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Lockdown in Laos

19/2/2021

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Location: Thakhek
Km on the clock: 10,552

It took a load of my mind when I left Vietnam and finally entered Laos. The thought to finally leave the hostile environment in Vietnam behind and to start a new positive chapter in Laos gave me a sense of relief.

The glowing red sun set behind the mountain peaks and the last sunrays of the day reflected on the river alongside the mountain road. As I rolled down the road I sent some prayers that the Covid situation would be calmer here and that I wouldn't feel like an alien anymore.
My route
A guy on a motorbike appeared to my left. Since it was my first encounter with a Lao local and I didn't yet how the Laotian people would react to my appearance. I got a bit nervous. My first thought was Please! If you don't have anything nice to say, then please keep moving.
In broken English he asked: "Need help?"
"I'm good. Thanks!"
"Push Lak Sao", he said and pointed down the road.
I didn't understand, but in the same moment he put one of his feet on the back of my bicycle frame and started to push me. With about 30 km/h I rolled the last few kilometers into the sleepy town Lak Sao. As we arrived at the town's main junction he turned left and waved at me with a big smile on his face. I went straight and checked into a local guest house. The owner seemed happy to have me since he barely had any customers. He didn't show any trace of dislike towards me. Thank God! The first encounter was more than positive.
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I took a quick shower, grabbed some Kip out of an ATM and walked across the street to a restaurant. I was super hungry since I only had an orange and a handful of crackers throughout the whole day. I stopped for a second at the doorstep and took a deep breath. Please let me in and if not, at least don't yell at me.

I sat down. The waitress handed me the menu and I ordered a portion fried rice with vegetable. Nothing extraordinary but it felt like a feast to me and shuffled it into my mouth.

On my way back to my room I saw a group of teenage boys playing barefoot football in a park. I joined and played until I got blisters under my feet. :D

I know, reading about buying food in a restaurant and playing football sounds incredible unspectacular, but due to my latest experiences in Vietnam it felt just amazing to me and made me feel like a human being again.

I planned to follow the 1E road to Thakhek and then basically follow the Mekong River south to Cambodia. I expected to arrive in Cambodia latest in three weeks including rest days.
I wasn't aware that the 1E road is part of the Thakhek Loop which tourists usually drive on motorbikes. I found out about it later that day. The scenery was spectacular. The road meandered through the Nam Theun river basin and was almost empty. Countless dead tree trunks stick out of the water on the first third of the road which created sort of a spooky but also fascinating atmosphere. Only every now and then someone on a motorbike passed me, goats grazed by the roadside and behind one curve even a cow lay in the middle of the road and didn't seem to have any intention to move. Rice fields, limestone cliffs with caves and villages in which the locals live a rural lifestyle characterize the landscape of the other two thirds.
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I arrived in Thakhek a couple of days later. Meanwhile I almost forgot about my unpleasant experiences in Vietnam because wherever I was in Laos, everyone greeted and welcomed me with a friendly "Sabaidee!" (Lao: Hello!).

The Vietnamese border was already closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Now the media reported that Thailand would do the same and the Lao government announced a Lockdown. How Cambodia would handle the situation wasn't clear yet.
A decision had to be made. Easier said than done. After all, this journey is one of my life dreams and I wasn't ready to give it up (and I'm still not). Thus, quitting and flying home wasn't an option to me. I also wasn't ready leave Laos yet and take my last chance to cross the border to Thailand. I just arrived in Laos and was also nervous that my Vietnam experiences could repeat themselves. I'd be in a Lockdown on the other side of the Mekong as well. The Cambodian border was too far away to make it there within a day. Even if I could make it, I also wouldn't know how the locals would react to my appearance.
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In Laos I felt welcomed and appreciated and I was also convinced that the lockdown and its related travel restrictions would last for maximum three months. No economy can afford to shut down for a longer time. I know, looking back it sounds naive. But whoever knew better, I hope you made a bet with your bookie back then and you're a rich now. ;)
I was in sort of a decision rigid. I discussed the options with Irina, another hostel guest. We talked for a couple of hours and spitting out my thoughts helped to clear my mind and to make a decision. I'd stay in Laos and sit out the pandemic. It'll last three months! Maximum!
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The days of the following two months looked pretty much the same. Get up, drink coffee, eat breakfast, read, watch YouTube, eat again, work on something (e.g. my blog), work out (more or less regularly), chill in the garden in a hammock, hang out with my hostel lockdown buddies and go to the local market to buy food for the next day/s. Dinner was the highlight of the day. Six Friends, the small open air restaurant in the neighborhood, stayed open throughout the whole lockdown and fed me well. Every meal cost only 10,000 Kip (approximately 1 Euro). If I really wanted to go crazy, then I got three scoops of ice cream for another 5,000 Kip at the stand around the corner. :D
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The lockdown got lifted after two months and thus traveling across province borders was allowed again. According to the news it was still possible to enter Cambodia. What a relief. Happy that I could continue my journey I set off and pedaled in direction south.
If you enjoy reading this blog then please support my fundraising campaign to equip school classrooms in Darfur, Sudan. Thank you!

