Africa, where it started and where it ends

South Africa, 9 February to 10 March 2015

Hello Everybody

sadly for us, this will be our last diary entry because we have now completed the full circle, in 365 days around the world with Nicole and Markus. 

Having spent three wonderful weeks in Sydney and Australia, we decided not to finish our trip in Vietnam but instead go back to Africa where it all started. It's a long story and we are happy to explain the change of plan to you when we are back. Suffice to say, it was the right decision and we are very happy with it because Africa is such a unique continent with so much to see and do. We never get tired of it and it has a very special place in our heart. And that's why we flew from Sydney via Dubai straight into the city of Durban in the northern region of Kwazulu-Natal where our dear friends Martin and Julia picked us up from the airport. From there we went further north to the small town of St.Lucia,  close to the national border of Mozambique and Swaziland. And we started our final chapter in true African Style: with a safari through the lands of iMfolozi and Hluhluwe, the oldest Nature Wild Life Reserves in South Africa. Right on time at 5am in the morning, a safari jeep came to pick us up and we enjoyed a spectecular sunrise as we drove into the iMfolozi Reserve that counts a vast area of 960 square kilometres in total where all animals are free to live and roam and wander as they please. It was warm, humid, the morning glow of orange, pink and blue still lingering in the air, and not even 5 minutes into our drive we were greeted by a massive elephant bull only a few meters away from us, grazing on a green hillside. What a sight to start the day! And that was only the beginning, it got better and better as the day went by. Mighty water buffalos or daggah boys as the locals call them, mother rhinos with calfs, lots and lots of elegant Springboks, not so elegant but funny looking warthog families, crocodiles, Nyalas, Gnus, Impala, Zebras, Waterbucks, Giraffes, Eagles and Red Billed Kites, and so much more. Finally, as a leaving present a big herd of about 40 elephants came wandering close to us to trumpet their goodbyes. When we got back to our base camp that evening, we agreed that it was probably the best 60 Euros we have ever spent. Well, it definitely was for us two! 

After a few days in Kwazulu Natal, we headed south to good old Cape Town. A city that isn't really representative of South Africa but still a nice place to slowly wind down and relax, looking back at a year full of unique adventures and impressions for life. It is a good thing that our friends Martin and Julia stayed with us for a couple of super fun weeks. Now they are gone, it is just the two of us for one last week, and suddenly the realisation sets in that very soon, the 365 days of non-stop happiness are over. At least for now. 

So, how was it all ? 

Well, we cannot possibly answer this here. You will have to ask us in person, and the moment you notice that certain magic sparkle in our eyes, you hopefully begin to understand how much this year together really means to us. And we think, no, we are sure that this sparkle will stay for a very very long time. 

And would you do it again? 

Abso-fucking-lutely! Please excuse my language but it is the best most emphatic and emotional way I can think of answering this question in true spirit. In fact, there is no "would" for us, you should rather ask us "when" will we do it again:-) 

What was your favourite place? 

That's an easy one. Our favourite place is...our world. Every little bit, every corner of it. And we will do our very best to keep exploring it to the fullest extend whenever and wherever we can. 

What will you do now? 

Come Tuesday, we will go down to the Employment Agency in Munich and get registered as Job Seekers. If anyone has any interesting or crazy ideas, please contact us immediately:-) We are open for almost anything and everything :-) 

When will we see you again? 

OK that's a bit tricky but as we just successfully travelled around the globe in one piece, I am sure we can work this one out as well. For now, we are back in Munich from Tuesday onwards. That's where you can invite us for a coffee or better even a big dinner, so we will happily share our stories with you. Bit by bit, depending on how good the dinner is. We are in Hamburg and Bremen from around 29 March to 7 or 8 April (over Easter). And I am hoping to visit my second home i.e. Pompey/London/Brighton soon, probably in May. Now, we happily make an effort to travel to those places to see you. In return, we hope for you to make an effort to actively seek contact with us so we can meet up. And please don't expect us to take another 3 hour journey into the middle of nowhere for a 30minute meet-up:-) We have no car and no money at the moment. Let's meet in the middle is the motto. 

We will be back in Germany on Tuesday, 10 March 2015, touch down at Munich Airport 12noon.

Until then, we will enjoy every hour of the day that we still have until Monday night, when the Emirate Airline Crew and South Africa Immigrations Police will have to drag, push and pull us screaming and kicking onto the airplane back to Europe. 

With love from us to you

Nicole and Markus

Sent from on the road

Australia Day Celebrations and Fireworks in the Rain

Sydney / Australia, 18 January to 8 February 2015

Leaving Auckland on the 18th January for Sydney left us with a heavy heart and wondering whether we really wanted to go to Australia or instead spend those three weeks extending our time in New Zealand. Australia has never really been on our preferred wish list and I did already show a cold shoulder back in 1998 when I had two years in New Zealand and not once even thought about popping across the Tasman Sea to pay a visit to the sometimes loud and overconfident Aussies. Spoken in true Kiwi spirit ;-) This time, Australia happened to be on our travel route and it would have been stupid not to go, considering it is three hours from New Zealand or 24 hours from Europe. Besides, quite a few of my old Zealand mates are in Sydney now, a good opportunity for an overdue reunion. 

