2021 Is Coming, Kayak+Work Danube Part 2 (The Sequel) is Canceled

Planning ahead is canceled. That has been the case since March-ish 2020 and doesn’t seem to stop in 2021. Jonas and I already knew back in July that continuing our Kayak+Work trip down the Danube in our trusty Zucchini would probably not happen. Now I’m ready to call it. And oof, last year’s happy 2020 post aged so badly. I’m keeping it just to remind myself how happy and positive I was at the start of it all. This year hasn’t been full of suffering for me – thank goodness – but it has been thoroughly mind-numbing Although I did accomplish the thingsContinue reading

Yinj Tan — Hitchhiker Spotlight 🔦

On Fridays, we put a hitchhiker in the *spotlight. This week it’s Yinj Tan! Scroll down to read hitchhiking stories from her journeys. This spotlight first appeared on the 2nd of October 2020 in the NOMADS – Hitchhiking Club About Yinj First hitch: I guess it was 2014, back when I was still working in Singapore. I went to a walk with a friend and a couchsurfer, we got really tired to walk to the bus stop and the couchsurfer saw some other people hitchhiking, so he also tried and a lady driving a Mercedes sports car stopped and gaveContinue reading

Cruising Down the Irrawaddy River from Mandalay to Nyaung-U (Old Bagan)

These events occurred on Tuesday the 7th of January, 2020. Jonas and I took a cruise down the Irrawaddy River from Mandalay to Nyaung-U (near Old Bagan) in Myanmar. At the bottom of this article, you can find information on how to book this Irrawaddy River trip yourself. Contents1 Finding the Irrawaddy River Cruise2 The Gaw Wein Jetty in Mandalay3 Departing Mandalay and Watching the Sunrise at Sagaing4 Breakfast and Lunch Aboard5 The Stop at Yandabo6 Choosing My Myanma Name7 Drinking Parties at the Pakkoku Bridge8 Arriving in Nyaung-U/Old Bagan9 Map of the Irrawaddy River Cruise10 How We Booked theContinue reading

Koh Lanta to Hat Yai via the Khao Kop Cave: A Seven-Star Hitch

Events described in this article happened on Sunday the 23rd of February, 2020. Jonas and I departed the islands of Koh Lanta Yai and Koh Lanta Noi to hitchhike across the Thai mainland to Hat Yai. Our drivers were on vacation themselves and took us to a cave system called ‘Tham Le Khao Kop’ in Trang Province.  Preparing to Leave Koh Lanta for Hat Yai After Ao Nang, we had taken a boat across the Andaman Sea for 53 kilometers. We landed at the Saladan Pier in Koh Lanta, where our arranged transport brought us to a southern resort nearContinue reading

Kayak Trip Day 29: Spitz to Stein an der Donau

Events in this article happened on the 19th of July, 2019. We paddled our inflatable kayak from Spitz to Stein an der Donau in Austria. That’s a distance of 16 kilometers. Two Nights in Spitz After our arrival in Spitz, we still went out to dinner and hiked up the Burgruine (castle ruins) Hinterhaus. I highly recommend going up the tower there for a very nice view. On our off-day, we wrote and coded like we usually do. Then in the afternoon, we took the ferry across from Spitz to Arnsdorf to take photographs of the kilometer signs 2019, 2020, andContinue reading

Kayak Trip Day 19: Deggendorf to Vilshofen an der Donau

The events chronicled in this story happened in the real world on Tuesday the 25th of June, 2019. We paddled Zucchini the inflatable canoe from Deggendorf to Vilshofen an der Donau on the Danube river. That’s a distance of about 36 kilometers. Our Stay in Deggendorf We stayed two nights in the NH Parkhotel in Deggendorf. I was planning to write a lot and work on my blog posts, but the internet didn’t work on my computer. Jonas spent ages trying to make it work, but it never did. I quickly got demotivated from writing as well, so in theContinue reading

Kayak Trip Day 16: Regensburg to Friesheim

The events described here happened on Monday the 17th of June, 2019. Jonas and I paddled our inflatable canoe named Zucchini down the Danube from Regensburg to Friesheim, a distance of 19.2 kilometers. We finally passed the northernmost bend in the Danube in Regensburg, so from now on we’ll generally head east-southeast. The pictures might look a little more shabby than usual because my other camera malfunctioned. Four Nights in Regensburg We had booked 3 nights at our Airbnb in Regensburg, but we extended with one more night after checking out the room. Technically, we were staying outside of RegensburgContinue reading

Kayak Trip Day 6: Munderkingen to Dettingen

Events narrated in this story happened on Wednesday 22nd of May, 2019. We paddled our inflatable kayak from Munderkingen to Dettingen in Baden-Württemberg in South Germany. This was only a trip of 8.9 kilometers. We are paddling a stretch of the Danube river this year. If you want more information on our trip, you can read about the idea aka ‘Day Zero’, or read previous entries of our paddle days. Booking Accommodation for The Days Ahead We tried booking another hotel somewhere between Munderkingen and Ulm – a total distance of about 35 kilometers by the river. We think paddlingContinue reading

Pellaifa: The Circuit of the Seven Lakes, Chile

A cold morning at the Pellaifa lakeside in Chile’s south. It’s part of the awesome “circuit of the seven lakes”, which is the name of the route. The region is still quite hitchable one week after the Chilean school holidays have ended. The end of the holidays is something I’ve been looking forward to since arriving here. Family tourism has polluted some of the villages over the holidays. The signs are still everywhere: trash and endless cigarette butts on the shores, the remnants of a billion “cabañas” advertisements on offer. In general, Chileans care about their environment. But when itContinue reading