baacon

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17 April 2022

Ceará - Brazil 🚘

baaconBackpacking, Continents, Reisestil, South America

Road Trip by Car through Ceará

Cumbuco - Kitesurf & Beach Vibes 🌊

Cumbuco is located in the northeast of Brazil in the state of Ceará. Here you'll find one of the best kitesurfing spots in all of Brazil 🥰! The nearest major city is Fortaleza. From there, we took an extremely cheap UBER – Taxi (App)🚗. We only paid about 5 euros for the 45-minute ride 🤑! There were some larger supermarkets and small shops. You can get almost everything you need here. Costs are comparable to Germany. The best time to travel is from July to January 😎. So, of course, we were once again in the wrong place at the wrong time 🤦‍♀️! However, it was still possible to kite on 1-2 days a week!

Especially great was the accommodation for only 20 euros per night. Finally, a vacation rental with a washing machine and sufficient kitchen accessories

(Rarely found in Brazil!). 🤩

Also, there were delicious cocktails on every corner here! 🍹

Pro tip: Carmel Cumbuco Resort. Here we got a frozen cocktail and could relax beautifully in the hot tub. 😉

Last but not least, the sand dunes were absolutely cool too! From here you can jump straight into the water 😜

Good to know: It's dead quiet here in the off-season 🤓

Jericoacoara

The National Park

Big tip: Inform yourself before you just drive off! Our rental car had to endure quite a bit. The route to the National Park is actually only suitable for 4x4 cars. Buuut No Risk- No Fun. We raced over the extremely hilly sand roads and through the, way too deep, puddles. Don't ask me how we managed that. Everyone would have thought we were crazy 🤦‍♀️. But as Max always used to say:

,,Don’t be gentle with your rental!“😆

Just before the National Park, we had to park our car because only quad vehicles or horse-drawn carriages were allowed - 😄. The parking lot cost about 8 euros per day. In addition, there was the tourism fee of 4 euros per day. So, the first 60 euros were already gone before we even got to our accommodation. 😂 Plus, our rented car was also useless for the 5 days... So: Inform yourself beforehand 🤦‍♀️😂 nevertheless, the National Park was really worth it ☀️! It reminded me so much of Gili Trawangan (BALI)!

Simply beautiful. 😍

There are numerous restaurants & bars on every corner here! 🤤

But the best part: Live music 🎶

& the beach was absolutely stunning! Extremely spacious - Absolute paradise!

Additionally, in Jeri, you'll find many enchanting plant species & really cool surfer vibes! 😎

Tatajuba🥰

Here, we had a perfect accommodation right on the beach! 🏝

La Ventana was a beautiful hotel located right on the beach. In the mornings, there was a delicious traditional breakfast with tapioca, crepes, pão de queijo, omelets, and freshly squeezed juices. Simply heavenly 🥰! The staff were super friendly and fulfilled every wish. The hotel rooms are stylishly furnished & most accommodations have a sea view! My personal highlight: Definitely the infinity pool!

So if you ever find yourself in Tatajuba - Don't forget to stop by La Ventana!

To La Ventana

I also finally learned kitesurfing! We were there during the off-season and unfortunately, the wind wasn't always sufficient. However, the Kiteworldwide team was super flexible, so every opportunity to learn could be used. Within this week, I managed to get to the water start, but I will definitely continue! The good thing is: Kiteworldwide offers international courses & amazing kite camps. So if you want to try something new or even already kite - feel free to browse through the Kiteworldwide website!

Zu Kiteworldwide

Not to forget: You'll also find pigs on the beach here 🥰

Fortaleza🌤

The last stop on the Ceará road trip!

The waves were just awesome! Perfect for body-surfing! 🌊 There was also a beautiful beach, and the water was once again beautifully warm.

In the evening, we strolled through the night markets. I love that 😍

CAUTION: Danger of binge eating!

My absolute favorite: Açai! 😍 You have a huge counter with 100 different options: fruits, cookies... etc! When refilling, I always have to be really quick so Max doesn't see how much white chocolate & Smarties I put on my açai 🤫

Unhealthy for the body, but healthy for the soul 😛In the supermarkets, there are giant avocados - yummy 🥰 Unfortunately, everything is wrapped 10 times - The plastic consumption is enormous...

