My time of freedom

October 2016 - February 2017
A 101-day adventure by Sophie Read more
  • 14footprints
  • 5countries
  • 101days
  • 75photos
  • 0videos
  • 4.5kkilometers
  • 2.5kkilometers
  • Day 100

    Action in the mountains

    February 6, 2017 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Baños was great and full of adrenalin! I chose a hostel which had the view over the river and mountains. As I looked out the window I saw that they do bungee jumping from the bridge.
    So I knew immediately where to go next! :D
    Wow it was really great to jump and as the people where so impressed that I just jumped they offered me a second one but backwards! I really loved it, that feeling when you're standing on the abyss (Abgrund) and then the free fall, just amazing. 😍
    After that I staid a while on the bridge, enjoyed the screams from the falling people and talked with the "working" people. They offered me a bike day for 5 Dollars. Normally it costs 5 for the bike plus 20 for the guide. But as it is always the same that when you stay and talk you can have a lot for a lot cheaper. ;-)
    After this gain I went to the hot thermal to relax my body after so many adrenalin. But I thought it's more natural. Sadly it was like a swimming pool and fuuuull of people. So I dind't stay for a long time and went on the streets to get food. There I saw a "Swiss Restaurant", it was funny how they designed it. :P
    After the big but cheap meal I went exhausted in the bed.
    The while next day I spent on the bicycle. 🚲
    I saw a lot of nice waterfalls and drove for 20 minutes down a mountain. (Up I got with a car hehehehhe). But hey I took some hard ways which where really slippery and super steep (steil). I smutched the bike a lot. 😄
    Then I had to decide if I want to go climbing the next day or continue my travel. I thought it's better to continue and save some money. ;-)
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  • Day 82

    Mompiche

    January 19, 2017 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Mompiche was one week doing nothing but chilling and being with the nature. I lived on the top of a house in my tent a short time with my grasshopper.
    I saw an island incredible I never saw a beach like that.
    It was a wonderful take out time! 🌞
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  • Day 75

    CANOA !

    January 12, 2017 in Ecuador ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Wow, this place was a dream. The first and last place I can imagine to live there. A white super long beach. The sea perfect to swim as well as surfing. The people relaxed, open and super funny. The hostels which are directly at the beach had so much charm and a looot of hamacks, you came and felt like at home. Every day I had to ask myself if it's really possible to be so happy. I "worked" in a hostel, that means, stay at the reception and have fun with the friends and tourists :P. Every day I went for hours in the water and always met someone who gave me his board to surf or bodyboard. Mostly of the other time I enjoyed the company of the workers from the hostel. One was a woman from france which lives there with her son since some years. Before more or less one year, canoa was destroyed by an earthquake. You still see and feel this huge catastrophe but I had the impression that the people are even more connected and like a big family. The french woman told me the whole story in details. I never heard and imagined an earthquake so realistic. And this woman had so many other storys to tell, I could have listened to her for hours and hours. The other girl which worked there had the same age as me but since one year she lives in Canoa with her boyfriend and is about to buy a ground to build her own home. Wow, do that with 21 years! Yeah and then I met a lot lot other people I really enjoyed to be with. I also did my second and third tattoo. I loooove them, I had the best ideas and just did it. The place inspired me, hehe. I was so sad to leave but life wanted it so.. It's crazy how I miss this place even if I know that when I would go back, it wouldn't be the same. So I'm just really thankful for this unbelievable experience!! :-)Read more

  • Day 71

    My first time in the jungle

    January 8, 2017 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    After being hosted by this beautiful family in Tena, which my mother organized for me, I went to the little "pueblo" beside the jungle, called Misahualli.
    There I slept in the house of the father of my host before. By luck, I could organize with my friend from Cuba, that she'll come as well and we will go together discovering the jungle.
    So we organized a one night trip with a guide. The next day we got up early and tried to figure out what we need to pack! 😄
    So then it started, we had to walk for 6 hours trough the jungel and this in rubber boots! 😂
    But it was alright, because we made different stops, he showed us the plants, he builded a bag in only 5 minutes out of plants, he explained what to do when a snake bites you and showed us how to put the healing plants. It was incredibly interestimg and I was fascinated how much medicine it has just out there in the nature.
    The camp was beautiful, It had a lot of space and nice stuff to stay there for a while. Like a net to play volleyball or just taking a bath in the river or making a fire.
    Our guide even brought beer and we cooked all together.
    The night, for me was beautiful! As I woke up I heard the rain on the deck and on the plants, I heard animals all around me and just enjoyed this clean air. My friend Severine didn't sleep this good, but you know me, I can sleep everywhere. :P
    The other day we made, after another jungle walk and more plants experiences, fresh new chocolate and cooked another delicious meal! 😍
    To go back home, we took a boat for around 30 minutes and then a bus back to Misahualli. I was super happy about that, I could never have imagined to walk the way back... 😮
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  • Day 32

    Spanish in Trinidad

    November 30, 2016 in Cuba ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    I had such a great time at Trinidad!
    The family where I was hosted was perfect. Mommy, Daddy and two beautiful girls, 1 and 3 years old. At the beginning it was hard to have conversations together, but Quirin from Switzerland helped me out. ( After 3 days living in the same family we figured out that we know each other from the childhood!!😂)
    It was impressive to experince how different the mothers treat their children. There is so much more energy. They can share so much love that they almost eat each other but on the other side it's normal to give a decent clab on the ass. These children have to be strong and independent a lot earlier than I and a lot of others in our cultur.

