Lord of the Hills

After a couple of farewell dinners with friends and former colleagues of Man Australia it was time to say goodbye to Australia. I was looking for a change in scenery and hence hopped on a flight to Queenstown, New Zealand. When I peeked out of the window after only 2 1/2 hours of flight the scenery was quite different indeed. There was snow covered mountains everywhere I looked and of course my Swiss heart started beating faster immediately. Queenstown has a beautiful location at Lake Wakatipu and surrounded by mountains (not very high but they definitely look like mountains), most notably the Remarkables range. The city has seen a huge tourism boom over the past decade or so and prides itself as being the adventure capital of the world. Sky diving, bungy jumping, jetboating, heli-biking, mountain biking, white water rafting – anything is possible around here. In winter, skiing is very popular around here. In fact, I was told that they just had the best winter season ever (in terms of visitors) and the most snow in 25 years (more on that later)!

Initially, the weather was not very good (snowfall in the first night!) but when the skies started to clear up and the temperatures got a little warmer I got ready to explore the mountains. My goal was to do the Routeburn Track (funny enough some of the other Great Walks like the Milford Track are booked for months and months). It traverses 32 kilometres of Mount Aspiring and Fiordland National Parks and usually takes 3 days to complete. The profile did not look too challenging and I was confident I could complete the walk in 2 days (just too lazy to carry too much food). As it turns out the organization of the logistics proved more challenging than expected. While the hiking track is only 32km, it is not a loop and to get back to the starting point its a 270km drive… What made things difficult is that everything had to be booked individually. So first I booked the huts but then I had to find transportation (drop off and pick up) at reasonable cost and in line with my hiking timetable (not easy in the off season) and then finally when I picked up the hut tickets at the DOC they told me that part of the track is closed due to avalanche risk and that hikers have to get a helicoptre lift that is only available once per day. Gee, this sounds like the most complicated hiking trip I have ever done…

However, next morning when I jumped in a mini van all the logistical stress was soon forgotten. The skies were deep blue and the snow covered mountains shining beautifully in the morning sun. Putting 10kg on my back felt like a deja vu – except after all the partying in Australia I really felt out of shape. So I took it easy, marched up the track at a slow pace, enjoyed the crisp air and the beautiful environment. The track started off in a stunning green forest (it looked greener than a normal forest because of all the fern and a lot of the trees are covered by moss, it really looks like an Alpine rainforest), following a river with crystal clear waters and eventually the forest opened up to reveal open grassed flats and we also got some glimpses of the mountains. The higher we climbed in the valley (it was not very steep though) the better we could see the mountains and eventually the full panorama. This made me realize how much I have missed the mountains – I could not get enough of the views! Despite my slow pace I got to Routeburn Flats early and took the side trip to the North Branch. Again, very interesting landscapes characterized by beech forests, tussock clearings and of course the towering mountains. I got more impressed by the minute and it was fascinating to observe the changing light conditions throughout the afternoon. Finally, I tackled the ascent to the Routeburn Falls Hut which was only 45min up the hill from the Routeburn Flats Hut. Some beautiful waterfalls around the hut and only 17 hikers staying there (capacity of 50). Over dinner I had another deja vu – I was hungry like a wolf!

I was almost certain that this beautiful day could not be topped, but the following day got even better. We hiked uphill for about one hour to Lake Harris where we had to wait for the helicopter to pick us up. There was now more and more snow on the track and made me realize why the track was closed. The scenery at Lake Harris was simply spectacular and so was the 5 minute helicopter ride to Mackenzie Hut. Instead of me trying to describe it, I suggest you just have a look at the pictures. From Mackenzie Hut it was all downhill towards The Divide and I felt kind of sad to leave this beautiful scenery behind. It was like walking away from a beautiful dream…

Anyway, I made it to The Divide in time for my bus pick-up and was driven to Te Anau, a sleepy but lovely town on the shores of Lake Te Anau. From here I took a bus trip to Milford Sound the following day. The fjords of Milford Sound are one of the most visited attractions in New Zealand. When visiting you are not sure whether you should wish for a blue sky day so you can see properly all the stunning mountains and rock formations rising from the water or should you wish for a rainy day that creates hundreds of waterfalls in the fjords. Well, turns out we had something of a mixed bag, grey skies but no rain. Nevertheless, a beautiful experience.

After returning to Queenstown I spent a couple of lazy days around town with some amazing spring weather. Also made a short trip to Wanaka, a smaller sibling of Queenstown that probably gets more action in winter because the skiing is better. I put on my hiking boots again for a short hike to see the Rob Rory Glacier in Mt Aspiring National Park. From Wanaka, the experience begins with a one hour drive along the beautiful Matukituki Valley into the national park. The drive was great because mostly on unsealed roads and the numerous fords seriously stresstested my little Toyota rental car (of course I was not supposed to drive there)…

So much about the mountains and Queenstown. I will be heading to Christchurch tomorrow and now really curious to see more of New Zealand. This is an amazingly beautiful country and there are a lot of good things happening down here…

Farewell 1 with Lindsay and Richard at Beaches in Manly

Farewell 2 with the Man Crew at Billy Kwong in Sydney

En route to Routeburn – looks promising…

North Branch of Routeburn

A very happy Lord of the Hills at Lake Harris – amazing!!

Ups, forgot the name of this one…

Milford Sound

Rob Rory Glacier

Life is a Party!