In den Supermärkten gibt es Riesen Avocados – leecker 🥰 Leider wieder alles 10 x eingepackt – Der Plastikverbrauch ist enorm…

The shopping centers were really cool too 🛍! At least they looked great. Prices are definitely higher than in Germany. Nothing for backpackers & penny pinchers. In the bargain corner (my favorite corner 😄), there's usually only clothing in XL or XXL. When paying at the checkout, you'll be asked almost everywhere if you want to pay in installments (even for small amounts). Absolutely crazy. 😯

Especially at night, Fortaleza looks impressive!

In conclusion: The road trip was extremely action-packed 😄! It's somehow always cooler to be even more flexible & that's what we were with the car 😌. If you ever find yourself in Brazil and are thinking about getting a car - you should be aware that it won't be easy. Especially outside the big cities, there are many potholes on the roads & the car/scooter drivers are quite fast 💨. But you get to know the country from a different perspective by car, as you drive through many small villages. Unfortunately, we have to return our car again, buuut of course, the next adventure is already waiting! The next few days, it's carnival in Rio de Janeiro & then we're going on a car rental tour from Rio down to São Paulo! It's going to be absolutely insane!

NEXT STOP: RIO DE JANEIRO - CARNIVAL 🥳

24 January 2022

Chile - City & Desert 🇨🇱

baaconBackpacking, Continents, Reisestil, South America

Die Hauptstadt, die unendliche Wüste und das ganze Einreise Corona Programm

Santiago de Chile☀️

Off to the capital and largest city of Chile! ✈️

Ah, Corona, my dear friend.

Before departing from Peru, as per the usual routine, we had to undergo a PCR test, and guess what? Just after a mere 2 hours of flight time, another one was waiting for us (despite being fully vaccinated + having recovered status + previous negative PCR test results!) 😠. At the airport, they shoved the new test swabs deep into our throats and then even deeper into both nostrils. Yummy. 🤤

With tears in our eyes and coughing, we finally headed to passport control 🥲...

So far, so good. Now it was time for yet another round of quarantine until the new test results arrived. By now, we had become accustomed to it. Luckily, the results only took 1 day, so we had time to explore Santiago de Chile right after 🙏.

Cool city. Lots of skyscrapers. A scorching heat of 30 degrees Celsius. German prices. 😎👍

Coronavirus measure: Temperature check before entering any store!

After strolling around, we visited the Chilean National Zoo🦛

Then, we tried the traditional cocktail: ,,Terremoto“🍹

Very sweet, but oh so delicious with the pineapple ice! 😍

And what could be better than finding watermelon on every corner? 🍉

We definitely made the most out of this one day in Santiago de Chile! ❤️

San Pedro de Atacama🌵

Off to the driest desert in the world! 🏜

Ahead of us lay the dry earth, a heat of at least 30 degrees Celsius, and snow-capped mountains in the background. What a panorama! 🥰

In the city center, the small adobe houses with shops and restaurants stood close together. Small dust clouds formed as cars passed by. Tourists from all over the world crossed paths, admiring the colorful clothing and souvenirs.

Various stray dogs roamed the streets 🐕. Occasionally, we stumbled upon a drunken man regenerating in the shade.

After filling our stomachs with the first Empanadas (one of Chile's typical dishes), we went shopping. The largest supermarket here is roughly comparable to a late-night shop. In Peru, we paid only a third of the original German prices in supermarkets. Hence, the first shock came when we reached the cashier 💸. We paid almost double for some products compared to Germany 😯. Mostly, it's because transportation costs in the desert are naturally much higher. After reluctantly completing our first shopping, we drove to our new accommodation. One of Max's best friends currently lives here and works as a tour guide. His name is Moritz. Max and Moritz – it's clear they get along well 🤣! Anyway, we can consider ourselves lucky to know Moritz; otherwise, accommodations in the area would have been almost unaffordable. So, we got a free accommodation with a refrigerator, a hot shower, a stove, and a large bed. What more could we ask for? 😊

Next to us lived Moritz's grandparents and other relatives.