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Vietnam - "Corona, Corona"

22/1/2021

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Location: Nam Phao International Checkpoint
Km on the clock: 10,519

"No, no, no", yelled a shop owner into my face as I stood at the doorstep. He made dismissive gestures with his arms so that I wouldn't even attempt to enter his shop. All I wanted was to buy some food supplies for the day. Today I'd leave Vietnam and enter Laos.

I went across the street to another shop. The three elderly ladies inside covered their mouths and noses with their hands, yelled at me in Vietnamese with aggressive face expressions and also made obvious gestures to make sure that I also wouldn't enter this shop.
Approximate scrible of my route
I tried again and again at other shops, restaurants and street vendors. Every time I got opposed with similar reactions. Nobody let me enter his shop let alone wanted to sell me any food. Being confronted with such reactions only because I looked different than the locals triggered a mixture of feelings inside of me. First I got irritated and nervous but also mad the more I got refused and was yelled at. I felt like an alien which the people seemed to rather let starve instead of selling some food so that I could simply leave their country.

I tried to keep a cool head but was anxious on the inside since I didn't know when and where to get food again. I hoped it would be in Laos at the latest and tried to think about out my options right now. My only reasonable idea was to ration the little food I had until I'd reach Laos. I checked my panniers and found half a package of crackers and two oranges.

With an empty stomach I pushed my bicycle slowly up the steep mountain road to Nam Phao International Checkpoint.
What happened?

One month earlier I flew into Hanoi from Muscat, Oman. As I arrived at the international airport, I loaded my bicycle and my luggage on a cart, got on a taxi to the city center where I checked into Hanoi Centre Hostel which by the way serves free beer for one hour every evening. ;)

The news reported about an outbreak of a new kind of a virus in Wuhan, China the last few days which was spreading to other countries now. Most conversations started now like: "Did you hear about this virus in China?" but nobody really knew anything about it besides that it was called Covid-19. Many people assumed that it was some sort of a flu and thus it would be over soon.
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I reassembled my bicycle the next morning and started to explore the city. Since I just came from Oman, where was barely any traffic, Hanoi was another story. The streets were crowded with scooters. At first it seemed chaotic but I quickly realized that it was actually quite well organized and the traffic was always flowing. Cycling between the scooter masses and with the traffic stream turned out to be a lot of fun.


A friend of a friend told me that the Ha Giang Loop is the one thing in the north of Vietnam that I really had to experience. "I went around the loop on a motorbike two years ago and it's the most beautiful area that I've ever seen in my life", he said. "It'll be a challenge on a bicycle but I think it's doable". Other guests at the hostel also told me about their loop experiences and how much they loved it.

I thought: "Alright! Why not!? It really seems like the one thing to experience in northern Vietnam." One week later I left Hanoi in direction Ha Giang.
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A few days later I pedaled out of Ha Giang and followed a river. The road was flat and I wondered why everyone said that it would be a hard ride. It didn't take long to realize why! The road turned into a steep and windy mountain road. I slowly pushed my bike uphill. The Exertion made me do ugly grimaces. :D
The road signs stated slopes of 12 percent. My bicycle device however gave me numbers above it. Throughout the next days I realized that every sign stated 12 percent which gave me the impression the road authorities got the 12 percent sign in bulk and put them out there no matter what the slope actually was. :D
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It took me six days to make it around the loop via Dong Van, Meo Vac and then alongside the Gam River back to Ha Giang. Without the help of some motorbike drivers it would have taken me longer. It occurred three times that I got towed to the top of the next mountain or town. I found myself often sitting knackered on the side of the road and wondered why I was doing this to myself. But whenever I reached the next peak or view point I got rewarded with spectacular views and immediately forgot about the pain until I faced the next slope. Some views were that spectacular that I got goosebumps.
So yeah, traveling around the Ha Giang Loop is definitely worth it but I personally wouldn't do it again on a bicycle - at least not on a fully loaded touring bike. Out here I got once again remembered that I'm definitely not a mountaineer. :D

Meanwhile no Chinese citizens were allowed to enter Vietnam anymore. I took a night bus from Ha Giang to Ha Long to save some time on my visa. I entered Ha Long which appeared to be a ghost town. Many shops and restaurants were closed. Barely any people were walking outside and the streets were that empty that I was able to cycle in zig-zag lines on them.
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Visit my Instagram account for more pictures from the Ha Giang Loop
The hostel owner, as well as some other small business owners, told me that about 90 percent of tourists in Ha Long come from China but since they were not allowed to enter the country anymore the city and their businesses were besically dead.
A boat cruise through the world famous and spectacular Ha Long Bay and a couple of days later I pedaled in direction Ninh Binh. As I cycled alongside the bay I reached the 10,000 kilometers mark. I couldn't have asked for a better location for this milestone.

Thus far I didn't have any issues regarding Covid-19. Wherever I came and whoever I talked to considered it as a "Chinese thing". So I was always welcomed in a very friendly manner.
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A guest house manager and I already agreed on the price for one night but then he changed his mind and said that he can't accept me as a guest due to Covid. I was a bit puzzled since just a few seconds earlier everything was fine. I crossed the street and checked into another guest house for the night. The owner, an elderly lady, seemed happy to have me as her customer.
I stayed at NEXT 68 Hostel in Ninh Binh the following days. Despite the low number of tourists, everything was calm in and around the city. Thus I thought that I got once declined at a guest house was a onetime incident.

