Who would have thought that in Vang Vieng, this notorious paradise for drug addicts and other addicts, you could go on excursions into a wonderful landscape. Today, for a change, I'm on a mountain bike, a pretty run-down machine. But surprisingly, driving becomes a pleasure despite bad roads. That my ass hurts in the evening...
In Slow Motion to Vang Vieng
The drive from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng is breathtaking – and long and tiring. A good asphalt road connects Luang Prabang with Vang Vieng. It's not a good asphalt road. So much for the statement in Wikipedia (sometimes I wonder how the online dictionary gets its information). But bad roads make driving in a minibus just…
Luang Prabang – The last King
Luang Prabang is the capital of the province of the same name in the mountainous north and was originally the capital of the historic kingdom of Lan Xang and the French protectorate of Laos. It was the royal city until the monarchy was abolished in Laos in 1975. Today the city is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and is one of the most important tourist destinations in the...
Luang Prabang - Monks and Samaneras
In the holy city you can meet monks everywhere. They cause a stir with their dark red robes, their shaved heads, their alert and mischievous expression on their faces. There is nothing ascetic to be discovered there, rather an unbroken joy of life. The Samaneras, on the other hand, dressed in lighter orange, are novices, the offspring, so to speak. However,...
Luang Prabang – The Fate of the Elephants
Misty, gray morning. Sunday. No church bells, but birds chirping in the distance (or am I just imagining it?). The air smells as always, not actually like Sunday, but rather like TukTuk exhaust and kitchen smells in the back of the restaurant, where I'm eating a cinnamon bagel with butter and homemade (!) jam. Plus, of course, one of my beloved coffee mon...
Luang Prabang – The most sacred of all Cities
So now I'm in the holiest of all cities in the country - Luang Prabang. And today I'm going to find out why that is... But the first thing you notice when you step outside in the morning is the fresh air. It smells of spices, of fresh bread, of the forest. Strange in a city that last night...
Nam Ou River Cruise - The adventure ends
The day starts early, with chickens clucking, ducks chattering, and children's cheerful voices. Early morning coolness and humidity in the air. Slow, sluggish walk through the paths between the houses. The ticket office doesn't open until eight, so breakfast first, as it should be. Farewell conversations, always the same. You vow to stay in touch, but you know full well that...
Muang Ngoi - Searching for Mr. Wong in vain
Every house, every room has its stories. Deeply sad, wistful, heartbreaking, but also wonderful, heart-filling stories. Stories of happiness and loss. Of betrayal and friendship. You are our witnesses. It is part of our world and our lives that yin and yang always work, that life and death always belong together. That's the only consolation I...
Nam Ou River Cruise - The adventure starts
The view from my window shows a cloudless, deep blue sky. A perfect omen for this special day. Because today the first stage of the Nam Ou river trip to Luang Prabang is on the program. Hopefully this will be exactly the crazy trip I'm hoping for. So wild whirlpools and rapids and waves and shallows. And …
Muang Khoua - Bad Omen
A strange day. It begins with bad omens and once again shows where superstition gets its power. Something urges us to leave, and indeed: despite an hour before departure, the bus is packed. The young lady who has control of access to the bus cannot escape my charm attack...
Oudomxai – Sabaidee
I would have liked to travel further with the hobbits. But before the journey to Oudomxai I have to say goodbye again. In contrast to my new acquaintances, who all continue towards Luang Prabang, I take the bus to Oudomxai. The trip on the Nam Ou will remind me a little later, but much more spectacularly...
The Mekong - The great mighty beast
A minibus, crammed with numerous other travelers, sets off north at 10.00 a.m. sharp. The destination for the day is Chiang Khong, located on the Mekong. There we will switch to the Laotian side before the boat takes us towards Luang Prabang. Almost 300 kilometers to the northeast, through the plains of northern Thailand. How …
A380 - The Colossus takes off
Unfortunately you can't really see the giant bird, at most you can just imagine it, but when you get in it quickly becomes clear what kind of colossus it is. After he has – finally – slowly made his way towards the departure path, there seems to be an obstacle, in any case we will soon be on our way again...
