It’s been 4 years, 7 months and 24 days since I left Australia in May 2011. The closest I got ever since was when flying over the red continent on my way from Auckland to Singapore a year later. The taxi ride from the airport yesterday was an array of flashbacks. The distinct vegetation, the […]
The freedom to choose a lifestyle
Over the last days I had a few chats with one of my hosts. He’s a couple of years my senior, has a family and runs his own business. One morning we were having a chat about investments and he said “if you have good karma, your business will succeed”. Quite a difference to the […]
Early Morning
6:30 am, the alarm clock is ringing. Due to daytime temperatures of 30-35°C we now start work at 7 am to be done with it before the worst heat kicks in. I spent the last two days with removing dead wood from tree lines and driving it to the farms fire place. It was about […]
Trainee’s Log, Sept 19th, Day 3
We are scheduled to leave port at 7:30 and get an accordingly early wakeup call at 6:30. For the departure it’s all hands on deck and as 0-4 watch we are responsible for the rear part of the ship. Once all lines are lose, the pilot does a 180° turn on the narrow river and […]
Nope, Madrid, nope
There is a cathedral around the corner, it’s heavy old doors bolted shut. Just like my heart to Madrid. We are not becoming friends. Normally it takes me half a day to find out where the good stuff is. Food, coffee, staff, … not so in Madrid. After two days and eight coffee shops I […]
Cheap Overseas Withdrawals
$5 + 3%, that’s what my bank charged me every time I withdrew money from an ATM overseas. I had long come to grudgingly accept the loss, simply for lack of alternatives. When travelling in Myanmar, another traveller told me about number26, a Germany based online bank. They don’t charge for overseas withdrawals and payments, […]