Maria Orfanidou | Trips of our Life | Travel Blogger

Maria Orfanidou | Trips of our Life | Travel Blogger

Maria Orfanidou is a well-travelled Greek woman in many beautiful corners of the world (we particularly liked the fact that she has been to Colombia, seeing also a fantastic rich photographic material from this country). She is also the administrator and founder of the travel blog Trips of our Life which is in two languages ​​in English and Greek. But let’s see what she told us.

Tell us a few words about Trips of our life, its theme, etc.

Trips of our Life, tripsofourlife.com

“Trips of our life” is a purely travel personal blog that started as an idea from 2015, the year I moved to Germany for personal reasons, but was actually implemented in 2016. The reason, more or less known, to share the personal my moments and experiences with my friends, who would now be far away.

That’s how it started and that’s how it continues, except that my friends are now much more than close personal ones, so my main goal has now changed: I share not only personal moments but also information and tips about any place I visit, so that I can help even a little someone who will want to make the same journey. On the other hand, I try with the photo articles to convey the images exactly as my own eyes saw them to anyone who is either not interested, or is unable for any reason to make this trip.

La Candelaría, Bogotá, Colombia

The articles are simply written in English and Greek, I try to maintain a friendly style as if we were talking at that moment, and not the style and style of a magazine or tourist guide. I will rarely give driver style information, it’s all over the internet, why should I? I prefer to share my personal experiences and thoughts … So for this reason, there is no special topic.

You’ll find articles about mountains, about reefs, about cities, about food, about castles, about anything that piqued my interest and I thought my friends should know about. Of course, I still have a lot to do…

Our 3-week adventure in Colombia through 20 pictures | Trips of our life

We visited Colombia last March, a season suitable to wander around the whole country without any weather problems. We flew via Canada & Toronto (which we also visited on our way back). Starting our trip from the capital, Bogota, we spent a total of 3 wonderful weeks constantly alternating landscapes and experiences in this magnificent country of South America.

The communication was mainly in Spanish, we traveled by airplanes, buses, wooden ships, jeeps, and with 6 domestic flights, flying thousands of kilometers from Amazonia to the central Caribbean Sea … read more: Our 3-week adventure in Colombia through 20 pictures | Trips of our life

How many countries have you visited in total, which countries touched you the most?

Kenya

The truth is that I had never counted my countries before you asked me, although they are few … how many did we say? 31 plus 1 more in less than a month … focusing more on places to be honest, and less on countries. I try to experience as much of a country as I can in the days I have, rather than skimping and running around in 2 to 3 weeks to collect numbers… I don’t have unlimited time anyway and I really want to enjoy each one place I visit.

If I exclude the countries of Europe that no longer cause me any interest except as a light excursion, all the rest of the countries have left me something special, most of them positive feelings and wonderful memories…but the one that touched me the most was Kenya, maybe because it’s the only African country I’ve visited so far.

Their poverty, unprecedented for us, the smiling people, proud of their country regardless of their economic situation, the incredible landscapes of the savannah, the magical shores of the Indian Ocean… It was a great culture shock for me and definitely the most special country I’ve ever been to. I have visited so far…

Local street food market, Kenya

When we arrived at this outdoor market to buy fruit in the middle of nowhere on the Mombasa-Nairobi road I couldn’t imagine leaving in tears.

These boys approached us from the first moment as we were the only white people and we thought they were the children of the sellers, so we did not give anything in the way of money or food, although they kept asking.

Later our guide explained to us that these boys were homeless, living alone on the street either because they were orphans or because their parents had kicked them out.

And how better that we didn’t give them money because with it they would buy different kinds of drugs and hang out all day instead of going to school.

You have a passion for photography, tell me some good shots from your travels, some great landscapes

Chinese Temple, Kek Lok Si Buddhist temple Georgetown, Pulau Penang, Malaysia

I don’t know if it seems like I have a passion for photography, but I’m definitely not a photographer. For me, photos are the recording of my memories, I may not record any information from a trip but remember everything through photos. Since I’m a visual guy anyway and have what they call a photographic memory, my camera is nothing more than a means to remember my travels when I get dementia in my old age…and of course as I mentioned at the beginning, it’s the means to it helps me show friends exactly what I saw too. Oh, I have the live streams now too, some people are having a lot of fun watching me, haha!

Good shots ???? Hmm…I would say incredible

Valle de Cocora, Colombian Andes, the valley with the tallest palm trees in the world in the Colombian Andes

shots !!! Not because I’m a special photographer, we said that, but because some landscapes were unreal, either in or out of the sea. I am crazy about snorkeling and have seen incredible underwater landscapes on coral reefs i

n the Egyptian Red Sea. From Europe I distinguish the spectacular mountain peaks of the Alps with the lakes and small villages, especially in winter.

