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Merry goes places
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Merry goes places

A 290-day adventure by Merry Goes Round & Merry Read more
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  • Merry goes places

    A short visit to Myeik

    October 25, 2016 in Myanmar ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    This day went unexpected for me, but very good in the end!

    I got up at 4am to make it to the airport in Yangon and arrived at Myeik in the south at 9am in the morning. By 11:30, I had checked into my hostel, walked through town a bit and was sitting in the local travel agency to book snorkelinging and sea kayaking trips, but due to a storm, everything had been cancelled. Gathering alternatives, I quickly decided to go to Kawthoung, a 30 minute flight south of here. I got to the airport just in time for the daily flight, and around 2pm, I was in the tropical, charming town at the very southern tip of Myanmar.

    Awesome: here you take motorbike taxis - even with a huge backpack on, the town is surrounded by lush jungle and palm trees, there are hundreds of small islands off the shore - three of which I will explore tomorrow!

    Today's pictures are of the harbor city Myeik and it's tiny airport :)    Read more

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    Myanmar's beautiful waterworld

    October 26, 2016 in Myanmar ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    What a day! I joined a snorkeling trip to three islands off the Myanmar cost, where I spent most time under the surface in awe of the beauty of the fantastic fish and the coral reefs. Corals (some of which is damaged unfortunately), small and big fish in all colors of the rainbow, sea snakes, and crabs live here, ready to be observed by snorkelers like me :)

    Actually, part of the beauty is the fact that the islands are mostly unexplored. Only 3 of the 800 islands are inhabited and very few tourists make their way to this yet un-commercialized pearl in the Andaman Sea (/Indian Ocean).

    The funnest was an area where a new friend from France and I dove 5-6 meters deep beside a cliff full of corals and fantastic fish, exploring the wildlife from above and below. After so much swimming and diving, I'm off to bed early. Work is awaiting me all day tomorrow :)    Read more

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    Work work work :)

    October 27, 2016 in Myanmar ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    I usually bring in some adventure even on the days I'm working, but today was almost all work. I enjoy what I do and the people I work with, and it allows me to make some money while I'm traveling, so I have no complaints.

    One little lovely adventure: I went for dinner in town and ended up at a small birthday celebration by the water in this little, cozy fishing town of Kawthaung. Beers, young new friends playing the guitar and kids playing soccer in the park. Sorry, forgot to take pictures :)    Read more

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    Let's go to Thailand?!

    October 28, 2016 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    After working most day today, I got the bad news of yet another snorkeling trip cancelled on me. This was the 4th time in one week and it's unfortunately because they don't have enough people signing up. This place is so beautiful, but still mostly unexplored by tourists...

    So in the late afternoon, I decided to go to Thailand, which is only a 20 minute boat ride from here, and make my way south to the Surin islands for 2 days of snorkeling. So off I went. And on the boat I had a few silent minutes to process and celebrate all i got to experience in Myanmar! Such a unique place, I will be back for sure!

    Just a few hours in Thailand so far, but it's quite different - highly developed infrastructure, modern shops and stellar cellphone reception. And of course the amazing food here will surely make for a few nice days.    Read more

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    Schnockelling :)

    October 29, 2016 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Booking a snorkeling trip over the phone, a heavy Thai accent on the other end, can be quite entertaining. Yaaaa, wui can organize Schnockelling for juh! So from now, I will call it Schnockelling :) The service was outstanding though and I joined a fun small group of 6 others for the first day.

    Just 90 minutes off the shore are the remote Surin Islands, a Thai national park since 1981, with several great spots where I got to see a turtle, langoustes, clown fish, large trigger fish, a ray, a 2 meter moraine and many other fish in all the colors of the rainbow. Mostly free diving up to 10 meters, we got to see some big, beautiful fish and swim right amongst the swarms as well.

    The main island has 2 campgrounds and we slept in tents right on the beach. The highlight of the day was swimming at night in florescent plankton, glowing in the dark all around me. What a day!!! Can't wait to spend more time in the water tomorrow.    Read more

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    Paradise found

    October 30, 2016 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    So glad I did this little detour through Thailand. It's basically the same archipelago where I was in Myanmar, just a little further south. I saw a few more animals on the island (lemurs, bats, monkeys and a waran)
    and we were brought to 3 more snorkeling sites. I've been trying to book kayaking through the mangroves but it never worked out, so I was extra happy our local guide showed us a short hike through the mangroves in the morning :)

    In the late afternoon, I went back to the mainland with a large guided group of 60 French tourists. Reminded me of how happy I am to be traveling by myself :-p

    Now I'm on a night bus to Bangkok, where I will work one day and then head north for Nepal. I cannot wait to be hiking in the mountains again!    Read more

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    To be continued...