If you have read our previous blog entry it becomes clear that New Zealand has taken a very special place in our travellers heart. Any country to follow would obviously have to really get its act together and bring out full colours to ensure some sort of an impression on us, if not to say avoid disappointment. And it was a close call! Upon arrival at Sydney airport we were greeted by a torrential downpour of rain that, according to the newspapers, the city hadn't seen in months. In one day it rained as much as all rainy days of the entire 4 month summer period put together. The next few days were more of the same...hang on, not true, on top of that came a storm so harsh that some harbour ferries had to be rerouted or cancelled due to strong winds and dangerously high waves that kept spilling into the harbour bay entrance. On the upside though, it was good to see that not only us Europeans sometimes get frustrated with unpredictable summer weather :-) 

The defining moment came a couple of days later as we prepared for yet another wet day but were tired sitting at home and watching the Australian Tennis Open on TV. It was only a light drizzle and our accomodation with perfect views from the 5th floor across the Sydney Harbour Bay and hillsides was located within spitting distance of the world fameous Manly Beach, also know as Surfers Paradise with a legendary history dating back to the 1950s. As we left the house for a walk, a white shadow suddenly swooshed across our head and settled in a nearby bush. We obviously had to inspect! Out of the bush came a white and yellow feathered parrot head. Nicole loves birds and especially parrots are her top favourites, and I haven't seen her that exited for a while. She often likes to imitate a range of animal noises, normally when we are hiking through a forest, and strangely always has the opposite effect of actually distracting rather than attracting their attention. Luckily, on this occasion she kept her mouth shut and three decent sized Cockatoos came climbing out of the bush and proceeded to take peanuts our of my hands. At first we thought they were domesticated and must have escaped but it turns out they live there in the wild, Australia is parrot heaven. In the course of our three weeks we saw so many other parrots, budgees, lorikeets in all sizes and colour variations from grey and pink to red, yellow, blue, purple and black. At night giant bats bigger than seagulls would cruise at low alititude and hang from trees, looking at us curiosly with their small black button eyes. Right in front of our house were three major Aquatic Marine Reserves with the best snorkelling in and around Sydney for miles. People kept telling me there were regular shark sightings of Mako, Hammer Head, Nurse and Jackson sharks and a few beaches were actually closed for a couple of days because of a larger white shark doing its rounds. Obviously I had to grab my snorkelling gear and jumped in the water at every opportunity there was, but no luck for me:-( The only consolation price was that we saw several large stingrays gliding alongside us through the waters at Shelly Beach. Very cool! 

As the weather turned for the better and the sightings of exotic wildlife increased by the day, our mood improved steadily. We thoroughly explored Sydney City, Surrey Hills, The Rocks, Newtown, Eveleigh, Darling Harbour, Paddington and Bondi Beach, which probably was the only part we did not really like that much. Too many sun burned British and German football idiots. We lived in Manly right by the beach and 5 minute walk to the ferry that took us straight to Sydney Downtown passing the Sydney Opera and the Harbour Bridge on its way. A very enjoyable 30 minute trip by boat, so we could leave the car at home. As such, Sydney is a cool place with lots more historic places that we thought, and a proper bar and nightlife culture. I can see why many young Kiwis we met in Auckland are actually keen to move over there. 

The population of Sydney borders on 4 million and although the city centre looks more like New York with many tall residential buildings and slick glass office tower blocks, it only takes a 30 minute drive and you are standing at a lonely white sand beach surrounded by palm trees and the only thing you hear is the waves, the sea breeze and some noisy parrots having a go at each other for whatever reason. In the course of our three weeks we balanced our time between beach and surf, city trips and lots of hiking and nature walks at the Kuringai National Park, the Blue Mountains, and the Hunter Wine Valley, where most of Australia's top wine comes from. 

And yes, we did see real Kangaroos in the wild! One of those little buggers even scared us to death when he jumped out of the bush in front of us during one of our hiking trips:-) Later we found out that so called "Wallabies" are very commonly seen across Australia. Not something we wanted to hear, we prefer believing that we actually were the first to discover them ;-) and obviously were very excited each time one came hopping along. As much as Nicole talked day and night about the quite poisenous Funnel Web Spider or deadly Snakes, we unfortunately never got to see anything more dangerous than Blue Bottles, a small jellyfish that can deliver a nasty sting. 

So, after several fun filled weeks in Sydney, here's our final verdict. Hmm yes I guess we haved to swollow our words well and truly. The little we have seen of Australia was actually much nicer, more interesting and seriously travel worthy than we at first wrongly assumed. We were most impressed by the sheer endlessness of the forest and hills at the Blue Mountain Reserve. And if there is a next time, we will definitely try the Pacific Coast Highway from Sydney to Melbourne and venture north to full-fill one of my childhood dreams, the Great Barrier Reef. 

Photos here https://picasaweb.google.com/110475049385279629687/SydneyAustralia2015?authkey=Gv1sRgCM2l_LH3wML0Eg

Kia Ora and Haere Mae Aotearoa

North and South Island / New Zealand, 23 November 2014 to 18 January 2015

Kia Ora and Haere Mae Aotearoa

It means Hello (Kia Ora) and Welcome (Haere Mae) Land of the Long White Clouds (Aotearoa) in Maori, which is the language of the Maori people whose ancestors originated from Eastern Polynasia and arrived in New Zealand by boat many many years before Captain Cook. The Maori still exist and the language is still alive today, and can be found everywhere around the country in an effort by the NZ government to implement a dual-language system. 

Having left Hawaii on the 21st November in the evening, we boarded a 9 hour direct flight to Auckland. What we did not realise beforehand was that the timing of the flight combined with the fact that we crossed the date line shortly after leaving Hawaii meant that we actually lost a precious day. So, there was no 22nd November for us, instead we landed in Auckland on the 23rd at 5am in the morning. We feel cheated and are thinking of extending our trip around the world by a day.