I have been to the Bavarian and Austrian Alps many times, but I would like to visit the Swiss and Italian side at some point. The sunset in the African savannah was pure magic, watching the sun disappear behind the horizon and the whole sky being painted with orange-red colors !!

I fell in love with the Amazon rainforest of Colombia, it was a special and special experience for me to stay in that part where the 3 neighboring countries, Colombia – Peru – Brazil, join. I was amazed by the Valle de Cocora, the valley with the tallest palm trees in the world high up in the Colombian Andes, which we visited by walking through a rainforest and a rain forest!

The Indian ocean in the Maldives …. what can I say, a dream .. honestly I have never seen such beautiful and bright colors in the sea so far in my life. The Giza Plateau in Egypt that impressed me so much, the rice fields in Bali, the sacred mountains of central China … our whole planet is a painting!!

Tell us a little about the trips you’ve taken, some places you particularly liked, some cultures

Pyramids of Giza

I have traveled more in Europe due to circumstances, and less in the rest of the continents, although I prefer the more exotic trips, either alone, or with my husband, maybe with friends, but definitely not with a lot of people. I love getting to know different cultures, local people and customs of each place, trying local cuisine (minus insects, which I hate anyway) and trying to have as much fun as I can.

I’m having fun, I don’t mean going out drinking in bars, but having fun and living beautiful moments and not just seeing simple places and monuments. I will never forget last year in a village in the Andes, as I was filming groups dancing Latin in a square, a girl approached me to treat me to shots and invite me to their table!

Bali, Indonesia

As well as the students from a girls’ school in the Giza pyramids who pulled my hair during a photo shoot because they had never seen a blonde before! If that’s not fun, then what is?? I don’t particularly go on cultural trips, I will hardly enter museums and archaeological sites, I prefer nature and the traditional corners of a place. I explore the cities and villages on foot, doing activities in general, hiking, climbing, swimming, hanging out with the locals…

Nijubashi, the Imperial Palace, Tokyo

There isn’t a country so far that I don’t like, but I have a big weakness for Latin American culture. It probably suits me. I had a love affair with Mexico until I visited Colombia last year.

The Gnu migration in Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

The amazing nature, the Andes mountains, the Amazon, the Caribbean coast, the colorful colonial-style villages and towns, the vibrancy of the people, the music, I loved everything about this country. It has everything, mountains, seas, oceans, rivers, jungles, and Latin, salsa!! I would like to return at some point to complete my exploration and the rest of the part that I necessarily missed.

Tokyo was also a very special trip, a shocking place that combines the past with the future… there is no present there, people live forever in the future… I was hesitant before going, but now it is one of my favorites my cities.

I will mention Kenya again, it was shocking, it’s over! I hope to return to Africa again soon!

Egypt … I honestly don’t know why, it’s one of my favorite countries and the only one I’ve visited for its archeological monuments! Mount Sinai, the alleys of Cairo, the bottom of Erythra, the pyramids of Giza, the Temple of Karnak and how many more.. well, I couldn’t resist and…I was enchanted!

People of Chengdu in their Traditional Costume

Trips of our life in Facebook

The first one is the outfit for the Sichuan face changing opera, a traditional musical show during which the dancer changes the painted masks instantaneously with a swipe of a fan.

It is a very unique and interesting attraction of the area not to be missed … read more at: Trips of our Life

What are the next destinations you have in your plans to visit?

I

Egypt

already have the next trip ready in a few days. I will visit some places inside Nepal, some mountains, some cities, eh, something around there anyway…haha!

Generally I almost never mention the places I am going to visit, except either a few days before when everything is ready, or the day I fly. However, the destinations I would like to visit are endless and, unfortunately or fortunately, priorities are constantly changing.

Central Asia has come into focus lately, because it is a very interesting region that I have not visited at all so far. Maybe I will return immediately for the 3rd time to my beloved Egypt to do the cruise on the Nile and the western deserts …

Giant Panda in Dujiangyan (China), the beautiful pandas in their home

The mountains around Dujiangyan were where Giant pandas lived freely. It is now considered a protected species and what is left in China is kept in special national parks. They live freely, in their natural environment but protected in an area with a stone wall around. It’s not a zoo, they don’t come in contact with people, only their caretakers. This was the smallest of the park, a one-year-old cub who lives with his mom.

Here are three videos at the bottom of the page from YouTube, from three different countries rich in attractions and culture, Egypt, Kenya and Colombia.

Countries visited by Maria Orfanidou

Europe: Bulgaria, Fyrom, Italy, Vatican, Hungary, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, United Kingdom, France, and Portugal
Middle East: Turkey
Africa: Egypt, Kenya
Asia: China, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Maldives and Nepal
Americas: Canada, USA, Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, Peru and Brazil