The Southindia Books
Former British Prime Minister Adam Lang wants to publish his memoirs. After the dubious murder of his ghostwriter, his successor researches more closely than required and makes a discovery that could lead to global political chaos. Was the Prime Minister actually in the employ of the CIA? No one has ruled Britain for as long as Prime Minister Adam Lang. Now he is...
Between Worlds
I find myself between worlds. With one foot still in the cool sand on the beach in Calangute, with the other at home. And so I'm back where I started. The circle has closed. A kind of homecoming. A long-known finding: As soon as you return to a familiar place, no matter how negative the memory,...
Udupi - Praying and Dancing
Breakfast at seven? Rather impossible... I have reserved a room in the best hotel and have to ask when the man at the reception tells me the price. 450 rupees for a good room with fan and TV and a clean bathroom with hot water. Almost outrageously cheap. I feel a bit like a colonialist. Then …
Hampi - Abandoned and dead
On the bus from Hosped to Hampi, a few fellow sufferers from the night bus are sitting next to me, three pretty girls from Poland. It's always amazing how small the world is and how quickly you can make friends with complete strangers. These facts turn out to be a universal solution to any kind of xenophobia. You recognize yourself...
Mysore - The Palace of the Maharaja
I'm up early, can't wait to leave Ooty. An English woman from yesterday's trek joins me. We board the bus together, an uninspiring piece of construction on four wheels to say the least. But it's better than feared. I am not looking back to Ooty, forward is the motto. On …
Ooty - Trekking in Tealand
The fears have been confirmed. There is a strike - so there will definitely be no bus to Mysore today. The reason is not entirely clear but it seems to be a local Tamil Nadu issue. Is it just the bus drivers or is it possibly even a general strike? The grumpy gentleman at the ticket corner twists his round peach face and mumbles...
The Nilgiri Blue Mountain Railway
I say goodbye to my hotel, I really liked it here. The TukTuk stops in front of the post office (“no problem, I wait and look for your luggage; I’m your friend”). Calming. The last time the ferry. A man in front of me coughs, I guess TB. Poor guy. A few boys are sitting next to me and looking at...
Kochi - Far away from Hate and Intolerance
I didn't know that old Cochin (now called Kochi) held so many unexpected experiences and insights. And above all, I was completely unaware that this former trading city was a refuge for Jews from all over the world. Almost 2000 of them settled in its historic center in the middle of the last century. Today there are only a few left. …
Madurai - With open eyes
A wide road closed to traffic runs around the temple area. It's a relief to be able to move easily without running the risk of being knocked over at any moment. It's quiet, less noisy, less rushed, you can walk down the street in slow, leisurely steps, sometimes stopping here, sometimes there. Since I'm a donkey...
Madurai – Temples inside the Anthill
Normally there is no breakfast in Indian hotels, and seeing what the locals cram into themselves, it's probably for the best. I am led to a small, rather dark room, numerous shadowy figures are sitting at their tables and nothing can be heard apart from violent smacking. Well, as long as I don't...
India - An alien Planet
Sometimes it's good to see a tourist, it gives the impression of having found allies, of not being alone in this country overflowing with people. And sometimes you get the strange feeling of being a Kafkaesque prisoner and not being able to get away, in a place that is strange and loud and smelly and...
Kerala Backwaters – Leaving the familiar World behind
I'm up early and notice with slight regret that my pet cockroach didn't survive the night. She has fallen victim to a sneaky attack by tiny killer ants. That's life - wild and mostly deadly. I eat breakfast in “my” restaurant before heading towards…
Kollam – Strangers on a Train
Strangely enough, there is a direct train connection between Kanyakumari and Trivandrum. Either I misunderstood something or, what is more likely, I once again fell for one of these amiable but often ruinous false statements. For many Indians, the fear of making a mistake and losing face is greater than...
Cape Comorin - The southernmost Point
Darkness over the world, I arrived in Trivandrum, earlier than expected, still very heavy and sleepy. Indian trains are always good for a surprise. This is the final stop on the journey south, at least as far as the journey by train is concerned. From here there are only buses. And so I stand with...
