Life is like riding a bike. To keep your balance you have to keep moving. (Albert Einstein) So there's no lack of movement, I'm quite happy with the balance, so Albert would be very happy with me. Today I inevitably have to take an alternative route because, according to the host, the hotel on the Napf is closed due to staffing...
While I enjoy picking at my breakfast plate, I listen to the postman's conversations with the innkeepers. Like probably half of Switzerland, they are talking about yesterday's voting results. Interesting how factually and differentiated the discussions and evaluations are. That's how it should be always and everywhere. Unfortunately, a pious wish. The bakery where I arrived shortly after...
At seven o'clock Lynyrd Skynyrd wakes me up from a deep sleep, of course with Free Bird (see below) in the 1977 live version with Ronnie, Steve and Cassie. For a few months all three were dead. RIP. Straight up American fucking rock n roll. There are quite a few experts who consider the three-part guitar solo to be the best of all time...
So then, after the short interruption, the journey continues. I set off early and arrived in Meierskappel just before half past nine and said hello to the first 3 signpost. I feel like I'm meeting an old friend. The route, as explained during yesterday's interruption, is about 10 kilometers shorter, so...
The gap in the plan These one and a half stages are missing, so just a few brief comments on the details that would otherwise be forgotten. This is what the plan looks like according to the guide: Unterägeri – Zug Length: 13 km, ascent | Descent: 260 m | 560 m, hiking time: 3 hours 20 minutes Zug – Lucerne Length: 29 km, ascent...
Who would have thought that after yesterday's rain, one of the most beautiful days of the entire trip was waiting for me? There is nothing better than positive surprises. The daily plan actually calls for a wonderful route, for once completely in my opinion: Length: 19 km, ascent | Descent: 720 m | 860 m, hiking time: 5 hours 25 minutes…
During the night - who is surprised that the rain is once again galloping over the roof like a horse's hooves - I finally decide on an alternative route via Sattelegg. I will take the post bus to the turnoff to the pass and then hopefully find a suitable hiking trail. The actual plan for today would be something...
The real highlight of the day is breakfast with the Sikh family. While I quietly dig into my opulent breakfast, the couple keeps me company. He tells the crazy story of his journey, which led him from all over the world to Amden. Apparently the hotel has been empty for a long time, a…
At some point I want to stop starting the day with rain and ending it with rain. I hope that today means Resurrection Day, the day with the last fucking rain until Geneva. Of course, this will remain a pious wish, because this morning, too, the first look out of the window reveals exactly the same thing as...
A sleepy look outside doesn't reveal much that's new. And not much positive. It's still gray and wet, even though the rain has taken a short break. The farewell to the hut staff is warm, everyone laughs about yesterday's evening, which also brought a few surprising insights. I'm back now...
My fears were confirmed - when I woke up my head was ringing like an old church bell. Miserable sleeping pill! It did knock me into an unconscious state for a few hours, but that's all there is to say about it. Well then, with little euphoric feelings, I stagger to breakfast, look around, everything...
Murmuring noises wake me from a deep unconsciousness. Looking at the clock, I saw that I had slept for ten hours, not surprising after yesterday's ordeal. But today, according to the hiking guide, things should be a little more leisurely. From Trogen (AR) over two gentle hills with great views of the Säntis, the city of St.Gallen, Lake Constance and the hilly...
Strange. For a few moments a green jungle appears outside the window, hard to believe, but for a very short time neither a building nor a road nor any sign of civilization is visible. A rare sight in our paved country. I'm sitting on the train heading towards Lake Constance, looking with still tired eyes...
You always leave with a laughing eye and a crying eye. (Proverb, author unknown) The leaden end How should one spend the last day? Do the crazy, LSD trip-like walk through this crazy city again? Feed your lungs with dirt and exhaust fumes for the last time? Chicken momos for the last time in the beloved restaurant...
The circle has come full circle, I am back in Kathmandu. So bad air again, worst traffic, lungs like a chain smoker. And yet it still feels like a homecoming. A few hours earlier I leave peace behind with Chitwan. Silence. Nature. The place where I felt comfortable. Despite some findings that do not...
