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from Montenegro to Linz/Austria....day by day

2011-06-01T23:58:00.000-07:00

Day 63:
Rain and a cozy hotel room – the decision to stay a day longer in Shkoder was not hard!

Day 64: No rain...and we are off to Montenegro! The first impression is VERY good! Wow! It's hard to believe that Albania and Montenegro are neighboring countries!

Day 65: A rainy night and showers throughout the day. At least the landscape is breathtaking!

Day 66: A sunny day again, but we have problems with finding water and food. We finally manage to get water but we have to stick with our reserves. Broccoli cream soup and crunchy corn leave us hungry! :-(

Day 67: A cold but beautiful day! Montenegro is just....WOW!!!

Day 68:
Express-Sightseeing in the city of Kotor! The bay of Kotor really looks like a Finnish fjord. WOW! We camp at an old fortress way up the hillside. The only flat spot to pitch a tent is an old roadway which the cows use to wander around. This causes a very close encounter with a huge cow. We have to unbuild our rainfly to let it pass. It's a weird feeling to sit in a tent while 600kg on four hooves squeeze themselves through the narrow gap between rock and you...

Day 69:
In the morning we make a small detour to explore another fortress nearby. Later we cross the bay of Kotor with the ferry. In the evening it's raining heavily again.

Day 70: Unfortunately we have to leave Montenegro already...The first impression on Croatia is not so good...The customs officer is convinced to find drugs in Kevin's backpack and so we have to empty our packs and explain the purpose of EVERY thing...Later we have 2 more police controls. We definitely try to avoid them in the future...wild camping is illegal in Croatia and we don't want to have troubles...

Day 71:
Walking is easy and we make it to a monastery ruin where can camp – the view from up there is amazing!

Day 72: Express sightseeing with backpacks in Dubrovnik! This is an amazing town. The road north from Dubrovnik is shitty to walk on – no space for pedestrians, tons of traffic....and Croatian infrastructure sucks: no public water, very few supermarkets, almost no gas stations...

Day 73: We didn´t find a supermarket the day before, so we have to start without breakfast and walk about 20km to the next store...:-( The positive thing of the day: We saw dolphins in the Adriatic Sea!

Day 74:
We decide to walk a little detour along a peninsula. By doing this we avoid crossing the border to Bosnia and we have way less traffic than on the main route. Ston has a beautiful fortress and we find a pretty spot to camp in an olive grove.

Day 75:
Not every gas station in Croatia has or sells Gas. This is the first gas station since Dubrovnik and for some weird reason it doesn't sell us fuel. Wild camping in Croatia is not allowed so making a fire is not a good idea and we HAVE to rely on our gasoline stove. We really hope to get gas soon!

Day 76:
Icy wind! BRRRRRRRR! Free camping on a closed camp ground in Trpanj

Day 77:
Golden Jackals are howling the whole night in the hills around us! With the ferry we travel back to the mainland. The coastal road is shitty to walk on and camp spots are hard to find. We camp in an olive grove right across the street from a camp ground.

Day 78:
Today's goal: To wash ourselves in the sea – Accomplished! The water was a bit chilly though (12 degrees Celsius)

Day 79:
On such a beautiful day you have to make a break! We need time anyways to repair stuff, clean the stove, wash our clothes and bathe in the sun (in February)

Day 80:
If you don't find water (what happens quite frequently in Croatia) you have to buy it...It takes quite a long time to find a camp site (which means carrying the water quite a while) but then we can enjoy the last sun rays while sitting on a big rock 300m above sea level overlooking the sea and the whole bay!

Day 81:
Today we have the craziest fog we have ever seen – so tense that you don't see what's beneath it, but so close to the surface of the sea that the mast of a sailing ship peaks out. The sun is burning and we walk more into the inland – we want to walk AROUND the bay of Split (too many cities, too much traffic,...)

Day 82:
In the higher altitudes of the interior it gets freezing cold. Leaving the warm sleeping bags at -4 degrees Celsius is not appealing at all. At least during day it warms up and there is almost no traffic what makes hiking very pleasant.

Day83:
And we thought yesterday's morning was cold...Today it's -7,7 degrees!!! BRRRRR! In addition Kevin feels dizzy and nauseous what makes walking very uncomfortable.

Day: 84:
Kevin is still not completely well. The weather is good and walking is easier than yesterday. In the evening we have clouds what keeps night temperatures comfortable.

Day 85:
NEVER EVER try to do your laundry in a creek when nightly temperatures are below freezing...the water then has temperatures around 0 degrees, what surely stimulates circulation in the hands but it hurts so badly! Your socks will get wet but not clean! In a little village we get an invitation for coffee and rake (it was 9.30am) and a hot shower – NEVER decline an invitation like this. The shower was amazing!

Day 86:
The howling jackals once more kept us awake. Brunch and a beer boost our motivation to walk and the Krka River surprises us with an amazing landscape.

Day 87:
The village of Medvida, which appears on our map as a small town turns out to be a ghost town – bombed houses, collapsed roofs, abandoned fields and grazing lands... Where shall we get water here? Many kilometers after our planned rest we find a house where we can ask people for water...

Day 88:
SPRING!!!! We see 3 snakes that warm their stiff bodies and the first violets! In this area of Croatia finding a spot to pitch our tent is particularly difficult – stones, meager landscape without plants and to make it even more difficult...signs with „Danger Mines“ everywhere!!! Great! An old couple of sheep herders gives us water and a glass of wine and after a long search we find a spot for our tent. In a land that consists of 95% of sharp-edged stones we find an old grazing ground that is walled with stones – our own little fortress!

Day 89:
What a nice surprise! - We thought that it would be 250km to Rijeka but it is only 170km! After washing our dirty clothes in the sea it starts raining (of course!) and it won't stop....Our tent is really waterproof (still!) but you just don't sleep as relaxed if the rain is tormenting the outer skin of your house.....

Day 90:
Walking is hard today and the motivation is poor....we hoped on a shorter day but again we spend hours on looking for a suitable camp site....After a long 28km walk we crawl into our sleeping bags – without water and food. We just couldn't find any. Some days are like jinxed!

Day 91:
The first 12km we really hurry up – without supper the day before and without breakfast this is quite strenuous...In Karlobag we raid the first supermarket we can find and have a hearty supper. We also find an internet cafe (what is not so easy to be found in Croatia). Our map has run out and we don't manage to get a new one....Well we will have to play it by ear again....

Day 92:
The night was so stormy that we couldn't really sleep. We are proud of our little tent – it made a great job! The whole day we have to fight the wind. The gusts are unpredictable and almost blow us from the street or into the oncoming traffic. After a hard 30km-day we crawl in our sleeping bags...completely exhausted. We hope our camp is better protected from the wind then yesterday.

Day 93:
Today we have to speed up to reach the next village before noon. It's Sunday and the shops are only open until 12 o'clock. We stock up on food, chocolate milk and a bottle of beer. With so much of motivation in the pack walking is much lighter (even if it is heavier weight wise) We see an Austrian license plate with LL – Linz County! We come closer and closer to home! While searching for a place to camp, Kevin bumps his head badly – we are lucky that it is no laceration!

Day 94:
Today it is f***ing cold with slight snowfall in the morning – in addition we have strong, gusty winds. Only in the afternoon it gets slightly warmer and we can warm up a little bit on a sunny bench. While camping in the evening we get a surprising visit from a hunter. But he doesn't care too much – Ouf! That was close!

Day 95:
The wind decreased but the walking conditions for pedestrians along the road get unbearingly difficult. In the bay right before Kraljevica there is absolutely NO space to walk, the traffic is fast and whenever a truck comes we have to bend our backs over the guard rail so that we don't get crushed.

Day 96:
At -3 degrees in the morning we pack our stuff and head back to the dangerous road. Kevin discovers his passion to collect the little balls of ball bearings that you find a lot of in Croatian ditches (he just doesn't know what to use them for yet) In Rijeka we trekked through the whole city and it never seemed to end. Many kilometers after the city of Rijeka we finally find a spot to pitch our tent. For dinner we have chicken breasts in herb-cream. To debone a chicken at temperatures below freezing is NOT fun!!!

Day 97:
Today we (finally) leave Croatia! Before we reach the border we annihilate (to avoid customs) about 1,8l of beer that we bought the day before. To cross a border well oiled is really funny ;-) This time they don't search us and Slovenia greets us with friendly people, Austrian supermarket chains (Spar, Hofer, dm,...) and a landscape like home....We almost feel like in Austria!

Day 98:
-6,5 degrees and an icy wind throughout the day! At least the sun is shining! The forest soil is covered with snowdrops what fills Marita with delight!

Day 99:
As if it wouldn't be cold enough...we also have to cross a ridge and on the other side there are tons of snow. We are lucky to find a place for our tent that is more or less free of snow. For dinner we have a pork-mishap in Mediterranean vanilla cream sauce (if you don't know Slovenian it can happen that you buy cream where sugar is already added...)

Day 100:
Again -6,5 degrees....leaving the warm sleeping bag is not at all appealing! Today we want to make it almost to Ljubljana...But as we need to wash our clothes urgently and as the weather is really bad we decide to splurge and get a hotel in Ljubljana. After some search we find a (quite pricy, but luxurious) room with HOT SHOWER, central HEATING, Internet and kitchen – WOW!