    The food I got was a lot and made with much love. Every day a big breakfast and a big dinner. Really nice, but after 2 weeks eating every day rice and beans my stomach got bigger and bigger haha! But I enjoyed to get the meal prepared like from mama at home. 😌
    The school was hard but super useful! I had private lessons with a wonderful older cuban women. She didn't speak english, so every explination was in spanish. Like that I learned already a lot.
    After 2 weeks I began to speak with the young "trinidadianers" and made some friends.
    I took as well salsa lessons which where 3 hours professional course and then just dancing in the clubs, with 4 salsa teachers. 💃🏽
    So I was quite included in the life of the locals and enjoyed this different culture a lot.
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  • Day 26

    My birthday

    November 24, 2016 in Cuba ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    As i woke up the morning of my birthday I knew I have to go at the beach. So many times in the past I dreamed of a birthday like this.
    So I made myself a present and paid a lot for a cool odtimer taxi to drive for 40 minutes to the beach. Wow it was totally worth it this beach is amazing!
    I bought some Pringels and searched a cozy place. After 1 hour I refound myself on a deck chair with a free Cocktail in my hand. 😎
    In a funny mood I went back to the hostel and met the other guys. We went out to get a nice dinner.
    As we finished our meal, the waiter turned suddenly the light off and the people began to sing happy birthday and schwupps I had a cake with a candle in front of me. How cute the girl from the hostel asked if they could do this for me. Hihi
    We all said we will go partying after but as we were all so full and tired we just got back in the hostel and enjoyed our nice beds. 😋
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  • Day 25

    Havana & first tattoo

    November 23, 2016 in Cuba ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    The first day in Havana was hard. I didn't know how safe the city is and was scared to really go discovering the city.
    But after I changed from my first casa in a backpacker hostel it got better. I met Jason and Winnie and we went together to the old Havana, which is beautiful but really touristic.
    But I saw these cute kids playing baseball with so much fun and energy. As they saw that I took pictures from them, they started to pose and to show me how good they are! Haha
    From my bed in the Hostel I had a view over Havana city, that was nice! :D
    Aaand I finally did my first tattoo! First I wanted to do a sun but the day I went to the "tattooer" was the day after my birthday. So I decided spontaneously to make a birthday memory which should be drawn easy like a kid would draw it. (Or me :P) and ehm jep, as you see, the place where I made it wasn't reaally professional .. hehehe
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  • Day 23

    Let's go to Cuba!

    November 21, 2016 in El Salvador ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    So after the night in Miami, my travel to Cuba started with a hangover but also with a lot of curiosity and motivation!
    But like a lot of you already rode my mail, the travel wasn't easy at all! I lost a lot of money because of stupid situations.
    I had to change the airplane at San Salvador and wait over night. As I thought that I can spend the night at the airport I hadn't booked any Hotel. When I arrived there they obliged me to get out the airport and go to the airport hotel for 80 Dollars per night! Never I would pay that. So at the end I got a hotel for 20 Dollars because a guy heard my discussion with the airport people and helped me to find a cheaper one.
    As i got out the airport I was really scared. It had about 50 people standing next before the exit from the airport waiting for someone. They stared at me what I unterstand but as everybody said El Salvador is really really dangerous I was hardly scared. Now after 3 months of travel I would not be as scared as at my beginning.
    But everything went alright and I passed a short but cozy night in this hostel anywhere in San Salvador.
    But the next day it continued and I could not buy the tourist card for Cuba as thought at the airport for 20$ because they had no more left!! So I had to buy it at the airport in Cuba for 80$! Yeah but that's always better than not to have the possibility to fly to Cuba. ;-)
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  • Day 21

    Surprising Miami

    November 19, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Yes. Cityhater Sophie went for 2 nights to Miami. It wasn't really planned. But how I wanted to give the possibility to my hosts to enjoy the last days in privacy I left Cape Coral earlier and went to Miami. I expected nothing from Miami and thought I will just wait till I can catch my flight to Cuba.
    But hey, I had a really nice time there! As I arrived at the hostel I met Yevgenij. We went out to get some asian food and beers and took it to the beach. As we walked there I just opened my beer. Yevgenij said, hey what are you doing you can't do that! I was suprised and then I remembered that ah yes it's forbidden to drink alcohol on the streets. One of these weird laws from humans ..
    but we had a really good time and I was happy to found such a nice person already on my first day alone on my travel. 🙃
    The next day I spent alone and enjoyed my new camera and my freedom. And the best thing; I met Melanie again! We were really happy about that and of course we went out for the night. I mean Miami is a party city! :D
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