When I wake up, it's still night, I turn on the iPhone out of old habit, and there, a few drum bars, and then a melody emerges as if from a thick fog, a fragile voice. Joy Division. My favorite band of the late 70s. Ian Curtis. Your fragile frontman. As I listen to Curtis' sonorous voice with my eyes closed...
My Apple Restaurant spoils me with toast with butter and jam, two fried eggs (sunny side up) and black coffee. You could say the day started as it should. In addition, it is still pleasantly cool, only around midday does the thermometer rise incessantly to over 30 degrees and only stops at...
Something is going a bit strange this morning. No breakfast in the company of my feathered friends (too early for the cook?), but a strange tasting something in the village. The bus doesn't leave promptly at eight, but is left in the shadows for a full hour. The taxi that is supposed to take me to Dumre stops...
Today is one of those days that could be called a breather between two storms. It seems fitting to me to start the day with a breakfast on the roof terrace, accompanied by countless bird songs, while looking out over the hills glowing in all shades of green and brown. Like yesterday, the…
It's rare that I stay in the same place for more than a week, and even rarer that I find it so difficult to say goodbye. But the city, although hectic and a tourist trap of the first order, surprised me with its charm and relaxed atmosphere. Farewell without joy And so at 6.15 I eat my...
The stupa towers high above the lake and the city, an ideal place to send a message of peace to the world. My bucket list for Pokhara is slowly coming to an end, so I set off early in the morning to climb the hill with the World Peace Stupa. But is a…
Actually, an old, rickety women's bike would have been enough for me to complete the planned tour through the city, but of course the rental companies prefer the much more expensive mountain bikes. So you finally set off for 500 rupees, a bright green, fairly new-looking bike under your ass, with an estimated 100 gears and a carbon-hardened frame (that's what...
Then the big day. The birthday present to myself. The sky is clear and completely blue, as it should be, a slight shimmer of clouds around the Machapuchare, nothing exciting. The view of the Sarankot hill shows green and brown and yellow, forest and more forest and above that the peak. The starting point. Perfect prospects for…
A lot has changed in the last almost 45 years. Nothing remains of the quiet, remote town, the smelly streets littered with rubbish, but where you could buy wonderful cakes. The only foreigners who were still viewed with suspicion were hippies like us. Somehow out of place. I remember our campsite,...
So today we're heading west to Pokhara. I said goodbye to Sitaram, it was difficult for us to say goodbye. He was an excellent guide, not only in terms of his knowledge of the local fauna and flora. Above all, he lightened me by a few kilograms when the old man was on the verge of collapse. I wish …
From Syabrubesi back to Kathmandu Before the return journey to Kathmandu, the paths of good old friends finally part ways. Some people take a jeep to get around faster, others, less fortunate, like the two of us, take one of those terrible buses that are already standing in front of the various hotels at seven, smoking and roaring. Ready to leave The sleeping bag is...
From Bamboo Village to Syabrubesi Then the last part of our adventure. Since we are already far down, today will be easy and fun. A day to enjoy before we start the boring journey back to Kathmandu tomorrow. Bye-bye Bamboo Crawling out of the sleeping bag for the second last time, it's already...
From Langtang to Bamboo Village Something is wrong early in the morning at six. The concert of birds and the distant voices of the kitchen staff have been joined by a rhythmic knocking on the roof. Looking out the window reveals the whole truth. It's pissing on all cylinders. That can not be true. Rain! And how! Rain in the morning...
Kyanjin Gompa up the valley then back to Langtang The morning, like all the previous ones, is a showcase of the unique beauty of the mountains. The blue of the sky is not just blue, it is the blue of a lapis lazuli that flickers in the light. The mountains are not just mountains, they are monuments, frozen in time, and stand out like...
From Langtang to Kyanjin Gompa It is reassuring that the system works reliably. Great exertion, physical or mental, is corrected with plenty of sleep. There is nothing that cannot be corrected by a good dose of deep sleep. Same now. A 10-hour deep sleep phase caused the stricken spirits to return. Sitaram's...
