Fırst progress report of our "long walk home"

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!

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...

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...

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!!!

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...

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!

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!!!!

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...

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...

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

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!

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!

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...

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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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!!!

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...

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!!!!!

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!

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...

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!!!!!!!!!!

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...

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!!!

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!

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...

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...

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

From Mexico City northwards...

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...

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...

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...

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

On the beach again...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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!!!

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...

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 :'-(

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!!!!!

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...

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!!!

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...

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...

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!

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...

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....

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...

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...

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!!!

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...

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...

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...

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!

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....

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...

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!!!!

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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!

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...

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...

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!)...

The cards arrived!!!!

Today we got the good news that our bank cards arrived in Montevideo! We don´t have to wait any more!!!
Tomorrow we´re going to stay in Mvd to organise some things and at sunday we plan to be on the road again... heading north to Asuncion/Paraguay!

Still in Montevideo...

After a few days on the beach (Punta del Diablo, Cabo Polonio, La Paloma) we made our way back to Montevideo to see if our bank cards already arrived...what they didn´t. But we found a bank which accepted our deformed credit card and so we have one problem less...
Before that we just had about 300pesos left (about 10 Euro) - That´s not much to live, not even in Uruguay...
We are going to stay in Montevideo a few days more and then continue our trip up north...if the cards already arrived...

Rucksacknomaden in english!!!!

After more than one year of travelling... we did it!!!! Rucksacknomaden goes international!
In future we´re going to post here the latest news of our trip. It won´t be much, but it will be in english!!!!