Happy Birthday, Switzerland – August 1, 2013

Switzerland. In German: Schweiz, in French: Suisse, in Italian: Svizzera and in Romansh: Svizra. These are the four native languages spoken, depending on the geographical area. Officially the name is Swiss Confederation, in Latin: Confoederatio Helveti…

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Work Hard, Play Hard

It blows my mind that we have been home for seven weeks!! In looking back at our pictures, we have been busy little bees for…

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If all your friends jumped off a 90 foot cliff…

First order of business in Page is to explore; it’s actually an interesting place to walk around. While chatting with Ron, owner of a local coffee shop, I ask about The Steps, a hike Korey told me about last night. He insists on getting my family’s contact info in case I don’t...
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On Malawian Forest Reserves…

What is it with Malawian Forest Reserves? We have visited two, and there are a number of questions that immediately spring to mind… First, why is there so little information available about the reserves? Depending on the version and make of guide book you look at you may find the reserves...
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Final days in Lilongwe

And just like that, 5 weeks had passed, and we found ourselves back in Lilongwe, getting ready to leave the Warm Heart of Africa. Our last stop in Lilongwe was primarily to pick up provisions more easily obtained in Malawi (paw-paw anyone?) and replace the relay switch so that our headlights...
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El Tatio – Highest Geyser Field in the World

Snowstorms on the way to El Tatio Geyser Field At one stage we really thought the El Tatio Geyser Field was going to elude us as we had made two previous attempts to get to see them, and the weather created quite an obstacle for us, yes we had snow.  The problem wasn’t driving through...
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Coup de coeur au Guatemala

Le titre de cet article doit vous mettre sur la voie : nous avons beaucoup aimé le Guatemala. Après avoir fini de réparer l’attache de l’alternateur et climatiseur au Belize, il ne nous reste que quelques kilomètres avant d’arriver à la...
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Pickled limbs and ice-cream

Not on the same plate, but in the same day. That’s what Bangkok is all about. A city of contrasts and chaos. [This is the first in the series of posts sharing some of the photos from our last trip in 2012, while we try to be at least a little bit frugal and save …

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Thwarted by Andrea…!!

I had checked the weather channel before going to bed, and the presenter was warning of “possible flooding” and “up to 4 inches of rain in places”. She did not mention which “places” would receive the heaviest rain, but ended her broadcast with a cheerful...
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Bandits....

First things first…..The other day on our first fill of Diesel in Mexico we filled 100 litres which was M$1212 which is OK considering. As always we wrote down the figures counted the money and when the guy came back to get the cash he quickly turned away from me. This rang bells with me...
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And then we arrived in Egypt

Somehow we did not read or pick up on the announced demonstration on the 30th of June in Egypt before we arrived in Aswan. As we talked with people in town, we realized quickly that something was going on. The whole process of crossing the border from Sudan to Egypt took us two weeks, but we...
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Rest and Recuperation in Laos

Hi Everybody, I know I’ve been quiet, so I just wanted to pass on a short message. I crossed over the border from China to Laos 7 days ago. I’ve been resting and recuperating in Luang Namtha ever since. It’s a fantastically laid back place. A large portion of my time has been...
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Observations from a First-time Overlander

My family has always been tent campers and backpackers. We love roughing it. When the gang at Central Overland invited me to head to New Mexico and Colorado for ten days I jumped at the chance, but I didn’t think I’d be exploring random backcountry roads in a Lexus with heated...
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Makers gotta make…

Ive been pondering this a lot lately. Pondering, but apparently not writing so much.  It was recently pointed out that the blog hasn’t exactly been updated with the frequency of old.  That likely has several reasons including the “normal” nature of our days and lack...
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The Sheena Stewart Show

We gathered around the table covered by a cloth imprinted with cappuccino cups and fluffy croissants. I would have imagined that we were somewhere in Italy, yet the dishes in the center of the table were all of Thai origin, cooked with basil, ginger, g…

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For SALE Land Cruiser Prado shorty

If anybody is interested in these reliable Toyota Land Cruiser 2.5L TD short Wheel base, is up for SALE in Africa for a trip through Africa starting from Bryanston, Johannesburg, South Africa. RE: Land Cruiser Prado 2.5TD For Sale, Silver … Continue reading →

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For Sale our Land Cruiser Prado

If anybody is interested in these reliable 4×4 Toyota Land Cruisers, they are up for SALE for a trip through Africa starting from Bryanston, Johannesburg, South Africa. I’ve done numerous trips now around the African continent and have gained significant … Continue reading →

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Blessed at the Walmart??