From the Lama Hotel to Langtang After the bad night in question, I wake up my roommate at 5 from my short sleep. He rummages around in his things for almost an hour and a half, I don't have the slightest idea whether he's looking for something or putting things in order or is just awake so early and has nothing better to do. Olfactory…
From Syabrubesi to Lama Hotel It's sometimes good when you don't know what to expect. Otherwise there is a risk that you will throw in the towel before the start and go crying into a corner. But as I said – thank God everything in life is unpredictable. As I have sometimes...
From Kathmandu to Syabrubesi So first farewell to Kathmandu, the next eight days are a leap into the unknown. This also seems to have a noticeable effect on my sleep. Every few minutes, or so it seems to me, I wake up, thoughts racing. Have I packed everything? Isn't the backpack too heavy? (he is!) Are they enough…
In itself, the path to Swayambhunath, the most famous and holiest of all Kathmandu's shrines, is not too far, but - as the saying goes - the path to heaven is paved with sins. In this case, it's not my sins, but the city's. Short and sweet – the route is somewhere between 2...
The rain pounding on the window in the middle of the night doesn't really fit with the ideas I had in mind before the Langtang Trek. Was I mistaken? Should I expect bad weather or even snow on the trek? Kali Gandaki The memories of trekking along the…
The traveler's sleepy eyes open up to the view of the plains of northern India lying far below in the haze. A dry, brown world in the dazzling light of the morning sun, and there, like a glittering greeting - a snake rolling through the plain - the Ganges. The map on the monitor shows Patna 78 kilometers. Memories …
Even long journeys come to an end at some point. The Eternal Dilemma Today is another one of those last days. They are always a mixture of joy and sadness. The prospect of good bread and coffee, pasta that tastes like pasta and not cardboard, a hot bath, drinking water from the tap, heated rooms when it's cold, ...
After the best sleep ever in the softest bed ever, I am surprised by the best breakfast ever. It's true - the gods are giving me a very welcome gift of compensation as a farewell (after all, they are responsible for various capers, especially climatic events and other things). A few older gentlemen nod at me while I eat eggs, fruit juice...
In the morning at the “Zohar Hostel” I don’t get a friendly farewell for a change (especially the hotel manager, a rumpled woman who is no longer in her prime, gives me the famous looks that could kill). Bad Vibes Apparently my refusal to accept a room without a private bathroom was met with bad blood. Is …
Then the last 420 kilometers. The 10 a.m. bus is reserved, nothing stands in the way of the last part of my journey. However, there is a vague feeling that the journey could take longer than the stated eight hours. But let's see. I take the metro again, this time without interruptions (on yesterday's journey...
Medellin. A kind of coming home. One look is enough to see what has changed since last week. The city lies under a thick blanket of smog. Smog over Medellin Damn! So after last September in Delhi, the wretched thing caught up with me once again. Although widely discussed on TV news,...
And another goodbye, one that hurts. Adios Cartagena Knowing that a night bus is waiting for me this evening, which promises another torture of over 10 hours, I take the last day in Cartagena calmly, almost meditatively. I leave the city behind me, the roar of the car and bus engines, the...
Apparently my hotel has only been in operation since last December. However, the misconsiderations, construction defects and all sorts of damage are already visible today and are absolutely typical of the talents of the architects and craftsmen in this regard. Light switches, sockets, shower heads, taps and door locks are generally either installed in the wrong place or do not work at all or only work after several unsuccessful attempts. …
On that miserable night, I remember with nostalgia the wonderful buses of the “Cruz del Sur” company, the Cama seats, the warm blankets, the soft pillows, the leg rests, on the journey from Cusco to Lima. You can only dream of that here. After a few hours you somehow found some sleep, but...
The night bus to Cartagena doesn't leave until eight (if I'm lucky and get a ticket). So I have almost a whole day left to enjoy the city again. First destination: the Museo Casa de Memoria. It is intended to commemorate the bad times when the city was a theater of war, one of the cruelest...
