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Current Category: Travel

Breaking two World Records on crutches!

Breaking two World Records on crutches!

This morning the post brought an unexpected surprise: Two certificates acknowledging Esther and myself as new Guinness World Record (GWR) holders. A little summer project – visiting the major touristic sites of Belgium and the Netherlands in a day has been awarded the...

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The Wonders of Wadi Rum

The Wonders of Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum, a mythical area of sandstone mountain in midst the Arabian desert have fascinated me for years. I ended up there on a trip through Jordan and Syria back in 2005 with my good friend Armin. Sadly we had no time to climb any of the impressive rock towers This...

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Hammerheads!

Hammerheads!

It was on my Dive Wish List for a long time - to see a hammerhead shark -  this truly spectacular fish, in its natural habitat. These sharks with their very distinctive heads prefer strong current and can only reliable seen in a few places around the planet. Two...

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A journey of Zen

A journey of Zen

Its August - and with horror I realize that this forum has not seen a message by myself since almost three months. My sincere apologies! I (or better Esther and me) have however not been quiet- we  have been travelling the world, meditated in...

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Childhood Dreams

Childhood Dreams

In the early morning of 8 August 1786 two tired Frenchmen ventured onto the summit of Mont Blanc – with 4810m the highest Mountain in Western Europe right on the border of Italy and France. Its white top, endless glaciers and rocky spires dominate the western end of...

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What a year… for Tim

What a year… for Tim

        Checking my Facebook Update the last few days I realised a lot of friends are posting their year… in photos. Now here is my opportunity to give a quick review for Tim. Tim arrived in my postbox exactly 365 days ago - to clarify: Tim is my...

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A Kiss for the Lady

A Kiss for the Lady

On 26 October 1942 the steamship SS Coolidge- the largest merchant ship ever built in the US up to that date - fully loaded with troops and supplies, was taking course on the island of Espiritu Santu in the South Pacific, where a large supply base for the American...

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Ashboarding in Vanuatu

Ashboarding in Vanuatu

Vanuatu? Not sure what or where it is? Your ignorance may be forgiven – its really not the most obvious place I had chosen for a short last minute trip. Located a thousand kilometers east of Australia in the midst of the South Pacific, Vanuatu is a tiny (but...

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A Walkabout gone wrong

A Walkabout gone wrong

“Ah, Kosciusko its easy – you can drive to the top!" That should have sent my alarm bells ringing - no mountain, rock or hill is ever easy – its always a function of conditions. And well, the ones that look soo simple are the easiest to underestimate. The pile of...

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A day with Flying Kites

A day with Flying Kites

Snow, Hail, Mud, apes and big cats.... my trip to East Africa had it all and still, my final day managed to top the previous experiences!I had the pleasure to visit “Flying Kites”, an orphanage in Njabini, around 100km outside Nairobi. Its run by the charity if my...

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A tale of Chimps & Silverbacks

A tale of Chimps & Silverbacks

I was twelve when I saw for the first time the movie “Gorillas in the Mist” - I remember very clearly how fascinated I was, not by Sigurney Weaver, but by the amazing mammals, and in particular the Silverbacks - the king of the jungle. 24 years later I realized a...

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Introducing…..Tim

Introducing…..Tim

I remember very clearly getting an toy medic helicopter as a present…. for hours I was playing rescue missions on the steep pile of sand in front of hour house, as I was "rescueing" climbers from the treacherous North Face! The helicopter was from Playmobil - famous...

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Heaven for powder junkies

Heaven for powder junkies

...can there be too much snow? YES (well, almost YES)!! While the days I spent over christmas and New Year in Austria were mostly in green surrounding – (no snow at all this year 🙁 , it was a total different ball game here in Japan... a heaven for powder junkies! In...

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Freezing in Manchuria

Freezing in Manchuria

I had the pleasure to visit Harbin, China's most northern town - its name is  deviated from the Manchu word for "a place for drying fishing nets". Well they definitely freeze there! Its just 200km from the Russian border, and the 48 hours I spent...

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Lost in Mostviertel

Anybody familiar with the following situation: You have a really important appointment and just minutes before it is due you realize you are in the wrong location? So it happened Tuesday night as I was underway to my first live radio interview – Too bad that I...

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Cidre & Crepes

Cidre & Crepes

On shore again – after only four days on sea, I have firm ground again after my feet after anchoring in Brest – an important harbour town in Brittany. We arrived here Thursday afternoon after motoring the last 100 miles into harbour (see last post). Fresh on the dock...

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A Call to all Londoners!

A Call to all Londoners!

..visit and support our boat in St. Katherines Dock. Our beautiful 70ft yacht Heidi (aka as "Switzerland") is moored the whole week in St. Katherine Docks. Come by and visit it. Procedure is as follows: Just pop by the dock, search for the RED boat with big...

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Five summits in a day – Crossing the Xeis

Five summits in a day – Crossing the Xeis

The final tour in the mountains before it is off to the ocean - Take  a wonderful mountain range with epic views, add some challenging scrambles and throw in a sumner summer day - you get a great day out!  So we did, when Dad and me headed out to...

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