Thinking back to the year 2013 when we started planning our trip I remember us talking about all the countries we wanted to see and how to set out the routing. When we got to New Zealand, I could feel that tingling in my tummy that you get, or used to get when you were a child and knew Christmas was just around the corner. Living in Auckland from 1998 to 2000 was something very special to me and I have to admit I wasn't sure back then whether I was ever going to see it again. So, after completing the passport and border control at Auckland airport, we walked out into a fresh, crisp and sunny spring day and our very own Lord of the Rings adventure began. What we experienced over the following two months was again very special, not only to me but for both of us. The strange thing was, I had kind of mixed feelings as we went along. On one hand, I was really so happy to be back but on the other hand it made me quite sad. The more time we spent exploring the North and South Island, the more I came to realise how much I had actually forgotten over the past 14 years and what a truly wonderful wonderful country New Zealand is. If countries were pieces of furniture, then New Zealand to me would be one of those big old sofas, plush and soft where you just sink in and put your feet up and feel so at home you don't want to get up anymore. But, when I spoke to my mom on the phone I promised her, again, I would come back to Europe. And as I am writing this, we are on the airplane to Dubai, from where we will fly to Durban, South Africa. Yes, we changed the route, no more Vietnam but the final 4 weeks in Africa again. 

Now, as we stood there on our first day in Auckland, our big road trip around the North and South Island began almost immediately. Travelling on a shoestring budget means some things are just out of the question. In New Zealand this was a big comfortable camper van with kitchen, bathroom, dinner table, double bed and TV. Yes, this is what we did not get because it would have costs us around 4000 Euros. Instead we rented a Spaceship. This was an older 6 seater people carrier with back seats removed and a bed put in, underneath it a small fridge, a portable two-flame gas cooker, pots and pans, a camping table and chairs, and of course our very own BBQ grill that became our best friend, just like in so many places before. The rental car company had given their cars the very suitable name Spaceship:-), with the actual space being rather limited in size, but we liked it, cozy and comfortable with a view straight up to the stars every night. Upon pick up, we received a quick introduction and up up and away we went, with Space Captain Danohl at the controls and First Officer Meyer as navigator. 

After a couple of days acclimatising in Auckland, we headed southwards to Mount Manganui and Taranaki on the East Coast and spent our first night literally 20 meters away from the long white sandy beach of Papamoa. We went for a walk with our feet in the crystal clear waters of the Pacific Ocean, collected shells, smelled the fresh breeze, got the BBQ fired up and sat there with a fine bottle of local New Zealand white wine in hand until the moon came out. What a truly perfect start! The following 60 days in New Zealand were pretty much the same:-) 

From Taranaki we went further south to Rotorua, then Lake Taupo, past the active volcanic Mountain Range of Mt Ruapehu and Mt Tongariro, Palmerston North and along the Westcoast onwards to windy but sunny Wellington, where we decided to stay for a few days.  We then took the ferry from Wellington through the beautiful Queen Charlotte Sound (Fjord) and arrived at Picton Harbour on the northern tip of the South Island. We had planned two months for New Zealand, one month travelling the roads of North and South Island with our Spaceship, and another month living in a city apartment in Auckland while exploring the most northern part of the North Island. Arriving in Picton, we already were behind schedule and as we came to the Abel Tasman Park that day on the Northwest tip of the South Island, we threw all our carefully crafted route planning out of the window and decided to just enjoy the moment, the time and place of where we were each day. There was so much to see, so many hiking and walking trails, so many beaches and coves, rain forest and green rolling hills, you can't just spend a few hours and then move on, that would not have felt right. In the end, we did not make it all the way down to Queenstown, nor Dunedin, but we travelled along the thick green foresty Westcoast, then over the King Arthur Pass past giant white capped mountains to Christchurch where the massive Earthquake of 2012 had changed the face and the vibe of the once lively and historic city dramatically. From there, we went to the Akaroa Peninsula which once was a huge volcanic crater now partially filled with water and connected to the sea, and spent a few more days there too. Then back up north to Hamner Springs, Kaikoura, Blenheim and the Marlborough Region, best know for its world fameous New Zealand wines and its green hilly landscape with fjords and water everywhere. The ferry took us back to Wellington on the North Island and a few overnight stops later, our four week roadtrip ended back in Auckland again. 

In Auckland we had rented a big apartment near K'Road, known for its nightlife, and walking distance into the city center as well as Parnell and Ponsonby with plenty of bars and street food places, which we enjoyed by day and certanly by night too. Especially on New Years Eve when we watched big fireworks on the Sky Tower and went dancing and drinking until sun rise. Nicole did not feel to great on the first day of 2015, and I tried to get rid of my hangover by playing beach volleyball under blue skies and 30 degrees sunshine. Oh, we forgot to mention Christmas...well, with the stunning summer we had in New Zealand we spent most days in shorts and flip flops, going swimming and drinking Pimm's at 4 o clock. With that, the festive days weren't really on our mind. 

Ok now how to summarise our time down under in a few words? Very difficult. We give you a few ideas below, then look at the photos. They hopefully say it all, and much more, about our happy homely sofa, New Zealand! 

The greenest green rolling hills stretching to the horizon as long and wide as your eyes can see. A bird called the Tui with its cheeky array of whistling sounds, like that little robot R2D2 from Star Wars. A few cities but otherwise just endless nature, so clean and quiet. Lots of sweet little sheep, and they taste delicious too! White sandy beaches with shimmering clear green blue turqouis waters you think only existed in the Carribeans. Beautiful camping sites right in the middle of nowhere, by a lake or a beach or a river or surrounded by forest. Super freshly caught Snapper, Hoki, Moki, Kawhai, Warehou, Mahi, Kingfish, Mackerel, Trevally. A great selection of home grown white wine. The sweet little Fan Tail, a small bird that follows you along the hiking tracks in the hope of catching a few flies and bugs that you shuffle up with your feet. Dolphins in the wild, jumping out of the water with their bodies 3 and more meters in the air twisting and turning playfully...what a unique and wonderful sight! People walking barefeet in the streets, even in the city, something I will definitely introduce to Germany (lots of soap needed at the end of day:-). Lord of the Rings country everywhere, it looks like in the films and a 1000 times better. A funny dialect, seven becomes siiiven, eggs are iiiigs, and everyone is your maaait. Best fresh locally grown fruits and vegetables, NZ Kiwis and Avocadoes for 30 cents a piece, yes really! So much pristine water everywhere, lakes, rivers, lagoons and of course oceans and waves, waves, waves - need to start surfing again. Gigantic flickering star spectacle at night, but apart from the Southern Cross we did not recognise any formations. A very clean environment, setting an example for the rest of the world (especially for filthy South Central America and Australia). Bright red Pohutukawa Trees in full sumer bloom. And of course Maori history, scary facial tatoos and the biggest Polynasian community in the world. 