Goa - The last Hippies
Are there still hippies from the 60s? When I hear the word Goa, long-haired figures in colorful clothes immediately appear in my mind's eye, hippies, then as now the synonym for alternative lifestyles, for dropouts, for drugs, and psychedelic music. I met them on the way to India, most of them on the...
Goa - On Jason Bourne's Tracks
It takes me a while to realize why the beach looks so familiar. Of course – Jason Bourne Supremacy. The famous early morning scene when Matt Damon aka Jason Bourne runs along the beach (see Bourne Supremacy - Running Scene). Just minutes before he discovers the Russian killer and calls it a day...
Goa – Summer, Sun, hot Sand
Why is morning a different color in India? It is greener, browner, redder than ours. The sleepy view from the train window opens up another world. Somewhere in the distance a blue and white glitter. The sea. In between there are meadows in all colors of green and yellow. Then scorched ground again, as if a flamethrower had been thrown over it. …
Mumbai – Gateway to a foreign World
At some point we break through the thick cloud cover and the sun shines for the first time. It stays that way all the way to the Middle East, where the clouds disperse and reveal a desolate desert with strange circular shadows. I can't explain what it is, but it looks nice. The full moon promises...
The Hippie Trail – Chandigarh and Alighieri’s Hell
At least, a consolation after the cold nights, it is finally getting warmer again. If there's something I can't stand, it's those days when you never really get warm, when every hint of warmth is blown away in a matter of seconds by a cold breeze, an open window, an unheated restaurant. So now our...
The Hippie Trail – Venice in the Himalayas
We are surprised and touched by the hospitality, the friendliness of the people, the new wonders discovered every day on the water and on the earth. If it wasn't so damn cold in Srinagar, you might actually consider staying a little longer in this valley and renting a houseboat. A houseboat costs per day…
The Hippie Trail – Be gentle on my curves
We longed for the sun, but after a few days in the humid subtropical heat of Pakistan and India, we wouldn't be averse to a break from it. The next destination in Kashmir is far to the north, i.e. in the middle of the Himalayas. It can be assumed that the temperatures could return to more comfortable levels. We hope, …
The Hippie Trail - Sikhs and a Golden Temple
Before we head towards the Indian border, there is an important visit to one of the largest mosques in the world. We must not postpone everything until we go home, there are things that cannot be postponed. The Badshahi Mosque It is not the case that we suffer from a shortage of mosques, on the contrary. While you go through…
The Hippie Trail - Across Pakistan
In the meantime, it has become a normal feeling to arrive somewhere you have never been before. On our journey, which has now lasted two months, we crossed the seventh border. Seven countries, seven cultures, seven languages. And when we reach India and Nepal, there will be a few more, because there...
The Hippie Trail - Across the Khyber Pass
Some place names have something about them, their own sound, something that sparks the desire to travel. Like Mandalay or Madurai or Luang Prabang or Jaipur. Jalalabad may not trigger any immediate desire to travel, but the name is definitely worth remembering. However, we will leave the friendly city that hosted us for one night with good…
The Hippie Trail – Gaping Chasms
A few hours later we are on the road, excited and almost euphoric to finally be back on the road again. Basically, we've gotten so used to life on the streets that longer stays almost become a punishment. All we want is movement. Always forward, always towards the horizon. The daily goal…
The Hippie Trail – Buzkashi, the game for men on horses
Back in Kabul, a little tired from the strenuous trip, but at the same time happy about the experiences in the Baniyan Valley, about the Buddhas and the lakes of Band-e-Amir. We once again feel blessed, blessed, and when you think about the unbearable changes of the last few years, all that remains is sadness and incomprehension. The stay in Kabul is coming to an end...
The Hippie Trail - The Lakes of Band-e-Amir
As if the famous Buddhas weren't highlight enough, the enchanted valley has another attraction - the lakes of Band-e-Amir. The route from Bamiyan is not particularly long, just under 80 kilometers, but the terrain is tough. Even more steep climbs, even more holes and gullies, even more steep walls on...
The Hippie Trail – The Buddhas of Bamiyan
Kabul is a highlight per se, but not the only attraction in this country. Another is even more famous for understandable reasons. The huge Buddha statues in the Bamiyan Valley. The year is 1974, everything is the same as it has been for centuries and should remain that way in the future. Nothing is known...