They own hundreds of animals, including rabbits 🐰, guinea pigs, various bird species 🦜, pigs, horses, llamas, cats, dogs, chickens 🐓, ostriches, goats, deer – and yes, I definitely forgot some. Maybe "farm" isn't the right word; it's more like a "zoo." Anyway.

The family welcomed us warmly, and we all had dinner together.

Note: Before entering the room, ask for permission with the word "Permiso"! 👍👍

We enjoyed fresh goat cheese with pastries, a huge cake, and a horror for all vegetarians: boiled goat.

However, everything tasted delicious, and it couldn't get fresher than this!

Just like in almost every country we've visited in South America, football was on during dinner. Everyone sat around a big table. Next to us, the little chickens were in a cage, and the cats and dogs roamed around the kitchen. 😂

Here, humans and animals live closely together! 👧🐓👧🐓

The Pool Party at the Hostel 💦💦

A perfect way to cool off in over 30-degree weather! 😍 I must say, South Americans have incredibly good taste in music 💃! Perfect dance music that instantly lifts your spirits! Quite the opposite of the current German chart music. Most German radio songs can almost make you depressed 🙄!

Mountain Biking through the Desert

SO MUCH FUN!

VALLE DE JEREZ☀️😎

This beautiful oasis lies amidst the desert landscape, surrounded by towering rocks.

There are small caves in the rock walls that we could even crawl into. 👻

Definitely worth a visit for only 2 euros entrance per person! 🙏

Hot Springs 💦

After our hike, we jumped into the hot springs 😍.

It was just a perfect day ❤️.

Horseback Riding🏇

After slathering ourselves with sunscreen, we hopped into the saddle! We were both a bit nervous 😆. It was even Max's first time on a horse 🙈.

Off we went through the desert landscape. Once again, breathtaking! 😍

Volcano Blanco🌋

Half-day hike 🥾

Such beautiful animals 😍

Guatín

Valle de los Cactus

Cerro Toco

It goes up 5,604 meters high! 😲

The heart pumps like crazy, and the head starts to ache slightly. The top rule, when climbing to such an extremely high altitude, is to stay calm and have a good attitude 🙌! We actually made it up without any problems, with a few breaks 💪.

The Universe 🌌 🌌

Let's take a look at the sky... ❤️

Moritz's cousin brought out his telescope for us!

The stars were a bit blurry. They somehow looked like little bacteria 🤣✨.

But THEN the madness: we could see and photograph the moon through the telescope 😍.

Floriemiento Fest

A traditional Chilean festival that only happens once a year.

What a festival, I tell you! I don't think I've ever seen so much alcohol in my life. Crates of beer after crates of beer. Thousands of llamas, sheep, and goats in the midst of it all. Nearly the entire village gathered to celebrate this special occasion. When we received our first beer, it was first poured onto the ground as a tradition, for the animals and to Pachamama, "Mother Earth." Here, it's normal to share a bit with the earth (the goddess) with every drink!

Then the music started! Five men began to play the guitar, while people gathered behind them. Everyone danced three times in a circle around the animals. There was loud singing, occasional spins, and suddenly, the woman in the middle smeared red paint on my face. OH OH. It took me a moment to realize that it definitely wasn't paint but llama blood!

After the dance, the llama wool was processed to adorn the animals.

After the dance, the llama wool was processed to adorn the animals.

Now, for all animal lovers, brace yourselves: After the ritual, one animal of each kind was slaughtered. A sheep, a llama, and a goat 😢.

In the end, the helpers were given a living goat!

We could have gotten one too, but it wouldn't fit quite right in our backpack 😄.

The festival was interesting, shocking, fun, sad, touching, and exciting all at once.

Moon Valley

Or right before it!

Due to Corona, we couldn't get tickets on the same day... Not a big deal! We just hopped on our bikes and explored on our own, discovering a cool cave and breathtaking views!

Until next time, Chile.