Day 101:
We have to wash (almost all of) our clothes and so we decide to make a day of break in Ljubljana. We couldn't do any sightseeing because it was way too cold for the little bit of clothing we had left. We spent the day repairing Kevin's shoes, cleaning pots and water filter and to glue Marita's glasses (NEVER put your glasses in the dry leaves while cooking – to step on them is almost preassigned). In the evening we got our laundry back. The result: everything smells a little bit like cheesy trekking socks and our woolen socks for the evenings are about size 22!

Day 102:
In Ljubljana we arranged with Marita's parents to meet in Maribor the following weekend. This means we have to speed up to make it! The cold makes it a bit easier because it is just too cold to make longer breaks. After a successful day with 35km the pasta in Ćevapčići-cream-tomato-carrot sauce is especially delicious.

Day 103:
It is cold and walking along the road is boring. In the evening the snowfall gets more and the only water we find comes from a little creek. We will have to filter it and finding a camp site is also tough today. Again 36km – Marita is completely exhausted.

Day 104:
In the morning we have a few centimeters of snow – camping is not fun in this kind of weather! While walking the trucks and cars splash the mud all over us. We take the first opportunity to change to al smaller road and from then on it is much better. The snowing stops eventually and a nice family invites us for tea. In the evening we have to dig out a space to pitch our tent...

Day 105:
Finally it gets a bit warmer. The sun thaws the snow away and we speed up to reach Maribor in time. Marita is already quite wasted but the joy to see her parents soon keeps her going.

Day 106:
We walked way to far the day before. That's why we have a short day to finally reach Maribor. We make a break at a Hofer supermarket to have a second breakfast and a beer, stop at a Baumax to do some necessary shopping and reach the hotel at 1pm. There we shower, do our laundry and wait for Ilse and Pepi. In the evening we have an amazing dinner with beer and some nice talks in the evening....and before we even notice it is 1am!

Day 107:
The buffet breakfast in the hotel is amazing. We dig in and enjoy the luxury. We are totally not used to that! Together we explore Maribor, Ilse gives us a treatment of holistic pulsing (WOW!) for our tired feet and we talk about the hiking we want to do together in Austria in a few days from now. In the evening we enjoy another amazing meal. Life can be GREAT!!!!

Day 108:
After another big buffet breakfast we say goodbye to Marita's parents. They paid us another day at the hotel and so we enjoy this amazing day of rest. We buy yummy food and spend a relaxed day watching TV...

Day 109:
We ate so much the day before that we are not hungry at all for breakfast – we dig in anyways. Then we are off towards AUSTRIA! The bike ferry over the Mur River is not operating yet and so we have to walk a few more kilometers in Slovenia before crossing over to Austria....and finally, after a long day, we make it. IN AUSTRIA – the first time in over 4 years!

Day 110:
Lowest temperature in the morning: -9,7 degrees Celsius. We are so glad that Marita's parents brought another pair of down sleeping bags from home! Austria is very „hikable“ - small paths, walkways, bike routes,.... Today we get invited for coffee and in the evening for a „Jause“. Austrians are AMAZING!

Day 111:
The find of the day: a bottle of sparkling wine in the ditch – unopened. A champagne brunch is quite fancy but after a whole bottle....you feel so overacidified that walking gets hard. We won't do that again!

Day 112:
We can charge our cell phone in Fürstenfeld at a Hartlauer store (yes, we have a cell phone again. For the first time in over 4 years. We need it to coordinate our arrival with our families) and buy a hiking map. The weather is amazing and many people are in their gardens. That's why we fritter away a lot of time while talking to them. We reach our day's goal right after dark.

Day 113:
In Großpetersdorf we get an invitation for coffee at the Josefshof....soon the coffee became a dinner and in the end a nights stay on the couch. Quickly the news of the two crazy hikers spread in the village and everybody came to visit. Maybe it was also because they made a lot of Pizza.... We talked the whole night and went to bed at 6.45am...

Day 114:
After only 3 hours of sleep we couldn't hike on and so we passed the day putting up a fence, chop some wood and chat with all the nice people from the Josefshof.

Day 115:
At 10am we picked up Marita's parents in Oberwart – they will hike with us the next 10 days to come.... To leave at noon would have been too late and so we stayed yet another day with our new friends. Ilse and Pepi where mentally prepared for hiking and so they needed exercise. After a while a whole tree that was lying behind the house has been chopped up and was piled up along a wall.

Day 116:
After a heartily goodbye we start cross-country and on small forest tracks to Rechnitz. We have the luxury of accommodation – after the alternative and relaxed Josefshof... the evangelic youth hostel feels a bit stiff...

Day 117:
Today we climb the highest mountain....of the Burgenland! - the Geschriebenstein (884m) It is raining and cold....to warm up we make coffee on the Austrian-Hungarian boundary stone. After a steep descend we finally reach Lockenhaus where we reside in a luxury apartment (the spare beds where quite uncomfortable)

Day 118:
It's still raining and the whole day we walk through mud, mud and even more mud!!! The night we spend in a small pension with male cats marking their territory, air that is full of frying fat stench and furniture from the 50ies.

Day 119:
A whole day of rainy weather is not bad at all when your parents invite you to a luxurious accommodation with HOT SHOWER!

Day 120:
Today we cross into Hungary to get to Mörbisch. In a little village we get an invitation from a weird guy for wine and fresh milk. After going to a restaurant we have a few spare Forints. We spend it on Bananas and Hungarian chocolate. At a bike border crossing we head back into Austria and Kevin is reminiscing about his times in the army when he was stationed in the Burgenland – the old border post is still standing...

Day 121:
The wind is hard on us. We hurry up to get out of it. In the early afternoon we reach our destination. Kevin and Pepi indulge in the beer – good that the accommodation is in the same building. While Kevin and Pepi have profound discussions, Ilse and Marita spend a cozy evening watching TV...

Day 122:
After a big hangover breakfast for Pepi and Kevin we head up the Leithagebirge. The crossing of a mountain range and a total of 27km in one day – we are proud of Mama and Papa!

Day 123:
On a wing and prayer we head towards Schwechat. There we get a map of the metropolitan area of Vienna. Now we can dare heading to our capital city. There we meet with Camilla, Marita's sister. She is studying in Vienna and we can stay at her apartment. We celebrate the reunion with good food, wine and snacks.

Day 124:
Marita's parents join us for a few more kilometers (without backpacks). In Langenzersdorf we say good bye – the last 250km along the Danube we walk alone. From now on we will camp again....not too hard if the weather is fine and the meadow is blooming with snowdrops and bear's garlic.

Day 125:
The further we walk from Vienna, the less „traffic“ there is on the „Donauradweg“ - the bicycle path that runs along the Danube. In Tulln we buy food and cook a yummy bear's garlic soup in the meadows. We see the first mosquito this year! The immediate elimination brings an estimated 1 000 000 000 offspring less! In Langenschönbichl we get an invitation for beer and talk way too long....we have to find a camp site in the dark...

Day 126:
Today we pass the atomic power plant of Zwentendorf. It was never brought on line and today it houses a primary school and a solar power plant. It is also used as a spare parts inventory for German atomic power plants and as a training center for people that work in operating plants

Day 127:
Spring is here – finally! We see the first snakes – a grass snake and a dice snake – and the almond trees are in bloom (I didn't even know that they grow that far north!) Around Dürnstein there are steep rock faces which makes finding a space for our tent very difficult. We finally find a small space near a small back water of the Danube. We cook dinner on the rocks near the river and eat with view on Dürnstein – very romantic!

Day 128:
In Willendorf we visited the find spot of the Venus of Willendorf – one of the most important archaeological discoveries of Stone Age Art. In the evening it starts raining, the soil is muddy and we have to cook in the tent. Eventually it stops raining and we can spend a relaxed night. This night is also the change from winter time to daylight saving time – after sooooo much winter in the last weeks and months...this is a clear messenger for the warmer season....FINALLY!

Day 129:
There is incredible morning fog today. Walking is relaxed and uneventful. In the evening we have Chili con Carne and Gulasch. We are really not far from home. In the evening we phone Maureen, Kevin's sister to send out the e-mails to friends and family with the exact date of our arrival in Linz...

Day 130:
Great weather, a meat loaf breakfast and a quiet hiking trail...What more can you ask for? Finding a spot to camp is tough again. We climb up the Matrassteig and camp with the greatest view over the Strudengau ever!

Day 131:
A relaxed day with plenty of breaks – we are watching the cargo boats lining up at the water gate, doing our laundry in the Danube and enjoy the sunny spring day. We want to meet with Pepi in Wallsee but his meeting takes quite a long time and we can only meet at 5pm....we have a great dinner in a restaurant where we can also charge our call phone (to be available in the last days before our final arrival)

Day 132:
Short before Mauthausen we meet Stefan a pilgrim who was walking the Austrian part of the Camino de Santiago – from Vienna to Vorarlberg. Together we share a beer in the parking lot of Hofer market to have a chat. Again it takes a while for us to find a suitable camp site and we have to walk way over our planned destination.