Photos North Island

https://picasaweb.google.com/110475049385279629687/NorthIslandNewZealand201415?authkey=Gv1sRgCO6a_YmB7Ob17wE

Photos South Island https://picasaweb.google.com/110475049385279629687/SouthIslandNewZealand201415?authkey=Gv1sRgCJnWq5S-naTkzwE

Humuhumunukunukuapuaa and Lauwiliwilinukunukuoioi

Oahu and Big Island, Hawai'i 31 October to 21 November 2014

Aloha and Hello Again

There is a running joke in our familiy that to find out how drunk you really are, just try and say Massachusites (a city in the USA) after a few drinks. In most cases it quickly starts to sound more like an unpronounced slurr masshhhhuzishh. In Hawai'i they must have quite a bit of fun with their fish names. The Humuhumunukunukuapuaa is the Hawaiian national state fish, a very colourful and lively little fellow that lives among the reefs. His friend is the Lauwiliwilinukunukuoioi, a bright yellow Butterflyfish with a pointy mouth. He is often seen picking little bits of food from inbetween the corals. Now, it's your turn...quickly say Humuhumunukunukuapuaa....and... Lauwiliwilinukunukuoioi. Ok, we try that again later:-) 

After two months on the US West Coast, we took off for Hawai'i on the 31st October. Our travel team of two had grown to three people with the very happy arrival of Britta, Nicole's sister who spent a few days in Huntington Beach, California and then two weeks on Hawai'i with us. It was really great to see her and we hope she had as much fun in her two week as we did. There were some minor hiccups when we went snorkelling and she encountered her first sea urchin (seeigel). She definitely wasn't happy to see that he was not alone and had brought his familiy and friends of 200 other sea urchins with him, all surrounding and staring at poor Britta. But we hope, Britta, you have no more nightmares and instead remember the good times like stealing Avocadoes from the neighbours, eating giant juicy pineapples freshly cut form our garden, visiting the Coffee Festival in Holuoloa, drinking Kona Golden Ale to the purple pink and orange sunset over the Hawaiian ocean, and listening to the little treefrogs singing their ko-kee ko-kee at night. 

Just writing about it brings back a lot of nice memories of our adventure packed time on Hawai'i but having said that, I think it would be best if Nicole actually finishes this chapter because it will give you perhaps a happier, nicer, better picture. The thing with Hawai'i is...just say the name, close your eyes and tell me what you see. You probably imagine palm trees, long white sandy beaches, beautiful birds, fishes, rain forest, surfers paradise. And it is all true! But! I know that Martin, Tina, Felix, Andre and others who absolutely love those magic islands will probably be very upset with me for saying this. But for me it is little bit like with New York. The whole world talks about how unique and cool and super and fantastic it is and there is such a big hype about Hawai'i being the paradise on earth, that I was almost a bit offended when we actually touched down in the city of Honoloulu on the island of Oahu. Honolulu and Waikiki are a typical US metropole with a million people all more or less on one spot, big shopping malls, McDonalds everywhere, and designer fashion boutiques from Gucci to Prada. We were greeted by an 8 lane superhighway that was absoultely packed every evening from 4 to 6pm rush hour. So, having finally made it to the paradise on earth, we proceeded to spend our first two hours stuck in traffic trying to cover a distance of about 20kms. What I also did not know, and this clearly shows my ignorance and bad knowledge of world history, Hawai'i is a group of islands whose primary purpose is to uphold the first military line of defence to the USA. We saw military aircraft like helicopters, fighter jets, bombers, and big transport planes circeling the islands day and night, performing flight training and manouvers. Especially Oahu is sprinkled with numerous restricted areas for airforce, navy, and army bases. Funnily, we stayed with a real American GI Joe, a tall big blonde Senior Army Officer with a shoe size 14 (47) who was renting out his spare bedroom to travellers. Speaking to him was a surprising revelation to me, a very nice and well educated person who had travelled the world with an open mind, and spent several years in Africa as a volunteer helping poor villages by installing water purification technology to supply people with desperately needed clean drinking water. Big thumbs up! 

Now, I don't want you to think that I was atcually not enjoying myself, and I certainly do not want to discourage anybody from travelling to Hawai'i. OK, so we did not land on a tiny sandy airfield, there were no coconut trees gently swaying in the wind, no welcoming pineapple drink, no pacific beauty in a palm leaf minidress playing the ukulele, no dolphines jumping out of the water tweeting my name 'Markus come swim with us'. Still, in true military style we quickly got map and compass out, went on a late night reconnaissance trip to get a feel for the land, and in the following days attacked the much nicer, greener and less populated East and North Shores of Oahu in full force. Equipped with our hi-tech combat gear i.e. swim suit, snorkelling tools, hiking boots and sunscreen, we went on to discover hidden hiking trails with lush dense rain forest and watched Hawaiians finest surfer dudes twist and turn their boards on massive 20 feet (6 meter) waves. And for our first time, we encountered wild seaturtles, totally freerange so to say, no guided tour, no sealife center show. As we snorkeled on the North Shore of Oahu, I suddenly noticed a large dark shadow coming towards me out of the deep blue sea. Hoping  it would finally be my first true shark encounter (without cage), I was very surprised but not dissapointed to sea an old sea turtle grazing on the coral. We all enjoyed that moment very much, and luck was on our side as we continued to see them at various other places under water or having a sleep on the beach on Oahu and Big Island too. 