The Hippie Trail - Kabul and Chicken Street
And so we are actually here - in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, one of the most mysterious and unknown cities of all. The largest city in Afghanistan and the country's economic and cultural center. And - just imagine - with over 3500 years of history, it is one of the oldest continuously populated regions in the...
The Hippie Trail - Kabul and Chicken Street
Kandahar The first thing that strikes you – Kandahar has a completely different character than Herat. You might think that cities in a country, even if they are far apart, are similar, but that is not the case. Bern is also very different from Zurich or Basel. Here you mainly encounter dark and proud-looking people...
The Hippie Trail – The magical desert
Driving through the endless desert
The Hippie Trail – Herat, the city of the rascals
Mashhad remains behind us, if everything goes well we will see each other again in a few months on the way back. Maybe still euphoric, maybe disappointed, but certainly changed. Apparently there is no country that is able to captivate visitors to such an extent - and in the process changes them permanently. But at the moment …
The Hippie Trail - Mashhad, the sacred City
So it goes on, Ade Chalous, we won't miss you, but we will miss the night sky. And Otto of course, we wish the poor guy all the best and maybe a long life after all. The path initially leads along the Caspian Sea for quite a while. A colorful, fertile area, completely different from what we have seen so far...
The Hippie Trail – pill rolling and glass bead games
As we know, Sunday is the biblical day of rest after six strenuous working days. Like today. Whether we can speak of working days in our case (after all, we are on vacation, even if it doesn't always feel like it) is another question. And exhausting? Probably not, the waiting time in Tabriz made us agree...
The Hippie Trail – Tehran Monster
So now we are actually on the road again. After a few enthusiastic kilometers - we feel like we have been reborn - the enthusiasm fades and gives way to worry lines. Back to Tabriz The boss warned us that the engine might jerk a little at the beginning, but this jerking doesn't make a good impression. We won't...
The Hippie Trail - Definitely screwed
We are now used to a lot when it comes to roads, so nothing can shock us anymore. I have no idea what we expected from Iran in this regard, but certainly not these wonderful highways that now lead us south. Streets without holes, without gutters, without gravel and stones. Simply wonderfully perfect streets that feel like you're walking on down...
The Hippie Trail - Dust and Dirt and Hardship
Despite respect for the distances, we have already been hit twice. Twice in the dark on eastern Turkish roads – no fun! That should definitely be a thing of the past now. So we start even earlier, without much enthusiasm, but we have to drive over 400 kilometers to Erzurum. And what awaits us is like everyone else...
The Hippie Trail – Driving in the dark night
At some point, according to my inner compass it must still be deep night, I dare to take a look through the window. Sure enough, dawn is spreading on the eastern horizon. But it's just way too early to get up. However, in the back of my mind there is a nasty little devil who reminds me that we have a long stage ahead of us today...
The Hippie Trail – Istanbul, City of Dreams
We have fond memories of the route from Kavala to Istanbul. Just the names of the places we will pass cause a Pavlovian reflex. Our mouths are literally watering with anticipation. We expect, as the saying goes, of course... ... a real déjà vu. It's a wonderful route, sometimes on...
The Hippie Trail – Stranded
If everything goes somewhat normally today and there are no problems with the engine or anything else, we should be in Greece this evening. Eureka, the promised land. In fact, the light traffic is a good thing, we move forward quickly and reach Skopje (today the capital of North Macedonia) in the morning. A sleepy town, that's how it seems to us, although...
The Hippie Trail – wreaths for the dead
Could it be that we have only been on the road for a short time and are already behind on our provisional march chart? If this continues... But luckily for us we are not pressed, we have plenty of time. Who cares if we arrive in India a few days or weeks earlier or later. …
The Hippie Trail – Takeoff
Memories are questionable witnesses when it comes to reliability, truth, and accuracy. They are versions of our minds, cobbled together from images, sounds, images, dreams, smells. They cannot be trusted, and yet in their own way they represent a truth, perhaps different from the one actually experienced, and yet a testimony to something perhaps so...