I spent the last 11 days on a group trip from Surfers Paradise to Cairns organized by Connections Adventure Travel. The company is specialized in adventure travel for people aged between 18 and 39. It was about 33 of us (from all over the world, ie England, Germany, Austria, Ireland, Norway, US, Canada plus two Australian guides) who travelled the 2,500km from the Gold Coast to Cairns on a bus called “Matilda”. It was great having an opportunity to meet so many new people and getting to know them really well in a short time thanks to long hours on the bus and even more hours spent in the pubs and bars (at times it felt like the group had turned into a nocturnal species!). Once again it was proven that travelling is all about the journey and not the destination! Everyone had a great time and it was no surprise that a few tears were shed when it was time to say goodbye this morning! The weather was also great during the trip and it was a relief to go back to shorts and T-shirt.

My personal highlight of the trip was the 2 night sailing adventure in the Whitsunday Islands aboard the British Defender. British Defender is a high tech Whitbread Around The World Racing Maxi that was raced by the British Armed Services during the 1989/90 Around The World Race. When I first saw the yacht (83ft long) I could not believe it was possible to squeeze so many people on it. But over the next 2 days I figured out that life on a yacht is great despite a tiny bunkbed and limited facilities. Actually while we were sailing I completely lost track of time (even more so than during the rest of the year!) and I also had a feeling of total freedom. Our sailing trip was off to a bad start though and there were suspicions that someone had braught bananas on board. First, one of the crew members (french canadian trainee) dislocated his shoulder and it was so bad that we had to turn around so he could go to the hospital. Later, one of the sails got damaged and could not be used anymore. From then on however it was smooth sailing. For most of us it was the first time on a yacht and hence there were some nervous faces the first time the boat was inclined (not sure this is proper sailing language…). Once we got used to it though, we could not get enough and just wanted to sail faster and faster. They almost had to kick us off the yacht at the end of the trip. So sailing was great and some of the beaches we got to see were simply beyond belief. These must be some of the most beautiful beaches in the world (but unfortunately also some of the most photographed)! Finally, it was the great crew of the British Defender that really made a difference. They were genuinely nice, spoilt us with some of the  best food of the trip (despite a tiny kitchen!) and gave us some very useful lessons in sign language (big fucking shark anyone?).

My other favorite was the day we spent in the Great Barrier Reef. Actually, I had no idea how large the GBR is – over 2000km! The 2 hours boat ride to get there was a torture since many of us fell sick thanks to the rough sea. However, once we got there all the pain was forgotten. Snorkelling and diving around the reefs make you feel like being on a different planet. The colours and varieties are stunning and thankfully the part of the reef we saw still seemed in very good condition. It was the perfect location for my first scuba diving experience and so I spent about 30 minutes under water with an instructor. If you follow the basics (just keep breathing normally, equalize ear pressure) and get taken by the hand, scuba diving seems like a pretty easy thing to do. We did not go much deeper than 4-5 meters but it was enough to spot some amazing creatures and definitely showed me the underwater world from a different angle (compared to snorkelling). Also, my instructor allowed me to touch a number of things such as the giant clam, a sea cucumber and some of the corals. As much as I appreciated the experience, water will never be my preferred element and hence I dont think I will become a serious scuba diver anytime soon.

During the trip we also stopped in Rockhampton (the beef capital of Queensland) and spent the night at a Rodeo event. I must say these cowboys are pretty courageous (or crazy?) to sit on these wild beasts and not surprisingly minor or major injuries are quite common. We also got a taste of how friendly the locals are around Rockhampton as some from our group got invited to a private residence with free flowing alcohol and a swimming pool. And as we all know the combination of lots of alcohol and the presence of a swimming pool inevitably lead to a minor or major pool party. Well, our youngsters even topped this with some balcony climbing back at the hotel after the pool party was over… Another stop on the way to Cairns was in Undara (it is considered to be part of the accessible outback) where we did some bushwalking, wildlife spotting (kangaroos, bats), got a fantastic bush brekkie in the morning and heard many stories of all the dangerous animals that live out here. While we spent only a couple of hours in Undara, it was enough to realize that this is a totally different breed that is living out here.

Anyway, after spending so much time travelling along the coast of Australia I am now ready for a change and will be flying to Southern New Zealand in a couple of days and hopefully go back to a more active lifestyle (of course I am talking about day time!).

Party time in Airlie Beach

Fraser Island

British Defender, our home for 2 nights

Champagne sailing

Near Whiteheaven, incredible…

Sunset in Undara

Our snorkelling/diving site in the Great Barrier Reef

A new tribe of English-Swiss Aborigines

A (chilly) Australian Spring

Some of you must be wondering what I have been up to in the last couple of weeks. Well, I briefly stopped in Singapore/Phuket then continued to Sydney and have been enjoying the Australian spring ever since. Amazingly there are no signs of an economic crisis in this part of the world. In Singapore there are still more construction sites than in any other place I have been in the last 12 months and locals are back in their favorite activity of real estate speculation. Australia on the other hand is probably the only major country in the world that has not been in recession since the crisis started and hence it is no surprise that no one is bothered by it down under. The Aussie real estate market has also sprung back to life, albeit for different reasons than in Singapore (supply-demand imbalance, population growth) and the Central Bank has just raised interest rates to avoid a speculative bubble. Real estate prices in Australia have been going in one direction only for the last 25 years and are now among the highest in the world.

