Voting as a Nomad: My Frustrating Attempt to Vote in the 2021 Dutch General Election

I have never once voted in a Dutch general election. Not because I didn’t want to or didn’t try. But because in the Netherlands, they make voting near impossible for homefree people. Contents1 A Short History of My Voting Attempts2 20163 What Changed in 2020?4 Contacting Mom5 My Attempt to Vote in the 2021 Election5.1 Toos Deserves La Chancla5.2 A Tour of the Dumb Bitch Juicery™ of The Hague6 6.1 The Solution: How my Mom used to Vote for my Dad7 What Should Change in the Netherlands?7.1 Security Questions8 Good/bad/meh read? Consider buying me a Fristi9 Sharing is possible, yetContinue reading

Hitchhiking Bucket List: #5 The Dakar Rally

Yes, this is another stretch. But I’d love to ride along in one of the rally cars of the annual Dakar Rally. It doesn’t have to be in the desert on a heavy sand dune. Heck, it doesn’t even have to be with one of the rally drivers. It could be with the maintenance on the way to Lima or Riyadh. I don’t care. The Dakar Rally used to be organized in Africa, known as the Paris–Dakar Rally. The route used to travel overland from France to Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, and Senegal’s capital Dakar, though sometimes theContinue reading

Traveling in Malaysia during the Pandemic (Another Heckin’ Diary)

This little diary is a continuation of the ‘Pandemic in Penang’ diary I’ve kept during Malaysia’s harder lockdown. Long story short: we were traveling in Malaysia and other Asian countries when the coronavirus lockdowns caught us in George Town, Penang. We stayed there during the various phases of lockdown, from MCO to CMCO and RMCO (“Recovery Movement Control Order”). When interstate travel opened up, we planned our departure from Penang to travel within Malaysia’s borders. “SOP” stands for “Standard Operating Procedure”. Days since we entered Malaysia: Days since the start of the Movement Control Order (MCO): Travel days since we finallyContinue reading

Penang Hill to Ourselves: Funicular + Hiking without the People

Events in this story happened on Tuesday the 9th of June 2020. It was the last day of the Malaysian government’s Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO). You can read more about our experiences of the coronavirus pandemic in Penang in the dedicated diary. We took the funicular up Penang Hill and then hiked it down to the botanic gardens. Click here to skip to the Penang Hill Tips + Map. Preparations I can’t even remember the last nature hike we went on. I think it might have been in Kota Bharu before we came to Penang. We’d been less thanContinue reading

The Train from Yangon to Mawlamyine

This train journey occurred on Sunday the 19th of January, 2020. Jonas and I took the train from Yangon to Mawlamyine in Myanmar. “Kyat” and “MMK” both stand for the currency used in Myanmar. Click here to see the map of the route plus some tips. Contents1 A Novel Experiences: Taking a Train2 Getting Tickets at Myanma Railways Booking Office3 Getting to the Train Station4 Getting Out of Yangon5 Level Crossings6 Making Slow Progress to Mawlamyine7 The World’s (Second) Largest Sitting Buddha8 The Most Beautiful Stretch and Candy Throwing9 Approaching Mottama10 11 Arriving in Mawlamyine12 Trains in Myanmar Tips +Continue reading

Things to do in or from Campo de Ourique, Lisbon

From the 3rd till the 15th of January 2019, we stayed in the neighborhood named Campo de Ourique in Lisbon, Portugal. After Lisbon in winter, we traveled to Cabo Verde for 88 days to catch some of their abundant sunshine. Jonas worked from our cold but comfortable Airbnb and I finished my university thesis. These are some of the fun activities we did inside and from our cool neighborhood. To scroll down to the map, click here. To read some tips about staying in Campo de Ourique/Lisbon in winter, click here Contents1 Mercado de Campo de Ourique2 Planespotting from Amoreiras3Continue reading

Hiking Up to ‘The Peak’ of Old Providence Island, Colombia

We did this hike on Tuesday, October 31st, 2017. Jonas and I traveled around the San Andrés Archipelago for two weeks after extending our Colombian visa in Santa Marta. This Caribbean archipelago comprises three islands (San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina) which are part of Colombia. We stayed on Isla de Providencia (Old Providence Island) for one week and did this hike to the peak. Preparations to Ascend The Peak Having had enough of the crabs and the sea for a day, we wanted to explore the inland of the island and hike up the highest point. According to theContinue reading

Kayak Trip Day 46: Harta to Paks

Events narrated in this story happened on Friday the 6th of September, 2019. We paddled Zucchini from Harta to Paks in Hungary. Our Stay in Harta Even though we only stayed in Harta for one night, we really liked the village. All the public spaces were incredibly well-maintained. We even saw a man watering plants outside his property. Not a single dog barked at us from behind a fence. There were some outdoor cats calmly roaming the neighborhood. When the animals are calm and happy to see humans, it often means that they’re well-treated and/or educated. We got some groceriesContinue reading

Kayak Trip Day 41: Štúrovo to Dunabogdány

The events in this story happened on Wednesday the 21st of August, 2019. Jonas and I paddled Zucchini from Štúrovo in Slovakia to Dunabogdány in Hungary (Zucchini is our inflatable kayak). After Štúrovo (Slovakia) and Esztergom (Hungary), the Danube river makes a sharp turn southward. The river is now completely in Hungarian territory. This was a distance of 29.7 kilometers. Our Two-Night Stay in Štúrovo/Esztergom Our Booking apartment was next to the pedestrian zone of Štúrovo. Štúrovo is yet another spa town, like Kúpele Patince. As it was August and the height of summer, this meant that there were loads of families out andContinue reading