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.
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.
Another Local’s Perspective, this time from Kudat, Sabah, Borneo. The Secret Place, run by Roby, 36, father of 7 children, was recommended to us by different people in Kota Kinabalu, so we decided to check it out. I seriously recommend going there, if you get the chance. I am so happy to have met Roby and his beautiful family (and his puppies) and thankful that he shared his thoughts about his life and country with me.
rannaway - diary of a traveler 