Well, it wasn't! From now on things changed tremendously. I followed the coastline for half a day and arrived in a sleepy coast town. My idea was to quickly find an accommodation and spend the rest of the day on the beach and do some snorkeling. This plan didn't work out at all! Every possible accommodation rejected me. All for the same reason - Covid! For the first time in my life I didn't feel welcomed at all in a place.
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It got already dark as I finally found a small home stay that was willing to host me. The young lady asked me for how long I was already in Vietnam. As she realized that I was already for a while in the country she said: "I think you can stay here but I also need to convince my mum. She's afraid of the virus." A few minutes later they showed me my room.

"Can you please not leave the room tonight anymore?" asked the young lady. "Officially we're not allowed to accept any guests right now due to the virus and we don't want to get in trouble with the authorities if a neighbor sees you and reports it."
I assured to stay inside. "But I also need something for dinner."
"We'll cook and give you something", she said. "Oh, and one more thing. You also have to leave before eight tomorrow morning."

A little bit later she brought me a tray with a home cooked meal. Hiding in a room didn't feel good at all and now I got nervous how traveling on a bicycle would go in future.

I thanked the home stay family for taking me in and left early the next morning. From now on more and more people covered their mouth and nose with their hands and turned their backs at me when they saw me coming down the street. Kids pointed at me and shouted: "Corona, Corona". The more often I was confronted with such reactions the more I didn't feel welcomed anymore in Vietnam. Thus I cycled from sunrise to sunset the following days to cover as many kilometers as possible to make it out of the country in hope the situation would be calmer in Laos.
Now, a couple of days later I slowly pushed my bicycle up the mountain road to the border post. Half way up I took a break, ate one of my oranges and only a couple of crackers. I thought to better safe the other half for later. Who knows if I'd get food on the other side of the border? It was probably the most delicious and juiciest orange of my life.

A Vietnamese border official asked me to put on a face mask. I did and left Vietnam. A few minutes later I got my Laos visa and entered country number 18 on this journey.
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If you enjoy reading this blog then please support my fundraising campaign to equip school classrooms in Darfur, Sudan. Thank you!

And if you enjoy reading it a lot, then I'd appreciate if you'd support me with a virtual cup of coffee on Ko-fi. Cheers! :)

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Interview mit dem shz - Weltreise mit dem Fahrrad: Christopher Fritze aus Schafflund sitzt seit neun Monaten in Laos fest

3/1/2021

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Seit mehr als neun Monaten befinde ich mich nun Corona-bedingt in Laos. Kurz vor Weihnachten hatte ich deshalb mal wieder das Vergnügen mich mit Helga vom shz zu unterhalten und paar Einblicke in mein alltägliches Leben in Laos zu geben.

Danke Helga für deine Zeit und shz fürs teilen meiner Story!


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VIDEO: MIDDLE EAST & CAUCASUS | Turkey - Oman

4/12/2020

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A fast forward about cycling four months across six countries in the Middle East and Caucasus region.⁠
⁠
After I already cycled from my home town Flensburg, Germany all across eastern Europe to Istanbul, Turkey, I continued my way to Oman.⁠ On this leg of my cycling the world journey I faced challenging steep mountain roads in the freezing cold Caucasus region and also had to push myself through some extremely hot and windy deserts of the Middle East. I was lucky to meet Patrick the way. So we teamed up and pedaled together across the Emirates and Oman.⁠
⁠
I came across Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, United Arab Emirates and Oman.⁠
If you enjoy watching this video then please support my fundraising campaign to equip school class rooms in Darfur, Sudan. Thank you!
 
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Exploring Oman

27/11/2020

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Location: Muscat
Km on the clock: 9,237
 
The border crossing from UAE to Oman went quick and uncomplicated. I paid 20 Omani Rial for the visa on arrival and another 30 Dinar to leave the Emirates and within no time Patrick and I were ready to go. I personally find it weird to pay a fee to be allowed to leave a country.

I woke up in my tent the middle of the night. It was absolutely quiet in the desert, not even the slightest sound of wind. It was almost scary silent. I thought that it'll be an easy ride if there's no wind tomorrow.
Approximate scrible of my route
Heavy winds were blowing in our faces the next morning. It was everything else but an easy ride. It took us three hours to cover the first 30 kilometers although it was all flat land. To escape the burning sun during the hot midday hours we sat in the shade outside of a village mosque. The mosques caretaker welcomed us and boiled a pot of water for us so that we could make soup and coffee. Visitors walked in and out of the mosque and always greeted us with a friendly "Salam alaykum" or stopped for a short chat. With only one exception, we were always welcomed by the mosque caretakers or Imams during our stay in Oman. They often offered us coffee, dates or at least a pot of hot water to make our own coffee and food.
We covered another 30 kilometer on the second half of the day and pitched our tents behind a hill which we later identified to be an old dump. :D Wild camping in Oman is extremely easy and totally accepted. Once a local guy told us that we could pitch our tents literally anywhere in the country and stay there for a week if we'd want to. "Nothing would happen", he said. We definitely felt safe at any time. I assume this openness regarding camping goes back to the countries' traditional Bedouin culture.
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The head wind situation didn't change the next day. Sand blew straight into our faces and also wafted in waves across the road. Patrick and I barely talked. Both of us were too focused on ourselves to make it through this. A petrol station employee outside of Ibri told me that it was low wind season. I thought he was kidding but he was serious. I didn't, and still don't even want to picture cycling across the desert during high wind season. That must be a real mind challenge!
After a couple of days we realized that we barely saw any women in this country. We could literally count them on one hand. Thus we were extremely surprised as a young woman approached us as we just finished another lunch break. Jawaher invited us to visit her farm and for a second lunch. We gratefully accepted. She showed us around her farm as we arrived, then placed a big carpet in the yard to sit down with her family and to eat together. They served us delicious traditional homemade food, sweets and a lot of Omani coffee. Thank you very much again for having us!
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As we were about to leave, Jahawer also gave us a big bag of dates, a bottle of milk and a thermos of coffee. The dates were delicious and lasted us for another week. We finished the coffee within a few hours until we arrived in Bahla. After visiting Bahla Fort we set up our night camp in a suburban neighborhood.

