Kayak Trip Day 56: Stari Slankamen to Novi Banovci – Sailing Past the Loess Cliffs

Our 56th kayak day on the Danube was on Sunday, the 21st of April, 2024. We paddled from Stari Slankamen to Novi Banovci in Serbia. It was a shorter distance. Contents1 Departing Stari Slankamen + Tisza Confluence2 The Loess Cliffs of Surduk + Switching Paddles3 A Break on the Islands4 Arriving in Novi Banovci5 One Night in Novi Banovci6 Good read? Consider buying me a pizza!7 Thanks for being here. Wish to share? Departing Stari Slankamen + Tisza Confluence We woke up at 7:00, had a coffee and a banana, and a look out the window. The sky was aContinue reading

Kayak Trip Day 54: Ilok to Bačka Palanka to Novi Sad – Goodbye Croatia, Hello Serbia

Our 54th paddle day was on Wednesday, the 10th of April, 2024. Our hosts in Ilok helped us cross the land border bridge between Ilok and Bačka Palanka to get the paperwork right. They dropped us off at a suitable launch spot on the Serbian side and we immediately began paddling to Novi Sad. This was our fifth day on the Danube in 2024 and our 54th day in total. Contents1 Croatia to Serbia via the Ilok–Bačka Palanka Bridge2 Kayaking Out of the Croatian–Serbian Border Zone3 Making Distance4 Two Ferries + Paddling Past Fruška Gora5 Dredging Fuckery6 Entering Novi SadContinue reading

Zagreb by Kayak: Paddling the Sava River from Brežice in Slovenia to Croatia’s Capital

We kayaked down the mighty Sava River from Slovenia to Croatia on Friday the 15th of March, 2024. This was the first time since 2019 that we loaded Zucchini with full luggage—including our laptops in a dry bag. We started at the reaction ferry in Mostec near Brežice in Slovenia. The Sava is fast, so we arrived in Croatia’s capital city Zagreb in no time after 32.5 kilometers. Contents1 One Day in Brežice: Sava Rapids, Research, Pizza and Beer2 A Terrible Taxi Driver + A Terrible Entry Spot3 A Fast Flow on the Sava4 Crossing the Border from Slovenia toContinue reading

Accommodation in Slovenia: Ljubljana, the Best Airbnb We’ve Ever Stayed in + Brežice

What to expect of accommodation in Slovenia as a digital nomad? We stayed in Slovenia from the 4th till the 14th of March, 2024. These are the places we booked to both work online from and have fun kayaking day trips in Ljubljana and Brežice. Contents1 That Cat Flat in Ljubljana: Our Best Airbnb Experience in Over 200 Stays ⭐1.1 Perfect Communication + Six Sweet Cats1.2 The Space in That Cat Flat1.3 Meeting Dočka, Nežica, Levček, Gucci, Shanti, and Kali2 Brežice: Hotel Spavlar3 Unlock the Prices of Accommodation in Slovenia4 Share this to show your love for Slovenia! That CatContinue reading

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

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

Wandering around Shampoo Island (Gaung Say Kyun), Mawlamyine

Events described here happened on the 20th of January, 2020. We visited Gaung Say Kyun Island, also known as ‘Shampoo Island’ on our one full day in Mawlamyine. Getting to the Jetty Before traveling by train from Yangon to Mawlamyine, I’d already marked a few spots I wanted to visit in the city. The highlight of those was an island in the Thanlwin (Salween) river delta named Shampoo Island. Its actual name is Gaung Say Kyun Island (ခေါင်းဆေးကျွန်း). I’d already spotted the island and its tallest pagoda and its scaffolding when we crossed the river by train the previous day.Continue 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

Danube Kayak Trip Interactive Map

This is the fully-operative map of our Danube trip so far! You can use the left-side panel to summon or dismiss the information you’re looking for. I included information about the route, the distance, the obstacles in between, the places we’ve stayed at, which stretches require a permit, and which parts we (had to) skip on the Danube. Each paddle day has its own related blog post you can read. I’ll update this map the more we travel this majestic river with our inflatable canoe. Click in the upper right corner of the embedded map to open the map in GoogleContinue reading

Kayak Trip Day 3: Immendingen to Mühlheim via the Donauversickerung

Our Events chronicled happened on the 8th and 9th of May 2019. Jonas and I paddled our canoe/kayak over the young Danube from a small town called Immendingen to another small town called Mühlheim over 20.1 kilometers. On the way, we passed the ‘Donauversickerung’ – where the Danube river sinks or goes underground for 155 days a year. The water levels were high enough for us to paddle it.  If you want to know what this kayak trip is about, I wrote a detailed article about how we came up with this trip idea. You can also read about Day 1Continue reading