Part I: What’s Supposed to be Enjoyable This series of posts is mostly a way for me to process the trauma of going through this. If you’re expecting happy travel content, this ain’t it. This story is number 1 in a series of 5. Here you can find the subsequent stories about rescuing a kitten in Porto, Portugal: Part II, Part III, Part IV, and Part V. Coming to Porto, Portugal I had agreed to come to Porto in northern Portugal with my partner. He participated in a Digital Nomad conference by the German language ‘Citizen Circle’ that week, andContinue reading
Belarus Is The Dream: 29 Pleasant Summer Days
Why Would You Go to Such a Dangerous Country? (And By the Way, Where is Belarus?) I was in Belarus from July 20 till August 17, 2018 I feel like a broken record, but I’ll repeat it again: if I ever listened to people and their “Oh, but that country is dangerous!” nonsense I’d be missing out on so many amazing experiences. This story is the experience of Belarus: a landlocked country in Eastern Europe bordering Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, and Ukraine. Most people know it only as ‘Europe’s last dictatorship’ and the last European country that executes the deathContinue reading
Hitchhiking Serra da Estrela Mountain in Portugal
Delayed Gratification In summer 2018, I wanted to hitchhike to the highest point of mainland Portugal. It’s a mountain named ‘Serra da Estrela’, which can be translated as ‘Star Mountain Range’. A peak called ‘Torre’ is the highest point at 1993m above sea level, which isn’t too shabby – but also won’t cause trouble breathing. My partner Jonas and I were staying in Porto, which is only 200 kilometers from the mountain peak. Back in October 2015, I was also in Portugal, but more south in Lisbon and Cabo da Roca. Back then I did some research into what theContinue reading
I’m Taking a Gap Year from Travel to Finish University
Wow. What a pretentious title. I haven’t updated my blog in a long time because I’ve returned to university. I always knew I had to finish my Bachelor’s Degree in A Whole Lotta Crap one day, and that day has come. Back in December, I flew out of Bogotá to Madrid. Venezuela, Guyana, Surinam, and French Guiana never happened for me. After a few days in Madrid, adjusting back to Europe after more than two years in South America, took yet another plane to go to Frankfurt . I attended Christmas dinners in Germany and the Netherlands, celebrated New Year’sContinue reading
One Week in Tunis, Tunisia — My First Vacation in 4 Years
Our trip to Tunis, Tunisia happened between Sunday the 11th and Sunday the 18th of February, 2018. Sadly, I was taking a gap year from travel to finish university but still managed to do a few trips here and there. Those trips were proper vacations. One Week at University After my two-year trip through South America, I returned to Maastricht University in the Netherlands in January 2018. I had to prepare to go back to university after a hiatus of four years, and I did so reluctantly; the only reason I was back here was to graduate and get ridContinue reading
The Return to Uni: Going Back, or Moving Forward?
There is this thing I’ve known for the last few years: one of these days, I’ll have to return to Maastricht to finish my studies. I started university in the summer of 2010 and dropped out in November 2013. This had consequences. Today, I arrived back in that city that gave me so much pain. For those of you that have followed my journey for many years, you’ll know that my blogging journey started under the nom de guerre ‘Escapist’. Because that’s how I really felt. I was escaping the horror of my student life in Maastricht that had left meContinue reading
Kayaking + Snorkeling at Crab Cay and Three Brothers (Old Providence, Colombia)
All this happened on the 2nd of November, 2017. We rented a kayak and paddled to Crab Cay from the island of Old Providence. This is part of the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina. This is where I did my first successful and enjoyable snorkeling session. Renting a Kayak on Providencia We asked the owner of our guesthouse (Posada Sunrise View) Keoma how to go to Crab Cay (Spanish: Cayo Cangrejo). She told us where to catch the little motorboats, but also told us of the option to rent a kayak. Jonas and I had paddled inContinue 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
Colombian Visa Extension in Santa Marta
Today I got a visa extension for the first time in my life. I’ve been nearly 90 days in Colombia, which means my passport needed a refresher 90 days. I’m very far from ‘done’ with Colombia; it’s a fun country! With 90 extra days, I can hitchhike around the country in peace. While I know it’s not such a big deal for EU citizens to do this, it requires me to play the role of Good Tourist: a role that’s not well-suited to me. I entered Colombia on the 4th of July on a tourist visa from the land borderContinue reading