Day 133:
In the night it started to rain and it doesn't really stop during the whole day. We are drenched – what a great homecoming! Soon the smoking chimneys of the Voest appear...not particularly the prettiest side of Linz. In Plesching we had lunch at a restaurant. The camp ground in Plesching was not open yet so we camped in the meadow – right at the gates of Linz!

Day 134:
Just hours to our final arrival. We dilly-dally towards the Donaulände, enjoy the great weather and are nervous like little school kids excited to see how it will be to see family and friends again after almost 4 ½ years. At 9.30am we arrive at the Lentos – what a great spectacle with many loving people! After 1575 days on the road.....finally back home!!!!!

Montenegro - Here we come!

2011-01-20T02:32:00.000-08:00

Day 56:
One day of break in Durres was not enough - hurting legs and a lack of motivation to walk on made us prolong our stay for a day more. We spend the day with excessive relaxing, stretching our muscles and watching TV...

Day 57:
Ahead of us is a long, long day...34km along a heavily trafficked road...But in Albania we practically depend on Hotels, so we have to push it sometimes...After such a long day our tired legs really enjoy a good night's sleep!

Daz 58:
A quiet day along a smaller road - We make a little detour but it's still much better than walking along the big road.
This is one of the days where we see that Albania is a very different world far, far away from the well-ordered Europe. First we cross a river that has a milky white colour and smells heavily of sulfur (environmental restrictions for the industry seem not to exist). Later in Lezhe we saw a 17 year-old driving a brand new big Mercedes while smoking one of the biggest joints we've ever seen...

Day 59:
Again a quiet, nice, sunny day along small roads and an invitation for coffee at a small shop... In the evening we indulge in burgers and fries - what a great day!

Day 60:
Another day along a big road where nothing really happens...

Day 61:
A short day to Shkoder, the biggest city in the north of Albania. Supposedly it's the most beautiful city in all of Albania...and we think this is right - beautiful churches and mosques, nice cafes, an old fortress and even a pedestrian area!!!
We find a nice hotel that even has a BATH TUB!!! - After improvising a plug (out of a bottle cap and a meter of tape) we enjoy the hot water surrounding our body from ALL sides - What a pleasure for our tired legs!

Day 62:
Again a daz of break that we use for sightseeing, internet research and Co. Tomorrow we are heading to Montenegro. We are really excited what awaits us there....

At the Adriatic Sea - from now on we are heading NORTH!

2011-01-13T05:45:00.000-08:00

Day 47:
Finally on a small road again....and within the most beautiful landscape! We make good distance because the longer we hike that day the lower we can sleep....The lower we sleep, the warmer is the night!!!

Day 48:
The road becomes a little, rough trail - this lack in infrastructure is our gain! Just us and the mountains! Great!
When it is time to find a camp site we are in the middle of a steep canyon which after a few kilometers opens up....to make way for an army camp...and then the road starts climbing up the hill again which is completely against our plan to sleep as low as possible. When we are finally out of sight of the army camp....we come to a village! When we finally find a spot to put our tent it is dark and we have covered a daily distance of 32,5km!

Day 49:
When we bake bread for breakfast on the banks of a small river we meet a nice old lady. After telling her our story (with hands and feet) she offers us her donkey to take our load for a while. After we refuse she brings us a big bag filled with home made bread, cheese and olives! Wow!
In the afternoon we reach Gramsh, where we find a great and cheap Hotel where we enjoy the luxury of TV, heating and a hot shower!

Day 50:
Such a great hotel room we had to enjoy one more day! And our legs can need the break anyway. We also finally manage to do Kevins Dreads and shave his head again.

Day 51:
Great weather and amazing landscape - that's when hiking is really fun! In the afternoon we come back to civilization again and have to cope with albanian out-of-control-driving (with 150km/h through a village on a bumpy road can't be safe and controlled!) After a long day we make it to Cerrik where we sleep in a hotel we usually wouldn't even bother to ask for a price. But Albania is really affordable. Besides that the camping situation in Albania is somewhere between shitty and impossible...

Day 52:
On some days (especially those along a big heavily trafficked road) there is absolutely nothing of interest happening. Also our dinner that day is very meager - Soup was the only thing we could order (or rather the waiter could manage to explain us). It was really good but not nearly enough for two hungry trekkers. So aditionally we had to dine on part of our breakfast that we bought for the next day...

Day 53:
...and the street gets bigger and heavier trafficked yet...and then after a long day we can't find a hotel in the city we hoped to find one...We finally find one a few km outside of town and cook some pasta in our hotel room - After a day like this we are not keen on another soup experience like the evening before!

Day 54:
In light rain we head for Durres, the second biggest city of Albania. And after a long day along densely populated and heavily trafficked roads we finally make it to the city center. After the stresses and strains of the last days we enjoy a pizza and some beers in the evening!

Day 55:
Finally a day of break where our tired legs can get a rest! The schedule for today: relax, eat good food, do some sightseeing and spend an incredible long time in an internet cafe...and in the evening we will treat ourselves on pizza and beer again!

In Albania!

2011-01-04T08:44:00.000-08:00

Day 40:

It's f**** cold!....and an icy wind maked hiking really unpleasant! In Arnissa we hope to find shoe glue or new shoes for Marita because her boots start to fall apart. But everything is closed and the only open supermarket closes right after our visit... We find a nice grassy area near the lake where we can camp and make a fire - if it just wouldn't be so cold!!!

Day 41:
In the morning our tent is frozen solid and we have to defrost it over the fire to be able to pack it... and we are headed to higher elevations still. From Kelli, which is at about 1000m it finally goes downhill again! The cold doesn't decrease though... We camp near Vevi at about 700m

Day 42:
SOOOOO COLD it has never been before on the whole hike -in the morning the tent was frozen still, the sleeping bag covered with a layer of ice and even the water in our pot that water was almost frozen solid. While we are packing the greek border patrol pays us a visit. After making sure we are not illegal immigrants from Albania they even speak english and wish us all the best and just say: "You are CRAZY to camp in this weather!"
We decide that they are right and hitch a ride to Florina which is 20km away to find a hotel and make plans on how to cross the mountains. Between us and Albania there is a pass with 1550m...
We hitch a ride with Toni and Natasha who offer us to celebrate the New Year with them in their village what we of course embrace! After buying new shoes for Marita in Florina (we even find a pair with goretex and vibram sole!) we go to Fanos with Toni and Natasha. We celebrate the old year with a hot shower, freshly washed laundry, coffee and good food. At 10.30pm we are sound asleep - we completely overslept the new year....

Day 43:
After a hearty breakfast we head (with the car) up a mountain where we have a nice little walk and a coffee. It's amazing how fast a car is in comparison with walking....
In the afternoon we make a big birthday BBQ for Kevin in the garden - yummy meat and greek rezina!!!
In the evening Toni and Natasha decide spontaneously to visit her family in Albania an doffer us to take us over the border (and the high pass) We agree, not without the promise to ourselves to come back and make those missing 80km from Florina to the border on foot one day.

Day 44:
We get up early and pack our stuff. A few hours later we are in Albania. Our friends help us to find a hotel, invite us for lunch and then give us a hearty goodbye with tears in the eyes of Natasha that just doesn't want to let her new "daughter" go!
Thank you for everything Toni and Natasha!!!!

Day 45:
Albania is really a completely different world! Balkan pure!
We walk the 27km from Bilisht to Korce almost without a break, because it is just too cold! In Korce we take a hotel - without heating but cheap and still warmer than outside!
We enjoy a cozy evening, wrapped in sleeping bags with typical albanian food (bread, cheese, sausages and beer) and watched Austrian!?! TV - a crazy feeling, indeed!

Day 46:
We actually wanted to continue our hike to get to lower regions, but with a cold camping night at 800m in sight we decide to make a day of break in the hotel - watching TV, going for a walk, surf in the internet and enjoy civlilisation....The next days we will be far away from all that....

Christmas in Greece...

2011-01-04T08:16:00.000-08:00

Day 29:

In Asprovalta we connect to the world again and buy sausages, apples, wine and wet wipes at Lidl. In the evening we wet-wipe ourselves (more body hygiene is not possible at those cold temperatures) and enjoy an amazing dinner and drink greek wine for better weather.

Day 30:

It was a good decision to choose the northern shore of the Volvi Lake...Little traffic, great landscape and friendly people that stop to give us 3kg of fresh oranges. We camp at the lake where we have our first "shower" since Alexandroupoli!

Day 31:
Again one of those days where making good distance is easy...and out of necessity we even make a few more because the supermarket of the village we wanted to buy dinner at is closed....and also in the next village everything, except the butcher is closed. He has a pity on us and shares his dinner with us. Greek people are amazing!

Day 32:
There are more crazy guys that hike long distances. Short before Langkadas we meet a british guy:
He: "Hello, where are you two headed?"
Us: "Austria!"
He: "Oh, that's where i just come from!"
Us: "Cool! And where are you going?"
He: "Istanbul."
Us: "That's where we just come from!!!"

Day 33:
To walk through agricultural areas is no fun at all - it's boring and there are no places to camp at. After a break Marita realizes that she has lost her cap. Kevin RUNS back to get it! After 20km of hiking he runs 6km extra! That's REAL LOVE!