I looked into Patrick's tired red eyes and he into mine the next morning.
"Did you also barely sleep last night", I asked.
He laughed. "Not really! This damn coffee caused me palpitation!"
"Yeah, it was the same for me!"
He was on his phone as we had breakfast. "I just googled Omani coffee."
"And? What about it?"
"Apparently you're only supposed to drink 2-3 small cups per day because it contains so much caffeine. It's actually more an espresso."
We both looked at each other and just laughed.
I said: "I think each of us had one liter yesterday."
He nodded. "At least!" We kept laughing and finished our breakfast.
Tired but in a good mood we continued our way.
Via Nizwa we arrived in Oman's capital Muscat a few days later where we stayed for three days. We checked into a cheap hotel - which was more like an apartment including living room and kitchen - and were happy to finally enjoy a hot shower again. We didn't have one since we left Dubai.

The first day in Muscat was a pure rest day. We tried to get a couple beers but it was impossible. You're only allowed to buy alcohol in Oman if you're a resident and if you got sort of an "alcohol license" from the police department.
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The rest of the time we spent exploring Muscat and watching movies in our living room which we also called "The Cave" since it was so dark in there. It only had a tiny window to a shady two square meters backyard.


Getting out of Muscat in direction Sur was quite a challenge since this his area is very mountainy. The first day we made about 1,000 meters of altitude and then followed the coast line. The rocky and bumpy dirt path alongside the coast turned out as a dead end. Thus we had to return to Yiti and then follow the main road. This detour included some extremely steep mountains which forced us to hike our bikes uphill at times but it also included a beautiful night of camping on the beach at the Gulf of Oman. During sunset we could observe local fishing boats on the seas surface.

An Imam invited us to rest his mosque's coffee room and a visitor joined us after some time. "Are you going to the Bimmah Sinkhole?" he asked. We affirmed his question.
"Don't jump in the sinkhole", he said. "I work at the hospital and just had another patient who did. If you understand. Swimming is okay but please don't jump."

Swimming in the Bimmah Sinkhole with its cool and clear water was a more than welcomed affair since it was a hot day and we once again had to push our bicycles against strong head winds. Thus, it felt like liquid heaven. The sinkhole is only a few hundred meters away from the sea and locals believe that it was created by a meteorite. However, it was actually formed by a collapse of the surface layer due to dissolution of the underlying limestone. Although the sinkhole is a popular tourist attraction, admission is free.

We did a quick stop at Wadi Shab - which you can only access if you take a boat - and bumped into a Spanish cycling couple as we were about to leave Sur. Bego and Hugo just finished their five years bicycle journey around the world a few months earlier but since they left out this part of the world they were already back on the road. We teamed up and cycled together to Ras Al Jinz Turtle Nature Reserve. Two cyclists from Switzerland also joined us along the way. As we cycled towards the reserve we also decided to camp together that night and try our luck to see some turtles. As we were near the beach one of the Swiss guys said: "Oh no, I don't camp. I booked a room in a nearby hotel" and simply pedaled away. :D
One man down, we pitched our tents near the beach but far away enough to not disturb the turtles that approach the beach at nights. As soon as we set up our night camp a white Jeep rumbled down the dirt road. A ranger got out of the car and approached us. In broken English he let us know that we were too close to the beach, told us to camp even further away and that we were also not allowed to enter the beach at night. "Welcome!" he said and got back on his car. He passed our new camp a couple of times to check if we were compliant to the rules. So no turtles for us.  :(
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Bego and Hugo recommended - as also Robin in Dubai before - that I should apply for at least a 30 days visa for my next destination Vietnam and not to leave out the north of this country. So I did! Thus far I only considered to take the free 15 days visa, fly into Hanoi, cycle a bit down alongside the Vietnamese coastline and then turn west into Laos at some point.

A few days later I found myself on an airplane at the airport in Muscat. Ready for take-off. Next stop Hanoi. Vietnam.

PS: Thank you Patrick for being an amazing travel companion! It was a lot of fun cycling with you! I hope we'll ride together again in future.

If you enjoy reading this blog then please support my fundraising campaign to equip school classrooms in Darfur, Sudan. Thank you!

