The new year starts with a big surprise!

I made my way across Mexico and into Guatemala.

I changed all my plans by buying a Motorbike for the next 3000 Km to Panama. My bicycle will wait in the Jungle Hostel, Antigua till I come back in a few month.

The first 500 Km along Lake Atitlan went well and I can already tell that a motor allows to do more siderips in the same time. If this is a better way to travel... we will see.

The way to get an own motorbike in Guatemala is not easy. Thanks to Daniel who supported me with all the paperwork and laywers.

The way afyer returning to Guatemala is not set yet. It will become a surprising year 2009 for all of us.

Church in San Cristobal, Mexico

Waterfall from below

Entering Guatemala

Up at the vulcano, Antiuga, Guatemala

Sunset with the lavaheat under my shoes

Lake Atitlan

I packed my new motorbike for the first tour to El Slavador , a 300 km testride for the next months going south.

The first challange came up by crossing Guatemala City with the busses, trucks, cars and motorcycles.
It went on perfect for 90 km. 80 km/h is fast enough to still enjoy the landscape. I had a fuelstop in Taxico, a small town on the way. 50 Quezales (7USD, 5€) is good for 2.5 Galons or 300 kilometer.


The street went uphill after the stop. By reaching the the engine went off and didn´t restart anymore. I tried to find a loose cable or wire but didn´t see any. So, I sat back on the bike and rolled down the hill and back into the gasstation.
The three guys at the station started checking everything but couldn´t figure out the problem. A Pick- Up Truck stopped in the station and my bike got loaded on the back. We went to a mechanic across town. He stripped down my bike incl. the tamk until he found a loose cable. 50 Quezales was one hour of work. "my driver" put out his vallet and refused me paying it back.
The motor started and I wa back on my way.
Once more I expirienced how dangerous it is travelling in Cental America :-)


70 Km I reached the boarder to El Salvador.The CA-4 says you can cross into Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduaras and Nicaragua without any controls. You don´t even get a stamp ( I got one for souvenir)

I cruissed along the beach by sunset and went into "Playa El Tunco" a little later. I enjoyed surfing before going back on the bike some days later.

The way back to Guatemala was perfect again. I wondered why the Pan- Amercan Hgw. is this fascinating? The heavy traffic uses narrow, bad roads for crossing small mountaintowns.


After being back in Antigua I prepare myself for the way to Panama. Next stop, country no. 16, Honduaras.

My new Motorbike stripped down

And the audience

El Salvador

Woodtransport the dangerous way down the hills

I´m down the road, going further south every day.

I crossed to Honduaras at 'Copan Ruinas' on my way to the carribean coast. La Ceiba was my fist stop. White water rafting was enough fun to stay a couple of days. Passing banaplantations I made my way along the coast. Dole and Chiquita rule up here.

Trujillo was the jumping off point for the 'Mosquitia Area'. Rainforrest wich was supposily not crossable by Motorbike. In fact it wasn´t. I gave up after two days and returned to Trujillo, exhausted and muddy. I not just broke my backrack on the bad roads, even seven spokes were gone after that trip. A 4x4 Jeep might be usefull sometimes.

I celebrated my first year trip anniversery at the Yoyoa lake with a boattrip and a bowlof spagetti.
I crossed into Nicaragua Feb. 2nd and met Andreas at the barder. He had made his way from Vermont, USA. Together with Oliver (Switzerland) and Glenn (USA) we formed a nicaraguan- exploring- team.
Unfortuanately I lost my numberpalte on the bad roads crossing the coffee region. I hope there will be no problem crosding into Costa Rica without it.
Granada is located at Cental Americas' biggest lake and we spend the last days on the vulcanic island 'Ometepe'

I´m back in Granada now, preparing for the bordercrossing tomorrow. My mum sent me my driverslicense via express service, now I can at least riding my motorbike legally.


The hostel cumputer guy doesn´t speak any english, so he deleted my saved file: "Very important Pictures, DO NOT DELETE"... that was Honduras.

Freitag, 27. Februar 2009

Panama City, Panama

The Panama Canal was my goal since I crossed the border into Mexico. So, it was amazing staying high above the canal Feb. 21st.
After Nicaragua I crosse Costa Rica without any problems. South on the Panamerican Hgw I went into Panama.
There were no Highlights until I reached Colon on the Carribean Coast. Here, it went perfect. It is sailingseason and it only took a day to find a ride throught the canl on a sailboat.
The two-day crossing is not as much exiting as it sounds. The job as a linehandler is pretty relaxed.
Never the less it was a great felling when the last lock opened to releas us into the Pacific Ocean.

