We visited English Harbour and Nelson Dockyard. Ships were once built here. Today, it serves as a marina, among other things. The next day, a Sunday, we faced the challenge of taking a bus to Stingray City. We were rewarded by about 60 rays swimming in the water, sometimes touching us.
The smallest Caribbean country has many beautiful views to offer. There are even thermal springs where schoolchildren can use the water for free during recess.
Admittedly, it was only a stopover. But we had long enough to comfortably walk to Maho Beach and watch the planes take off and land. And finally, I had a fresh salad!
This was the country we were most concerned about before setting out on our trip. Porte au Prince, the capital, is currently a no-go due to gang violence. Cap Haitien in the north has been spared so far. We received a friendly welcome at the airport with music. Afterwards, our landlord showed me his battery storage system in the kitchen! This allows him to be completely independent of the public power grid. The next day, we went to the largest fortress on the American continent, the Citadel of La Ferriere. The traffic in Haiti also presented me with considerable challenges, especially since our vehicle broke down twice.
The Bahamas delivered on their promise: Dream beaches. There was even a Pink Beach, Pink Beach on Harbour Island... Then there was the gigantic Atlantis Hotel with the largest private aquarium I've ever seen.
It was all about visiting my host family Herbst, where I was an exchange student in 1987/88. Now, finally, after 35 years, a reunion. Retracing the footsteps of the past, we first went to basketball, then to my high school, and finally to the ice cream parlor. But also something new: the Harley-Davidson Museum.
16. Jamaica country: The country has many different things to offer. Bob Marley, glowing water, waterfalls flowing into the sea and of course beaches.
15 years ago I couldn't travel to the country. It was considered the most dangerous country in the world. Now it's safe again. Our highlights were street art in Ataco, lakes and volcanoes.
From Sao Tomé to Accra, then to Lisbon and on via Miami to San Salvador. We really enjoyed Lisbon in February in sunny weather and finally saw the grave of Vasco da Gama.
The best thing is known to come to an end - a West African trip. I'm giving away a real secret tip here. At the risk that it will soon be no longer a secret. A very original country with overwhelming nature and world class beaches. The Caribbean was right with the last 10 euros.
It is not so easy to go from a dictatorship through a military government to democracy. In other words, Equatorial Guinea was going via Gabon to Sao Tome. Afrijet makes it happen. There was even time to visit the beautifully tiled church.
Because of a photo of a church, there was a handshake with a soldier, but it ended well after some discussion. A certain unrest is felt all over the country. 45 years of dictatorship have left traces. But the country also has very beautiful nature to offer.
Wir besuchen den Fetischmarkt in der Hauptstadt Lomé. Es ist der größte Voodoo Markt der Welt. Die Marktbetreiber stammen aus Benin. Beim Rundgang steigt häufiger ein unangenehmer Geruch in unsere Nasen. Es werden hier allerhand Tiere getrocknet, die angeblich nicht gejagt wurden, sondern von den Behörden übergeben wurden...
Cape Coast Castle was only a turning point for timber and gold trade before it was used for slave trade. At the end of the sightseeing tour, we had a good coffee from Ghana. The cafe operator went to school with former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
A long-held wish comes true. Visiting the largest church in the world, Notre Dame de la Paix in Yamoussoukro. It was built in just 3 years. Rumor has it that 6 percent of the state budget was built over the years.
The country was in a transition. We liked the nice people. We need to come back again.
we are taking a trip to the jungle. Going to a municipal project to Tiwai Island. We are delighted with the dreamlike landscape. Taking us a little boat to camp before we go exploring. It's just nice to enjoy the peace of the river while watching the monkeys in the trees.
The path from the border to the Sala waterfall near Labe was challenging. But we were rewarded accordingly:::)
over hill and dale through the countryside.
Then take the ferry to visit the magical island world of Bijagos.
It is only a short 20-minute ferry ride from Dakar to the island of Gorée. We visit the slave house, as Barack Obama did before us. It is a Unesco World Heritage Site. I am almost speechless as the guide explains how 20 people had to live in a room of less than 20 square meters. The door to “no return” is particularly impressive. This is where the slaves were loaded for a 3-month boat trip across the Atlantic.
Many of them died on the crossing and some of today's visitors stand at this door in tears...
So, now the time has finally come! The great adventure “all countries” can begin tomorrow, January 1st, 2025. 45 countries in one year. We won’t stay in around 15 countries for long, so there’ll be enough time for the remaining 30 countries. The last few weeks have been hectic and stressful. I worked until December 17th, 2024. At the same time, from November 18th, 2024 (when I returned from my trip to Japan), I had to get hold of 7 visas for West Africa..., rent out and empty an apartment, sell a car, and of course a lot more...The preparations ended on the day of departure, December 19th, 2024, at 1 a.m. Before that, we had eaten one last kebab and picked up a Kölsch from the kiosk. So the 2 weeks in Cape Verde were actually supposed to be a vacation... but our plane had to make an emergency landing because of a sandstorm. Nothing could happen now. They wanted to fly us back to Düsseldorf. Never, ever. And so we were already in the middle of an unwanted little adventure. We had to look for a room and quickly buy two ferry tickets. Thank God the ferry left the next day at 11:59 p.m. It then left at 5:30 a.m. on December 21st, so we arrived at the hotel 45 hours late. The relaxation could begin.
On November 24th, 2021 at 8 p.m. I'll be holding a time-out evening at the VHS Cologne and on November 30th, 2021 at 7 p.m. I'll be at the VHS Monheim with the lecture from Cologne to Vietnam.
I'll be stopping at the VHS Monheim, Tempelhofer Strasse 15 in Monheim, on Thursday November 19th, 2020 at 7 p.m. with enough safety distance! my presentation 111 countries. A safety distance of 2 meters is maintained between each chair to ensure the standard of hygiene. The number of participants is limited to 15! Please register in advance by email! I look forward to your coming.
The question is simply answered - in Germany!
There were many little trips to places that I always wanted to see:
Husum, Flensburg, Wismar, Bad Doberan, Wilhelmshaven.
Hidden champions. But that was exactly what made it so charming.
Hardly any tourists. Cheap accommodation prices. No crowds. It's easy to come into contact with the locals.
I can only recommend these places!
Let's see how many hidden champions I will visit in 2020...
You can access the report from the Kölner Stadt Anzeiger directly here:
"North Korea is a safe travel country"
in the Cologne-Nippes town hall, Neusser Str.450 on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 at 5 p.m. I look forward to your coming!
During an exciting and enjoyable "wine world trip" of a special kind, foundation founder Joachim von Loeben, at the Jacques Weindepot on Aachenerstrasse in Düsseldorf at the end of January, let the participants "travel along" and "empathize" with his unique experiences and impressions from his world trips.
Vorstellung, stelle Dich kurz vor
Weltreisender, Banker, Abenteurer, mehr über Joe in der Folge 006 vom Banker zum Abeenteuer und zurück ins normale Leben.
Warum besuchst Du solche Länder?
Ein bisschen der Nervenkitzel, Interesse an Ländern, die nur in schlechten Nachrichten vorkommen und ein eigenes Bild davon