And if you enjoy reading it a lot, then I'd appreciate if you'd support me with a virtual cup of coffee on Ko-fi. Cheers! :)

Click here if you want to take a look at my equipment.
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From Iran to Dubai into the desert

30/10/2020

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Location: Al Ain
Km on the clock: 8,217
 
The night on the cruise from Iran to the Emirates was everything else but comfortable. But that was my fault since I was too cheap and only bought the cheapest ticket possible. My attempt to sneak into a cabin and to find a free bunk wasn't successful. Instead I squeezed myself in between some tight benches near the board cafeteria. :D
Approximate scrible of my route
As soon as we arrived in Sharjah, all passengers were guided to a small white painted wooden building for the immigration process. We had to wait several hours in the waiting area which provided a water dispenser a disgusting piss smelling toilet. Women and men had to sit separate from each other - even married couples. Frowning looking guards made sure that everyone followed the rules and that nobody would leave the building.

Someone told me that it would take longer today because the immigration officials were having at lunch. While the fine immigration gentlemen enjoyed their four hour lunch break, there was no chance for the passengers to get any food. There wasn't even a vending machine. Luckily Patrick and I bought enough snacks before departure.

After we got our country entry stamp we had to wait another hour until we were allowed to leave the building and to pick up our bicycles and luggage. The luggage was scattered and piled up in the arrival hall. The whole immigration torture finally took an end after another hour as we finally got through the luggage control. So far I didn't feel very welcomed in this country. The whole trip from check-in in Bandar Abbas until here took 24 hours.

Patrick and I attached our panniers onto our bicycles and cycled separately out of Sharjah since we had different destinations in Dubai but agreed to stay in contact and to cycle together to Oman in one week.
According to the maps it was only about 45 kilometers from Sharjah to my friends place on the Palm Jumeirah. I told Robin that I'd be there in a couple of hours but I quickly learned that Dubai is everything else but a bicycle friendly city and that it would take longer than expected. Especially to turn left was a nightmare. Cars rushed past me while I tried to make it somehow across the three to five lanes to the left turn lane. Navigating through this traffic madness was it too stressful so that I decided to take the metro after a while. A metro employee told me that bicycles weren't allowed on the metro and that I should get a taxi instead. I thought that was ridiculous and cycled to the next station to try again to get on the train.

I asked the lady behind the counter for a ticket and she said: "Bicycles aren't allowed on the metro. You need to take a taxi."
"Why can't I take my bicycle on the metro", I asked.
"These are the rules", she said.
Really!? These are the rules is the explanation?
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I flagged down a taxi outside of the station and asked the driver for the price for me and my bicycle.
"Bicycles aren't allowed on the taxi", said the driver. "Try the metro."
Uhm yeah! Brilliant idea!

For a moment I thought I was on the UAE version of the hidden camera TV show. Slightly irritated I jumped back on my bike and kept pedaling. My navigation app lead me a down wide alley with a huge mansion at the end of it. I already knew that I was wrong there but wanted to give it a try anyways. Just to see what will happen. :D

A security guard in a suit got out of his white SUV towards the end of the alley and approached me.
"You can't cycle here", he said in a very friendly way.
I played a bit stupid. "But my app says that's the way to the Palm."
He laughed. "I know. That happens a lot. It's an error with all the navigation apps. Cyclists come this way every day but this is Zabeel Palace so you've to go around it."
"Can't I take the shortcut through the garden? I'm sure nobody will even notice."
He still laughed. "Sorry! You must go around." Then he explained to me in a very calm and friendly manner which way to go. I turned and made my way around it.

My phone rang. It was Robin.
"Where are you now?"
I gave him my location.
"Alright. Just stay there. I just left the office. I'll come and pick you up."

About half an hour later we cruised in his big red Jeep through Dubai downtown to his place. It was such a relief not to cycle in this traffic madness anymore.
Thanks to Robin I spent the most luxurious week of my entire trip thus far. Every morning I woke up with a great sea view and the Marina skyline in the background. After breakfast I spent some time swimming and chilling at the pool and during the days I explored the city.

Dubai is for sure an extraordinary place. There are malls everywhere with all international and luxury brand stores you can think of. The prices are also extraordinary for bicycle traveler living on a budget. One day I had to pay almost 10 Euro for only one package of cereals, a bottle of orange juice and a few bananas.
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Ein Beitrag geteilt von Chris Fritze (@fritzechris) am Okt 27, 2020 um 11:23 PDT

The metro provides a first class cabin - called Gold Class - and the view from Burj Khalifa - the tallest building in the world - makes you realize what a massive place Dubai is. I was even lucky talk to Gulf News about my journey and fundraising campaign. Thank you again Falah for this opportunity and thanks Robin for having me! That was absolutely amazing!

Patrick and I filled all the empty pannier space with supplies and pedaled out of Dubai. The further we got out of the city the less traffic there was. Already in the suburbs it was a way more relaxing ride than in the city. But to turn left kept being a challenge. :D


Two days later, after a rather monotonous ride, we arrived at the border town Al Ain. The roads coming here seemed endless long. Every time it felt like ages until we arrived the next turn just to continue on another endless straight road on which we had to deal with strong head winds. The sand that constantly wafted across the road blew straight in our faces. The greatest highlights were for sure our excessive lunch breaks to get out of the burning sun and the appearance of camels.

