This kayak trip happened on Monday the 27th of May, 2024. We paddled from Orșova to Drobeta-Turnu Severin on the Romanian side of the Danube in the border area shared with Serbia. We also had to pass through the Iron Gates I dam (Romanian: Porțile de Fier I – Serbian: Đerdap I). Portaging is not feasible, so we had to go through the lock with the big ships! Kayaking Through Locks: Research + Stress The Iron Gate I Hydroelectric Power Station is the 53rd obstacle on the Danube for us since 2019, but it’s the first one in 2024. SoContinue reading
romania
Kayak Trip Day 64: Dubova to Orșova – Decebalus + Tabula Traiana
This kayak trip happened on the 24th of May, 2024. We paddled from Dubova to Orșova on the Romanian side of the Danube in the border area shared with Serbia. The Dog That Wouldn’t Let Go I woke up still carrying the stress from the previous bunch of days. Fixing the boat, deciding the route, waiting out the weather, full phone storage, and packing. It’s not nice to not trust our boat anymore. Whether the patch will hold. Whether there will be a new leak. Or some new unforeseen fuckery. It’s exhausting. After getting ready, we walked downstairs and outContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 63: Svinița to Dubova – Entering Romania + Great Kazan Gorge
We paddled this stretch on Saturday the 18th of May, 2024. In the morning, we departed Golubac and took the ferry from Usije in Serbia to Moldova Veche in Romania, going through immigration. From there, we made a quick stop in Moldova Nouă and Berzasca before we started paddling from Svinița to Dubova. That stretch has a lot of things to sightsee: the Tri Kule ruined fortress, the Great Kazan Gorge, and several caves. Ferry from Usije to Moldova Veche: Border Crossing Horror Paddling Out of Svinița: Cetatea Tricule We started kayaking away from Svinița at 12:34 Serbian time, soContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 62: Golubac to Donji Milanovac – Entering the Iron Gate + Breaking Fifty
We kayaked from Golubac to Donji Milanovac in Serbia on the Danube on the 11th of May, 2024. This is in the border area between Romania and Serbia through the Iron Gate canyon. It’s the first time we paddled over 50 kilometers in one day. Seeking a Sailor’s Advice on Đerdap Lake Paddling Out to Golubac Fortress + Golubac Gorge The following morning, we had a coffee and prepared for paddling. It’s not a long walk to our launch spot on the Danube from here and with such little luggage, it was very pleasant. We pumped up Zucchini below theContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 61: Ram to Golubac Vinci – Giving Up!
We tried to paddle from Ram to Golubac on the 9th of May, 2024. Because of a powerful mountain jet wind called Košava, we didn’t make it all the way to Golubac and eventually settled for a village called Vinci. Kayaking into the Romanian Border Area Getting ready for the kayak day without coffee saved us about half an hour. We were by the river a little before the ferry departed for Stara Palanka with three of our least-favorite street dogs. As intended, we used the ferry’s gravel slipway to launch our boat. We started paddling towards Golubac at 7:27.Continue reading
Yinj Tan — Hitchhiker Spotlight 🔦
On Fridays, we put a hitchhiker in the *spotlight. This week it’s Yinj Tan! Scroll down to read hitchhiking stories from her journeys. This spotlight first appeared on the 2nd of October 2020 in the NOMADS – Hitchhiking Club About Yinj First hitch: I guess it was 2014, back when I was still working in Singapore. I went to a walk with a friend and a couchsurfer, we got really tired to walk to the bus stop and the couchsurfer saw some other people hitchhiking, so he also tried and a lady driving a Mercedes sports car stopped and gaveContinue reading
6 Stories from Hosts + Guests in Lockdown: Hospitality in the Time of Corona
Our world has shrunk a great deal since the globe went on lockdown for the coronavirus. Blindsided by the sudden changes, travelers had to make some tough decisions mid-adventure. Amidst the chaos, I knew there would be some people out there who remained kind and trusting of virtual strangers. People who would keep their doors open when they were told to keep it shut. I’d been thinking about the people showing or experiencing hospitality under such extraordinary circumstances. So I asked around looking for stories from both hosts and guests to share their experiences. Many people responded with their stories,Continue reading
Donaueschingen: Danube Kayak Trip Day Zero
Mind of a Paddler I’ve decided to expand my mode-of-transport horizon beyond hitchhiking. This is because hitchhiking is kind of like my comfort zone by now, which means that I’ve stopped learning, expanding, and evolving. For now at least. As you may know, I’ve been traveling together with someone for a while now. There are many downsides to traveling as a couple – like longer waiting times when hitchhiking – but there are also some advantages. One of those advantages is the long-term planning of things that kind of requires two people. Operating a canoe or kayak on a long riverContinue reading
Transfăgărășan Highway: Does Jeremy Clarkson Pick Up Hitchhikers?
Now that he’s fired from Top Gear, perhaps Jeremy Clarkson has some free time now to pick up a hitchhiker at the Transfăgărășan Highway in Romania? I mean, he does say that “this is the best road in the world”. I’m also accustomed to hitchhiking with problematic people. So… I basically hitchhiked to the start of the Transfăgărășan Highway just to take this photo (and make this joke). A month ago, Jeremy Clarkson still worked at Top Gear. I’d hoped to put out a little call to action to hitchhike with the crew of Top Gear. It’s a program IContinue reading