Day 34:
In Prochoma a dog makes friends with us (or the fresh bread we have in a bag on the backpack) and joins us for a few kilometers. At a picknick place near the Axios river he finds a new pack.
We camp at a pretty grassy patch on the shores of the river

Day 35:
Christmas! Early in the morning we head to Koufalia and buy yummy food for the Christmas days. Then we head back to the river where we celebrate christmas eve with campfire and good greek wine. A hunter gives us a freshly killed snipe - now we even have our mini-christmas-turkey! ;-)

Day 36:
Freshly washed laundry, freshly washed Rucksacknomaden, sun is shining....a perfect christmas day at the river!!!

Day 37:
Fruit cocktail and Coke for breakfast...and then we hit the road. We are lucky and find a lot of fresh vegetarian roadkill: 1 onion, 1 apple, 1 orange and 2 tangerines - vitamins for free!
In the afternoon it starts to rain - the first time during daytime on our hike so far!...and then we canno't find a proper campsite either...Before it gets dark we crash on a patch of grass in an area that could be straight out of a psycho thriller - Well, it can't be idyllic all the time...

Day 38:
Again all the shops are closed in the small villages - so we cook what we have in store in the backpack - instant mashed potatoes. Kevin finds a few apples, that someone dumped in the roadside ditch...

Day 39:
The apples where not particularly yummy...so we football them! An apple flies in thousand pieces, when you hit them hard with a trekking boot. *hehe*
Even though we wanted to make short day....we make our 20+km....yet once again....

Snow in Greece?

2010-12-18T02:59:00.001-08:00

Day 24:
The weather forecast said rain...but the north wind made snow out of it! 15cm of it! So we had to spend a whole day in the tent waiting for better weather. Only in the evening the snowfall stopped and we could light a campfire to warm our frozen fingers a bit.

Day 25:
As there is no end of the cold in sight, we bought new warm blankets - NOW THE COLD CAN COME!!!!
Camping next to a small chapell with view over the whole valley! Nice! :-)

Day 26:
The snow has melted - finally! Even a few pomegranates survived the frost! Free vitamins and a big campfire in the evening!

Day 27:
Again 5-10cm of this white shit! And again a unwanted restday in the tent! But walking in the dirty wet snow beside the road is worse still...

Day 28:
The "coldest day of the year"! - and an icy north wind that chills you to the bone! Only at 3pm it finally stopped and the sun came out a bit - that's not how you imagine hiking and camping in Greece!
Camping at the beach with a nice bonfire! - Oh...would it only be 20 degrees warmer....

Day 29:
Sunshine and better weather in sight - Yippie!!!! Only 87km to go to Thessaloniki (which we will avoid because hiking is more fun in small villages than it is in big cities)

The first 450km are over!!!!

2010-12-12T01:08:00.000-08:00

Day 16:
When the weather is great and you are hiking through the greek hills - olive trees, cristal blue sea, green pastures.... you really feel like in the middle of some tacky feta-cheese-advertisement!

Day 17:
In this amazing scenery you don't think that someone will greet you with a bevarian accent....well some greek olive farmers are from Bavaria :-)
The night we spent in a abandoned shepherd's hut...with the tent under the roof and a nice evening in front of the open fire.....

Day 18:
St. Nikolaus brought us a big bag of almonds - we just had to pick and open them first - Yummy! All in all a great day! - we hitched a ride over a ford on the bucket of a catarpillar and got two hands full of candy that tasted like my granny's foot cream from an old couple....

Day 19:
We hike always west along tiny roads and even find shortcuts via traktor tracks. we really make good distance. In the afternoon Kevin's leg starts to hurt so badly, that he needs Voltaren cream. But in front of a fire and with spagetti Carbonara life is good again!

Day 20:
4 years on the road!! We didn't even plan to celebrate too big but ended up with a big party! In the tiny village we got invited into the tavern and spent the evening drinking beer, listening to STS on full volume, eating amazing greek food, drinking more beer and having a great time with our new friends in Nea Amisos! The night we spent in a little hut with fridge, tv and heating! Thank you soooo much for everything!

Day 21:
After a hot coffe in the tavern we hiked on...and an hour later, we sat in a garden sipping hot coffe once again. We even got 2 kg of kiwis for the way. Greek people are amazing!

Day 22:
cold, colder, freeeeeeezing cold! We found frozen puddles at 3pm! Greece is supposed to be much warmer!

Day 23:
it's still way too cold. Breaking up camp in the morning is painfull, but has to be done quickly - hiking is the only thing that keeps us warm!
We bought a new map today (the old one we hiked through already). Now we head out in the cold again - they say it'll get colder still!

In Greece! - the first 300km done!

2010-12-04T02:39:00.001-08:00

Day 8:
What a great experience to buy groceries in a tiny village in the middle of nowhere...when everybody looks at you as if you where an alien!
Outside of the village we where welcomed much warmer with tea and snacks. We even could have slept there, but we preferred to hike a few more kilometers. This was a mistake because when it started raining we had to make camp near a burnt down gas station.

Day 9:
After a rainy night the sun was shining again - a perfect day to wash your dirty socks sand undies and hang them on your backpack to dry. In the evening we had our first campfire!

Day 10:
Wind from the side makes walking so much harder. At one point we had to grab the guard railing not to be blown in the oncoming traffic....After Malkara we couldn't find a suitable camping spot sao we had to push it another 6km! The nice little forest just uphill a shepard's home was a gift from heaven!

Day 11:
A day starts great when people are greeting you from there cars! After an invitation for coffee in a village pub and hot soup and tea at a gas station we could not stop praising Turkish people and their hospitality!

Day 12:
The wind tortured us again on the poor, meagre high plateau before the border. We couldn't find any suitable camp site before the border so we had to push it again. In the border area we where not allowed to cross on foot, so we hitched a ride with a turkish trucker that offered us to take us all tehe way to Albania (to safe us a piece of the way home). Weltcome to the E.U.!
On the greek side of the border we camped near an old tank emplacement with view on the border!

Day 13:
Without any map of greece we hiked towards Alexandroupolis. The traffic in greece is much faster, the emergency lane much narrower and the people a lot less friendly. - What a great start!

Day 14:
A long day along a heavily trafficked road - but we made it to Alexandroupolis! And we splurge on the luxury of a camp ground!

Day 15:
Chill, relax, do laundry, buy maps and organise our further trip.....

Fırst progress report of our "long walk home"

2010-11-26T03:29:00.001-08:00

The fırst 140km are done! About 110km to go to the turkısh/greek border!

Day 1:
"Are we there yet? - No! Is ıt far stıll? - Yes!"
We started our long walk home wıth sunshıne, parks along the coast, an ınvıtatıon for dınner and a camp space ın a prıvat garden. We really know why we are travellıng agaın! Beıng on the road agaın feels so good!

Day 2:
After a few Cuba Lıbres to many the evenıng before we started a lıttle bıt late....but well, we are not ın a hurry...
Turkısh polıce controls are sooo cool: "Welcome to Turkey! Where are you from? Where do you go? Waıt, I have somethıng for you..."...and moments later we sat ın the grass sıppıng juıce gıfted by the turkısh polıce ;-)

Day 3:
We really pushed ıt to the lımıt and made ıt to a campground ın Sılıvrı. On the way there we met a scottısh bıker (yes, there are more crazy travellers outdoors thıs tıme of year) He ıs goıng from Oslo to Istanbul, so he was almost done...and we are just begınnıng....

Day 4:
We really earned thıs day of break - doıng nothıng, enjoyıng the sun and doıng laundry

Day 5:
After we got rıd of the lımpıng dog that got our food scraps the day before we made good dıstancesç The bıg cıty ıs fınally behınd us and the hıghway starts gettıng less crowded...

Day 6:
We fınally both found flexıble metal poles ın the dıdge for our self made flags - now we are a real sıght on the hıghway!

Day 7:
Back to "cıvılısatıon" (wıth Internet). So, ın Tekirdağ we shortly connect qwıth the world agaın, eat a döner and then we are off agaın. Always towards the greek border!

Oooups!

2010-11-13T05:41:00.000-08:00

I think that's a new record: almost 3 month no latest news!!!!
For everyone who thought we went back home or something like that...nope, we just forgot our blog. We're both fine and still on the road!
For the last 3 months we were touring around Turkey with Kevin's parents in their VW camper van. Here is the short version for the english speakers (the longer german version will appear on our mainblog in a few hours):
We met Kevin's parents about 3 months ago in Istanbul. We flew in from Egypt and they drove their camping van down to Turkey. Helga and Otto welcomed us at the airport and after a few days at a campground near Istanbul we started our trip around Turkey.
First we went along the coast of the Black Sea before we turned south to the amazing rock formations of Cappadocia. After exploring this Outdoor Wonderland for a few days we tried to climb the volcano Erciyes Dagi (3916m), but we had to turn around before we reached the summit because of strong gusts of wind at the crater rim. The next mountain we tried was a lot easier: for Nemrud Dagi you don't even need hiking boots... you can drive almost all the way to the summit to see the otherworldy rock sculptures there.
After the mountains we went to Sanliurfa, the city where the prophet Abraham was born. From there we drove to the Mediterranean Coast and had a good time there. We went from village to village and enjoyed the sun and the sea. Like that we made it all the way back to Istanbul.