At some point the monotony made us imitating camel noises as soon as we discovered a herd. Fortunately for us, the desert is almost deserted. We saw cars or trucks already from miles away and count them on one hand throughout the day. The traffic volume was the complete opposite compared with Dubai. I'm sure that if another human being would have heard our camel roaring, this person would have gotten the impression that we suffered from a heat stroke. :D
After we refilled our supplies at a supermarket in Al Ain and another long lunch break right outside of it, we pedaled towards the Omani border knowing that there was another challenging one week ride through the desert ahead of us until we'd arrive Muscat.

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Ein Beitrag geteilt von Chris Fritze (@fritzechris) am Okt 29, 2020 um 9:30 PDT

If you enjoy reading this blog then please support my fundraising campaign to equip school class rooms in Darfur, Sudan. Thank you!

And if you enjoy reading it a lot, then I'd appreciate if you'd support me with a virtual cup of coffee on Ko-fi. Cheers! :)

Click here if you want to take a look at my equipment.
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Interview mit der Borkumer Zeitung - Die Welt umfahren für ein Schulprojekt in Afrika

28/9/2020

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Da bin ich doch glatt auf der Titelseite der Borkumer Zeitung gelandet.

Ich weiß zwar noch nicht wann es soweit sein wird, aber freue mich jetzt schon riesig meine Rückkkehr nach Deutschland irgendwann auf der westlichsten ostfriesischen Insel zu feiern.
Picture
Vielen Dank Borkumer Zeitung und Enno, dass ich euch meine Geschichte erzählen durfte.

Bleibt gesund und lasst es euch gut gehen!

>>> Zum Artikel <<<
>>> Zur Spendenaktion <<<
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Iran II – Crossing deserts and incredible hospitality

25/9/2020

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Location: Bandar Abbas
Km on the clock: 7,862

After leaving Tehran I cycled to Kashan via Qom - which is considered as holy in Shi'a Islam. I camped in the desert aside of the road hidden behind the dunes. The nights were still chilly but not as cold as further north anymore. The desert seemed surreal and endless. I loved camping out here. In general I learned to love deserts over the next months. And sleeping on the sandy ground was actually very comfortable. :D
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Ein Beitrag geteilt von Chris Fritze (@fritzechris) am Dez 3, 2019 um 12:12 PST

Reyhane joined me in Kashan. Throughout the next weeks we met again in Esfahan and Shiraz. In Kashan we explored the old town which was the first place in Iran how I always imagined the ancient Persia. Many houses look from the outside like its days are numbered. However, as soon as you go inside they show their real beauty. Walls and are decorated with colorful hand crafted tiles, ceilings show plaster designs and the colorful windows turn the inside of the rooms into a rainbow.
We met the owner of a traditional fabrics workshop and he invited us to visit it. His employee showed us how he produces fine silk fabrics in a traditional way. It was impressive to see how someone can create such amazing products with the simplest tools. Throughout the next weeks I got the opportunity to see more traditional handicraft workshops for ceramics, copperwares, woodworks, etc. and realized that there are many incredible talented people in this country.
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Ein Beitrag geteilt von Chris Fritze (@fritzechris) am Dez 6, 2019 um 12:23 PST

My favorite place in Esfahan was definitely the Naqsh-e-Jahan Square and its bazaar. Naqsh-e-Jahan means something like "Image of the World". Considering that it was built between 1598 and 1629 and its nine hectare area, it really must have felt like the world to the locals and traders coming from Orient and Oxidant back in the days. Like in many places it seemed like that I was the only western tourist in town. Many locals but also Asian tourists took it as an opportunity to take photos or a quick selfie with me. At times I felt like a celebrity and thought that I'd become a rich man in no time if I'd charge just one Euro per picture. :D


Every time the locals expressed how much they appreciate that I was there to visit their country. And still, wherever I went the people greeted me with a smile on their faces: "Salam! Welcome to Iran!"
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Ein Beitrag geteilt von Chris Fritze (@fritzechris) am Jan 10, 2020 um 10:42 PST

I pedaled through the desert to Yazd - whose old town reminded me of Tatooine from the Star Wars movies - and then in direction Shiraz. It was almost impossible to stealth camp here since it was mainly flat desert land with some little scrub. If I was lucky then there was a small pile of dirt to pitch my tent behind. If there was nothing to hide behind, I simply pushed my bike as far off the road that I felt like nobody would see me or pay attention to me. It worked out very well. I mean, which car driver pays attention to a tent or a person which is at least 500 meters aside of the road!?
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Ein Beitrag geteilt von Chris Fritze (@fritzechris) am Jan 11, 2020 um 8:39 PST

I came through the city Abarkooh in which is the third oldest tree in the world - The Cypress of Abarkooh. And like in Yazd or some other places in the desert there's an ancient ice house. Yes! Ice house! People produced ice in the desert already thousands of years ago. Unbelievable! I find it mind-blowing.
It was an ice cold day and although I wore numerous layers of clothes, I felt like my toes would fall off soon. I reached the peak of a mountain pass as a policemen, sitting in his car on the side of the road, flagged me down to ask where I'm from and where I'm going to.
"I'm from Germany and on my way to Shiraz", I said.
He looked at me in disbelief, then to his comrade, back to me and said: "Phew...that's far" and gave me two oranges. "Good luck and welcome to Iran!"

