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We are walking home – the long way

We are walking home – the long way

It’s been four years since I was last in Germany, so it was finally time for a visit back home. However, it’s not that easy with a dog, as the flight from Chile to Europe is unfortunately very long. Ships are not an option because the only ship that takes...
The world-famous Ruta 40 in Argentina by Tuk Tuk

The world-famous Ruta 40 in Argentina by Tuk Tuk

Ruta 40 (Wikipedia) is THE ROAD in Argentina. Five thousand one hundred ninty four kilometers long, it winds from the high Andes on the Bolivian border south to Patagonia, finally turning east to end at the Atlantic Ocean. It is a unique road trip that crosses many...
Tuk-Tuking the Americas. Finally, the journey continues. Chile.

Tuk-Tuking the Americas. Finally, the journey continues. Chile.

It is dark, and Butch and I are already in the tent. Outside, the wind is raging, and it is freezing cold. We are at 3800 meters. It is winter in the southern hemisphere. Northern Chile is within the borders of the driest desert in the world, the Atacama: the...
Traveling in Mexico, with a dog, and motorcycle

Traveling in Mexico, with a dog, and motorcycle

Crossing the border at Ojinaga was a breeze. I only had to deposit 400 US dollars for the temporary importation of the motorcycle, which will be returned to me when I leave the country. This deposit detours a person from selling vehicles in the country rather than...
Traveling with a dog has its difficulties. How to go on?

Traveling with a dog has its difficulties. How to go on?

As mentioned in my last article, I bought a Surly ECR from Colleen in Washington and couldn’t wait until it finally arrived in Arizona. It’s a great bike and is really fun to ride. Unfortunately, there were some delivery problems with the racks that I...
Branding day at a ranch in Oregon

Branding day at a ranch in Oregon

“What are you guys doing out here in this heat? I saw you two in Burns a few days ago. I was the woman who sent you in the wrong direction when you asked for the post office,” Mary said, while her husband Wes looked on anxiously at Butch, who was huddled...
No.80 Off to Africa!

No.80 Off to Africa!

Yes, time for Africa! I would like to experience the many different cultures of Africa. Get to know the people and their way of life. To meet laughing children and to sort out preconceptions. To look at the world on the so-called “Dark Continent” for...
Nr.77 USA – The American West is simply sensational

Nr.77 USA – The American West is simply sensational

It felt like coming home, even if the real home was still to come. I was really looking forward to my nature and all the friendly Americans I would most certainly meet and was just happy to be back. For me, the American West continues to be one of the most marvelous...
No.66 – Mexico – Taking on Baja Divide

No.66 – Mexico – Taking on Baja Divide

The Baja Divide is a brand-new trail which crosses Baja California on rough and sandy trails. Always away from the tarmac and busy roads. 1700 miles to La Paz at the Southern end of the Baja. I wasn’t super excited to follow another red line someone else had created....
No.65 USA – Great cycling destination

No.65 USA – Great cycling destination

My last kilometers in a beautiful country. But first a short resume. With the title super cycling destination I am saying goodbye to the land of unlimited possibilities. The American West is a bewitchingly beautiful area, where cycling is simply fun. The vastness, the...
No.63 – USA – Accident, insurance drama, new bike

No.63 – USA – Accident, insurance drama, new bike

My bike – this stupid lady, with her big truck is sitting on top of my bike. She didn’t make a move. Not a single inch and she sat in her truck as if she wasn’t involved in what just happened. I shouted at her, “Good job – lady! Just in case you...
Nr.59 – Canada – A crisis caught up with me

Nr.59 – Canada – A crisis caught up with me

    What had suddenly gone wrong with me? Or had I felt that way perhaps for quite a while and just didn’t want to admit it to myself? I was no longer the Heike, who was cheerful and gladly torturing herself while struggling to reach the pass of the...
No.58 – USA – A fantastic time in the American West

No.58 – USA – A fantastic time in the American West

Who or what are Americans really?   This question has occupied me now for months. The only answer I have, however, is very limited, because Americans are as different and as divided in their way of thinking as you can possibly imagine.   The conservatives...
No.54 – USA – Arizona Trail with a loaded bike