At the moment we are at a camp ground near Istanbul. We are enjoying the last days with Kevin's parents and are preparing everything for the next part of our trip. In about a week we'll start the final leg of our trip! More about it in a few days...

In Egypt...

2010-08-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

Dahab is the place where you can forget EVERYTHING... even the internet and your blog...
Anyway, here is the summary of the last weeks:
On 12th of July we took a flight from Delhi to Cairo, where we met up with Kevin's sister Maureen. It was the first time in over 3 1/2 years that we met somebody from Kevin's family!!!
Together with Maureen we explored Cairo, the egyptian museum and visited the pyramids. After that we traveled on to Luxor where we met a lot of old friends and had the chance to introduce Maureen to the "real" Egypt. We saw a lot of old stones, sailed in a felucca on the nile and hiked in the desert. Our friend Ali invited us to stay at his home in a small village north of Luxor. There we strolled through the sugarcane fields, ate fresh dates right from the palm tree and enjoyed a real egyptian dinner in the evening.
From Luxor we went to the small village of Dahab on the Sinai peninsula. Here we enjoyed our last days with Maureen: we swam and snorkeled in the red sea, smoked shisha, drank tea and spent a lot of time in the Bedouin style cafes. Life can be soooooooooo good!!!
And because life is sooooooo good here, we are still here!
Maureen already took her turn and left Dahab on the 2nd of August... When we will be able to do the same...? No idea!!!! We are trying, but so far the urge to stay is still stronger than the urge to leave... We should have known it - Dahab is famous for holding travelers for weeks or even months...

Egypt, here we come...

2010-07-12T01:09:00.000-07:00

The last 2 weeks were really nice and relaxing. We stayed in Dharamsala and enjoyed the fresh mountain air and the cooler climate!
We met up with Shalab (an Indian trekker we met in Nepal) and joined him on a 5 day trek. It was really nice to get out into nature again... That's something we really missed in India! Thanks Shalabh!
Kevin caught a cold after the trek and blew his nose so strong that he damaged something in his inner ear (the equilibrium organ doesn't like high pressure!!). The result was constant motion sickness... He couldn't walk in a straight line and felt the whole day as if he had just gotten off a 12 hour mountain bus ride...
So we had to leave Dharamsala earlier and bring Kevin down to Delhi to a hospital.
The bus ride was hell, but at least the news from the doc in Delhi were good - no infection, just mechanical damage that will heal on it's own. The motion sickness feeling got already better and in a few weeks Kevin should be completely recovered.
We spent the last few days in Delhi and waited for our flight to Cairo...

Late but at last - back in the mountains!!!

2010-06-18T03:30:00.000-07:00

Oups! We just realized that our latest news are not so up to date....even our main blog has more recent posts...
Well anyways....Here everything that happened in the last weeks in short:
From Hampi we went to the ashram of Sai Baba (a weird experience) and then on to the indian east coast. There we relaxed a few days in Puducherry and Mammalapuram and went then straight up to the Taj Mahal (2000km by train).
Because we still haven't had enough of the Indian summer heat we went to the desert state of Rajastan where we visited the fort of Jodhpur and enjoyed the desert outpost feeling in Jaisalmer. After being trapped in the desert for almost a week due to floods (yes, we know that sounds weird...) we went on to Amritsar to visit the Golden Temple of the Sikhs.
Since yesterday we are in Dharamsala/Mc Leod Ganj where the Tibetian Government in Exile and the Dalai Lama reside. Here we enjoy the cooler climate and the existence of landscape and the colour green.
As we have quite enough of Indian chaos, dirt and crowds we will relax here for the next days/weeks....maybe we also do some trekking but we don't know for sure yet. We'll play it by ear!

In Hampi...

2010-05-10T00:29:00.001-07:00

After working as extras for a Bollywood blockbuster for 4 days (yes, they really pay westerners 1000Rs a day for hanging out at one of the most beautiful beaches in Goa and walk through the scene every now and then) we went to Hampi yesterday. Here we are going to hang out a bit and explore the surreal surrounding (boulders, rivers, temples, ruins,...) Where we will go after that we don't know yet...We'll decide that today or tomorrow or the day after....

Finally in Goa!

2010-04-29T02:23:00.000-07:00

In Aurangabad we both got sick, so our trip to the Goan coast took us a bit longer...39,9 degrees of body temperature at 46 degrees outside temperature are NOT FUN!!!!
But now we can relax a bit and enjoy the nice sea breeze!
We will definitely stay here for a week or so!

The new pics of the Everest Base Camp Trek are online!!!!

2010-04-29T02:21:00.000-07:00

It took us a while, but we finally managed to upload the pics of or trek to EBC!
Have fun clicking through!

sweating in India...

2010-04-23T05:02:00.000-07:00

Our first stop in India was in Varanasi, where we got the full load of hindu-worship. After that we moved (in a back and nerve breaking train trip that took 34 instead of 20 hours) over 1000km south to the ancient buddhist caves of Ajanta. Marita lay low because of the heat, so Kevin explored the nearby buddhist and hindu caves of Ellora on his own....Now he is lying low...46 Degrees is simply too much!!!!
Tomorrow we will make our way to Goa - Beach, sun and especially slightly COOLER temperatures...

On the way to India...

2010-04-13T04:51:00.000-07:00

After successfully returning from the Everest Base Camp Trek to Kathmandu we applied for the Indian Visa right away...It proofed to be more time consuming than we thought....After almost 2 weeks of waiting in Kathmandu we finally got our visa yesterday - only 3 month instead of the expected 6...but well...we will have to be quick then....
Tomorrow we are heading for the border. So the next news (and the new pics from the Everest Trek) will already be from the chaotic subcontinent...

Back from the Annapurna Circuit

2010-03-07T02:26:00.000-08:00

About a week ago we came back from an amazing hike - The Annapurna Circuit. 220km through the Himalaya, from subtropical hills to highalpine terrain. The highest point of the Circuit trek is the Thorung Pass with 5416m. We hiked through medieval little villages, had the most amazing views of 6000m and 7000m peaks, fought our way through waist deep snow, chatted with locals, soaked in hot springs, had one or the other chang (local beer), enjoyed the thin air over 5000m....
All in all a great hike and an amazing experience!!!!
We already uploaded the new pictures and maps. Have fun scrolling through!!!!

Back from the high mountains!

2010-03-01T07:05:00.000-08:00

We are back! Almost 3 weeks of trekking, 220km trough the Himalaya, over a pass with 5416m!!! Yaks, prayer flags, medieval villages, milk tea, minus 20 degrees celsius, lukewarmish showers, powder snow, prayer wheels, Dal Bhat,... and all that in the shadows of 6-8000m high mountains!!! WOW!!!
We arrived in Pokhara today in the morning and we'll stay here now for a few days... Our weary muscles need some rest....

Oups!

2010-02-02T05:26:00.000-08:00

We just realized that we are not really up to date with our latest news....SORRY!
Here the short version of the last weeks: After visiting the ruins of Angkor in Cambodia we returned to Bangkok. There we organized everything for our onward trip to Nepal.
Since about a week we are in Kathmandu now - loud, chaotic, stinky, dirty, frequent power cuts, and freezing cold....But we LOVE it!!!! - Holy cows, Sadhus, high mountains, the end of the Hippie trail, friendly locals and more mountains...
In 2 days we are going to travel to Pokhara where we will prepare everything for our first trek in the Himalaya. 21 days of trekking the Annapurna Circuit - far away from the stress and chaos of civilisation...Oh! How are we looking forward to that!!!!

In Vietnam...

2009-12-08T05:30:00.000-08:00

From Luang Prabang we went to Vang Vieng - from the tourist hell straight to the bawling party inferno...We just wanted to go back to the jungle right away!!!
In exchange for a little work we could stay in a to-be jungle campground. But because our Lao visa was about to expire we had to go back to civilisation after a week in the woods.
After a day in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, we took the cruelling 26 hour bus to Hanoi/Vietnam.
Here reigns chaos!!! - and after the quiet Lao people we really have to get used to the loud Vietnamese

Back from the jungle....

2009-11-20T02:57:00.000-08:00

From Luang Nam Tha we went to Nong Kiew, a little village in the middle of nowhere. From there we took a boat upriver to the even smaller village of Muang Ngoi. Here we started hiking out into the mountains and the jungle. We walked from village to village and got to know the REAL Laos. WOW!!!!
Because of bad weather we had to head back after 4 days (through mud and leeches).
Since yesterday we are in Luang Prabang, the tourism-capital of Laos - We are back in civilization and want nothing more than go back to the wild...

In Laos...

2009-11-08T05:26:00.000-08:00

After Chiang Mai we got stranded in Pai for a while - it was just too beautiful! But because our Visa was due to expire we just made a quick stop in the Golden Triangle and then crossed the Mekong to Laos. Tomorrow we will go to Luang Nam Tha and then????

From Bangkok to Chiang Mai...