You ask about the future? There are a lot of options. Sailing to the Galapagos Islands sounds good to me... we will see.

Panama

 

Containerfrighter in the Canal

Waiting for the first locks

Let´s go

That is the way

Have a good journey

Samstag, 25. April 2009

Auckland, New Zealand

And sometimes it just happens... Val and Jon were looking for a new crewmember for their catamaran to Tahiti and I was looking for a way leaving central america. It was perfect.

I left the motorbike on the street. there was no time for selling it and I was not in the mood to face the authorities because of import taxes.
We left Panama and crossed the Equator at 00'00'N 089'00'W. Dolphins, sharks whales and hundreds of flying fishes welcomed us in Galapagos. we spent two days later with giant turtles.

We continued crossing the worlds' biggest ozean. After one month of just water around I can tell you: It is really big!

There was a new, best sunset every evening and I spent most of my nightwatches under a incredibly stary sky.
The first weeks fun changed to every day life with the ocean all around.
The last days thru the southern pacific everybody was waiting for an island to see.
We reached Tahiti April 13th. 4454 NM (8248km) after leaving Panama.
There was some relaxing in Tahiti. It is a small french island and feels like being back in europe.

I got an offer to cross to New Zealand by boat but I couldn't handle two more month at sea.
Five days later I left Tahiti in an airplane to Auckland, New Zealand.

I'm in the middle of the Australian desert for one week now. I will stay here for a couple of month and working for “Adventure Tours Australia”. Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kata Juta (the Olgas) and Kings Canyon are sceduled on my three day tour.

The first view of Uluru rising up from the red desert sand is amazing and my favorite walk in Kings Canyon brings something new every time.
It is easy to imagine that I will stay here for a while.

Welcome to Alice Springs

Outback

Uluru (Ayers Rock)

and Kata Tjuta (die Olgas)

Roadtrain

Some days past by since my last entry from Alice Springs. Everything changed, again.

It startet with my day off. The “Great Moscow Circus” was in town on its “Oz Tour 2009” and they were looking for casuals to build up the tent. Circus, here I come.I took the technical part and after a while I was with the lighting guys. By the time I enjoyed my free show in the evening, I already had a joboffer. joining the circus along the westcoast sounded like a perfect job. What do you do if you have the best job in the world and then an even better one comes along? My next tour was also my last one and I was on the way to darvin five days later.

It was a short stopover at the northern beaches before I continued to Broome.

Working in a Circus sounds like a lot of fun, it is a lot of free time, too. We spent days in little settlements. It is the setting up which makes it interesting.

I packed my bags shortly before Perth which is a monthly stay anyway and took a Greyhound bus into the city.

Things changed, again. I flew from Perth to Adelaide just to take a tour up to Alice Springs when I met Giulia and Giulia. We spent the evening together and when it was time to say goodbye they offered me a ride in their rented campervan to Melbourne. I didnt have to think long and five hours later we met to a roadtrip along the "great Ocean Road".

Giulia Ts. first tries were horrifying and it is not often that I look up to the sky to wish for help. this was one of these situations. It felt like a wonder when we finally left the inner city without any crash.

It was a fun ride along the coast to the “Great Ocean Road” and so was it not that surprising that I booked three tickets for the Tasmania ferry instead of just two.

It is amazing. Waterholes, whale watching, Koalas and lighthouses go along with tiny towns at stunning riffs. We slept under the stary sky and showered almost every second day (as you do when travelling with girls).

We took the nightferry from Melbourne to Davenport, Tasmania. It was a circle course down to Hobart. It was something new for me, freezing in the Australian winter and with the snowfall at Cradle Mountain came the wooden hut with a heater.

I spend my second birthday on tour with wallaby burgers and chocolate cake on the windy coast of the "Bay of fire". By this time the best place in the world.

We crossed over to Hobart via Port Arthur and spend our last night together with a nice dinner downtown.

Koala

Giulia T., Giulia B. and me on the 'Great Ocean Road'

I'm back in Alice Springs. It is like being back home. Back in the place I know with the people who make this city so unique.

Work starts tomorrow and I will spend the next three month working for “Adventure Tours Australia” and "Connections” as a German guide around the red centre.

My bankaccount looks like I've to stay to Jan 2010. That is enough time to create a new plan going around the world in a new, different way. I may even travel back to Europe.

Guiding in Kings Canyon

Thorny Devil