Anyway, after spending quite a bit of time in Australia on business trips it is actually nice to be down here and have time to explore the country. Sydney remains one of my top spots in the world and every time I come down here I get that warm and fuzzy feeling. It is a small city with a spectacular setting , there is a very diverse restaurant scene and nightlife (Pure Platinum, Rodney!), some of the top beaches are very close to the city (my favorites are Manly and Bondi), the climate allows for a great outdoor lifestyle and finally people are relaxed and have a great sense of humour. The only downside is that the cost of living is high because of the real estate prices (as mentioned above) and the high taxes (not just income but also alcohol, cars etc).  But I guess if you want a piece of paradise it comes at a cost…! Oh, and the other interesting thing is that this is the only place in the world where I can watch a sports channel and have no clue about what is going on (cricket, footie, netball anyone?)

 Luckily, I have made some friends in Sydney over the past couple of years and it was great catching up with them.  Particularly enjoyed staying with Lindsay and Richard (we met in Peru earlier this year) in Manly. They showed me where to get the best pizza and boobs combo, inspired me to do the Manly Scenic Walk (highly recommended) and we had some good laughs about our travel experiences in Peru. Ups, almost forgot to mention that I happened to be in Sydney during the dust storm. It was surreal and felt like the end of the world was approaching (plus I could not stop coughing)…

After a couple of days in Sydney I was off to Adelaide a pleasantly laid back city with roughly 1 million inhabitants. The city itself is nothing to write home about but the beauty is that beaches and wineries are very close. So I spent some time in the beach resorts of Victor Harbor and Glenelg and also took a ferry to Kangaroo Island. Now, KI is a very special place. It’s a pretty big island (150km from one end to the other) with only 4,000 inhabitants but plenty of wildlife and spectacular coastline. In fact, the place really reminded me of the Galapagos… Kangaroos, koalas, sealions, penguins, whales, dolphins and all kinds of birds. Too bad the weather was not very good (very cold!), otherwise I would have spent more time there. The flipside of the coin though was that I got to spend more time at the wineries! And I did quite a bit of tasting in Barrossa Valley and McLaren Vale (plus later in Coonawarra). While still not a wine expert, my general impression was that the whole wine production is very commercially oriented (ie made to drink not to age) and it was difficult to find some nice boutique wineries (but thanks to Daphne I did!). Also, while the quality of the wines is of high standard it was difficult to find something exceptional or outstanding. My favorites are Langmeil (Fifth Wave Grenache, Freedom Shiraz), Fox Creek (Shiraz!), Rymill (Cabernet Sauvignon), Bowen Estate (Shiraz/Cabernet) and Redman (Cabernet-Merlot). Because of my travels, I had limited capacity for any cases but still managed to snap up a bottle each of Langmeil and Redman. Thanks to the flexible BYO policy of local restaurants we could enjoy them with a nice dinner (wish we had a BYO policy in Europe)!

Before turning into a wine addict I hit the road again. This time with my cousine Melanie who had flown in from Perth.  We were planning to do the  Great Ocean Road,  a beautiful stretch of coast between Adelaide and Melbourne. It is famous for some beautiful limestone formations just off the coast (most prominently the 12 Apostels). They really are magnificent but so are the lovely coastal towns like Port Fairy and Apollo Beach. We also managed to do some whale watching at Logan Beach (from the shores!) and spent 2 days in the Grampians National Park where some stunningly beautiful mountains rise out of nowhere.

I am currently in Melbourne and heading to the Gold Coast tomorrow. Melbourne used to be the world’s richest city during the gold rush of the 1850’s (there is no gold rush currently despite record high prices – somehow everyone is into real estate here too) and it is still a very nice place (apparently voted as the world’s most liveable city). Again, I like the compact size, the bustling alleys, the many green parks and when walking along Lygon Street I really felt like walking on Italien territory…

Anyway, that’s it for now. I shall keep you posted more regularly again on the coming adventures…

On a day like this, this is the best place on earth!

Manly Scenic Walk

Kangaroo Island

Even mixed weather has its advantages (Penola)

Winetasting at Ryemill in Coonawarra

The Southern Grampians

12 Apostels (in black and white)

Brunchtime in Melbourne

The Great Hike – in 30 days across Switzerland

The project

The Alpine Culture Trail has a total length of 650km and is crossing Switzerland from Lake Geneva (St. Gingolphe) to Muestair, the Easternmost village of the country. Along its path it crosses 10 different Cantons (VS, VD, FR, BE, LU, OW, NW, UR, TI, GR) and all four language regions. Hence the goal is not to go across the country as quickly as possible but rather to learn something about the culture of the different regions along the way. Also, while 650km of walking is quite significant I found the altitude changes much more significant. During the 30 days the altitude gain was roughly 27,000m or in other words 3x Mt Everest and back! Why did I do all of this? After so many years of living in (foreign) big cities it was time to spend some more time outside and to learn more about my own country. Moreover I liked the physical challenge…

My path across Switzerland

The beginnings in St Gingolphe VS

 

Preparation

Almost none… I had done a lot of hiking earlier this year in Patagonia and Peru. That definitely brought me in shape and also taught me the importance of having the right gear. The weather changes in Patagonia are notorious and are well designed to check how weather proof your gear (and your personality) is. Back in Switzerland I did a couple of hikes to keep in shape but nothing too serious. Also I replaced, repaired and upgraded some items. Most importantly my hiking boots got new soles and I also bought a somewhat smaller backpack (that still ended up weighing 8kg…). Finally I bought kind of a travel guide for the Alpine Culture Trail but did not read it before I set out… Also did not bother bringing any maps – Swiss trails are marked very well (got lost only once or twice at my own fault).

