Kitesurfing South America: 3 Obscure Spots

Ever considered going kitesurfing in South America? If not, it’s time to reconsider! Many South American countries are full of river dams. Where there’s a dam, there’s an artificial lake. Where there’s an artificial lake, there’s oftentimes real strong winds. Many of these kitesurfing lakes are rather obscure for the kite community, yet are famous locally for their reliable, strong winds and tiny waves. Watch out, some of these locations aren’t for beginners. All of them do have schools that offer classes but ask yourself if you want to tackle these beasts when just starting out. Perhaps you’ll be sittingContinue reading

Earthquake Memorial in Chanco, Chile

After receiving an invitation from a Spanish blog reader living and working in Chile, I decided to make a little detour from my route southward. I hitchhiked to Maria in Chanco. She’s an architecture student, but currently, she put her studies on hold. That’s because she’s busy reconstructing buildings damaged by the 2010 earthquake. I happened to visit Chanco exactly six years after, also on the 27th of February. The team of artists made a remembrance mural with natural colors found in the earth surrounding the village. Some of the mixes (adobe) contained some straw or hay to make theContinue reading

Camping Stove Cooking at the Chilean Coast (Paposo)

Who’s up for a cup of mint tea on the beach in Paposo? After a long search, I finally found a cheap camping stove with a fairly universal fuel system. A shop in the Zona Franca of Iquique (Zofri) that also sells children’s toys and Christmas decorations (!?) and other completely random objects had this beauty of a camping stove. It has some kind of metal skirt that’s its wind protection and hugs my pot completely. And it has a sparker that makes it very easy and safe to turn on. If you can’t tell yet: I’m so fucking happy!Continue reading

Pisagua, Chile: Squatter’s Paradise

Northern Chile has provided me with a lot of fun things to do so far. One of the most rewarding detours off the main road south has been visiting the hamlet of Pisagua and its abundant former glory. This used to be one of Chile’s biggest ports back in the day, which one can’t imagine anymore. A lot of buildings are wooden, including the semi-abandoned theatre. The theatre now hosts a tiny library and internet café in one of the small rooms. Only a few shops provided my provisions of food and water. After walking around, I’ve spotted four restaurantsContinue reading

Boca del Río Lighthouse: Freecamping in Perú

Last night I went freecamping in Perú. I picked a spot close to the coast on a hill where both a lighthouse and a Jesus statue were located. Boca del Río (“river mouth”) is located close to the city of Tacna. I hitchhiked from Boca del Río to Tacna in a single ride with a lovely old lady going to a big church here. I plan to stick around here for the next few days before crossing to Arica, Chile. Arica formerly belonged to Perú. It’s also where the Atacama desert begins, which is the driest place on earth exceptContinue reading

Seaside Freecamping in Durrës, Albania

Good morning from Durrës, Albania! I went freecamping on the north side of town at a quiet spot on a seaside hill. First I wanted to camp at the beach, but there were already some people there. So I climbed up to this flat space and pitched my glorified mosquito-net/inner tent layer, rolled out my sleeping bag, ate dinner, and went to sleep until sunrise happened again. The ferries from Italy were slowly rolling into the bay. And during the night I saw some cruise ships passing by on the Adriatic Sea. It was some real good alone time. Alone…Continue reading

Tent Inauguration in Cetinje, Montenegro

Here on the rocky outskirts of Cetinje on the M2.3, it was time to pitch my new tent for the first time! Though not the greatest spot out in the semi-wild for freecamping (it’s a bit rocky), she’s been a champ. The Eureka! one-person tent looks a bit sad because I took this picture when I already pulled out a few stakes. My bad. But at least she’s been inaugurated at last. As I was hitchhiking down this road to the coast and darkness fell, I felt the urge to get out of the car and freecamp.  Once IContinue reading

Nikšić, Montenegro: Urban Freecamping

This was my urban freecamping spot last night next to the hotel I used the WiFi at. It’s an alley next to the parking lot that the lady from reception recommended me and the hotel staff paid attention to my safety during the night, so that’s really nice of them! A little cold and windy, but you know I’m prepared for the worst. The best thing about this spot? The hotel’s WiFi was still working! If you’re wondering, it’s the alley next to the 4-star Hotel Marshal in Nikšić. The downside was that the skinny alley created some kind ofContinue reading