After a week on Oahu, we took off for Kona which lies on the West Coast of Big Island, as the name suggests the biggest of the Hawaiian Islands. And what a difference it was to our first impression of Honolulu and Oahu. It came much closer to the dreamy vision of coconut trees and sandy beaches and as we left the aircraft after touchdown, we were indeed greeted by a group of island girls with flowers in their hair and ukulele at their side. The airport was completely open to all sides, no walls no glass, just little wooden huts with roofs made out of palm leaves. The departure lounge was an open space with benches and just a few meters away from the twin prop airplanes. That was the island vibe we were all hoping for and the next two weeks continued in exactly the same style. We stayed with a lovely couple from Spokane, USA who had renovated an old colonial house into a wonderful living space. Surrounded by 6 acres of coffee plantation, we had amazing views across coffee, banana and avocado trees and the ocean in the background. Many nights were spent outside on the terrace deck chatting with our hosts, bbq sizzling and always a cold Kona Pale Ale ready at hand. 

All in all, we can honestly say that we did not leave one stone unturned on Big Island and went out everyday to explore walkways and beaches even the locals had not heard of. Truly impressive for us was a day of hiking through the active volcanoe area. At the time, the molten lava was coming down the hill towards a nearby town, although at a low speed of a couple of metres per day it had already burned down a few houses. And like on Oahu, again we spent literally hours under water oogling at the most marvellous underwater world, living coral reefs and tropical fish that I have ever seen. And this is where Hawai'i really deserves absolute top marks! We have done quite a bit of snorkelling around the world and the reefs along Big Island are right up there with the Red Sea in Egypt or at Tofino in Mozambique. 

And on that subject, let's try again. Humu-Humu-Nuku-Nuku-Apua-a .... See, not so difficult after all:-) 

Even though we only had three weeks on Hawai'i we feel that we have really seen and done a lot, not quite all but almost all. And I am pleased to say that despite my fear of not living up to its expectations, I am very happy that we did make the journey. 

A big warm Aloha to all of you ! 

Photos from Oahu https://picasaweb.google.com/110475049385279629687/OahuHawaii2014?authkey=Gv1sRgCOz81NP3p_-T8QE

Photos from Big Island https://picasaweb.google.com/110475049385279629687/BigIslandHawaii2014?authkey=Gv1sRgCOyfhbyOr_Ss8QE

From North to South along the West Coast

1 September to 31 October 2014 in Washington, Oregon and California, USA

When we started planning our trip around the world, we decided to do our best to make those 12 months last as long as possible. So, instead of travelling to as many countries as possible, we picked out our favourites and really took our time, slowing life down. So far it has worked very well and it will be difficult for us picking up again the Europe pace. True to our travel motto, we left Vancouver by train to Seattle - 1 hour by plane, 4 hours by car, or 6 hours by rail as we did. It was our way of saying a long goodbye to Canada because we could have easily stayed another month. And also because the route takes you through Vancouver, then along the coast right by the sea, through forest, along more coastline and forest, and finally arrives in the city centre of Seattle. Boarding the train at 5:30am in the morning meant that despite my foul mood (I still have not gotten used to travelling so early in the day) we witnessed a pristine sunrise followed by blue skies all the way to the USA. 

As you know, we are regular visitors to California and have driven the Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) up and down quite a few times. It is never boring and everytime we find new places to visit. There is always a little secluded cove where we have not yet gone for swim or set up the BBQ for a sunset steak. Or a sleepy harbour town where we watched the fishermen bring in their catch of the day and talked about the "really really" big one...that always strangely jumped off the hook and got away:-) 

This time though, we did not start in LA or San Francisco but much further north. Actually, and not many people know this, the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) does not start in the USA but in Canada just about 20 miles north of Powell River on the Sunshine Coast (Western Birtish Columbia). And it does not finish in the USA either, but goes all the way along the South American West Coast ending in Southern Chile somewhere. So, we actually started right at the most northern point when we were in Canada, and then continued across the border from Seattle all the way down to San Diego, through the states of Washington and Oregon in the process. We had never been to either of those two and thoroughly enjoyed exploring this new territory. Washington and Oregon, as you might have guessed, had a very similar feel to Canada with expansive forest and rocky coastline, mountains and sandy beaches. Even as we drove into Northern California, we still passed through thick forestry landscape marked by huge redwood and sequoia trees, until it finally became hotter and drier the closer we came to San Francisco. 

Arriving in Seattle was strange at first. The minute we picked up the rental car, we stood in a big traffic jam, five lanes in either direction, cars everywhere, tall buildings. It was a bit of a shock after 2 months of quiet mountain and coastal harmony in Canada, with hardly anybody around you. We did spend a few days in Seattle and visited a lot of different city areas which were nice, but it was not really a place we felt too homely at. Our apologies to anybody who loves that city, no offence meant. A city that we did like however is Portland, and we liked it a lot. Smaller, cozier, quieter with a great beer brewing history, a nice city centre, street markets and our favourite street food carts. The idea is, you take an old van or bus, put a kitchen in it, and start cooking whatever food you like - Asian Noodles, German Bratwurst, English Roast Beef, Indian Curry, Canadian Poutine, American Burgers and Steak, whatever. You then get a handful of other food cart owners together, all park their funky and colourful decorated vehicles in a circle, for example on a market square, set up a few old wooden tables and chairs, maybe organise live jazz music. The result is, people meet and everybody is happily sitting, eating, chatting together. Slow food, slow dinner, easy going... You get the picture why we like it so much. And when we come back next year and ask you for some money to start a new business idea, you now know why :-)

Inbetween our favourite cities of Portland, San Francisco, Santa Cruz (where we won a Beach Volleyball tournament with 42 teams, hooray:-), Santa Barbara and San Diego lies a lot of uninhabited land. In other words pure nature, which we enjoyed and made good use of to the fullest extent. Hiking, swimming, beachcombing, snorkelling, bodysurfing, BBQing, beachbreakfasting, rockpooling, cycling, making friends with strangers while talking about our journey, and other such fun things. Highlight was definitely our unexpected whale encounter - totally unplanned, not on a boat, not on a tour and absolutely for free. As we were having a sunny breakfast somewhere on the Oregon coast, a man come over to us and asked if we wanted to see whales. Yes! And so we did, a few big humpback whales were feeding severel meters off the rocky cliffs, no binoculars needed. Our second humpback meeting came yet again at breakfast, just as we were having morning coffee and muesli on a small beach in Monterrey (California) where a large group with about 20 animals were breaching (half jumping out of the water) again and again. After that, we saw several other whale groups along the coast on our way to Santa Barbara. 