Every now and then we like to camp at the Walmart parking lot. We stay there probably once a week, when we need to stock up and in some cases we even stayed for a few days in a Walmart parking lot because it was free, near the center and with good internet reception. Camping…
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St. Gotthard Pass, Switzerland 7/13

Google Map The weather was finally looking like Summertime, so we took advantage of it to make a little mini-tour of places we hadn’t seen for a long time and some we had never visited. Driving south, our first destination was the famous Gotthard Pass. Historically the St. Gotthard Pass...
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Vancouver to Williams Lake via Kelowna

We left Vancouver hoping my overheating issue had been solved but after 96 miles pulling uphill at 65MPH in 36 Degree Celsius heat it was obvious it hadn’t, the next 150 miles were terrible. What should have been a really nice ride through the mountains and forests of British Columbia was...
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Waltzing through Ruins

The temple ruins of the Kingdom of Angkor. A dream destination for historians, photographers, and travelers alike. Shrouded in misty, humid jungles, much of the city still buried in the over-growth, the full scale of the size of the city … Continue reading →
Waltzing through Ruins is...
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Afrikaans paradijs

Het best bewaarde geheim van Afrika is ontdekt. Mozambique, wat een paradijs! We leven al een tijdje middenin een ansichtkaart. Eerst Chidenguele, toen Barra en Tofo en tot slot Vilanculos. Picture this: na een heerlijke stranddag met een onwaarschijnlijk blauwe … Lees verder →

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The Grand Finale – Part I

It has been almost 2 months since our last blog. And man, we sure have done a lot in that time! After our arrival back to Christine’s home town of Halifax in Canada, we finalized all of the wedding plans. … Continue reading →

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Kwahere Tanzanania, Asante Sana (Goodbye Tanzania, Thank you)

                                                 &nb...
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Aberdare, Tsavo East and Lamu

While in Gilgil Tim took us to Nakuru for our first proper tourism in Kenya – a place called Nakumatt. Walking around Nakumatt, Jules was stopped by somebody who asked her if she was lost. Her response was she hadn’t … Continue reading →

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Southern Highway (Mile 14)- Belize/Guatemala Border Road Project.

More great news here in Belize. The Government announced today that a contract valued at BZ$47,995,867.50, to be financed mostly with foreign debt, has been awarded to Cisco Construction for the upgrading of 23 miles of road in the Toledo District, from The Dump in Big Falls Village, located at...
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Once Upon a Time in Mexico...

Into Mexico and a few days relaxing. Who would have thought they have campsites….finally after all this time we can camp knowing we will be safe all night. We have nobody tapping on the side of the car or leaving notes under our wipers ! Although have a note left for us is a nice way...
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Why we are driving next time

The following are accepted facts when booking transport in Cambodia: Two hours will mean four… or more. Descriptions like ‘VIP’ and ‘Air-con’ are unrelated to the actual trip you are booking (they are simply added to make the sign eye-catching) Booking a...
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Einsiedeln, Switzerland 7/13

Following side roads, which we prefer to the more hectic autobahns, with their white-knuckle 250 km/h (155 mph) Audi A8s, (420 hp/0-100 in 5.8 sec), practicing for the Le Mans 24 Hour Race and the screaming bugs–in-their-teeth fat-tire Ducati crotch-rockets, we visited the town of...
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Atacama Stargazing at ALMA

If Carlsberg were to make the best stargazing location in the world, it would probably be the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile. When you visit the main tourist town, San Pedro de Atacama you will immediately see loads of tour companies with telescopes outside their doors, advertising their...
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A children’s treasury of pictures of Milo waiting for us

The poor little guy still has ten days left until we go back and rescue him. So I thought it would be appropriate to post some photos of him waiting for us in different places, taken in the last ten months. Hang in there buddy, we’ll come for you soon.
The post A children’s treasury...
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Andorra e seus vilarejos nas montanhas!