The WIFI doesn't work that night of all days, and so I sleep towards the morning relatively unmolested, while 10 kilometers to the northeast a funny little girl named Mila Sofia comes into the world. Welcome to our world, princess Mila Sofia! I must have felt it somehow, because early in the morning, the iPad in...
Did I mention that it's raining again? It's raining. At breakfast everyone crowds under the large parasol or umbrella and fights for space. But since it's a warm rain, it doesn't bother anyone. Well, and then another farewell, but without tears. Another bus with a hopefully less mentally weak...
I have to talk again about the special pleasure of a perfect breakfast. This one, in the 'Ruta de Sur', gets the Oscar for the richest, most loving, most tasteful of the trip so far. Also the environment, which God knows can be different, sometimes musty, somewhere alone in a huge, dark room or standing on a...
For once the bus terminal is close, so I walk through the rain-soaked streets (of course, it rains all the time here too) and get to the train station in time for the long journey to Cali. The bus is comfortable and, so to speak, empty. Next to me there are just four noses lost inside, the devil knows how...
I mentally prepare myself for the next few days. It's going to be hard. Roughly speaking, there are still over 2000 kilometers waiting for me if the tank isn't empty beforehand (the first signs are noticeable). The current plan (which can change quickly) is to cross the border into Colombia (the eighth and...
Firstly, today's trip should be more to my liking than yesterday's and secondly, it should be a real highlight. The Cotopaxi, the infamous active volcano not far from Quito, is today's destination. Again the bus is ready to leave at seven, and in contrast to yesterday, the average age of the participants has fallen massively. Dutch, Australians, Brazilians, Americans…
I remember a novel whose last chapter was called “The Middle of the World.” However, it wasn't about geographical terms but about leaving and letting go and the fear that everything is in vain and that you will end up back in the same place. The first trip – to the middle of the world That’s what it’s all about…
The “Yellow House” also turns out to be a pleasant find, run by a German, Gabriela, who has been living in Ecuador for years and has helped the establishment achieve something of a European standard. However, there are no heaters in Quito, located at almost 3000 meters, so last night I went among the many...
The effects of the rains, which of course did not stop at the border with Ecuador, are also visible on the journey north. Sometimes you have the impression of being on a moving island. To the right and left of the road there are flooded meadows and fields, houses that are submerged in water up to the ground floor, paths that are barely...
For once I am not woken up by the noise of the street or by restless roommates, but by a wild flash of lightning that leaves deep scars in the night sky. The sky falls to the earth Aha, that could be the beginning of 'Tumbes aislado'. The first signs of the coming storm. So no journalist cheese after all? The next wake-up call is a...
Even before showering and eating and sleeping, it became clear last night that there isn't a single bus going north. The horror images shown on television are proof enough that nothing, absolutely nothing, works there anymore. Many bridges have been destroyed, washed away and shattered to fragments. From the streets all the way to...
During the long hours of the night, all you can hear on the bus is the quiet, steady hum of the engine. Sometimes an armchair groans under the heavy movements of a sleeper, sometimes barely audible breathing or snoring or groaning. The bus makes its way, almost silently, controlled by the (hopefully) alert eyes of the chauffeur, over mountains and passes, in the dark...
Tonight we have a very special challenge, the trip to Lima. The ticket at 'Cruz del Sur' is booked, departure at 14.00 p.m., travel time 18 hours. That will be fun. However, the news from northern Peru worries me a bit. The images on the television are reminiscent of the 2004 tsunami, terrible scenes that...
Cusco is the absolute, undisputed highlight of Peru. Unlike other places, I remember it well. On the scale of 1 to 10 regarding tourism, the city receives at least an eleven, and in this case this is definitely meant positively. I look forward to seeing one of the most interesting and attractive places...
The taxi driver is at the door at a quarter to seven, a short 'Hasta Luego' and on we go. Today will not be much different from yesterday, a long drive through monotonous landscapes where sometimes no living creature can be seen for hours. Travel like you're on a plane Today I bought myself a particularly luxurious...