And as if all this wasn't fun enough, the icing on the cake, the cherry on top so to say came late September and early October when our dear friends Olaf, Petra, Falko, Anni, Raffael and Sandra came all the way from Munich just to see us! Or so we like to think;-) We all had a super fanstastic couple of weeks together in sunny Huntington Beach, the surf and beachvolleyball capital of California. Thanks very much guys, happy days and good times we had aplenty! 

Photos from Washington and Oregon https://picasaweb.google.com/110475049385279629687/WashingtonAndOregonUSA2014?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ2wp_ymqZWlCA

Photos from California https://picasaweb.google.com/110475049385279629687/CaliforniaUSA201402?authkey=Gv1sRgCJW8rtPxq_vpuwE

Oh Canada !

28 June to 1 September 2014 in British Columbia, Canada 

Dear family and friends

It is Wednesday morning late October and we are enjoying yet another of many sunny days with our feet in the warm sand at Laguna Beach in Southern California. Watching the surfers glide down the crystal blue waves and the pelicans above, cruising in perfect v-formation low across the water, occasionally nose diving straight into the sea trying to catch sardines as a morning snack. Life is good :-) 

After four wonderful months, our days on the sunny West Coast of North America came to an end on 31 October, and today we say 'Aloha' to the Islands of Hawaii. 

It has been a long time since we last wrote to you, but my mother always says no news is good news. If that is true, I should not be talking to you at all because after travelling for almost eight months now, we still love every minute of every day. And we still like each other too, which helps ;-) (Nicole insists I should have used the word 'love' but that would be too much love in one sentence:-)

We recently celebrated half-time of our 12 month journey, and we realised that there was actually nothing to celebrate because we "only" had another six months left - and we really don't want this great adventure to end. 

Today, I wanted to update you with our long summer in Canada. We travelled a total of 4000 kilometers but actually never left British Columbia. We spent one month in Vancouver, and another month on the Sunshine Coast just North of Vancouver, on Vancouver Island, and on Quadra (a small island on the northeast coast of Vancouver Island). When you look at the map and consider the long yet small distance we drove, you start to realise what a really big country Canada is. 

We have seen a lot of beautiful places so far, but I was particularly excited about Canada. Sitting by the window as our airplane was descending into Vancouver reminded me of that time back in 1998 when I sat by the window and watched how Auckland (New Zealand) slowely appeared below me. It is like something you dream of as a child but never really believe it will happen. Just like with New Zealand, Canada had grabbed my attention by a number of television documentaries and picture books, but making pictures look nicer than reality is not difficult and you never know how it really looks and feels until you are actually physically there. New Zealand had exceeded my expectations by far, and I speak for both Nicole and me when I say that Canada did just the same! 

When we first told everybody about our joureny, we were often asked if we might decide to just stay and live in one of the countries that we were visiting. Back then we said, no way. And even now we still feel that our future definitely lies in Europe. But leaving Canada was strangely difficult and emotional, and if there was a place we could both imagine moving to, it would be Vancouver, no hesitation. Mind you, Canada's west country had the summer of a lifetime with everyday 30+ degrees, blue skies, warm waters, and only 3 days of rain in all of two months. Had it been a typical "mixed" summer like in Germany or England, our enthusiasm and love for Vancouver might be somewhat different ;-) 

Some people say that pictures say more than words, so we hope you enjoy our photos as much as we did taking them. Warning: Vancouveritis can be highly contageous.We accept no responsibility for sudden feelings of itchy travellers feet or misterious appearances of AirCanada ticket payments on your credit card. 

Aux Revoir Canada! 

Photos from Vancouver and around Vancouver 

https://picasaweb.google.com/110475049385279629687/VancouverCanada2014?authkey=Gv1sRgCKro7cSex4zXfg&noredirect=1

Photos from the Sunshine Coast 

https://picasaweb.google.com/110475049385279629687/SunshineCoastCanada2014?authkey=Gv1sRgCN3Nk6_x4NaefQ&noredirect=1

Photos from Vancouver Island 

https://picasaweb.google.com/110475049385279629687/VancouverIslandCanada201403?authkey=Gv1sRgCKLN3pPR3NetJA&noredirect=1

Buenvenidos El Salvador

13 to 28 June 2014 in El Salvador

El Salvador is one of the most dangerous countries in the world with the highest number of gang and drug related killings. On average 16 people die each day in shootings and targeted killings, that's over 5000 per year. Not too long ago, high ranking members of the church together with gang bosses have negotiated a cease fire (waffenstillstand) and the statistic now shows a 40% drop in gang killings. How long this will hold, no one knows. Whereas in Rio, we heard shootings every night, in San Salvador (the capital city) it was literally "dead" quiet. Somehow, it is a very strange feeling traveling and living in a country that is actually ruled by criminal gangs. The only reason you don't see so much violence at the moment is not because the good people have won, but the bad people have actually won the war. 

So, why the hell do we travel to such a country, our parents will now ask :-) We definitely wanted to visit Central America because of its abundance in natural beauty. And all neighbouring countries, including Costa Rica! have a similar bloody history and are just as dangerous. In this case, we actually had a secret wepon: two good friends from South Germany who have not only survived but actually live happily in El Salvador for two years. Christian and Aleks were our trusted insiders, our personal body guards and travel companions. 