PESSOAL O POST ABAIXO RELATA OS ACONTECIMENTOS DE NOVEMBRO/2012, ESTAMOS TENTANDO COLOCAR O SITE EM DIA! Nossos amigos nos acompanharam até Cardona cidade espanhola bem perto da fronteira com Andorra e dali eles retornaram para Barcelona, certamente nos veremos em breve e foi ótimo...
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Wandering in circles

OK, I definitely don’t want to sound ungrateful – and even a boring day of travelling beats a day in the office – but we have been circling a bit while waiting for our bawo board to be delivered. After our less than successful stay at Cape Maclear, we headed down to Mangochi...
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Cape Maclear

After a most enjoyable time spent in Monkey Bay – the less touristy side of the peninsular – we headed over to Cape Maclear. Our initial interaction was with the guide touts we met outside the entrance to the Lake Malawi National Park.  We asked about hiking in the national park...
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Souvenirs and memories from Dedza

Until picking up our bawo board in Monkey Bay, we had struggled to find special souvenirs from Malawi.  Within a short time, that was all about to change! On the way to Dedza we passed a curio stall that had some of the most unique carvings we have seen while in Malawi.  Most curio...
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New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Buried 80 stories deep in the remote Chihuahuan Desert lies a subterranean dreamworld filled with fascinating rock formations that will leave you speechless. New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns National Park is a system of over 300 limestone caves that descend from the surface through a...
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An Unlikely Icon

Patricio Martinez is the larger-than-life character who owns El Valle Hermosa  ‘the beautiful valley’; an eati [...]

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Java – crazy mayhem

We only wanted to go from the airport to the city centre of Jakarta – a distance of about 20 kilometres. But two hours later we were still stuck somewhere in the middle in that huge traffic jam that blocks the entire city – every day. Several times we had to stop and wait for...
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Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.

So for those of you too ‘stupid’ to get the hint….The place is of course Yavin 4 reble base from Star Wars. Not as my father maentioned a place in Turkey. A place is Guatemala called Tikal. A Mayan temple complex. Worth a visit. Really it is. Its better than the Great Pyramids...
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Wiesendangen, Switzerland 7/13

Between short trips to visit friends and relatives around Switzerland, we have spent much of our time in Monika’s hometown of Wiesendangen. Once a small farming village, founded between 600 and 650, Wiesendangen has become somewhat of a bedroom community for the nearby city of Winterthur....
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Beautiful Alaska

Alaska is beautiful! We spent three weeks driving through the country and we can honestly say that we enjoyed every minute of it. It started with the drive from the border crossing at the Top of the World to Chicken, which was a rough gravel road through the mountains and valleys. The road is...
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The Road to Ulaanbaatar – A Little Less Cycling – in maps

It’s time for a round-up of the last few weeks… you may have noticed, there hasn’t been an awful lot of cycling. I had great plans, but sometimes they don’t quite work out the way you expected. The plan. Get to Ulaanbaatar quickly to extend my Mongolian visa and get visa...
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Colonia del Sacramento

Colonia is a beautiful city in the South West of Uruguay. It is one of the oldest cities in the country and was established in 1680 as a walled town.  The city itself changed hands between the Spanish and the Portuguese before finally coming to rest as part of Uruguay in 1828. The old part...
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The rest of Zanzibar

We took a Dalla-Dalla (3 Ton truck) to Jozani Forest. The saying goes that there is always place for another passenger or baggage on a Dalla-Dalla. We witnessed this because we were never less than 34 passengers and the load … Continue reading →

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Switzerland #1 7/13

Finally! Finally we made it to Switzerland. In-between get-togethers with Monika’s family and friends, our first stop was Zürich to finalize the Special Visa we have been working on for six months. The bureaucracy of the Swiss Immigration Department, (and probably similar to every...
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Karibu Zanzibar

Arno booked a Tuk-Tuk for 8:00 to pick us up at the campsite. We wanted to go to Zanzibar on the 10.30 Ferry. The Tuk-Tuk deposited us at the HV Kigamboni Ferry which we had to  take to Dar es … Continue reading →

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Chasing robbers

Quito, Ecuador [by Paula] In the last couple of weeks, we’ve been chasing two types of robbers. The first, Ecuadorian customs, we are trying to outwit using the powers of logic, justice, and tenacity. The second, an actual daylight robber, we chased off a bus, down the street, then pinned...
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The Human Zoo

On a Tuesday afternoon Sheena and I boarded Nacho and set off in search of a human zoo. “A human zoo,” you say? It must be so, for it says it right here in our guidebook. “The villages are often derided as human zoos, and there are certainly elements of this, but we find them...
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The sad history of Zanzibar

We walked through the market early the next morning looking in awe at the hustle and bustle of Stone Town open market. The intermingling of different cultures, the colourfull and elegant way the Swahili woman dress and the unique mixture … Continue reading →

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Maya Rally Video Series

By now, you’ve all probably read about the exploits of #teamASTRID (AKA me and Bryon Dorr of Exploring Elements) during the Maya Rally 2012. If you haven’t, you’ve got a lot of reading to do! We had an amazing experience in Mexico, from our trip across the border, to...
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