So? What’s it like after seven weeks?

M: After seven weeks you can’t travel so fast anymore, so you have to take more time. And you notice that you sometimes have to deal with other things – besides sightseeing or exploring. Otherwise you have too many impressions that you can no longer process. So far, we’ve done well, and I’d like to keep going. And I am glad that I am still getting along very well my travel partner … mostly. (laughs)

C: I groove myself in. At the beginning of the journey I somehow found it all decadent. To only travel without working. And then I got a lot of money back from the tax office because I lived in Kassel and Dresden. That means I don’t even have to use my savings right now. I felt kind of bad. But now I see it differently, as a gift that I have the chance to do that. A present, which I have also been working for over the last few years. All at the risk of not knowing what’s coming in 2019.

Do you get along when you spend so much time together?

C: Sometimes no, mostly yes. My favorite quote from Matt yesterday: “It’s annoying that you always know what’s going on”. I had to laugh out loud. A lot of humor helps a lot when you spend so much time together. And doing something on your own from time to time helps as well.

M: Surprisingly good. Of course, 24 hours a day together does not go without minor conflicts. You have to be respectful. Then it works very well. And avoid blaming the mistake on the other if something doesn’t work.

How come you can blog so often? Don’t you have anything to do?

C: We travel many hours by train or bus. Or you wait after check in at the airport. Yesterday we traveled a total of 1800 km through India.

M: If you travel slowly, you can take the time. When you realize that you don’t have to see everything, you have enough time left to blog.

And who writes the texts?

M + C: We take turns more or less. If you want to know exactly, you can click on the author below for each text.

What do you eat?

M + C: Actually never western food. We always try to eat local food. We love Indian food. Dosa, Paneer, Curries. In the Himalayas there are completely different things. For breakfast we sometimes have European breakfast, sometimes local hot dishes. And lots of bread: Roti, Chapati, Naan.

What was the worst experience so far?

C: When we were stuck in the ancient ski lift in Iran, which had been taken out of service in Austria. For an hour! And I already imagined how we’d probably be rescued in Iran.

M: The worst experience was recently when we took a bicycle rickshaw. The old man was pedaling like mad and then the street went uphill. I felt so bad when he had to get off the bike because he didn’t physically manage it.

Have you had any illnesses so far?

M + C: A cold at the beginning. Here in India a little diarrhea but only for a few days. Knock on wood! It’s all good. Now I (Conny) caught a running nose again.

Are there days when you don’t want to travel anymore?

M: Absolutely. Then it helps to hang out for a day and look at topics that interest you anyway and that you had on your list anyway. Fortunately, there is often good enough Internet.

C: Yes, these are the days when I also miss my friends. And would like to talk to them again or go climbing.

Have you always felt safe?

M: Yeah, but sometimes there’s the fear that someone might want your wallet. You have a certain basic caution.

C: Yes, there was only one weird situation. I was strolling alone. And a motorcyclist stopped next to me and looked around. Then he asked me if I wanted to take a ride with him around town. Then he looked around again. I declined. Then he went off.

Were there embarrassing situations?

M: Yes, in Esfahan in Iran. Our host thought she was getting a tip and thanked us without counting. But we hadn’t even tipped.

C: Nope. Define embarrassing.

Where did you have to laugh out loud last time?

C: Yes, earlier. When our host, a Buddhist, told us how they were going to sell him a life insurance policy.

M: Yeah, yesterday when I was teasing Conny. That was nice.

How do you decide where to go next?

M: Usually a little longer process. We don’t always agree. And usually two days later we reach a consensus.

C: Somehow everyone makes a suggestion. Then it doesn’t fit. Then we’ll postpone the decision. At some point, however, a consensus will form. Sometimes it takes a few days or weeks, but somehow we find a compromise.

What do you miss?

C: Clearly, my friends. And sports.

M: Astonishingly little. Friends and family mostly – a little. Sometimes my long, soft bed.

What’s annoying?

M: The sometimes pushy Tuctuc riders who can’t understand the word NO even after the tenth time and follow us for an hour. After that I’m so angry that I wouldn’t not ride with this Tuctuc driver anymore.

C: The smog. In Tehran as well as in India. I can’t remember much about this problem on my previous trips, but this time my eyes are irritated, I cough, sniff. Not funny at all. Or when you’re sitting in the Tuctuc and the exhaust fumes of a bus next to you go directly to your nose.

What else would you take from Dresden? Or haven’t you forgotten anything?

M: I have everything I need. I haven’t had to buy anything yet.

C: I didn’t miss anything, but the last pack of German handkerchiefs was sacred. And we forgot a forwarding order for PostModern.

What was the best experience so far?

M: Hard to say. But as a single experience it was perhaps the Holi Festival. But actually you can’t pick out a single experience. There were a lot of very nice things.

C: The starry sky in the desert. Clearly.