 

Accomodation

I did not make any bookings in advance so as to keep the flexibility. I figured as a one man team I would always be able to find something and luckily it worked out. In most places the choice was very limited anyway and so I mostly stayed in lower end hotels but also some B&Bs, hostels and mountain huts. Because of the inexpensive nature of accommodation I did not expect too much in terms of service. Nevertheless the range was surprisingly wide (primarily measured in quality of the breakfast) and you could definitely tell who is wholeheartedly in business and who is not… And the highlight was of course when I got to stay at Melanie and Erwin’s where I got a great BBQ, comfy bed and probably the most comprehensive breakfast. Thanks again guys!

 

Food

As indicated above, breakfast was mostly included in accommodation but unfortunately the quality was skewed to the downside. The standard was pretty much just tea, bread, butter and jam. So whenever someone offered muesli, fruit or cold cuts it felt like Christmas. During the day I always had plenty of snacks and liquids with me while trying to minimize the weight on my shoulders…At times I felt like a cow because I was eating and drinking so much but it was necessary.  The body was asking for it and indicated quite well when it was time to refuel (in that sense the human body is a miracle). After a couple of days I also noticed that water was not enough anymore and partially had to switch to isotonic drinks (Gatorade etc). The prospect of having a nice dinner at night was one of the things that kept me going every day. So I was dining in restaurants every night and I quickly learnt the importance of eating right (carbs!). As with the hotels, the restaurant choice was also limited and I was quite happy to cross San Gottardo and eat some great pasta in the Italian part of Switzerland (thankfully Graubuenden also had great food, so I was almost spoilt in the second half of the trip…). A word of caution though – in Switzerland there is a serious risk of starvation on Mondays because everything seemed to be closed…

 

Weather

Some are claiming that we have had a mild winter rather than anything of a summer. Guess the truth is that weather has been quite unstable this summer. Particularly the first half of my trip was quite wet and cloudy. Temperatures were great for walking though. Fortunately I was lucky and avoided the worst rainshowers/thunderstorms with good timing or when I was caught in the rain it was typically during easy stages in the valleys. It could have been different. Some SAC mountain huts got up to 40cm of snow on July 18… The good thing about the bad patch of weather was that I really enjoyed the (many) sunny days in the second half of the trip. There is nothing better than a beautiful day in the mountains with spectacular vistas…

Swiss summer has been pretty wet

Sometimes the hiking paths turned into little rivers…

 

The walking

The Alpine Culture Trail is divided in 30 different stages. It is a good mixture of different distances, terrains, difficulties and its easy to lengthen or shorten the various stages. And just to clarify, I purely relied on my feet for 30 days – no train, no chairlift, no bus – just walking… On an average day I was walking for roughly 6-7 hours with a distance of 20-25km and altitude changes of 1500-1800m. That was quite manageable particularly after I had found my rhythm (probably around day 5). On the extreme end, the toughest days saw me walking for 10 hours, up to 44km and altitude changes of 3000m. Luckily those days were few and I can assure you that I always slept very well at night. But even after the toughest days when I arrived at my destination exhausted I was amazed about the body’s ability to recover over night. Some stretching, a good dinner and 10 hours of sleep can do wonders. What also makes a big difference is the surface. I definitely preferred to walk on natural mountain trails than paved roads. The latter make your feet burn badly after a couple of hours. In that respect days 3 and 10 were probably the worst since I seriously thought my feet were on fire when I arrived in Saanen and Altdorf respectively. On those days I tried to find a cold mountain river to reanimate my feet. From a technical point of view the trail was not difficult. Thankfully so given the long walks and the weight on my back… I also have to say that I was amazed about how far you can get with just a couple of days of walking. On any given day the day seemed long with little progress but when you put a couple of days together it makes a difference quickly. It’s actually great to go at a slower pace for once. It gives you more time to observe your environment and makes you realize how much we typically rush through life. The other advantage of walking is that it takes you to many places that are otherwise not accessible. It was impressive to walk on many paths that were historically important trading routes but have been rendered unimportant by the construction of (rail)roads. I guess times do change…

Health

It was amazing… No blister, no scratch, no twisted ankle, no headache, no nothing…! The only problem occurred a few hours after I arrived at the final destination. I came down with a stomache flu just when I was getting ready for the 30 days of partying…

 

Support

While I was walking alone on most of the days, there were some friends who joined me for a hike during the last 10 days or so. A big thanks to Andrea, Melanie, Nicolas, Paulo, Dominique and particularly Aggi who joined me for 2 days and Christine who I got to see twice during the 30 days! Everyone else did a great job on inquiring about blisters, fitness level and weather via phone and text messages or at least thinking about me every now and then… A big thank you also goes to all the interesting people I met on the road and who shared the enthusiasm for my project.

Reanimating my feet with Christine at Kneipp’s in Fluehli LU

Nicolas, Paulo and Dominique hiking with me in Engadin GR

 

Highlights

 

Chateau Chillon, Montreux VD

Pays d’Enhaut VD

Storeggpass NW, looking towards Engelberg. Wow!