Leaving Lima/Peru at 4:10am in the morning, we landed at 7am at San Salvador Airport. The final 10 minuntes of our flight were at low altitude along the coastline and then a sharp right turn over dark volcanic beaches and thick rainforest which was glowing in all shades of green in the morning sun. We were so excited, especially after those grey days in Peru, everything appeared so bright and happy and lively. Over the next weeks, this did not change :-) The people are actually very friendly and open. The country is small but there is lots to see and lots more to do. We explored the coast, went on a  surf trip, encountered a group of dolphines that came right up to us so we could almost touch them. Came back with fresh seafood that we grilled in the evening with friends. We hiked straight up 1700 meters on an active vulcano accompanied by police guards to make sure we did not get in trouble with local gangs. We saw giant Iguanas munching away on mangos as well as plenty of pretty birds and butterflies. Of course we had yet again severe food poisoning and fever, like in South Africa, Mosambique, and Brazil. We ate the most amazing fresh fruits and vegetables like mangos, avocados, coconut that are being sold along the road for very little money, because they just grow on every tree around you. Played at the National Beachvolleyball Championships with and against the best players of the country...and I could go on and on and on. But I have to stop here because we are just now leaving Vancouver/Canada by train to go to Seattle/USA and have a window seat with great views of a golden autum sunrise at 5:30am. 

We would like to say a big thank you to Aleks and Christian for inviting us into their home and showing us a beautiful part of Central America. We had a great time with you guys and will take lots of colourful memories with us. See you back in Germany next year. 

Here are our photos https://picasaweb.google.com/110475049385279629687/ElSalvador2014?authkey=Gv1sRgCLv91vybkZTXQQ&noredirect=1

Stop Over in Lima

10 to 13 June in Lima, Peru

Hello everybody

We just had grilled scallops, fried salmon and snapper, jumbo garlic prawns and home made fish soup. Everything super fresh off the boat and out of the clear waters of Vancouver Island, Canada. The salmon is so fresh, it is still moving when you buy it and costs 3 Euro the kilo. No joke. Tomorrow we are getting Oysters also straight out of the sea here in Comox and as big as my hand at 75 cent each...I really don't like those slimey things that look like snot and taste like a bad mouthful of oily harbour water. But I am sure Nicole will enjoy them very much. 

Anyway, I thought I write a few lines about our time in Lima, and it really will be a few lines only because we stayed no longer than three days. Ok, I can already hear some of you complain, three days? not more? why? First of all, If we wanted to spend 2 months in every country that we want to visit then you would not see us for another 5 years. Second, we were on a stop-over flight and it was either those three days or two hours whilst changing planes to El Salvador. So we took the three days. Happy now ? :-) 

When we landed at some ungodly hour like 5am in the morning it was grey in grey with low clouds and drizzly rain. The miserable weather stayed with us for the entire three days. Considering that we had only experienced blue skyes, sunshine and a minimum of 25 degrees the previous three months, we didn't complain.

As is usual in South and Central America, if you are a foreigner and don't know your way around, taxi drivers will really take you ten times around the city before dropping you somewhere you don't want to be, and then get angry if you don't give them a big tip on top of the 500 dollar you just spent on a taxi ride that costs a local probably no more than 10 dollars. Clever as we were by then (and after numerous unwanted city tours before;-) we had pre-booked a taxi pick-up service for a few dollar, the cheapest we could find. At the airport we were greeted by our taxi driver that looked like a mix between James Bond in black suit and tie, and a well trained Guerilla fighter from the Peruvian jungle (he had a massive scar across the back of his head but I did not dare asking him what from). Very politely he easily took our three bags in one hand and me by the other hand, pulling us to and into a massive black limousine with black tinted windows and no number plates. And now we are actually not in Canada but hidden, locked up and blind folded somewhere in South America. And we need you to please send 1 Million dollar to our taxi driver Mr Rodriguez who turns out to be more of a Guerilla fighter than a James Bond. 

Okay, Mr Rodriguez was actually a really nice guy who took us exactly where we wanted to go, and he didn't even expect a tip, so of course we generously gave him a dollar. In our defence, I did tell him that we were on a trip around the world and on a really tight budget and sorry we could not give him more. He seemed very happy with the dollar anyway and took us back to the airport a few days later. 

As for Lima, it is a very modern and well functioning city although it also still shows a lot of old tradition and history, which is great. And in comparison and contrast to African and SouthCentral American cities, Lima reminded us a bit of Germany. Everything more or less works how it should. I let you decide whether this is good or boring. We stayed with a young and very nice surfer dude in Miraflores, which is an upmarket, trendy and safe part of Lima. Safety was a nice but rare change from South Africa, Buenos Aires, Rio and San Salvador:-) But our host told us also of a few rough areas in Lima that you should not go to after sunset. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to visit them to get our daily dose of excitement. Apart from once, when we took the wrong bus and drove deeper into the not-so-nice zone and people started staring at us, already counting the dollars they would take off us. Nicole really wasn't happy but we managed to sneak back home with all our belongings still in our posession. 

In the end, we did not have time to visit those places in Peru that one must actually have seen when over there, but what we saw in Lima we liked. And on a final note, the food is really really good. I have to admit I never knew that there was such a thing as Peruvian cooking, but it is fantastic with colourful varieties of fish, crabs, prawns, squid, octopus, vegetables, soups. And of course Ceviche, a dish of raw fish marinated in lime juice and spices to slightly "cook" it just through the acidity of the lemon, no real heat involved. We could have eaten this for breakfast, lunch and dinner and never found a better Ceviche than the one we had in Lima. Muchos lecker! 