We had an incredible time!Coronavirus problems upon entry 🙄:

Die Corona Probleme bei der Einreise🙄:

Die Validierung für unsere Impfungen dauerte länger als erwartet ( bis zu 40 Tagen!! ). Unser Flieger flog daher ohne uns! Gut. Der erste unnötige Geldverlust ( PCR-Test 60 Euro, Flugverschiebung…)!😐
Als nach einiger Zeit, dann doch endlich die Validierung funktionierte starteten wir unseren zweiten Versuch ein paar Tage später🙏. Diesmal war der schöne, wie immer äußerst angenehme Test auch noch bei einem von uns positiv😭. Herzlichen Glückwunsch! Genau das haben wir jetzt auch noch gebraucht😖! Hiermit also der zweite unnötige Geldverlust💸. Mit null, wirklich null Prozent Symptomen und einem trotzdem positiven und überteuerten PCR-Test standen wir nun da. 😐👍
Beautiful two weeks "locked up" in an Airbnb apartment (which thankfully was really nice 🙏). Yes, what can you do? Wait 🧍‍♀️. Reschedule flights and look forward to the next super PCR test for Chile. Who doesn't love getting their nose swabbed 10 times❓. I gladly pay 60 euros each time for that 👍. Well, enough of that rant 😁.

The fact is, traveling in the time of Corona is very expensive and occasionally nerve-wracking 😌.

But one should always see the good things ☀️. We made the most of our quarantine time, working very hard 💻, continuing to learn Spanish 📚, chatting with our friends/family over Skype 🙂, or baking oat cookies 🍪, rolls, etc...

All in all, time passed by fairly quickly ⌛️.

Next Post: Rio de Janeiro - Brazil.

1 November 2021

Camper Hacks☀️

baaconReisestil, Travelhacks, Vanlife

20 Camper Hacks 😎

Useful Tips for Your Camper Journey!🚐

1. Download the app "Park4night"!👩‍💻👩‍💻

With this app, we never had trouble finding a parking spot, water, or electricity! We almost always had incredible views of the sea, cities, or mountains. And all for free! We only paid for a campsite once on our entire Europe trip!

It's worth getting the Pro version!😉😉

2. Don't forget to bring a long hose with a filter!🚐

At many water refill stations, there's no hose, and if there is, it's often pretty unhygienic. You never know what people are filling it with. Maybe not just their drinking water, but also their toilet water! That's why it's advisable to bring your own hose. The water abroad isn't always as clear as in Germany – so a filter makes sense!

P.S.: Also, don't forget to bring various sized adapters (for the faucets)!

3. Get yourself a projector screen!🍿

Perfect for enjoying a nice movie night in your own camper!

4. Get thermal curtains⛄️⛄️

Definitely a good investment. Especially in winter, the curtains protect enormously against the cold!

5. Buy a small fan!🥵🥵

Especially in the summer months, you can't survive in the camper without a fan. Our thermometer rose to 50 degrees Celsius on some days. Deadly heat!💀

Tip: Cut the legs off the fan and place it in the window!😉😉

6. Get something for the mosquitoes🙉🙉

There's nothing worse than the buzzing of a mosquito by your ear half the night. Despite our fly screenon the sliding door, one or two mosquitoes always found their way in. We bought an anti-mosquito lamp from Lidl, which actually worked. Unfortunately, the light is quite annoying, which is why we only had it on at the beginning and turned it off to sleep.

7. Get an Omnia oven🍕🍕

What would life be without an oven? Without freshly baked bread rolls? Without casseroles?

The Omnia oven made all this possible for us during our journey. You simply place it on the gas stove, set it to the desired temperature, and you're good to go!

Tipp: Eine Gummibeschichtung macht dir das Leben einfacher. Ohne die kann nämlich ganz schön schnell mal was anbrennen!😉

8. Pack a headlamp!💡

Headlamps are incredibly practical. Especially when you need to do something outside quickly and it's already dark. 😉

9. Get an electric scooter🛴

We wouldn't want to do without our electric scooter anymore. It's just brilliant to explore the cities so quickly and easily without depending on public transportation.

10. Grab: Bicycle & Inline Skates!🚴‍♀️🚴‍♀️

Always nice to explore the areas with!

11. Don't forget your yoga mat!🧘‍♀️

You have almost everywhere the opportunity to do sports at your parking spots. There's usually not much space in the camper for that, so grab your mat and go outside!

12. Bring a cooler bag!🥶

Usually, the small fridge just isn't enough, so it's always good to have a cooler bag with you.