Surenenpass UR

Old mule track at San Gottardo TI

Romanesque church in Leontica TI

I kept being amazed about the clean mountain rivers (Brenno TI)

View from Capanna Motterascio TI

Hochebene Greina GR

Rheinschlucht also known as Swiss Grand Canyon

View from Val Minger GR, Swiss National Park

Convent of St John, Muestair GR (Unesco World Heritage)

 

There are so many more things I have to tell about this trip but rather than bore you with my blog I am looking forward to giving you the full story personally.

Cheers

Adrian

Mission accomplished!

Dear friends,

After 30 days of hiking I reached the final destination of Muestair in the South Eastern corner of Switzerland on Friday Aug 7. Its been an incredible experience and I am thankful for all the beautiful corners of Switzerland I discovered, for the many interesting people I met on the road, for all the things I learnt about my body while I was pushing the limit (650km and 27,000m  altitude gain) and for the support of friends and family while I was out there. I am back home in Amden now and shall be posting a detailed report in the coming days.

Cheers,

Adrian

PS – it feels great to make use of public transport again…

16 Days and still walking…!

Hi!

Just a quick note to let you all know that I am still hiking! After 16 days I have arrived in Ticino (Airolo) today. I have come here from Spiez (from where I sent the last update) via Innereriz BE-Marbach LU-Flühli LU-Giswil-Melchtal-Engelberg-Altdorf-Andermatt-St.Gotthard. Fair to say that my legs are not super fresh anymore but I am still having fun out here. Particularly the last 4-5 days have been exciting since I have been hiking in the heart of the alps. What has been less exciting is the weather. Fortunately, it has been mostly dry but there are always dark clouds hanging around the mountains and you never know when they will take a leek. Somehow it makes you walk faster because you want to get to your destination dry… Also, still lots of snow out there. I have been walking across more snowfields than expected…

Anyway, I will be on the hiking trails for another 2 weeks (in Ticino and Graubünden) and shall give you the full details after completing this project.

Hasta la vista

Adrian

Holy Guacamole!!

It has been 6 days since I set off for the big hike across Switzerland. In that time I have made it from St-Gingolphe (Lake Geneva) via Montreux, Montbovon, Saanen (Gstaad), Jaun, Oberwil to Spiez at Lake Thun. So far everything has been going well, I mean no blisters, no overly sore muscles, no scratches, no other injuries. Nevertheless, it has been tough, actually much tougher than expected.  No matter whether you are in good shape, no matter whether you are using some of the best gear possible, after a couple of hours walking, the soles of your feet start burning and your legs get heavier. Also, there are no easy days. Even on “short” days with relatively flat terrain, 6 hours of walking are still 6 hours of walking… Interestingly, during any given day you feel like you are making very little progress because you keep seeing the same valley or the same mountains. However, if you sit down at night and have a look at the map (the big picture) it makes you incredibly proud to see how far you have come. In a way this is very similar to our every day life, isnt it? How do I make sure I can keep going? 8-10 hours of sleep every night (after my hiking days usually all I want is a shower and a bed), lots of stretching every evening, no or little alcohol and yes after day 3 I went straight to a pharmacy to get a magic gel that keeps my legs young and fresh… Every morning I get out of bed really slowly and then test all body parts to make sure they still function. Ah, and there has been a change in my diet. Basically I drink and eat like a cow… (to give you an idea, one of the farmers I met told me that a cow drinks 50-100 liter water per day and eats 70kg grass)… and it is very necessary! With regard to the weather, I have been very lucky. The first week was almost completly dry (many paths are still wet from all the rain we had early summer though) and the temperature was great for hiking, basically ranging from 10-20°. This week the forecast is for lots of sunshine with temperatures >30° and thunderstorms. We’ll see…

But after a little bitching and moaning I have to admit… it’s also a great experience, one that I will never forget. I get to see corners of Switzerland I never knew they existed, never would have travelled there if it was not for this crazy hiking plan. And there really are some beautiful spots outside the principal tourist resorts. I am actually amazed how tourists are more and more drawn to the brand names (Gstaad, Montreux, Zermatt etc) and willing to pay almost any price while other villages half an hour away are “dying” because there are no jobs and the young population is moving away because of this. Always thought that modern technology would make it easier to work from anywhere but in reality people still migrate towards cities (probably a global phenomenon).

It’s beautiful to be outside all day long and observe the changing landscapes, weather, architeqture, languages etc. Walking is one of the slowest forms of moving around, so it really gives you lots of time to record your impressions and it also gives you lots of time for thinking. It also gives you real life experiences. For example in finance we always talk about herd mentality. Believe me, I have talked about it many times but there is no such thing as actually experiencing it. One morning I passed some cows and looked one of them straight in the eye. She did not seem to appreciate that and for some reason started to charge after me. Well guess what, the other 19 followed promptly. After I caught my breath again, I told the farmer to name his cow Warren Buffet but he probably thought I was on crack. Also actually saw a snake in the mountains (they always tell you we have snakes in school but I never believed it) and some other wildlife like fox and deer. The only species I did not find a lot was other hikers. I know I am not walking in brand name territory and probably no one else is doing this crazy hike but come on this is summer time, the main hiking season. Thankfully, the trail is taking me through several villages so I get to catch up there or often I stay at small hotels and lovely B&Bs where the owners are very interested to listen to my stories. Oh, and my favorite real life experiences are the bloody electroshocks from the cow fences and getting lost on the hiking trail (an extra 45min loop really hurts when you have an 8 hour hiking day anyway).