    October 31, 2016 in Thailand ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    Life doesn't always go according to plans. Lately for me, it doesn't most of the time. But that's OK, I'll just take it one day at a time and make adjustments as I go.

    One of the most important people in my life is in the hospital back home with a severe condition and I've decided to fly home to be there for him and the rest of my family.

    I'll be back and continue my planned travels, to trek Renjo La in the Himalayans and visit Sri Lanka. For now, other things matter more. I'll be back to blogging soon!    Read more

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    Back on track in Nepal

    November 23, 2016 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    After a three week detour to be with my family in Germany, I made it to Kathmandu. Knowing my loved ones well back home, I'm now beyond excited to explore the Himalayans.

    First stop: one day in Kathmandu. I love exploring places on a scooter, it makes you part of the busy city life rather than just an observer from a taxi. My guide Ganesh had never ridden one, and so I became his personal driver for the day :)

    Kathmandu is big, busy, dusty, surrounded by mountains and full of culture and history. Hindus and Buddhists live side by side here, about which I'm eager to learn more on the following days!    Read more

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    One jeep, twelve people

    November 24, 2016 in Nepal ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    I think today was the craziest and most exciting drive of my life. At 5 in the morning, my guide Ganesh and I began our 12-hour odyssey through the Nepalese countryside. It was out of an adventure book: 12 people in a 8-person vehicle, all our backpacks tired up on the top rack, bumpy roads that lead you directly through rivers and right along steep, steep mountains. Only missing were 12 chickens on our laps to make the picture complete ;-)

    The landscape is absolutely beautiful - mountains, windy roads and small villages on the slopes wherever you look.

    We got to Salleri in the late afternoon and hiked for one short hour to a charming little tea house and family home, where we will stay tonight. Before dinner, I got to do some reading and math homework with my new friend Soman.    Read more

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    Life on foot

    November 25, 2016 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    I'm quite fascinated by the life in these small mountain villages of Nepal. Life is simple, family oriented and happens mostly on foot. While most villages are somewhat accessible by jeeps, you do not see vehicles here, but plenty of mules, porters and people walking from one village to another. There are small shops in every other village, and items are mostly carried in by porters. There was a guy on this remote trail, carrying a satellite dish to bring home. The kid from yesterday, Solam, walks 1.5 hours to school every morning and then back home again in the afternoon!

    But before you get this romantic image of remote life in the mountains here - I'm sitting in a guest house, waiting for dinner and on a little TV they're watching an American women's wrestling show, followed by a Manchester United soccer game.

    PS: Picture 4 shows a boy we met who showed us these vines to swing from. We each took a turn :)    Read more

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    Up, up, up

    November 26, 2016 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C

    What a fantastic day! I'm completely beat from some of the steepest trails I've ever been on. Always hiking right on the edge of the mountain, the views were incredible. I'm now in villages that are solely accessible by foot or helicopter. And many porters and mules crossed out path again.

    Most beautiful moment of the day: I made jokes with three extremely shy Nepali kids and ended up sharing my breakfast with them, opening up and laughing together :)

    Here's a 360° view of a tea house kitchen where we shared lunch with a local family http://bit.ly/2gyTDl0 unfortunately they moved so you can't really see them but you get a sense for the inside of the local houses    Read more

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    Eat, hike, sleep. Repeat.

    November 27, 2016 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    I've been seriously enjoying the long days of hiking, good local food and lots and lots of sleep. And that have been pretty much my days so far :)

    Today we only hiked til 2pm as we got to Lukla half a day early. We're now at 2800m, getting ready for 3000+ soon. From here, I'll have to take it slowly to avoid any issues with the altitude.

    Fun fact: Lukla has one the most dangerous airports in the world, with a runway only a tenth (460m) of the standard length. Luckily on my way back, I will only be flying out of here, which is the less dangerous option ;-)    Read more

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    In the land of suspension bridges :)

    November 28, 2016 in Nepal ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    After waking up to a 5.2 earthquake (no injuries or damages) at 5:20 in the morning, we had an early start and left the tea house around 7.

