tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44626246257810661682024-12-19T04:18:02.086+01:00Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4462624625781066168.post-45045483817287624822011-06-09T12:55:00.001+02:002011-06-09T13:02:03.428+02:00

Flying back from New Zealand to Germany was horrible! The trip via Kuala Lumpur was extremely long. Well, when you look at a world map, there is probably no longer trip you can do. Even watching more than five films did not really help. Luckily, it was only one way. Flying with Malaysia Airlines we could only take 20 kg + 5 kg onboard. Not enough for our equipment and bicycles. We had to mail a

sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07015335955813314911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4462624625781066168.post-72907272619186695862011-04-08T12:26:00.000+02:002017-10-24T22:46:35.901+02:00

Total distance: 10300 km Wellington - Wanganui - National Park Village - Taupo - Rotorua - Coromandel Peninsula - Auckland Cook Strait As suggested by many cyclists we hopped on a the Intercity Bus to get out off the capital's traffic. The bus ride was smooth and our bicycles were well taken care of. The bus driver was a cyclist himself and put our bicycles in a big luggage compartment. That

sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07015335955813314911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4462624625781066168.post-27005033976167658412011-03-15T08:53:00.001+01:002017-10-24T22:48:54.794+02:00

Total distance: 8549 km Wanaka - Haast - Fox - Hokitika - Westport - St. Arnaud - Picton From Wanaka, where we last updated you, we cycled north along the westcoast. As we passed the Haast Pass, the vegetation changed completely and suddenly we were into deep rainforest. The next day we finally saw the sea again, really wild with big waves and long empty sandy beaches. Quite different

sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07015335955813314911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4462624625781066168.post-70753467086573689202011-03-04T02:50:00.002+01:002011-04-23T00:04:28.514+02:00

When we camped in Mt Cook Village we used - as we usually do - our ABUS loop cable to lock our bicycles. That night there was no tree near by our tent so we grabbed a thick branch of a bush and tied the cable around it. The next morning after we had checked the place for possibly forgotten things we continued to Twizel, some 70 km from Mt Cook Village. In Twizel we were

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4462624625781066168.post-32440200593365259482011-02-23T01:14:00.005+01:002017-10-24T22:54:14.693+02:00

Total distance: 8600 km Christchurch - Akaroa - Rakaia Gorge - Geraldine - Mt Cook - Wanaka Only two weeks in NZ so far, actually some of the hardest weeks on our trip, but we fell in love with the country. It's a country of superlatives. The grass is greener, the mountains higher, the climbs steeper, the rain heavier, the wind stronger and the landscape the most beautiful of all. Ok, this

sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07015335955813314911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4462624625781066168.post-53330110980196141302011-01-27T03:46:00.003+01:002017-10-24T23:00:36.172+02:00

Total distance: 7773 km Bangkok - Phetchaburi - Chaam -Hua Hin - Prachuap Khiri Khan - Chumphon - Ko Tao - Bangkok Once my sister, Verena, got used to the hot Thailand weather, we took the train to head south. Getting on the train was a bit tricky. The luggage wagon was at one end, the second class wagons at the other end of the super long train. Suddenly half of the train was gone - 1 hour

sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07015335955813314911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4462624625781066168.post-64342552401937381732011-01-10T12:22:00.006+01:002011-02-04T12:28:25.435+01:00

Really wireless? Or an emergency back-up solution?

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4462624625781066168.post-64474579286564305392011-01-09T16:49:00.001+01:002011-01-28T05:14:47.276+01:00

Even Ronald McDonald greets the traditional way.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4462624625781066168.post-69737841746719122642011-01-08T09:44:00.053+01:002017-10-24T23:04:54.818+02:00

After some relaxing days on Ko Samet it was time to leave the little island and head to Bangkok. Verena, Sarah's sister, would arrive in Bangkok very soon. Initially we planned to take it easy and stay one night in Ban Phe before taking the bus to Bangkok. The hotel, however, was fully booked and the bus ran every hour so that we spontaneously decided to go to Bangkok on the same day. When

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4462624625781066168.post-70025932957382344302011-01-06T16:02:00.007+01:002011-01-25T16:16:53.817+01:00

 The left person in need looks strange to us :-)

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4462624625781066168.post-33533532981592436132011-01-04T04:04:00.025+01:002011-01-24T04:15:12.749+01:00

Total distance: 7300 km Ban Phe - Ko Samet After New Year's Eve we had two options. Number one was to continue cycling along the coast to Pattaya, a city famous for its sex-tourism. Number two was Ko Samet, a little island and national park with beautiful beaches. Well, guess what we picked. Our only concern was that we wouldn't find any bungalow on Ko Samet as we were in the middle of

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4462624625781066168.post-7053111938713900542011-01-01T11:35:00.033+01:002017-10-24T23:06:57.270+02:00

Total distance: 7194 km Pang Nam Ron - Chanthaburi - Laem Sadet Our first days in Thailand were full of little surprises. After the border we arrived in the first bigger town, Pong Nam Ron. Since we have entered Thailand, we are again in a country whose language we don't know. We are back to the lingua franca, English. The first thing we did in Pong Nam Ron was to have lunch. Ordering food was

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4462624625781066168.post-42356402673083723882010-12-30T03:04:00.002+01:002011-01-08T14:53:57.450+01:00

Everything is possible in Thailand! Found in a quality newspaper. The best thing is that foreigners pay as much as Thais.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4462624625781066168.post-602735247111268512010-12-29T18:22:00.019+01:002017-10-24T23:08:28.342+02:00