Almost forgot to mention that it is not all just about hiking. I was very lucky to cross the Montreux Jazz Festival and got to see a performance by Alice Cooper (whats the connection to Jazz here?). His face is a little wrinkly now and his belly has grown but his shows are still quite bloody… Also when I stopped in Saanen (Gstaad) they had a major Beach Volley Tournament there. No wonder I felt like the smallest kid in town but luckily I still managed to order some beer. In Gstaad I also spotted former UBS CEO Ospel and his wife. The were dining in an alfresco place and seemed to enjoy themselves. And finally tonight I took a dive in Lake Thun. The water temperature was a refreshing 19°, just perfect after a day of hiking…

Anyway, despite all the ups and downs that you naturally go through on such a hike, it has been really fun and unique and I have learn a lot about my country, nature and about my body. Will keep you posted when I have a chance but unfortunately there are not too many internet cafes in Switzerland. For the same reason I will upload the pictures when I am back home.

So long

Adrian

A summer in Switzerland

After spending a couple of months in new territories and meeting new people, it was nice to take a break and go back to familiar areas and faces. So I spent the last 5 weeks catching up with people in Singapore, Switzerland and the US. It was great talking about my travel experiences and getting first hand information from the real world…

Over the last 10 years I had almost forgotten how beautiful Switzerland is in summer and I keep joking to my friends that the whole country really comes across as one big national park. Summer days are very long around here (daylight from 5.30am to almost 10pm) and the Swiss are surprisingly relaxed during this period. There is a strong desire to soak up the sun and spend as much time as possible outside (preferably at a lake or in the mountains), beer gardens and outdoor cafes are popping up like mushrooms and for a short time we may rival Argentina and Australia as BBQ champions. Thanks to the financial crisis, the Swiss are rediscovering their own country and many are planning to spend the summer vacations around here.

Over the last 5 weeks or so I have been fortunate to discover many beautiful corners of my country with some simple one day hikes. It has nurtured my appetite for more and I have decided to go it all the way. Hence, from July 8 I will be hiking all across Switzerland on the Alpine Culture Trail, from Lake Geneva all the way to Val Mustair at the Eastern end. The total distance is 650km divided into roughly 30 stages. The trail crosses the four language areas of Switzerland as well as ten different Kantons and 15 alpine passes. Lowest point is 372m above sea level (Lake Geneva) and the highest is at 2585m (Vereina). Apart from the physical challenge, the trail is really all about learning more about history, culture, customs, craftsmanship of the different areas. After travelling all over the world, this is well overdue.

Anyway, depending on the infrastructure I will keep you updated during my trip. Also would like to invite anyone interested to join me for a couple of hours or a couple of days. The fresh Alpine air, stunning scenery and healthy lifestyle will give you a new perspective – guaranteed! Just take a look at the pictures below…

So long,

Adrian

 

View from my parents house (!) in Amden

Alpine pasture around my hometown Amden

Scenery on Murgsee Trail

 

Toggenburger Hoehenweg

Lovely Alpine hut…

…and the friendly locals

Seealp See, Appenzell

…and yes, you will find them everywhere!

Carribean Beauty

Wow! 4 months after I first stepped on the South American continent in Buenos Aires and 3 months after I reached the very Southern tip in Ushuaia we have made it all the way to Caracas at the Northern end of the continent (and as I type these lines we are already back in Switzerland). What an incredible journey it has been. From the stunning natural beauties in Argentina, the impressive archeological sites in Peru to the exotic rhythms and joy of life in Brazil/Colombia. We are taking so many memories, so many stories with us – I guess we will bore you with them until the end of our lives… Personally, I have rediscovered my love for South America and I am deeply impressed how much progress has been achieved in countries like Brazil, Peru and Colombia over the last decade. No doubt, the future looks much better and the potential is enormous…

We spent all of the final days of our trip in Cartagena, Colombia. It’s a beautiful, well-preserved colonial city on Colombia’s Carribean coast (did you know Colombia has exposure to the Carribean?) and practically the only place in Colombia that has been “discovered” by international tourists. For me Cartagena is hands down the most beautiful city on the continent of South America and I wish I had bought real estate there when I first visited 10 years ago (these days celebrities like Mick Jagger, Enrique Iglesias and Donald Trump (!) are moving in and real estate prices are now among the highest in South America). But it’s not just the historic center that makes Cartagena such a wonderful experience. It’s the whole package of being the safest city in Colombia, the nice beaches (the only place to escape the heat), the laid back Carribean lifestyle, the friendly locals, the Salsa and Vallenato music blasting from every corner and the wonderful balmy nights when a bottle of cold Aguila beer just seems to taste better (and go down faster) than anywhere else in the country. All the nights we spent drinking beer (and watching people) at the beautiful Plaza Santa Domingo amidst all kind of artists, singers and other fellow tourists… It was as close to paradise as you can get and I was secretly wishing that the nights would never end and we’d never have to get up from that chair…

Our arrival in Cartagena was very well timed – 19th of May, my birthday! Of course that was no coincidence. I have had friends there for 10 years and I thought it would be a great idea to celebrate with them. They are actually more like my Colombian family. The welcome after 10 years was so warm, I could not believe it. There was a big sign saying “Bienvenido a casa Chibcombiano” (welcome home chibchombiano – my Colombian nickname) and the whole family was there including neighbors and cousins from Baranquilla etc. I had no idea that I had left such a lasting impression… Also realized quickly why the family seemed so much bigger than last time. There are six new kids on the block – viva Colombia! So we spent my birthday night remembering the good old times, drinking whiskey and beer and eating birthday cakes. It was wonderful to spend my birthday so far from home but still have so many loved ones around. It was overwhelming and I was glad we got to hang out in Cartagena for some additional days.