I reached the small town Safashahr and stopped at the first shop that I could find to warmth myself for a bit. I swore myself to stay at a hotel tonight and to get a hot shower. The oven next to the counter made the shop very toasty. I must have been a bit hypothermic so that as soon as my body started to warm up I became dizzy and had to kneel down. Saeed, the shop owner, offered me a chair next to the oven. As I slowly warmed up I asked if there was a hotel in town.
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Ein Beitrag geteilt von Chris Fritze (@fritzechris) am Dez 16, 2019 um 2:36 PST

"There's none", he said.
Shit! I really don't want to camp tonight. It's just too cold.
"But you can stay at my house tonight if you want", he said. "You only have to wait until I close."
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Or as they say in Farsi: "Merci! Merci! Merci!"
Saeed closed his shop at 11 pm. We loaded my bicycle into a friend's car and a few minutes later we stopped at a restaurant. After having dinner together we stopped stop at Saeed's brother's cafe and another friend's place for tea. Within no time I was included in his circle of friends. Thank you again for your incredible hospitality my friend! That was absolutely amazing! You were a real life safer that day!
I got a flat tire as I pedaled along the mountainy road towards Shiraz. There wasn't much space on the side of the road to stop and fix it. So I crouched on the muddy strip between road and mountain slope as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. I intended to camp tonight since it wasn't too cold but as I was done it was too dark to find a good hidden camp spot. Besides, I find it generally difficult to find a camp spot if you're surrounded by mountains and if there's no real path of the street. So I kept pedaling. And since I felt pumped because I crossed the 7,500 kilometers mark just a couple of hours earlier I didn't even mind to make some extra miles. My idea was just to stop at the next motel. However, I couldn't find one.
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Ein Beitrag geteilt von Chris Fritze (@fritzechris) am Dez 18, 2019 um 2:50 PST

So I kept pedaling. At some point I saw a road sign which stated: "Shiraz 60 km" and thought: Screw it! I'll just keep going until I'll arrive in Shiraz and find myself a guest house there.

After 12 hours in the saddle and 186 kilometers I arrived in Shiraz at 11 pm.
Reyhane and her family invited me to spend Christmas and New Year's with them although it means nothing to them since they're Muslims and Iran even uses a different calendar. For instance, the Iranian New Year starts with the spring season. They simply didn't want me to spend these days alone so far away from my family. I took a night bus from Shiraz and spent a few wonderful and relaxing days with them. Thank you guys for this wonderful time! Words really cannot describe how much I appreciate it!

After New Year's I returned to Shiraz and continued my way to Bandar Abbas at the Persian sea side in the south of Iran.
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Ein Beitrag geteilt von Chris Fritze (@fritzechris) am Jan 29, 2020 um 2:01 PST

I was about to leave the restaurant in Bandar Abbas and to head to the ferry terminal as another cyclist came inside. We started the standard cyclist talk and it turned out that Patrick was also from Germany and that he was also on his way to the ferry terminal and to Oman. So we teamed up, got our bicycles and luggage checked in and cruised over the Persian Gulf to Sharjah near Dubai. The following weeks we would cycle together through the deserts and mountains of the Emirates and Oman.
Approximate scrible of my route
If you enjoy reading this blog then please support my fundraising campaign to equip school classrooms in Darfur, Sudan. Thank you!

And if you enjoy reading it a lot, then I'd appreciate if you'd support me with a virtual cup of coffee on Ko-fi. Cheers! :)

Click here if you want to take a look at my equipment.
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VIDEO: Gestrandet in Laos - Ein ganz normaler Tag in Luang Prabang

11/9/2020

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[DE] Auf Grund der globalen Coronavirus Pandemie bin ich auf meiner Fahrrad-Weltreise seit über fünf Monaten in Laos gestrandet. In letzter Zeit wurde ich immer häufiger gefragt: "Was machst du denn da so den ganzen Tag?"

Aktuell halte ich mich in Luang Prabang auf und in diesem Video zeige ich, wie aktuell ein ganz normaler Tag bei mir aussieht.
[EN] Due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, I've been stranded in Laos for over five months on my cycling the world journy. Lately I've been asked more and more: "What are you doing there all day?"

I'm currently in Luang Prabang and in this video I'm showing what a normal day currently looks like for me.

PS: The audio of this video is in German but there are also English subtitles.
If you enjoy watching this video then please support my fundraising campaign to equip school class rooms in Darfur, Sudan. Thank you!
 
And if you enjoy watching it a lot, then I'd appreciate if you'd support me with a virtual cup of coffee on Ko-fi. Cheers! :)

Click here if you want to take a look at my equipment.
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Iran I - Welcome to Iran

29/8/2020

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Location: Tehran
Km on the clock: 6,900

I can't really explain why, but already as a child there was a curiosity for the Middle East and especially for Iran inside of me. However, the older I grew, the more I got bombarded with disturbing news in the media of this region and this country. So, I was super excited but also nervous when I went through the Iranian border control in Norduz.

Since I got all my documents ready and there were only a handful other people who wanted to cross the border - mainly truck drivers - the whole process went quick and smooth.
Approximate scrible of my route
"What's the reason for your visit in Iran", was the only question that I was asked by the border officials.
"I want to explore your country on my bicycle", I replied.
"Okay, thank you for visiting our country!" they said and stamped my visa. "Welcome to Iran!"