    It was the day of suspension bridges - going back and forth over the Dhudh Kosi river, we crossed about 10 of them! Oh, and the day of poor views, as it was foggy all day.

    We got to Namche, at 3440 meters, in the early afternoon and have decided to hike to Everest base camp instead of the initially planned route to Renjo La Pass. Firstly, because it might snow and if it does, base camp will be easier. Secondly, because we've been hiking almost twice the planned distance per day. Finally, training in Norway is paying off ;-) We will take it easy though for the next 2 days, as I will need to get used to the altitude. But I'm very excited and am loving being back in the mountains.    Read more

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    Crossing the 4000m mark

    November 29, 2016 in Nepal ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    Of course there's not an actual mark, but I knew we'd get to 4000 just before our tea house, which is at 4070 ;-) I can tell the altitude a bit as I'm going slower than usual, especially steep inclines take more time than they would otherwise. But we're in no rush and got to our destination around 3pm.

    We had a fantastic day! So many beautiful views, some even of Mount Everest (picture 4). Picture 5 shows you the last 40 minutes of our hike to our little tea house, which is the last building on the hilltop, where I'm chilling and writing this as you can see in picture 6 :-)    Read more

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    A day in slow motion

    November 30, 2016 in Nepal ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    I've been between 4000 and 5100 meters today and up here, you do things slowly: eating, hiking, laundry, reading, thinking, .....

    We started early and caught a beautiful sunrise. From here, the landscape changed drastically - no more trees and eventually barely any bushes, but glaciers and 8000m peaks wherever you look. And it's cold in the morning, my drinking bottle valve froze every 15-20 minutes :)

    It was a steep incline and we did another 200m incline (to 5100m) after getting to our tea house to acclimatize. The trick is to sleep lower than your highest elevation of the day. I'm feeling completely exhausted and am looking forward to some slow motion sleep soon.    Read more

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    At the bottom of the top

    December 1, 2016 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    I'm too tired to write a long post. Most challenging day. We got close to the bottom of Mount Everest. Here, the altitude was getting to me. 5300m today. Sleeping at 4900m. Hiking was strenuous, every step takes all of your concentration. Now I'm ready for a long long sleep.Read more

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    Fleeing elevation :)

    December 2, 2016 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Starting today, we're going downhill and my headache is thanking me! The fast and steep incline above 5000m yesterday was a bit too much... ;)

    We got to our guest house in the early afternoon and took a half rest day. Most of the afternoon, I played Nepali, Swiss and German card games with fellow hikers and guides. Feeling great and energized again!Read more

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    Tailwind trails

    December 3, 2016 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 34 °C

    The morning was crazy windy, but as it was a tailwind, we did not complain and made our way south https://goo.gl/photos/LL2ierEhGg1Qinwu9

    Today was definitely one of the most scenic days! We took a less-travelled route going west, leading along a cliff with spectacular views and with a few mountain goats, joining us on the trail :) We got to Phortse in the early afternoon and since it was a beautiful sunny day, I finally got to do all my laundry. And had great chats with the teahouse owners who became so wealthy since the tourists started coming to their region, they sent all their 4 kids to college in the US. Interesting stories: these people live 2-3 days walking from the next airport and 5-6 days from the next bus stop. What a life!Read more

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    About estimating time

    December 4, 2016 in Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Our first 2 hours were the steepest hiking I've probably ever done. But being back down at 3800m and below, I was full of energy and really enjoyed the workout. My guide has started another measurement of hiking times. Normal time and Mareike time :) So again, we got to our destination in the early afternoon, which was awesome because we got to explore Khumjung and Khunde, two authentic mountain villages further away from the highly frequented tourist towns east of here. We even went through the local high school, 2 monasteries and saw some repair construction from the large earthquake 2 years ago.Read more

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    Rest day = game day

    December 5, 2016 in Nepal ⋅ 🌫 21 °C

    We're getting close to Lukla, from where we will fly out in 2 days. We had only 1.5 hours today and hiking in lower altitudes is getting easier and easier. Namche has great cafes, bakeries and tons and tons of shopping for trekking and ice climbing.