In terms of day time activities there was not much going on in Cartagena – it was simply too hot! So we spent our days on the beach or at the Islas del Rosario. We undertook one trip to Moroa with the goal of buying high quality hammocks at good prices. It turned into one of those adventures I described in my last report. About one hour outside of Cartagena we run into a huge traffic jam and learn that a bridge has been closed for maintenance and will only reopen in 2 hours. So we get to wait for two hours in the middle of nowhere in the sweltering heat of early afternoon (with lots of nasty invisible mosquitos). Naturally it was the business of a life time for all the street vendors (one girl is cycling to the village and back just to sell me a Diet Coke) and I am always amazed how easy the locals take incidents like this (in Switzerland there would be riots). Fortunately, the bridge was re-opened after 2 hours and we still got to buy our hammocks. You can bet we will remember this trip every single time before we doze off in that comfy hammock…

One night while we were having beers at the Plaza Santo Domingo, we got a free lesson in how to conquer the heart of a Latin woman (or probably any woman for that matter). A beautiful young couple was seated at the table next to us and from there the story unfolded… Step 1 – the gentleman ordered a glass of champagne for the lady (and something stronger for himself). I guess this is as far as we can all follow, except the gentlement kept ordering drinks… Step 2 – the gentleman waves over a guitar player that plays and sings at their table for roughly 15min (it must have been a special guitar player since he did NOT sing Guantanamera). Step 3 – the gentlemen hires a Vallenato band to sing at their table. Vallenato is one of the traditional rhythms of coastal Colombia and is going through a huge revival (for a sample song, go to the end of this report). These guys sing with so much passion that even Gustavo and I get goosebumps. And the point is, they dont leave anymore. Gentleman buys them a couple of cervezas and they stick around for hours… Step 4 – about two hours later a horse drawn carriage arrives. Gentleman buys the coachman a cerveza and then he packs the whole band and his precious girl on the carriage – and off they go. If gentleman was not proposing that night, I dont know what the hell he was doing…!

For us it was also time to hit the road again but our bus trip to Caracas (24 hours!) and flight to Zurich (another 14 hours) was not nearly as romantic. Before we were allowed to leave Colombia I had to promise to my friends that I would return sooner than in 10 years. Well, that’s an easy one you’d think…

Anyway, I am now taking a break from backpacker’s life to decide about the next steps. Check back in a couple of weeks or even better send me an e-mail if you want to know what I am up to. Thanks to all of you for following my blog and for all the positive feedback!

Hasta pronto

Adrian

 

Here a sample of modern Vallenato (again with beautiful pictures of Colombia)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIBdN4jxtv0

Danger Zone?

The stereotypes about Colombia are pretty clear and strong: most dangerous country in the world, capital of kidnapping, the world’s largest supplier of cocaine… Well, we got news for you. Things have been changing down here (pretty much unnoticed by the rest of the world) ever since Alvaro Uribe took over presidency in 2002. He has been successfully fighting the guerilla thanks to a huge increase in the police force and the army plus tight security controls across the country (we got firsthand experience). This has had a big effect in the country side where previously the guerilla could do as they wished. It has also had a dramatic effect on the psychology of the Colombians. For the first time in 2-3 generations they now believe in a better future. With regard to the cocaine trade, the government claims that coca cultivation is down 70% since Uribe took over. Whatever the number is, there has been a shift in the psychology of coca farmers too. They have been incentivized to grow other things and noticed if there is no coca, there is no guerilla and hence no more violance. So, things are definitely moving in the right direction but there is still a lot of work to do. More than 50% of Colombians still live in poverty…

Security Check on the trip from Popayan to Cali

With regard to tourism, Colombia is refreshingly unspoilt (at least where we have been travelling so far). After all the organized “adventure” tours in Peru, adventure simply seems a natural byproduct of daily activities around here. The Colombians are very friendly, easy going and curious about the few foreigners that travel around here, so we get approached quite often and of course that is more fun when you speak Spanish…

Our gateway to Colombia was Bogota (2600m above sea leavel) where we were greeted by chili temperatures. It’s an enormous city that spreads as far as the eye can see. No wonder, all those 8 million people have to live somewhere… We toured the city for a day or two and were surprised by how modern, well organized (except for the traffic jams on Saturday), lively and safe it is. Actually when we went to Zona Rosa (entertainment district) on Thursday night I had to pinch myself a couple of times. People were dressed well, the bars and restaurants were sophisticated and best of all, people really seemed to enjoy themselves (Colombians are very good at enjoying the moment). Also liked the Gold museum, one of the most important ones in the world, with many pieces from pre-Colombian times (entrance fee $1!!)

Bogota as far as the eye can see…

One of the precious pieces at the Gold museum

The less pleasant side of Bogota was that we figured out we brought some souvenir from Peru with us. After one week of diarrhea we decided to go to a hospital where we were promptly attended and free of charge (in Switzerland they charge you $100 just for a handshake with the doctor). After a short examniation, the cute doctor (in high heels!) diagnosed some bacterial diarrhea and prescribed us one week of antibiotics and a very strict diet. Well, it actually did the trick even though we are both not back to 100% yet.

