Rocking my world

Here’s a list of moments during my travels that I thought were pretty remarkable. The list is by no means complete (and it will grow whenever I have the time to add items). It has no particular order. It is very personal, too. But it might give you an idea what made my trip so special to me.

1. Driving through the Nullarbor in Australia at sunset with Nic with African music running and making it feel like somewhere in the Serengeti.
2. Riding the bike and running down a mountain trail interleaved with Amanda and Oliver with only two bikes, but a lot of fun. Inventive. Priceless.
3. Finding out that Erik has the very same favourite movie as me, while eating a great pizza in Bali.
4. Reaching the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu after three days of walking the Inca Trail.
5. Driving with sand buggies in the sand desert close to Ica in Peru with almost 90 degree drops and sandboarding the dunes afterwards.
6. Letting go of the brakes while riding down the Death Road in Bolivia at lethal speed.
7. The Ozzies Russel and Darren helping us just minutes after our car broke down in the nowhere of the Nullarbor.
8. Chatting to Claudia at the bus station of Hobart, Tasmania.
9. Eating an Overlander burger after finishing the Overland Track.
10. Eating the Sweet Bambi burger at Ferg’s in Queenstown.
11. Sitting on the grass on New Year’s Eve in Sydney for eight hours with Chris G., never getting boring.
12. La and Francis offering Chris G. and me a green label Johnny Walker while camping in the Blue Mountains, making it the beginning of a nice evening.
13. Singing Creep in a Karaoke bar in Perth.
14. Singing Creep in a Karaoke bar in San Francisco. I girl who I had a nice conversation before left the venue while I sang and left a note on my seat. It said: “You’re good at karaoke” and on the other side “But you’re a creep.”
15. Singing and dancing in a Karaoke bar in Puno, Peru with 15 friends.
16. Taking off my big backpack after two days of hiking in Tasmania and suddenly flying up the mountain.
17. The park ranger in Tasmania asking me for my Overland Track permit (that I didn’t have), and letting me go.
18. Doing the Overland Track with all its beauty over five days.
19. Spending 30 minutes alone on the highest peak of Tasmania.
20. Standing together with Christiane on the summit of Mount Taranaki, NZ.
21. The discussions about apple core littering with Christiane.
22. Running down the last section of Mount Taranaki in full pursuit of Christiane.
23. Christiane shouting out at me while crossing the road as she thought the car would run over me (and the red light).
24. Being the tribe leader in Rotorua and dancing a Haka.
25. Singing a german song with Christiane on the Karaoke bus on the way back from the Maori village.
26. The early night, drunk with good wine running along the beach with Christiane in Whitianga, NZ and her going for nightswimming.
27. The sunny day in Roturoua with Christiane laying in the grass with our hands almost touching.
28. Approaching Mt. Cook with Eddie.
29. Hiking up to Lake Clair with Eddie, who usually doesn’t hike at all.
30. Running (!) down from Lake Clair for half’n’hour after Eddie suddenly started to run (because he said he hated hiking and wanted it to be over).
31. Approaching Milford Sound with Eddie while listening to Johann Johannsson’s F(j)ordlandia.
32. The cigarette lighter relationship with Anisa.
33. The ascent to the saddle during the second, beautiful day of the Routeburn Track in NZ.
34. The great conversation with Larsson during the second day of the Routeburn Track.
35. Singing and dancing in a night club in Buenos Aires to live band interpretation of Zero 7’s Destiny.
36. Experiencing the Pink Floyd The Wall concert in Buenos Aires.
37. Big Night Out with Mark N. in Noosa Heads, Queensland.
38. Big Night Out with Julia, Svetlana and Jorge in Buenos Aires.
39. Big Night Out with Sjoerd, Alan, Emilia and Thomas in Buenos Aires.
40. Big Night Outs with Malcolm and Justin in Queenstown, NZ.
41. Big Night Out with Claudia, Regina and Gerald (and Marius, the drug dealer from Cologne) in an Hundertwasser-like jazz bar in a favela in Rio.
42. Walking around Buenos Aires with Julia.
43. Drinking fancy cocktails in the top-notch Santa Teresa Hotel in Rio with Manuela and Carla, where all the celebrities usually stay.