    So since we had a rest day in Namche, we introduced the "rest day game". It went as follows: whoever can fill the list of tasks first, wins. The 15 tasks included things like these:
    - give out 5 handshakes
    - take 5 pictures with strangers
    - eat something you've never eaten before
    - ask for the next bus stop (which is 5 days walking away :) )
    - tell someone they have a beautiful nose
    - learn "I have to pee really badly" in a foreign language
    - and the joker: find a Canadian

    Needless to say, we had an entertaining day! The list isn't all filled, but I'm sure we can finish it tomorrow!    Read more

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    The game goes on

    December 6, 2016 in Nepal ⋅ ☁️ 5 °C

    Last day of hiking! Oh man, this is making me sad. I had such a good time and I wish I could just keep going. I will definitely be back to do more trekking in Nepal.

    The day was fun, as we both finished our lists. The hardest one: find someone who reminds you of a childhood friend. I finally found a girl who reminded me of my friend Hanna :) Ganesh (my guide) struggled to find a Canadian, so when he did we got so excited we gave this guy from New Brunswick a hug and he had no idea what was happening :) (picture 3)Read more

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    Back to city life

    December 7, 2016 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    We took an early flight out of Lukla, an airport with one of the shortest runways in the world. The plane was tiny, with about 15 seats. The flight was short and had gorgeous views of the Himalayans. And 30 minutes later, I was back in the big city. Kathmandu has a lot of worth seeing areas and I spent a day and a half exploring more of the city.

    Unfortunately, my phone stopped working in the mountains and so I tried to get it fixed. Meaning: a guy in Kathmandu took my cell phone apart and cleaned it up with a sewing needle, razor blade, old tooth brush and rubbing alcohol. :) It worked for a few hours, enough to get my pictures off it, just to disappear into a black screen again indefinitely.

    Some of my highlights in Kathmandu were a live rock concert, shopping at a local market and a restaurant with authentic Nepalese dances, two of which I was taught how to dance by the dancers from picture 6 :)

    After a great time and so many beautiful new memories in Nepal, I'm off to Sri Lanka. Definitely looking forward to be in warm weather again and will be doing some trekking there as well!    Read more

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    Best trekking guide in Nepal :)

    December 11, 2016 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Nepal has been one of the best experiences of my life. And lots of it thanks to an awesome guide! Ganesh has been a rockstar all my trip from planning the trek according to what I wanted, organizing my stay and sightseeing in Kathmandu and of course, the trek itself! Always thinking in his feet, positive as one can be and after 9 years experience, he knows all the best trails and places to stay.

    In case you're interested to do trekking here, I highly recommend Ganesh. Here's his contact info :) ganesha_simkhada@hotmail.com    Read more

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    In love with Sri Lanka

    December 14, 2016 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    After a few days in Sri Lanka, I'm finally posting my first update from this beautiful island.

    I've had a great few days! The first 3 days, I spent in Colombo, partially catching up with work, emails and calling friends and family, and partially with exploring the city with a few locals and travelers alike. Highlights in the capital: a "post-colonial trans-punk" concert and a private house music party at a little house in the jungle. I had a fantastic, relaxing time!

    After a day of surfing in the south, I'm now in Talalla, enjoying a beautiful quiet beach with a great Yoga facility and yummy fresh seafood. In the early mornings, the fishermen bring in the nets by hand, about 10 of them pulling from the beach. In the evenings, you can watch bats and fireflies from the little guest house right by the beach. I'm definitely gathering up a ton of energy for more exploring in the coming days :)    Read more

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    Where the sea turtles reign

    December 15, 2016 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    In the early morning, I headed out on a scooter to snorkel and see the giant sea turtles in the shallow waters at Polhena. There were also plenty of colorful fish, but the best part was when a local diver showed me 2 giant sea turtles, one about 1.30 meters long. I followed it and basically swam right above it for almost 20 minutes, I was so flashed afterwards. Such a cool experience.

    I then headed east to see the fishing town of Tangalle. On the way, I took a detour to see a blowhole and instead ended up at the local harbor, where I spoke to the fishermen and got a tour of the fishing boats, on which they go out for 4 weeks at a time to go fishing.

    Two German travelers had recommended a beach which I decided to check out and it turned out to be the most beautiful place right by a large lagoon. I spent the rest of my day here and played some frisbee with a group of locals.

    I ended the day with practicing some guitar at beach back the guest house.    Read more

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