Here are our Lima photos https://picasaweb.google.com/110475049385279629687/LimaPeru2014?authkey=Gv1sRgCNXWvtevt5ez7gE&noredirect=1

Brazilian Sunshine and a Trip to the Window of the World

6 May to 10 June in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 

Well...here I am trying to find the right words to best describe our time in Brazil. There are so many different pictures and feelings and impressions in my head - all of them so unique and memorable - that I don't know where to start. 

Perhaps I just start right where it all began. It was a Wednesday evening and after 4 hours flight, we cought the first glimpse of Rio de Janeiro. Flickering lights, green, yellow, red, all colours, tiny cars zipping like ants across big city streets, then tall dark mountains reaching into the even darker Atlantic Ocean as far as the eye could see. As we descended further towards Rio International Airport, we were greeted by the mighty spot lights shining bright onto the statue of big old JC. It was difficult to keep our excitment under control, partly because ...well, this was Brazil ! And partly also because a dear friend of mine, Gil Garces, and his girlfriend Guna, both of whom I had not seen in two years, were going to be our hosts, our travel and adventure companions. 

Before our arrival in Brazil, Gil had proudly informed me that he bought an original 1970s Volkswagen Camper Van for our trip along the coast and deep into the mountains and forests of Brazil. Trying my best to not be so German and worry about all the things that could go wrong, I was actually really looking forward to traveling in an old-timer that made me look young and fit. And after all, the worst that could happend would be for it to fall apart and us getting stuck at a lonely white sandy blue lagoon with coconut trees and Caipirinhas for breakfast everyday :-) Joking aside, we nearly did ;-) 

So, after touch down at Rio Airport we picked up our bags and went straight outside into the humid warm breeze that was still lingering in the air at midnight. First came the sound, a deep put put put put put put as is typical for VW engines. Then came a smokey cloud, as is typical for any old car that is running on fewer cylinders than it should. Then came the distinct smell of leaking petrol, and finally we spotted the "Old Lady" turning around the corner in all its glory. And what a sight it was with Gil at the steering wheel trying to frantically beep the car horn, which made absolutely no noise whatsoever as it had died a long time ago. After we happily and merrily greeted each other over and over again, we climbed aboard and drove off kangaroo style with Gil trying to accelerate, break and work the clutch all at the same time to find the right speed, and me holding the side door shut because the lock had completely rusted away and would not close. I knew right there and then that we were going to have an unforgettably fantastic five weeks in Brazil ! 

Over the course of the following weeks we really got to know Rio from all its sides. Gil had a wonderful house with a big Mango tree full of fruits that the monkeys and bats would nibbled at during the night. It was in the quiet and peaceful city part of Santa Teresa, on a green and sunny hillside overlooking Rio City, the Rio Bay and Sugar Loaf Mountain. Santa Teresa has many old colonial style houses with Portuguese influence yet a very Brasilian flair, small cobbled streets winding up and down the hills with a handful of street cafes and bars. A perfect place to escape the sometimes overpowering noise, traffic, bad smell and aggression that Rio is also fameous for. It is by no means all Samba and smiles! Many nights we were woken up by gun shots and the sound of automatic riffle fire taktaktaktaktaktak coming from a neighbouring favela just a few streets away from us. The very rich and the very poor live literally side by side and although there was a heavy police presence on the ground and in the air (military helicopters with mashine guns sticking out and flying low above the beach like in a war movie), one can only spectulate what happens when the football world cup is over and the money runs out to forcefully protect the peace. 

We are not going to bore you with a detailed daily Rio diary. Suffice to say that Gil and Guna had to work during the first weeks, and we explored the city mostly by ourselves yet with helpful guidance by our hosts. Ipanema, Flamengo, Urca, Leblon and Copacobana Beach were our best friends. We had afternoon tea with Jesus, visited the Botancical Gardens, cycled up and down Rio and discovered a lot of hidden treasures that you won't find in any tourist guide. We spent a day and a night in a Favela, during day in a school and at night at a typical weekend street party. Both very enjoyable and educational. Here are some photos 

https://picasaweb.google.com/110475049385279629687/RioDeJaneiroBrazil2014?authkey=Gv1sRgCOLTnLGfkZaXNA&noredirect=1

And then the real Brazilian adventure started! Because you cannot under any circumstances fly to Rio and not see the real beauty this country has to offer outside is huge, stinky megacities. When Gil and Guna's holidays started, we prepared the Old Lady, packed our bags i.e. swimming shorts, blankets and a box of matches for our daily BBQ, and off we went into the sunset. South of Rio past Barra de Tijuca and Santa Cruz to Barra de Guaratiba then North to Cabo Frio and into the mountains and rain forest of Sana, further on to the Atlantic Forest and mountains of Ibitipoca. It is very difficult to describe what we experienced during those weeks. I have used words like amazing, wonderful, magnificent, unique, extraordinary already so many times that it feels their meaning has worn of a little. So, please take a look at our pictures and imagine what we have seen a hundred times more! And even then it is missing so many great impressions that we had...

South of Rio /Guaratiba and Ilha Grande photos https://picasaweb.google.com/110475049385279629687/BarraDeGuaratibaAndIlhaGrandeBrazil2014?authkey=Gv1sRgCKG_9bTdr4uQGw&noredirect=1

North of Rio /Cabo Frio, Sana and Ibitipoca https://picasaweb.google.com/110475049385279629687/BarraDeGuaratibaAndIlhaGrandeBrazil2014?authkey=Gv1sRgCKG_9bTdr4uQGw&noredirect=1

A final word. If you ever come to Rio, take 4-5 days aside, travel into the mountains of Ibitipoca and walk to the Window Of The World. It is a 14km and 8 hour hike over the mountains into the forest and through a small river bed. You will swim the last few meters and arrive at the top of a small waterfall overlooking the world. I shall finish with the simple words of Speechless and Breathtaking ! 

Brazil, we will be back for sure !