Pirogue Sailing to Île aux Bénitiers: Our Second Lesson with Christopher

This happened on Tuesday the 18th of January, 2022. We took our second sailing class with Christopher, this time in his yellow pirogue. The main photo was taken by Christopher. Click the menu in the top-left corner so you have the “pirogue” layer on. This map contains the approximate routes of all 3+ sailing classes we took with Christopher. Here’s a video of all four classes, starting at the footage of the second class:  Christopher’s Yellow Pirogue We received the message that the wind was good for sailing a bit later than last time. Christopher asked us at 10:15Continue reading

Iran to Turkey by Hitchhiking: A World Apart

Though I’ve already been back in Turkey for two days, I’m still getting used to things once again. Just across the border from Iran to Turkey in Van, the mosques look different and the mountain peaks are snowier! The crossing from Persian to Ottoman architecture is actually much starker than expected. Especially considering there’s Ottoman architecture in tons of places outside of Turkey. Pictured is the Sobacı Hamit Yörük Mosque in Van. I arrived in Van at night, so all I could see were the elaborate neon lights upon entering the city. Seeing Van in daylight is a much better experience,Continue reading

Puppy Savior Complex (Hatay, Turkey)

Here in Hatay, my host asked me to move to the office of a friend’s construction site to go (sort of?) couchsurfing. The old place I was staying at wasn’t suitable, or something like that. I was there all alone sleeping in the darkness of night on said couch when I heard the cries of a puppy outside. I waited for half an hour until I couldn’t take it anymore. Like a night watch, I ventured out and into the cold to approach the call for help. I searched and searched by torchlight for the source of the squeaks untilContinue 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

Interior Uruguay: The Road Less Hitchhiked

Yesterday I started moving towards the border with Argentina from Rocha’s pretty beaches in Uruguay. The department of Rocha is famous for those beaches, domestically and internationally, and it’s the dream for many to live there. During my stay in Uruguay, I’ve been sticking to the coast and border regions mostly and haven’t seen that much from interior Uruguay. That’s a crying shame, I realize now. I decided to hitchhike the ‘adventurous’ route to get out of the sleepy beach towns. Uruguay’s main highway is at the Atlantic Coast and the Río de la Plata river. It’s familiar territory to me comparedContinue reading

Chernihiv to Kharkiv via Sumy by Thumb (Ukraine)

These events happened on the 19th and 20th of August, 2021. We were hitchhiking in Ukraine. The first day, we hitchhiked from Chernihiv to Sumy. On the second day, we finished our trip from Sumy to Kharkiv.  The Plan Back in Kyiv, I really wanted to make a visit to Chernihiv and Slavutych. We booked five days in an Airbnb in Chernihiv, left one day open, and then booked an Airbnb for two weeks in Kharkiv. Everything was already plotted from Kyiv and this was the most pre-planning – three weeks ahead – we’d done since the start ofContinue reading

144 Hours in Shanghai: My 5-Day China Itinerary

This is about October/November 2019 when I visited Shanghai for a five-day stopover. This happened from Thursday the 31st of October till Tuesday the 5th of November, 2019. That’s when we flew on to Chiang Mai, Thailand. We traveled to China visa-free with the 144-hour on arrival visa. Though it’s our personal itinerary, this article also contains a wealth of information on things to do and see in Shanghai on your 144-hour visa. Here you can find a handy map of our itinerary and the sights. Here’s a list of must-download apps for your trip to Shanghai or elsewhere in China.Continue reading

A Happy Ending – Kitten Rescue in Portugal, Part V

Part V: The Aftermath This story is number 5 in a series of 5. To read it chronologically, start at Part I. Click here to go to Part II, Part III, and Part IV. I promise you this is the last of it. Updates from Porto The next day, Jonas receives updates from Marie via WhatsApp. She sends us pictures and videos of Chorizo, and updates us about its health. The updates are regular and very sweet and loving.     We’re waiting at the airport for our flight, and when we arrive in Warsaw, we know Chorizo is at theContinue reading

Hiking to Farol de Dona Amélia, São Vicente

How to Get There I’d first spotted this lighthouse from the back of a scooter when I visited São Vicente for the first time. I already knew I wanted to dedicate a day to visit the lighthouse upon return to São Vicente after Santo Antão island. The lighthouse is called “Farol de Dona Amélia,” but if you’re in a public vehicle or a taxi in direction of São Pedro, all you need to know is the word Farol – ‘lighthouse’. Everybody knows which one you mean if you’re in the right area. This lighthouse is located on the tip knownContinue reading