44. Driving through the surreal landscapes of the Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia.
45. Preparing and eating wraps for dinner while camping in NZ.
46. Swimming in the ocean at night with blue autofluorescent algea.
47. Playing Uno in a tent. Almost every evening between Margret River and Adelaide.
48. Finding a good amount of the stolen stuff of Christina in the middle of nowhere in the Beedleup National Park.
49. Taking a bath in the hot springs at almost 4000m in Bolivia at dawn with outside temperature of -5 C.
50. Swimming skinny dip in at a waterfall after four days of hiking in Tasmania.
51. Riding the motorcycle with Ralf and Zino through Bangkok.
52. Watching Zino pray in a buddist temple.
53. Climbing almost 1300 stairs with Tobias and Mike in Krabi, Thailand.
54. Climbing the huge trees (>60m) in the Beedleup National Park at maximum speed.
55. Walking through the primary forest in Krabi with Tobias and Mike.
56. Racing down the Luge Go-Kart track with Justin in Queenstown.
57. Seeing the sunset at the Seven Sisters on the Great Ocean Road.
58. BBQing with Manuela, Carla and Dudu’s family on their roof top appartment in Rio.
59. Writing Rapa Nui with torches into the pitch-black darkness inside a cave on Easter Island with Amanda and Olli.
60. Doing the Boom-Boom-Pow sundance with Amanda on Easter Island.
61. Mark B. knowing all the artists I’m listening to, and being a fan of Jon Brion, too!
62. Sitting in a place to eat something with Sjoerd, Alan, and Thomas after a Big Night Out in Buenos Aires, arguing about swiss-army-knives being weapons or tools, and about pig penises and slug sex.
63. Having shitty conversations with Laura (the conversation was great, just the topic was about toilets, if I remember correctly).
64. Some more amazing moments with Laura.
65. That random moment I found out that I met a girls parents five months earlier on a different continent.
66. My first steak in Argentina. Actually, most of the steaks in Argentina were just awesome.
67. Kari playing the tour guide while exploring Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires.
68. Playing “Draw Something” with Jen and Jen in the dorm in Foz do Iguazu.
69. Finding my iPod on a bench in the dark at Byron Bay after leaving it there.
70. Getting past the break in Byron Bay after ten minutes of unsuccessful trying and thus surviving.
71. First time horse back riding in the Pantanal, going into full gallop chasing cows.
72. Snorkeling in Rio Plata in Bonito. Never seen such clear water before.
73. Lagoon tour in Aitutaki. Unbelievably blue, clear water.
74. Lagoon tour in Bora Bora and snorkeling with a dozen reef sharks and rays.
75. Watching The Very Best Exotic Marigold Hotel in Rarotonga.
76. Having dinner with Michael K. and his family in Christchurch.
77. Seeing hump back whales from a boat at the coast of Kaikurra, NZ.
78. Surviving the dive with the careless dive base in Huahine.
79. Seeing the tug-of-war demonstration in Perth.
80. Getting a lift all the way to Mt. Cook.
81. Every time my luggage appears on the conveyor belt at an airport.
82. Colin Hay playing “I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You” live at the Woodford Folk Festival.
83. The sudden rainfall in the Amazon followed by the escape through the darkness.
84. Playing Mafia with the G Tour group in the tent on the Inca Trail.
85. Playing Spoons (or Teabaggin’, as we called it) with the G Tour group on the Inca Trail.
86. The bizzare landscapes of the Uyuni salt flats and about.
87. Walking around with the three german girls at the Iguazu Falls instead of alone.
88. Seeing the beautiful bright night sky and milkyway in the clear skies of the Inca Trail and also later in San Pedro de Atacama.
89. Getting lifts in Moorea in Fr. Polynesia, even when we didn’t ask for, and even getting a door-to-door service.
90. Biking and drinking wine on the Mendoza wine tour with four Kiwis (including the “coolest Kiwi I’ve ever met”).
91. Seeing the sunset at Mt. Lassen with the shadow of the summit reaching the clouds at the horizon on the opposite side of the sun.
92. The four guys in Wellington taking my fedora hat, throwing it on the flow and me joining them singing — and the invitation to the following stag night.
93. When we found a open “help yourself” hut in the middle of nowhere after desperately searching for a site to put up camp in the Nullarbor in Australia.
94. When we arrived at this homestead in the middle of nowhere with all those remainder of a forgotten civilization and a newspaper from the sixties.
95. Anytime I got a hot shower after three days of camping.
96. Every email, every call by my friends.
97. Couch surfing at Raouls place.
98. Watching the Fiona Apple concert in Minneapolis.
99. The taxi drive in the boom-boxed tuk-tuk from a beach in Phuket back to my hostel.
100. The bike wine tour in Mendoza with the four Kiwis!
101. The “I spy” game with the gas stations on the way out from Nasca where Anisa and I saw about a dozen gas stations in short succession.
102. Seeing a red tuk-tuk IN a gas station, giving me LOTS of points for the “I spy” game.
103. Looking up at a snorkler standing on a reef after being dragged away by the current and thinking I would not make it back to shore.
104. Being invited to join the annual picknick of the Goa society by my second cousin Kenny and his wife Myra at the Princeton country club on a very short notice.
105. Enjoying a delicious dinner and wonderful company at Kenny’s & Myra’s house in Dumont, New Jersey.
106. Finding 50 Centavos while hiking in the Sierra Cordoba in the middle of nowhere — meaning that I wasn’t the first idiot to walk this way.
107. Surviving the Kingda Ka ride in Six Flags amusement park.