No.54 – USA – Arizona Trail with a loaded bike

I stood at the starting point of the Arizona Trail. Or to be more precise, at my starting point, because the trail actually starts on the border with Utah and crosses the entire length of the state of Arizona all the way to the Mexican border. Eight...
No.52 – USA – Biking in the California desert

No.52 – USA – Biking in the California desert

What a spectacular experience !   The sky was breathtaking! There was thunder and lightning and the world appeared to be coming to an end. In the desert it was like a match going on between the forces of the elements and I was smack-dab in the...
No.50 – Japan – Honshu – Rain, forest and mountains

No.50 – Japan – Honshu – Rain, forest and mountains

It just keeps on raining nonstop, every day. There was honestly not a single day without rain. But it continued to be warm and I somehow had to keep going forward, so I pedaled on. Of course, as always, I preferred to go into the mountains, so the trail continued...
No.49 – Japan – I love Hokkaido

No.49 – Japan – I love Hokkaido

Unfortunately, the rain just keeps coming down and it has been raining every day. Actually, I’m cycling continuously in wet clothes, but at 30 degrees Celsius it is never really cold. Every night I attempt to find a dry place for my tent because I...
No.48 – Japan – Wonderful Hokkaido

No.48 – Japan – Wonderful Hokkaido

At the port in Wakkanai, on the northern tip of the northernmost Japanese island of Hokkaido, my entire bike was disinfected and my bags were thoroughly washed before I was allowed to take it off the boat. I would be allowed to stay 90 days in Japan. If I...
No.45 – Russia – Adventure country

No.45 – Russia – Adventure country

Luckily it was a very smooth ferry crossing. I stayed on deck and preferred to have the wind blowing around my ears, instead of sharing a stuffy cabin with 10 Koreans. Somehow I had enough of South Koreans. I am also a fresh air lover and I much prefer to...
No.44 – Korea Somehow a strange country

No.44 – Korea Somehow a strange country

It finally became warmer and nature virtually exploded. I discovered many species of birds that are also native at home in Germany. A nuthatch, green and spotted woodpeckers and even the jay in a national park. The plants are also often the same and...
No.43 – Korea – A different kind of country

No.43 – Korea – A different kind of country

  At the airport I was met by Brad. In Facebook Brad has a group called “Korea by bike” and we have been in contact for some time. I was very pleased that he took the trouble to pick me up. The airport is on an island and the streets are closed to...
No.42 – Taiwan – The mountain world

No.42 – Taiwan – The mountain world

  After the rigors of the Vipassana course, I continued on my journey with a truly relieved heart and stopped, first of all, at a 7-Eleven and treated myself to an ice cream. I stayed that night in the middle of Taichung in the city park. In reality, I wanted to...
No.40 – Taiwan – Biker’s Paradise

No.40 – Taiwan – Biker’s Paradise

  I continued to follow the east coast and cycled along beautiful bays and quaint fishing villages. I camped frequently on the beach or on small look-out towers and enjoyed life to the fullest. I was really in a good mood and answered every smile that...
No.39 – Taiwan – Warm-Hearted People

No.39 – Taiwan – Warm-Hearted People

I hadn’t been on the island for one second when I already fell in love with the country.   Briefly, I had my doubts getting into trouble, officially, I should not have been able to enter from the harbor with my temporary passport. But, with no further...
Nr.38 – China – it remains difficult !

Nr.38 – China – it remains difficult !

  At first, I was shocked when I saw Yangshou. Even in winter, all hell was breaking loose. There were parties, pubs, animated activity, and huge crowds of Chinese tourists. The prices were outrageous and it was anything but a beautiful, natural idyll surrounded...
Nr.36 – Vietnam – colourfully dressed minorities

Nr.36 – Vietnam – colourfully dressed minorities

From Sapa I went to Bac Ha, a place where there is a well-known market every Sunday. Although it is already very touristy, I had a very nice day and enjoyed the colorful dresses worn by the minorities. As often in Southeast Asia, where there are too many...
Nr.35 – Vietnam – Beautiful mountain scenery

