Border Crossing

Hitchhiking from Hat Yai to Kota Bharu

Hat Yai to Kota Bharu: Hitchhiking from Thailand to Malaysia via Tak Bai

Iris Veldwijk

Things in this story happened on Thursday the 27th of February, 2020. Jonas and I hitchhiked from Hat Yai (Songkhla) in southern Thailand to Kota Bharu (Kelantan) in Malaysia. We took the Tak Bai river border crossing. This is my first time in Malaysia and Jonas’ second visit. Taking a Grab to the Hitchhiking Spot After five days of enjoying a few of the sights in Hat Yai, it was time for us to move on. Besides finding a new spot to hitchhike from, we didn’t need to prepare much for this hitchhiking day. Jonas and I found two viableContinue reading

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Kawthaung Myanmar to Ranong Thailand border crossing Kraburi Pak Chan river 10

Kawthaung to Ranong: Crossing from Myanmar to Thailand by Longtail Boat

Iris Veldwijk

The events in this story happened on Friday the 31st of January 2020. We reentered Thailand near Ranong after one month in Myanmar in the southernmost city of Kawthaung. There it’s possible to travel to Ranong across the Kraburi/Pak Chan/Kyan river mouth in the Andaman Sea. Mind you that these were the early days of the coronavirus outbreak and Thailand already had its first 14 confirmed cases. Click here to skip to the summary of tips for what to bring and what to expect. Preparations The Kawthaung-Ranong border is one of the few border crossings between Myanmar and Thailand thatContinue reading

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Day 34 Haslau Bratislava 21

Kayak Trip Day 34: Haslau to Bratislava – Austria to Slovakia

Iris Veldwijk

Events described… happened on August 2nd, 2019. We paddled down the Danube river from Haslau an der Donau in Austria to Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia. This is the third country we’re paddling in on our long-distance kayak trip. Unfortunately, when editing the videos for this post and the previous one (Day 32), I accidentally deleted all of them from the tiny camera’s SD card. Yes, we’ve tried every recovery program in the world. Yes, I am angry with myself. So all the videos (if any) for this post come from my phone camera.  Our Stay in Haslau WeContinue reading

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Day 21 Passau Engelhartszell 13

Kayak Trip Day 21: Passau to Engelhartszell – A Border Crossing

Iris Veldwijk

This story reflects the events on the 30th of June, 2019. We paddled Zucchini – our inflatable canoe – from Passau in Germany to Engelhartszell in Austria. This was our first international border crossing. We also encountered other paddlers from the TID (Tour International Danubien) on this 25.4-kilometer stretch. This is what happened. Our Stay in Passau We’re spending quite a bit of time indoors in Passau. Not only because it’s very very hot outside and often very busy, but also because we have other things to do: I need to write stories, Jonas needs to write code. Together weContinue reading

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Butterflies at the Bolivian border

Butterflies + the Bolivian Border from Paraguay

Iris Veldwijk

I’ve arrived in Bolivia! Here I was taking a *butterfly break with the backpack, a great shot Jonas took. We were hitchhiking toward the Bolivian border through Paraguay’s Gran Chaco region—a rough diamond. If you tell Google Maps to drive from Asunción to Bolivia, it tells you to drive through Argentina instead. It’s a clear warning of what this road would be like. Truly, this was one of the most difficult roads I’ve ever hitchhiked in terms of traffic, road quality, temperature, and water availability. It took four days! On the bright side, it’s the mating season or something ofContinue reading

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Paraguay from the back of a pick-up truck

Paraguay from the Back of a Pick-Up Truck

Iris Veldwijk

Just another day at the office… for a hitchhiker! Today I hitchhiked in the back of this pickup truck toward Mariscal Estigarribia, the last village with a sizeable population in Paraguay before the border with Bolivia—and that border is still 250km away! In Paraguay, you usually get your entrance/exit stamps in your passport at the migration office in a town before the border rather than at the actual border. This also happened to us when leaving Brazil and entering Paraguay. Besides being a little strange and not straightforward at all, this is a complicated process of asking around for ‘laContinue reading

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shkodra shkoder albania hitchhiking montenegro crna gora shqiperi border crossing

Hitchhiking from Montenegro to Albania: It’s Border Time!

Iris Veldwijk

I’m packed and ready to hitchhike from Montenegro to Albania! That’d be country #57 if you’re wondering. The last weeks in Kruče have been absolute bliss. Packing to cross a border is, however, a little bit unchill. But I did it and I’m ready. Aleksandra has been a wonderful host and I really love her life stories and passion for music. Sometimes you meet people with an openness that just blows you away. I’m definitely going to miss this, but it’s time to move on and see what the much-hyped Albania has to offer. Some people think it’s a scaryContinue reading

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Sobacı Hamit Yörük Cami iran to turkey van turkey orumiyeh Iran mosque

Iran to Turkey by Hitchhiking: A World Apart

Iris Veldwijk

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

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getting closer to iran hitchhiking armenia solo female traveler tourism vayk goris kapan meghri

Getting Closer to Iran: Hitchhiking Vayk→ Goris→ Kapan (Armenia)

Iris Veldwijk

Photo from when I hitchhiked from Vayk (Վայք) to Goris (Գորիս) in Armenia in one ride with a guy named Artur. That’s a good 100 kilometers closer to Iran! After taking a short break in Goris because of the rain, I’m continuing my hitchhiking trip to Kapan (Կապան). I had a nice cup of coffee with Artur at a place called Deluxe Lounge Cafe—a surprisingly fancy place in the center of Goris along the main thoroughfare. Then he left for business in town. From here, it’s very easy to walk 1.5 kilometers out of town to hitchhike south to KapanContinue reading

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