Total distance: 7060 km Battambang - Pailin - Cambodian-Thai border Since our last bad experience at the land border crossing from Laos to Cambodia we had been curious about our next border crossing. Would it be again a dollar battle? From Battambang we had two possibilities to enter Thailand. First option was Poipet in the Northwest and second option Pailin in the Southwest. We knew from

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4462624625781066168.post-7274399408673381972010-12-27T17:54:00.024+01:002017-10-24T23:11:24.019+02:00

The last days in Battambang went by too quickly. We would have loved to stay more days but our visa was running out. One day my uncle took us to lake Komping Poy (or so). As soon as we arrived we were surrounded by women and children, wildly gesticulating, pointing here and there. All of them were trying to convince us to visit their restaurants. One of them offered a boat

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4462624625781066168.post-54733096997304210092010-12-21T13:26:00.002+01:002017-10-24T23:12:50.655+02:00

After our relaxing days on Koh Rong Samloem we decided to continue straight to Siem Reap and the temples of Angkor. If you haven't been to Angkor, you haven't been to Cambodia. It is the sight and pride of Cambodia. From Phnom Penh, where we stayed one night to break the whole journey into two legs, it was again a long bus ride to Siem Reap. Here in Cambodia you have to be

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4462624625781066168.post-39402493684316022802010-12-18T16:57:00.020+01:002017-10-24T23:15:53.029+02:00

After a week in Battambang Daniel, Sarah and I decided to visit the southern coast of Cambodia. Although it's only about 500 km from Battambang to Sihanoukville the bus ride was extremely long. We hopped on the bus at 7:30 am, switched bus in Phnom Penh and only hopped off the bus in Sihanoukville at 8 pm. That was definitely too long. On our way back we would make a longer break in the capital.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4462624625781066168.post-84469839672074720722010-12-12T10:29:00.011+01:002017-10-24T23:17:18.433+02:00

Spending time at my aunt's place in Battambang is fantastic and interesting. They live in a traditional Khmer house that does not sit on stilts like the houses in the countryside. The wooden walls keep the house more or less cool. Well, Sarah and I think it's hot but my family here in Cambodia considers temperature around 25°C as cold. Some days ago temperature dropped below 20°C and they

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4462624625781066168.post-16318545022039878502010-12-11T15:12:00.002+01:002017-10-24T23:18:25.976+02:00

Total distance: 6971 km Stung Treng - Chhlong - Kompong Cham - Phnom Penh - Battambang All the way since we have started, we somehow saw Cambodia as our destination - our goal. Now we are here! It feels strange and good at the same time. But let's start from the beginning. After entering Cambodia from the border with Laos, we cycled along the Mekong towards Phnom Penh. It was a very nice ride.

sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07015335955813314911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4462624625781066168.post-73208266654940337152010-11-29T21:01:00.021+01:002010-12-06T01:23:42.166+01:00

Cambodian immigration and border officials are notorious for their Dollar hunger. Some of them pull notes out of foreigners' pockets as well as local people's pockets. The night before we crossed the border we had prepared to have the 1 US Dollar notes handy. After the battle in Cambodia The battle for our Dollar notes began earlier than expected - at the Lao immigration office. When we

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4462624625781066168.post-61202569596927952192010-11-29T12:39:00.006+01:002017-10-24T23:19:57.405+02:00

Total distance: 6590 km Pakse - Champasak - Don Khong - Don Det From Pakse we cycled just a few kilometers to Champasak - the ex-capital of a Lao kingdom. But not much of that is left today. Champasak today is just a small one-road village, right on the banks of the Mekong. However not far from the village there is Wat Phu, an archeological UNESCO world heritage site and the temple is said to be

sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07015335955813314911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4462624625781066168.post-67776896118057767772010-11-23T16:36:00.071+01:002017-10-24T23:21:05.298+02:00

Total distance: 6357 km Vang Vieng - Thinkeo - Vientiane - Pakse The ugly factory Two days were enough in Vang Vieng. It was time to leave this party town. On the way out of Vang Vieng we passed something that we had never expected in Laos: a giant factory! We did see factories like that in China, but this one did not want to fit into the Lao landscape at all. Obviously the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4462624625781066168.post-16874573995383814452010-11-22T13:48:00.023+01:002010-11-29T14:00:46.550+01:00

After more than 6000 km, what kind of problems did we have with our bicycles? Any replacement? Luckily we didn't have many problems. All problems could be solved quickly and easily. Let's hope it will continue like that. Read also this older post. Rohloff Speedhub Both of us use the Rohloff Speedhub. Main reasons were its robustness and its low maintenance. Shifting whenever

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4462624625781066168.post-23675400996315022262010-11-21T15:32:00.002+01:002017-10-24T23:23:01.394+02:00

When you speak with Germans and mention Ballermann, they'll know immediately what is meant. Ballermann or better Ballermann 6 is the pub on the Spanish island Mallorca where Germans drink beer from buckets. Every year thousands of party people go to Mallorca, swamp the island and do 'Ballermann'. Germans refer to Mallorca as the 17th German state. When we arrived in Vang Vieng in the late

Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4462624625781066168.post-89362953675101055152010-11-18T06:30:00.002+01:002017-10-24T23:24:26.394+02:00

Total distance: 6152 km Luang Prabang - Kiu Kacham - Nam Kene - Vang Vieng It took us three days to ride from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng. We read a lot about this difficult stretch and it is not uncommon that people give up and bus it instead. Honestly, the stories did scare us indeed but with our stamina from mountainous Yunnan we thought we could manage it - somehow. We have never been as

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com