After sorting out the medical problems we caught a night bus to San Agustin (it must have been the Ice Express since the aircon was blasting at full power during the whole trip despite outside temperatures of only 15 degrees) in Southern Colombia. SA used to be in the red zone with lots of guerilla activity but thankfully it is now safe again to travel there. SA has some of the most important archeological sites in Colombia, mainly tombs and several hundred spectacular stone statues that acted as guardians of the tombs. All of this is the work of some pre-Columbian indigenous tribes and unfortunately very little is known about it. Also, only about 10% of the estimated sites have been uncovered due to a lack of funding.  Still it’s mysteriously beautiful and best of all, it is all set in a wonderful hilly semi tropical landscape dotted with fincas and plantations of all kinds. It was so beautiful and peaceful, my eyes could not get enough of it…

Tomb guardians at San Agustin

Beautiful landscape around San Agustin

 

On the second day in San Agustin we took a jeep tour to explore some more archeological sites. Our driver and guide was called Rafael, probably about 60 years old. He is a cute grandfatherly type of guy, happily honking for all the girls that crossed our way and then always giving us a mischievous smile. Even better than Rafael the person was his car – a red Chevrolet 4×4 with fare more than 200,000km under the belt and pretty much anything we touched seemed to be broken. Because of a weak battery the enginge would never start, so Gustavo and I always had to give a hand and push the car until Rafael was able to start the engine. The roads were also pretty bad, sometimes they resembled dry riverbeds more than roads. As if this was not enough of a rough ride, at some point the engine started sputtering and the car was jumping like a yearling. So we urged Rafael to pull over at a gas station and sure enough there was not enough gas in the tank… Well, that’s Colombia where everyone is improvising and trying to make ends meet every day. Turns out it was a good warm up for the day after…

The bus ride to Popayan was about 6 hours – no problem under normal circumstances. This road though (connecting two major tourist attractions)was almost completely unpaved and littered with potholes. Gustavo and I were jumping around our seats like pinballs, so we were pretty “shaken” upon arrival. Still it was worth the pain, since Popayan is one of the best preserved colonial towns in Colombia. The nick name is “ciudad blanca” (another one) because all the buildings in the center are painted in white. All the buildings seem in very good shape which is kind of miracle given the city has been flattened several times by earthquakes (the last time 25 years ago). Also, we were very surprised to be the only people wandering around with a camera – where are all those tourists…?

In the historic center of Popayan

Next stop was Cali. It is the Salsa capital of Colombia and supposedly has the hottest women. The taxi driver that took us to the hostel told us so many crime stories about Cali that we felt like turning around and hopping on the next bus. This was followed by a lecture of the friendly Swiss hostel owner that we should stay away from the transvestites in the area because apparently they are pretty aggressive and competitive. Well, we still took a walk around town and found it to be remarkably unremarkable. You could tell that the best days of the Cali cartel are a thing of the past. We still had high hopes for the night life, but I had to venture out alone (Gustavo had a headache).  I was warming up with a couple of beers in the bars of Avenida Sexta (it was the first night of drinking again after all those antibiotics!) and then heading to a club called Kukaramakara. It was the kind of place that I had been looking for but just after I ordered my first beer (around 12.45am) the lights went on. By law all parties in Cali are off by 1am (weekdays) – you gotta be kidding me?! So I asked the friendly lady behind the bar for some recommendation in Juanchito (salsa district a little out of town). Her answer? Dont go there, you gonna get killed… So I hopped on a taxi and went back home. It was a fun ride because the cab driver did not stop at any red light. Yes, Cali is still dangerous…

We are now in Medellin. To get here was another 10 hour bus ride on another Ice Express and again in very hilly and curvy terrain (Colombia has 3 major mountain cordilleras, that’s why all the roads seem to go either uphill or downhill), this time through the Zona Cafetera, the region that produces most of the famous Colombian coffee. Medellin was once labelled the most dangerous city in the world. This was in the Eighties when Pablo Escobar was the king of the city and the king of the cocaine trade. But thankfully things have changed and the most important natives these days are Alvaro Uribe (President) and Fernando Botero (Artist). Medellin is labelled as the city of eternal spring. At 1500m and surrounded on all four sides by rugged peaks it has a very balanced climate and beautiful views to all sides (most impressive actually at night when the whole city lights up like a christmas tree). The city center is bustling with activity while some of the residential areas are really quiet, clean and seem to offer good quality of life. Medellin is the only city in South Amercia that has a metro and the locals are very proud of it. It is surprisingly clean, efficient and some of the stations are even connected to the Metrocable (gondolas) that take you up on the hills (crossing over the shantytowns) from where you have amazing views of the city. We happened to arrive here on a Friday night and headed straight to Zona Rosa (of course) and again I could not believe my eyes. While the district was considerably smaller than in Bogota, the streets were overflowing with young people, all of them having a great time… Those kind of scenes were unthinkable just 10 years ago… Also highly recommended is the Museo de Antioquia which displays a number of paintings and sculptures of native son Fernando Botero.

One of the Botero sculptures in Medellin

View from El Penol, about 2hrs outside of Medellin

Anyway, after all those cities we are now heading towards Cartagena, a beautiful place on the Carribean Coast. We are slowly running out of time for this leg of the trip…

Hasta la proxima

Adrian

PS – for those of you who want to see more of Colombia, I recommend to watch the 2min video clip on YouTube (link below)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzZe0gcc0eY