I cycled in direction Jolfa alongside the Aras River which forms the border between Armenia and Iran. The river flowed to my right hand side. Directly behind it enthroned some massive mountains of the Caucasus. I felt so relieved that I finally left these mountains behind of me in which I suffered so much. On this side of the border it was even a bit warmer again. Just a bit. At least my water supplies didn't freeze anymore.
It was a sunny weekend day (which is Thursdays and Fridays in Iran) and families spent it picnicking by the river. Everyone smiled and waved at me and greeted me with "Welcome to Iran" when I passed them.

An elderly man flagged me down. He and his two sons also came to the river for a picnic. They offered me tea and fruits and when I was about to continue my ride they gave me more fruits for along the way.

This, invitations from strangers for tea and food, as well as being greeted with "Welcome to Iran", continued to happen almost every day throughout the following two months in which I explored this country.
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Ein Beitrag geteilt von Chris Fritze (@fritzechris) am Nov 21, 2019 um 4:35 PST

The next day I arrived in Marand in the province East Azerbaijan. Some locals took me to a hotel. After I arrived, I chatted with an Iranian friend on Instagram. I met Reyhane during my stay in Istanbul and she invited me to stay with her and her family if I'd come to Tehran.
"I'm in Iran now and will be in Tehran in about one week", I texted her.
"Awesome! We're looking forward to have you as a guest", she replied.
"Thank you so much for the invitation. I really appreciate it! Let's talk about where and when to meet in Tehran later. I'm really hungry and need to get some food. I also really need a shower."
"Sounds good", she said.

About one hour later there was no more Wi-Fi signal in my room. After I waited for a bit and also restarted my phone I asked the receptionist if there was something wrong with the router. He didn't realize yet that the internet was off. He checked the router and said that it should be fine. But still no signal. Then he did some phone calls and after a few minutes he said in broken English: "internet is finished."

"Internet is finished? What's that supposed to mean?" I answered. "There's no such thing that the internet finishes." I thought he was joking.
"No more internet everywhere", he said. "Also no mobile data."
I was puzzled but thought that there's nothing that I could do about it as just contact Reyhane the next day again.
The internet was still off the next morning so I set off to Tabriz where I stayed for two days - and still, no internet.
As I was exploring Tabriz - which has by the way an amazing bazaar and which is as I heard the largest one in Iran - a young woman approached me.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
I was a bit irritated by that question. "What do you mean?"
"Don't you know what's going on right now?"
"Well, besides the internet being off for a few days already, I don't."
She told me, that the government turned off the internet because the people were protesting due to a petrol price increase.
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Ein Beitrag geteilt von Chris Fritze (@fritzechris) am Nov 24, 2019 um 3:39 PST



"The price got tripled", she said. "If I was you, I'd leave the country again. The situation is bad. I can't even do my work because I'm a web designer."
Now I understood what the receptionist meant with "internet is finished" a few days earlier.

Since my visa was only valid for one months and Iran is a huge country, I decided to take a bus from Tabriz to Tehran to buy myself some time and use it to explore the places that I was excited about to visit. I used my guest houses land line phone to talk to Reyhane and to get directions where to find her house the day before I left Tabriz.

Tehran is a massive city with a lot of traffic. The local authorities raise smog alert on a regular basis. I got a bit lost in the city center as I cycled from the bus terminal to Reyhane's house. Two guys with a box of pizza came out of a corner restaurant as I stood in the rain at a junction and tried to figure out which way to go. Nima asked if I'd need some help. I showed him the address that I was looking for but he and his friend also didn't know where it was.
"Maybe you better call your friend", he said.
"Yeah, you're right", I replied, "but I don't have an Iranian sim card. So I can't call her."
"Just use my phone", he said and handed me his phone.
"Wait where you're right now", said Reyhane. "I'll come and pick you up with the car."

Nima waited with me the whole time until she arrived and even shared his pizza with me. As we waited he told me that he was about move to Germany next week to get master's degree in aerospace engineering. To my surprise he even spoke German. In the following weeks I learned that German is a quite popular language in Iran and many young well educated and talented people are studying it to fulfill their dream to study, work and live in either Germany or Austria. However, it's extremely difficult to get a visa for the Schengen area as an Iranian citizen. The boundaries are high and the process takes long. Nima was lucky and happy that he got the chance to study in Germany. Good luck my friend! Thank you again for your help on this rainy day! And also thank you for the pizza. :)
Reyhane and her family welcomed me with open arms. They offered me a private room and private bathroom and there was literally always delicious traditional Iranian food on the table. Thank you for your incredible hospitality! That was absolutely amazing!
The following week I explored Iran's capital. Reyhane even took some time off from work to show me some of the mayor sights.

It was a really sad moment when I left Tehran because I took the whole family to my heart. Reyhane took me to the city border. I took my panniers out of the trunk, attached them to my bicycle and started pedaling in direction south. In the following weeks I cycled further across Iran.

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Ein Beitrag geteilt von Chris Fritze (@fritzechris) am Nov 28, 2019 um 12:21 PST

If you enjoy reading this blog then please support my fundraising campaign to equip school classrooms in Darfur, Sudan. Thank you!

And if you enjoy reading it a lot, then I'd appreciate if you'd support me with a virtual cup of coffee on Ko-fi. Cheers! :)

Click here if you want to take a look at my equipment.
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