2009-10-24T22:11:00.000-07:00

The last 11 days we spent mostly waiting in Bangkok... First we where waiting for our friend Martin to arrive from Indonesia and then Marita got sick and we where waiting for her to feel better.
Yesterday we have been to the hospital and even the doctors didn´t know what the problem was...Well, at least we have painkillers now. So we can go on the 15 hour train trip to Chiang Mai tonight. Hopefully Marita will get better soon...otherwise we will have to challenge the doctors in Chiang Mai...

Back in civilisation...

2009-10-12T20:04:00.000-07:00

We slept the last 2 weeks on concrete beds with strawmats and wooden pillows, got up at 4am daily, meditated for hours in a row, didn't talk or have any other form of social contact and didn't eat anything between noon and sunrise... Now we know why buddhists consider life as suffering!
But even if it was really hard - we learned a lot and it was an experience for life!
Originally we wanted to travel south after the retreat but it got a little bit too wet here. So we will flee from the coming monsoon to the dry north. Today we take the night train to bangkok where we will stay for a day or two and then...we will see...

Meditating...

2009-09-28T02:07:00.000-07:00

Today we decided spontainiously to go to a buddhist monastery to join a 10-day meditation retreat. So you won't hear from us until at least 12th of October...
Meditating, not speaking and sleeping on straw mats...

Ko Pha Ngan...

2009-09-22T05:26:00.000-07:00

We left the touristy Ko Samui behind us and traveled on to the more quiet and backpacker friendly neighboring island of Ko Pha Ngan.
Here we enjoy the relaxed atmosphere, sun and sea at our little bungalow right at the beach. Let's see when (or if) we will move on...

In Thailand

2009-09-16T20:04:00.000-07:00

After more than a month in Vancouver we finally made the big jump over the pacific ocean to Asia. We arrived in Bangkok 6 days ago and have the feeling of REAL travelling again! Completely recovered from the jetlag we will be going on a 12 hour-3rd class-train trip to Ko Samui. At least we can recover from this ordeal at the beach...

Back in Vancouver...

2009-08-04T16:53:00.000-07:00

We are back inVancouver and our Roadtrip through Canaa is so practically finished. So we have to sell our beloved little bear :-(
Right now we are getting ready for our house- and dogsitting, start planing our onward trip to Asia and....YES we will also actualize our blog (we know it's due since a long time)
So definitely we will not get bored...

In Wiliams Lake...

2009-07-24T12:05:00.000-07:00

Slowly but steadily we are making our way back to Vancouver. En route we stop at almost every free campground and Kevin catches a lot of trout.
From one beautiful lake to the other - that´s the way to enjoy the Canadian summer...

In Stewart...

2009-07-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

After Whitehorse we are steadily making our way south. Right now we are in Stewart, where we will hopefully watch bears catching salmon out of the stream...

Out of the wild...

2009-07-08T11:51:00.001-07:00

We survived the Stampede-trail and had no big troubles crossing the raging Teklanika river.
After a day in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park we headed back to Canada again. Yesterday we arrived in Whitehorse where we will relax for a few days. Then we head to Carcross...

On the road again...

2009-06-30T10:08:00.000-07:00

After more than a week with Flo and Irina in Fairbanks we are traveling on today. We had a great time here - especially last weekend when we made a wet but otherwise great canoe trip.
Thanks for everything, Flo and Irina!!!!
Our next stop will be Healy/AK where we will look for more information on the Stampede Trail. If everything turns out as we planned, we will be heading out "into the wild" tomorrow...

Back in the U.S.A...

2009-06-21T11:21:00.000-07:00

We actually didn´t want to come back to the States...but visiting friends is more important...and Alaska is different...
Yesterday we arrived in Fairbanks and we met up with Flo ( QT). Right away we joined the 10km midnight-sun-run. Today there will be music and party all day and day (night) long...

Dawson City...

2009-06-18T17:17:00.000-07:00

After two short sidetrips (the Silver Trail and parts of the Dempster Hwy) we finally arrived in Dawson yesterday evening.
Here we enjoy the "good ol´times"-feeling of this gold rush town. Tomorrow we are heading off to Alaska.

Whitehorse...

2009-06-12T11:44:00.001-07:00

By now we already made over 1400km on the Alaska Highway. Yesterday we arrived in Whitehorse - the capital of the Yukon. 24 000 of the 30 000 Yukoners live here. We will enjoy the vibe of the "metropolis" for about 2 days more and head then to Dawson City! Always following the footprints of the old gold seekers...

In Redneck-Country...

2009-06-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

We come closer and closer to the end of the (civilized) world...
At the moment we are in Chetwyn and we are going to continue to Dawson Creek, the starting point of the Alaska Hwy...

Up North!!!

2009-06-02T13:02:00.000-07:00

On Friday we finally started our trip into the North! There are thousands of kilometer of Wilderness and Nature ahead of us.
Right now we are in Williams Lake and we will continue to north of Prince George today - The road is calling....

Sorry for not updating our blog, but the family was more important...

2009-05-26T12:49:00.000-07:00

From Bend/Oregon we made it all the way to Calgary in only 2 days!!! Finally out of the US!!! In Calgary we met up with Karl and Sally and had to wait for a week until Maritas parents arrived. We spent this week preparing our road trip and after a few bureaucratic challenges we are now the proud owners of a `87 VW van!!
Then the time for the big family reunion came: For the first time in almost 2 1/2 years we met Maritas parents again!! Really overwhelming and tearful...
After a relaxed week in Calgary we started our trip to Vancouver. Together we travelled over the Rockies and enjoyed the wilderness and the wildlife.
In Vancouver we met up with Stu and Sharon and went together to Saltspring Island and after that the four of us continued to Vancouver Island. We had a really amazing time together!
The 3 1/2 weeks with Maritas parents went by way to fast and so we had to say goodbye again on Sunday... Another tearful expierience... :-(
We are now still in Vancouver, preparing our big road trip up to the Yukon and to Alaska... We should be ready to start it end of this week...

Update!!!!!

2009-04-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

Finally we did it!!!! After hours and hours in front of the computer we put all the new pictures online - Now you can see what we did the last weeks!
Enjoy!
Right now we are in Bend/Oregon at Taylors Place - BIIIIGGGG Quetzaltrekkers Reunion!!!!!
Tomorrow we will contiue to our final piece of road up to Calgary/Canada. There we will meet Maritas parents - for the first time in 2 1/2 years!!!!!!
822 miles to go! Wish us luck!

Toadally awsome, dude!

2009-04-12T23:17:00.000-07:00

After a few days with Bryan in Santa Cruz we traveled on to Sunny Vale where we met Allan again. He invited us to an interesting gathering. We made many new friends and enjoyed massages, Reiki and interesting conversations.
On Thursday Kevin got his first surf lesson and got hooked... Can´t wait to try it again!!!
The last weekend we spent together with Sanna and Bryan in Yosemite National Park. Impressive scenery, giant trees and our first bear encounter...
Today we came back to Sunny Vale and tomorrow we are going to San Francisco with Bryan. After that we are heading north to Bend/Oregon to meet our Quetzaltrekkers colleague Taylor again...

At Bryan´s place...

2009-04-02T10:36:00.000-07:00

After a few days in LA and a State Park near Malibu we made it (thanks to our golden thumbs) all the way to Santa Cruz. - 330 miles in just one day!!!!
Here we met up with our Quetzaltrekkers-colleague Bryan. In the next days we are going to explore the Bay Area with him...

California!!!!!!!!!!

2009-03-27T06:59:00.000-07:00

With our luck we were picked up by a funny group of students who were on a road trip in a colorful old school bus. They took us all the way to Los Angeles! Thanx a lot guys!!!!
After a night in a park we moved to the most expensive hostel of our whole trip...
Today we´re going to Hollywood, Beverly Hills,...

On the way to California...

2009-03-25T07:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, after a few really cold nights at the Grand Canyon ( 18 degrees F) we left for California.
Right now we are sitting with our Laptop on a frozen park bench in a Trailer Park in Williams.
Hopefully we will make it to warmer climate today...

At the Grand Canyon!!!

2009-03-22T19:06:00.000-07:00

After a really shitty day trying to catch a ride we met an angel.She prevented us from leaving this country as fast as possible - we rather try to meet more people like her!
Thanks to her we are already at the Grand Canyon. We will try not to freeze to death tonight - since today in the afternoon it is snowing like mad and we only have summer sleeping bags....

Welcome to the USA!

2009-03-20T08:38:00.001-07:00

With our hitchhikers luck we made the 1300km to the border in less than 25 hours. After a relaxing night and an amazing breakfast at the house of Joyce and Donald in Marana/Az we are on our way to the Grand Canyon...

Change of plans...

2009-03-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

From Mazatlán we wanted to cross over to the peninsula of Baja California. But right now there isn´t any ferry service for over a month...
So we are going to stay on the main land and hitch straight up to the US-border...1300km to go!

From the Wild West to the coast again...

2009-03-11T16:19:00.001-07:00

After 2 days in Zacatecas we travelled on to Durango. Tomorrow we are heading to Mazatlán on the pacific coast...

From Mexico City northwards...