13. Save money and shop at discounters.🤑🤑

Almost every town has Lidl (or Aldi...). Here you'll find very cheap prices and occasionally also some items for the camper! (camping chairs, mosquito lamp...)

14. Get the "Too Good to Go" app🤤

Whether in a restaurant or a grocery store: With the app, you can get great meals for a bargain price!

In the picture, you can see how we got delicious food from Nordsee for a total of 3 Euros.

15. Buy small cosmetic boxes👚

Perfect for storing your clothes, kitchen utensils, and much more neatly!

16. Install a microwave!🍲🍲

So you can quickly heat up your food without immediately taking out the gas stove!

17. Don't forget the toaster and blender!🍹

I think the benefits speak for themselves.

18. Bluetooth Speaker🎶

Whether in the camper or at the beach – good music is always welcome!

19 .Use LED lights

Pimp your camper with nice lights!

20. Tool kit & Spare parts🛠

Don't forget to pack the necessary tools and spare parts! Otherwise, you'll be searching like crazy...

24 August 2021

Portugal🇵🇹

baaconEurope, Continents, Reisestil, Vanlife

Our Top 7 Visited Places in Portugal🇵🇹🇵🇹

Definitely one of my favorite countries on the Europe trip! 🌍 🌍

1.Faro😍

A MUST SEE for me personally. Faro is beautiful. Especially at night, it exudes a romantic charm.🌹

2. Praia de marinha🤿🐠

A perfect snorkeling spot!

A shiny, golden beach, straight out of a picture book. Add to that the turquoise water. Enchanting.

Pictures speak louder than 1000 words:Pictures speak louder than 1000 words:

3. Kayak Tour – Lagos 🛶

If you're ever in Lagos: Don't miss the kayak tour!

I felt somewhat transported back to Australia.

The huge stone cliffs, in shades of golden brown, reminded me a bit of the Twelve Apostles along Australia's Great Ocean Road.

Impressive rock formations. 🤩!!!

At our next campsite, our camper was literally surrounded by wild boars🐗. A whole family of wild boars!!! We had never experienced anything like it in our entire lives! We could watch them for hours from our window. Especially the piglets were sooooooooo cute! One of the best animal experiences on our trip. Definitely!🙌

4. Cabo de Sao vicente🌭

The last sausage before America!

At the southwesternmost point of Europe, we quickly grabbed a sausage!

5. Lisbon 🚞 🚞

Lissabon ,,🎶 Ich will nach, ich will nach , ich will nach Lissabon. Um von da , um von da, noch einmal anzufang‘ 🎶.

Who doesn't know that song?

So what would Portugal be without having seen Lisbon?

This city has its own style. Whether you're watching the big bridge from the harbor, examining the graffiti on the wall, experiencing a crazy party night, or cozying up in a small retro cafe. Here, you'll find everything.

But what I liked most about Lisbon was meeting up with an old buddy again🎊. I hadn't seen him in 10 years! Now he lives here happily, together with his girlfriend❤️. It's always nice to find out how the lives of old friends have been going.📖

As the saying goes, you always meet twice in life!

6. Cascais👩‍🍳

A small romantic town with many restaurants, narrow streets, a lively main square, and great lights.

7. Porto🥰

Porto is definitely one of our favorite cities!

Reason for that: The great live music by the water, the beautiful lights, bridges, and many alleys❤️.

❤️

Portugal has truly enchanted us 🧙‍♂️ The beaches are simply beautiful! Although, I must say, due to the Atlantic Ocean, the water was quite cold 🥶 The campsites were always breathtaking, free, and super easy to find! At first, we were afraid of being chased away everywhere, but there was no trace of camper bans here…🙏

NEXT STOP: 🤷‍♀️

14 May 2021

Preparations: Work & Travel🤓

baaconTravelhacks

Quick Conclusion:

During my travels, I often encountered backpackers who forgot to deregister from Germany 🙁. However, this point is incredibly important because otherwise, you risk losing your entitlement to unemployment benefits. And even if you think you'll quickly find a new job: It's better to be safe than sorry! During my travel preparations, I was almost going crazy 😆. There are so many things to take care of, but in the end, all the stress was more than worth it ❤️! If you absolutely love your job, you could also consider taking a sabbatical!

You'll work long enough & why not try something new for a change? 🤪