Nr.35 – Vietnam – Beautiful mountain scenery

  This is my fourth visit to Vietnam. Here I was always amazed by the scenery, the culture and the diversity that this country has to offer. It is only the people who I sometimes found to be stressful, because the Vietnamese are perfect businessmen and...
Nr.34 – Laos – Peaceful, quiet and a long break

Nr.34 – Laos – Peaceful, quiet and a long break

  I was driving down the raod in the direction of Hongsa because Monica, a German living in Laos for 7 years, was there waiting for me. She had invited me to eat Kaes’ Spaetzle (German cheese noodle specialty) together with her. Weeks ago, she had...
Nr.33 – Sabaidee – Welcome to the 3rd World

Nr.33 – Sabaidee – Welcome to the 3rd World

  At the border, the customs officials were doing lunch, so I had to wait a while before I could enter. I got the visa right at the customs counter – valid for 30 days. One more barrier and I entered the 24th country on my trip in the direction of...
Nr.32 – 25.000 Kilometers and No End in Sight

Nr.32 – 25.000 Kilometers and No End in Sight

25,000 Kilometers and No End in Sight   “19 Months in a Nutshell”   In Montenegro, I had completed the first 5,000 kilometers of my trip; to arrive there, I had chosen a route through Eastern Europe climbing every mountain along...
Nr.31 – China – Yunnan – The Gate to Southeast Asia

Nr.31 – China – Yunnan – The Gate to Southeast Asia

Although the road was exhaustingly strenuous due to the endless steep hills, the landscape was breathtakingly beautiful. The mountains were blanketed lavishly with green vegetation and the fields spread across the landscape in a myriad of lovely colors. Perfectly...
Nr.30 – China – Yunnan – A new world

Nr.30 – China – Yunnan – A new world

  I left Shangri La on the main road to the south, which was a mistake, because there was significantly more traffic on that road than I expected. I would say it was the busiest highway I was on since I began traveling in China. There wasn’t much to see...
Nr.28 – China – The Tibetan World in Sichuan

Nr.28 – China – The Tibetan World in Sichuan

For once, it was sunny and warm as I left Yushu and in the open space outside the town, there was a huge Mani stone wall, where believers were placing their painted, labeled “Om mani padme hum” stones. May glory be to you, you jewel in the lotus blossom....
Nr.27 – China – Comedy of  getting a new visa

Nr.27 – China – Comedy of getting a new visa

   After a 17-hour bus ride, I arrived in Xining in the middle of the night.  Surrounded by giant skyscrapers, I searched the town for a place to spend the night. Luckily, in one hotel, the desk clerk was unaware of the regulations. At least, I was able...
Nr.25 – China – The Endless Gobi Desert

Nr.25 – China – The Endless Gobi Desert

After Gansu, the traffic signs were in Chinese and English, which made my life as a cyclist somewhat easier. The Gobi Desert seemed to be endless, but I was able to continue to motivate myself and was not really bored which could have easily happened in...
Nr.24 – China – Xinjiang Province

Nr.24 – China – Xinjiang Province

For seven long miles I cycled through a corridor secured with barbed wire – a brand new highway that, like a snake, looped from the Kazakh border to the Chinese border. There were cameras hanging on every lamp post along that highway. From then...
No. 22 – Kyrgyzstan – pure nature !!!

No. 22 – Kyrgyzstan – pure nature !!!

On the way to Song Kul, a lake at 3000 meters altitude, I met a Dutchman named William, who was traveling with a Dutch cycling group. He was bringing up the rear and I felt a little sorry for him, because absolutely no one in the group seemed to be looking...
No. 21 – Kyrgyzstan – stunning scenery

No. 21 – Kyrgyzstan – stunning scenery

  Kyrgyzstan is the only central Asian country that allows a 2-month visa-free tourist residency. I had finally arrived in a place where there was no strict visa deadline and I could enjoy touring in the country and relaxing with no time pressure. I liked...
No.18 – 1 year on the road – the highlights of the trip

No.18 – 1 year on the road – the highlights of the trip

    Breakdowns: exchanged the rear wheel saddle chewed to pieces by a stupid dog speedometer only 5 punctures !!!!! handle bar grip broke after a crash 3 chains 3 torn gear shift cables 2 mirrors replaced 3 tail lights (2 were stolen) rear tyre replaced...

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