2009-03-07T17:50:00.001-08:00

After a week in Mexico City we will hit the road again. There is not much time left until we will meet with Taylor in the US.
Maybe we can make it (with a lot of luck) to Zacatecas tomorrow...

In Acapulco...

2009-02-27T16:09:00.000-08:00

After 3! weeks we finally made it to leave Puerto Escondido. We are in Acapulco now since Wednesday and tomorrow we will try to go to Mexico City. Let´s hope we have some hitchhiker´s luck!

Still on the pacific coast...

2009-02-10T16:43:00.000-08:00

There are so many beautiful beaches here, that it is difficult to keep our blog up-to-date. But finally we made it! - about a hundred new pictures and a lot of text (in german :-( )
Enjoy!

Still in Zipolite...

2009-01-27T08:49:00.000-08:00

There are some places in the world you can stay longer than you originally planned to...

On the beach again...

2009-01-24T08:32:00.000-08:00

After San Cristobal we travelled on to Oaxaca where we visited a 2000-3000 year old tree and ruins of about the same age.
Now we are at the coast, in the little village of Zipolite. Finally sun, beach and sea again...

In Mexico...

2009-01-16T07:40:00.000-08:00

After a long day in many different chicken buses we finally made it to San Cristobal de las Casas in Mexico yesterday.
In the next days we are going to explore the city and then ????

On the way to Mexico...

2009-01-14T10:15:00.001-08:00

After climbing both, Volcán Santa Maria and Tajumulco, making new friends and marching for the peace in the Middle East we can continue our way to Mexico tomorrow. Next stop: San Cristobal de las Casas...

In Xela...

2009-01-09T15:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we arrived in Xela and we already met with the guys from Quetzaltrekkers Guatemala. Really nice folks!
Tomorrow we are going to climb the Santa Maria volcano and in the following days we will probably hike the Tajumulco volcano as well. - all without guides and tours of course!

At Lake Atitlan...

2009-01-06T09:50:00.000-08:00

We celebrated New Years Eve in Antigua and met then with Maritas aunt and uncle for a day to show them around town. It is really nice to meet familiy again after more than two years...
From Antigua we finally went to Lago Atitlan and after one day in Panajachel and two days in San Marcos we are now in San Pedro. Here we will stay a day or two and then travel on to Xela (Quetzaltenango).

Feliz Navidad!!!

2008-12-24T10:37:00.000-08:00

After Guatemala City we travelled to Coban and Semuc Champey.
At the moment we are in Antigua and are going to stay here for a few days.
Merry X-Mas to all of you and enjoy the new fotos...

Guatemala City...

2008-12-15T14:46:00.000-08:00

After a few really relaxed days in Livingston we finally had to say goodbye to the caribbean sea :'-(
Today we arrived in Guatemala City and we already have explored a lot - especially all the food stalls on the streets...
Tomorrow we will probably go to Coban.

Goodbye Belize :'-(

2008-12-10T16:48:00.001-08:00

Finally we had to say goodbye to our beloved Belize. Today we took the boat to Livingston/Guatemala...
Well, at least we still have the caribbean sea...

2 years on the road!!!!!

2008-12-09T08:42:00.000-08:00

2 years travelling and not tired at all!!!!
We are still in Belize and enjoy this wonderful country! Exactly the right place to celebrate our 2-years-anniversary!
Because Belize is expensive we will start the day with selling some of our bracelets at the plaza, so that we can afford the beer in the evening...
Tomorrow we will travel to Livingston/Guatemala - The last caribbean destination on our trip :-(

In Belize...

2008-11-21T12:11:00.001-08:00

After a few relaxing days on the caribbean coast of Honduras we made our way into the biggest tourist trap of Guatemala - to Flores near the Maya-ruins of Tikal. The same horror-prices as Machu Picchu but you HAVE to see it...
Our first impression of Guatemala was not a good one. Luckily we are already in Belize. We came here only to extend our visa and found a new favourite country!!! Exactly what we need right now! The last weeks were a little bit hard...
From the little village of San Ignacio we will explore the surrounding in the next days. Don't worry if you don't hear from us too regularly in the next weeks as internet costs here are outragious!!!! We are just enjoying paradies!

Caribbean again!!!

2008-11-10T15:19:00.000-08:00

After visiting the impressive Maya ruins of Copán we headed north - after 5 month finally back at the beloved caribbean sea!!! Since yesterday we are in Tela. But because the guide book once more promised more than there actually is we continue to Omoa tomorrow - a small, laidback caribbean village near the guatemalan border.

In Copán Ruinas...

2008-11-06T16:01:00.000-08:00

After a few volcanoes, some mountain villages and the highest mountain of the country we finally left El Salvador - back to Honduras.
Here we already visited the small village of Gracias and its great hotsprings. Tomorrow we are going to see the famous Maya-ruins of Copán...

In San Salvador...

2008-10-26T15:31:00.000-07:00

After Tegucigalpa we made a short stop in Perquín. Here in the mountains of El Salvador you can still find bomb craters and fox holes from the civil war in the 1980´s. We also visited the little village of El Mozote where one of the biggest massacres in the history of central america took place. - shocking!
Now we are in San Salvador, the capital of the country - shocking as well but in a different way. We are not used anymore to shopping malls, fast food chains and all this plastic shit...
In two days we will continue north again - The volcanoes are calling! (Yes it makes addictive - Good old sulfurous smell in the morning...)

Good-bye Quetzaltrekkers!

2008-10-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

After almost 4 month the time of leaving has finally come for us. It´s a strange feeling when you have seen so many people come and go and then it is your turn - you are the one with the backpack that goes through the office door and doesn´t come back...A few tears had to run over cheeks...we miss León and QT!!!
After a looooonnnnnnggg bumpy busride we finally made it to Tegucigalpa (Capital of Honduras) yesterday evening. Fuckin´cold here (in comparison to León) but the HOT!!! shower was really great!
It´s good to be on the road again...

Back in León...this time for a longer period of time...

2008-07-04T08:11:00.000-07:00

After an adventure in the north of the country (including rapid rivers, unexplored caves and military escort) we finally came back from the end of the world.
Now we will settle down for the next two months to work as volunteers. We will guide treks to the volcanoes in the surrounding and with the money that comes in, the Quetzaltrekkers support a oprganisation that helps streetkinds in León...

To the north....

2008-06-25T14:11:00.000-07:00

After more than a week in León we finally made our way to the north of the country. Today we arrived in Jinotega and tomorrow we´ll try to find some mystical caves somewhere in the jungle. We don´t know yet if it works out. You get so little information about it, that we don´t even know for sure if they really exist...
After that adventure in the jungle we will go back to León...

Leon...

2008-06-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

After 2 days in Managua we know for shure that there is nothing to see there... So we continued our trip yesterday to Leon... In the next days we're going to explore this beautiful city and maybe climb some volcanoes...

On the way to Masaya...

2008-06-14T17:58:00.000-07:00

In the last two days we explored the surrounding area of Masaya. Yesterday we visited the Apoyo logoon and today we climbed the active Masaya volcano - a really breathtaking experience (not because of the altitude, but the sulfurous smoke)...
Tomorrow we are going to continue to the capital of Nicaragua - Managua...

One year and a half on the road and not a bit tired!!!

2008-06-10T17:02:00.000-07:00

After a few days on the mystical island of Ometepe, formed out of two volcanoes in the middle of the Nicaragua Lake, we sponaneously made our way to Granada yesterday - sometimes a coin helps to make a decission...
Here we celebrated our travel-aniversary with a huge self-cooked dinner.
In the next 1 or 2 days we are going to explore more of the cities beautiful colonial streets and houses before we make our way to Masaya...

In Costa Rica...but already on our way to Nicaragua...

2008-06-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

In Boquete we finally managed it to climb the volcano. It was amazing! The most beautiful sunrise and the view of the two oceans at the same time - the atlantic and the pacific!
After a day of relaxing in the hot springs we travelled on to Bocas del Toro. On this group of caribbean islands we continued with the relaxing...and didn´t stop for a week...
Finally we made it to Costa Rica where we visited the monkeys in the National Park near Cahuita. Today we arrived in San José, Costa Rica´s capital.
But tomorrow we will already flee to Nicaragua. We where told that the prices there are more reasonable and that there are less Gringos...

In Boquete...

2008-05-23T12:34:00.000-07:00

After a few days of sightseeing in Panama City we continued our trip to the small town of Boquete. Here in the mountains the weather is much colder than in the rest of the country and unfortunately the rainy season has just started!
We are waiting now since 4 days for better weather to climb the Volcano Barú... Today it gets a last chance! Otherwise we're going to continue to Bocas del Toro tomorrow...

In Central America - finally...

2008-05-15T08:24:00.000-07:00

In the last days we crossed the last real frontier in the Americas!
From Colombia to Panama the are no roads or big boarder crossings - there is just jungle, guerillas, smugglers and other bandits! We passed this area just at the caribbean coast, but even there it was beautiful!!! Pura selva - pura vida!!! ( pure wilderness - pure life!!!)
Yesterday we arrived Panama City! In the next days we are going to explore the city and the canal area...

Back from the island!

