Three weeks in Guatemala – land of volcanoes – the light at the end of the tunnel after four stressful months in Berlin and the perfect destination to escape the German winter. Before we left, many people told us how much the country had to offer, but our travels really exceeded my expectations. From colonial towns to sky high volcanoes, from black sand beaches on the coast up to the jungle in the north. Guatemala really is magical.
I met Markus, 50, father of 8 sons, in Asuncion, Paraguay right in the middle of Mercado Municipal 4, where he and his family serve food in a little corner hidden on the second floor of what seems to be a parking garage. Even though he only spoke Spanish and I don’t speak it well enough to have political discussions, we managed to get a short but very insightful interview. Thank you so much for your time and for letting us try your food.
South Africa, or Africa in general, has always been a huge dream of mine. Not a lot of people know that I originally wanted to do a voluntary year in Africa right after graduating High School, instead of being an AuPair in America. It (un)fortunately never worked out and so Africa stayed a dream for a really long time. Even on this trip, I never originally considered South Africa as a stop, as I did not have the money nor the time. But as most things in life, nothing really goes as “originally” planned and so I found myself boarding a plane to Capetown in April. Two weeks of South African fun on a budget – here we go.
I have taken my time writing this blog post, for one reason or another, but mostly I think because Laos was just such a special experience for me, that I find it extremely hard to put it into words and do it justice (as it deserves). Laos for me was all about connecting with people. I experienced the strongest bonds with locals in this country without going on crazy adventures, just simply through interacting and observing. Funny, because most of them do not even speak English, which shows, that sometimes it doesn’t need words to connect.
Flew to the Philippines and landed in paradise. I’ve always wanted to go and every time I checked out pictures on Instagram or saw people that I know going there, my motivation to explore this country grew even more. So, obviously on this trip, the country was very high up my bucket list. Due to recent events on some of the islands however, we weren’t completely sure, whether we should actually go or not. But after talking to a bunch of backpackers that had been there, we decided that it was fine, planned the islands we wanted to visit and booked out flights. Philippines – here we come.
So, this is it. My travels have come to an end. Can you believe it? 9 months over, just like that. I know, I still have a couple of countries to upload and I definitely will in the following couple of days, but I will be flying to Germany today and so I just felt the urge to write down some thoughts about the past 9 months.
Borneo, the largest island in Asia and shared by Malaysian states Sabah and Sarawak, Brunei and the Indonesian Kalimantan. Personally, one of my highlights during the entire trip. Based on our visit in Sabah and Sarawak, Nature is spectacular and seeing so many monkeys including orangutans in the wild has definitely been very rewarding. From spending time at the beach, snorkeling in crystal blue water to trekking through rainforests and trekking along Mount Kinabalu – Borneo did not disappoint.
Fortunately, I was able to interview two wonderful individuals in Borneo, the second one being Uncle Jack, 61 years old and owner of Jungle Jack Backpackers, a container hostel right outside of Kinabalu National Park. Jack has a very special or rather tragic story to tell, as he was held responsible for the big earthquake in 2015. Responsible for an earthquake, you might ask? He told me the story and about his life in Sabah. Thank you, Jack, it was a very entertaining car ride with you.
Vietnam is probably one of my favorite countries in the world. The history, its people, food, landscapes – it just blows my mind. We traveled to Vietnam a couple of years ago already, but were certain that we wanted to return. As my sister had never been, we saw it as a good opportunity to fly back there and explore the diversity and beauty of the country for two weeks.
rannaway - diary of a traveler 