the powerful explosion and… Continue reading Atomic Dome, Hiroshima, Japan
The beauty of Jade Mountain, Taiwan
This was the centre of my whole travel to Taiwan - Yushan, also known as Mount Jade, Jade Mountain, or Mount Yu, and known as Mount Niitaka during Japanese rule, the highest mountain on Taiwan at 3,952 m (12,966 ft) above sea level, giving Taiwan the 4th-highest maximum elevation of any island in the world. It is the highest point in the western Pacific region outside of the Kamchatka… Continue reading The beauty of Jade Mountain, Taiwan
North Korean Architecture
Across the country, the standard of dwellings varies. The conditions on who is allocated where are based on something that is only known to the authorities. All visitors and outsiders rely on information that is officially accessible here and in the mass media. I formed my own opinion based on what I actually witnessed and… Continue reading North Korean Architecture
Pyongyang Metro Station, North Korea
The Pyongyang Metro is one of the deepest metros in the world. Its track is supposedly approximately 110 metres deep underground and serves as a bomb shelter. It consists of two lines with 17 stations: the Chollima line and the Hyoksin line. The two lines intersect at Chonu Station. Construction of the metro network started… Continue reading Pyongyang Metro Station, North Korea
DMZ, South/North Korea
For those keen on Korean War history I highly recommend a visit to Demilitarized Zone dividing the South and the North. My intention was stand at each side of the border and feel the impact of armistice. First it was the South Korean side and only one week later I was standing at the viewing… Continue reading DMZ, South/North Korea
Facing Heights: Experience Huashan Mountain’s Dangerous Plank Walk
Part of the attractions you get while hiking Huashan Mountain is undoubtedly the dangerous plank walk which draws in all sorts of daredevil visitors. It has been 'conquered' hundreds times by Chinese visitors, (actually all families) and overseas travellers, old and young trying to face the fear of heights. The organisation is a bit chaotic… Continue reading Facing Heights: Experience Huashan Mountain’s Dangerous Plank Walk
Great Wall of North Korea and China
Hushan or Tiger Mountain Great Wall, (Chinese: 虎山 hǔ shān /hoo-shan/) begins fifteen km northeast of Dandong, close to the North Korea - China border. It was built by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in a strategic spot overlooking the Yalu River, an important natural land barrier.Its fortifications were built in 1469, and it was called the Border Wall in ancient… Continue reading Great Wall of North Korea and China
Frog on the border 