2008-05-07T15:44:00.000-07:00

Since yesterday we are back on solid ground - After 5 days on a small, from mass tourism untouched caribbean island! Cristal clear turquoise waters, coral reefs, snorkeling, camping in the village, coconut trees,...Here you can still find the authentic caribbean life. The fishermen leave every morning in their small canoes to catch crawfish and giant snails per hand and the children are completely fascinated by the strange things the two palefaces brought (camping stove, Ukulele,...)
Tomorrow we are on our way to Panama. Central America here we come!

In the city of the pirates....

2008-04-26T09:10:00.000-07:00

Since two days we are now in Caragena. So far we already know the beautiful oldtown and today we are going to explore an old fortress that was built to defend the town from pirate attacks.
But in a few days we are already going to continue to a small, lonely island....Hopefully it works out...

On the way to Cartagena...

2008-04-24T08:05:00.000-07:00

The last 10 days we stayed in the Tayrona nationalpark. There we camped at the beach, climbed coconut palms, swam in a lukewarm river and in the evening we drank rum out of coconuts...
Yesterday we arrived in Santa Marta again and today we are going to continue to Cartagena...

Back in Colombia!!!!

2008-04-13T08:18:00.000-07:00

After two long and expensive weeks in Venezuela where nothing worked out as we had planned we finally returned to Colombia!
Now we are enjoying our lifes with clean, white beaches, warm cristal clear water, coconuts, rum and lots of sun!!!!
At the moment we are in Santa Marta and tomorrow we will go to the Tayrona nacional park - more sun and more coconuts!!!!

...no island just for us...

2008-04-08T13:00:00.000-07:00

We couldn`t go to the archipelago Los Roques because the guard of the port entrance had his strikt day - No tourists on cargo boats!!!
So we continued to Tucacas to camp on an island there...but this isn`t possible either because the venezueleans left so much garbage on the beach during the easter week that camping is not permitted any more...
Kevin will cure his caugh completely and then we are going to return to Colombia - it is much cheaper and more relaxed there...

Caracas...

2008-04-03T15:22:00.000-07:00

Since three days we are in Caracas and now we know for sure that Venezuela IS eXXXXXXXXpensive!!! The pricelevel is almost the same as in Austria...
We would already have travelled on but Kevin got sick and with fever, headache and cough travelling is not fun...
But as soon as possible we will continue to the archipelago of Los Roques! ... if a cargo boat gives us a lift...

Merida...

2008-03-31T13:59:00.000-07:00

After a 24 hours journey we finally made it to Merida. But it was not time to relax...we were walking around for 2 hours to find a reasonably priced place to sleep - impossible in this city! The prices here have doubled since 2007.
And the only two places we wanted to visit are closed today. And anyways: Even if they have the longest cablecar in the world it isn`t worth the 28 Dollars they charge for it.
Today we go on to Caracas - Let`s see if we can find something cheap there...

In Bogotá...

2008-03-28T09:18:00.000-07:00

After a few really great days in Palmira we continued our jouney to the capital of Colombia - to Bogotá.
Since two days now we do the obligatory sight seeing and shopping. Tomorrow we will continue to the venezoelian boarder - finally the caribean sea is close!

In Palmira...

2008-03-21T09:08:00.000-07:00

After a few great days in the jungle (including a bath in the cristal clear river waters) we actually wanted to go to Bogotá...but the plans changed...A really nice family invited us to pass the semana santa with them. And now we have a great time here in Palmira - All inclusive, of course!
Yesterday we went fishing and tomorrow we go camping in the mountains.
On Sunday we are going to travel on to Bogotá...

Popayán...

2008-03-14T16:31:00.001-07:00

After a few exhausting days in San Agustin we continued to Popayán today. Tomorrow we´ll go via Cali to the small jungle village of San Cipriano...

In Colombia...

2008-03-11T15:51:00.000-07:00

On sunday we left Otavalo for Colombia. And because the journey went so well, we arrived in San Agustín today in the morning - well shaked and dog-tired.
In the area of this small village in the middle of the colombian jungle you can find many stone figures whose misteries aren't solved completely until today...
We're going to explore them on foot because our tight budget doesn't allow the splurge of a tour...but we are already used to walk....

Back on the northern hemisphere...

2008-03-06T16:54:00.000-08:00

After our obligatory visit of the "middle of the world" we continued our journey to Otavalo. Here the biggest market in Ecuador takes place every saturday. They sell everything from handicrafts to animals and food...and in the evening there is a big cockfight - a happening we can`t miss!
On sunday we will continue to Colombia - if the political situation allows...

In Quito...

2008-03-03T14:22:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately the planned trainride in Riobamba was not possible due to landslides and destroyed tracks. So we continued to Baños, where we enjoyed a few days exploring the surrounding countryside on foot and by bike.
Yesterday we arrived in Quito - Ecuador's Capital. The first impression is a little bit disappointing because our guidebook describes it way too picturesque. But we will see...
Tomorrow we are going to visit the "mitad del mundo" - the "middle of the world-theme park" on the ecuatorial line.

Roadblocks... again...

2008-02-19T13:52:00.000-08:00

Today in the morning we finally arrived Trujillo after a 30 hrs bustrip (usually its only 9 hrs!!!). The farmers are on strike again and are blocking all major roads...
Now we will relax a little bit in the small fishing village of Huanchaco and tomorrow we are going to visit a lot of old stones... Chan Chan, Huaca Arco Iris, Huaca del Sol, Huaca de la Luna,...

Huaraz...

2008-02-16T09:23:00.000-08:00

We are back in the mountains!
On Thursday we arrived in Huaraz, Peru´s trekking and mountaineering paradise. Unfortunately the weather is pretty chilly and rainy this time of the year.
Yesterday we visited the ruins of Chavín de Huantar (1200-200 B.C.!) and tomorrow we continue our way north. Next stop: Trujuillo and the ruins of Chan Chan...more old stones...

The Oasis Huacachina...

2008-02-12T08:35:00.000-08:00

In Nazca we did the flight over the lines and travelled on to Ica and then to the oasis Huacachina yesterday ! Here we found a cheap and nice hostel with pool and decided to relax a little bit... Is there anything more relaxing than jumping into a cool pool when daytime temeratures reach 35 degrees celsius?¿?

In Nasca...

2008-02-08T15:50:00.001-08:00

After a marathon journey in the bus we finally arrived in Nasca today in the morning.
Tomorrow we are going to visit the famous lines in the sand...
We´re not going to do the overflight because it is too expensive for us but there is a mirador (observation point) that is really cheap and you can see 3 of the figures.

On the way to Peru...

2008-02-06T08:59:00.000-08:00

After almost a week in the world´s highest capital we´re now on our way to Peru. Today we will go to Copacabana on the shores of the lake Titicaca and tomorrow we´re going to continue to Nazca to see the famous lines in the sand...

In La Paz again...

2008-02-01T06:19:00.001-08:00

After a few rainy days in Cochabamba we decided to continue our trip in direction of Peru where there is just sunshine all the time...
We´re going to stay in La Paz for a few days and then travel on to Nazca/Peru - Sunshine here we come!!!

On the way to Cochabamba...

2008-01-28T08:31:00.000-08:00

After the really necessary visits at the dentist´s and the dermatologist´s we´re going to travel on to Cochabamba today...with 4 repaired teeth more and a wisdom tooth and a unwanted pet (just google "dermatobia hominis"...) less we can continue our trip...

National alert in Bolivia...

2008-01-24T06:29:00.000-08:00

It is raining and pouring and raining and ...
After a week of heavy rainfalls many houses and roads have been destroyed and most rivers are impossible to cross (bridges are rare in Bolivia). We read about all that in the newspaper, we bought in the bus to Sucre...
A journey of normally 12 hours - We luckily made it in "only" 26!
Yesterday we met our first hospitality club contact here and learned a lot about Sucre and bolivian politics...
In 2 or 3 days we will continue to Oruro or Cochabamba...

Rainy season...

2008-01-21T07:25:00.000-08:00

We didn´t go to Samaipata because the weather at the moment is a little bit too wet for trekking and sightseeing. Now we definitly know that rainy season indeed means RAIN!
Today we will continue to Sucre...hopefully the weather there is a little bit drier...

In Bolivia again!

2008-01-19T05:01:00.000-08:00

Thanks to our rally-busdriver we reached Santa Cruz after 23 hours and with only one flattened tire.
Today we will do some sight-seeing and tomorrow we´re going to visit the small town of Samaipata...

On the way to Bolivia...

2008-01-17T08:15:00.000-08:00

After a few days in the capital of Paraguay we're travelling on to Santa Cruz/Bolivia.
It's going to be a hard trip: 30hs in an old bus on one of the continents worst roads - the ruta trans chaco... If we are lucky and it doesn´t rain...if there is rain the journey could take days...

Finally in Asuncion...

2008-01-15T09:33:00.000-08:00

Today we reached Asuncion...finally!!!
Our plan to leave Uruguay per road didn´t work out because of the strikes (uruguayan paper factory on the Rio Uruguay). The border to Argentina is closed again and so we had to leave the country the way we reached it - per boat (over the Rio de la Plata to Buenos Aires)
From there we took a bus right away and after 18 hours we are in the capital of Paraguay.
It is incredibly hot and wet here (over 40 degrees celcius!)...