Questions upon questions reached us in a long email from Simone’s relatives. Wonderful questions. Exciting questions. Honest questions. We immediately decided to take the time to answer these questions properly:
The engineer: where do you get internet from?
It varies a bit from country to country. In the Balkan countries we use the international packages from our Swiss providers. This worked quite well up to and including Greece; however, we didn’t exactly have internet to waste that way. To upload pictures, do research or feed our Instagram account here, we always drank a coffee in a restaurant gaaaanz slowly, used open networks or the free wifi in a hostel or camping. In Turkey, we bought a local sim card with extra data and still preferred to use the network at a Warm Shower host or pub for larger internet actions. Also in Georgia we have a local sim card in one of our smartphones. Here, for the first time, we have flat rate internet at a very friendly price and can use the phone as a hotspot and even watch movies whenever we want (crazy…).
Teenager #1: How do you charge your gadgets? Do you have solar panels?
We have two medium sized (10000-15000 miliamp) powerbanks. We charge them in accommodations or sometimes in a restaurant. Fortunately, our smartphones have good batteries and can last two days without power. With the powerbanks and economical use, we can last a good week without electricity.
Teenager #2: How do you manage deodorant and sunscreen? Do you pack that for a year?
ALL products that you need in everyday life are available all over the world. Maybe it is not the usual brand, but you have to be flexible.
The doctor: How do you do it with Covid? Are you vaccinated? Could you still do the booster? Do you wear masks?
Covid is not present outside the rich countries to the same extent as in Switzerland. Sure, there are requirements for entry (e.g. a negative PCR test when entering Georgia), but very few border officials are really interested in the vaccination certificate etc. It is very convenient to be vaccinated. It is very convenient to be vaccinated; so we could enter most countries without a test. We wear masks when required and just blend in with the locals. In Georgia, we finally got Omnikrom and spent a few days in bed. So the booster is actively made, so to speak. As a foreigner, you don’t get the (3rd) vaccination so easily….
The housewife: How do you do your laundry? There is never a clothesline in the pictures. Does it always dry well?
Well, caught, we don’t do our laundry very often. One “sweat set” is for driving clothes, the rest is reserved for the evening and cold weather. Underwear and socks we wash along with our showers. Every few weeks we wash at a lodging or host’s house. Surprisingly, clothes (with the exception of socks) do not get musty at all quickly. Of course, we consider the smell of smoke and earth as “clean”!
The engineer: How do you find your way? Do you have maps on paper? Or is the whole region covered by Google Maps? How do you know which roads are passable and which are not?
Basically we plan our route with the offer of “outdooractive.com”. The planned route can then be downloaded; this way we have the required map material available offline. For fine adjustments, we also often use Maps.me.
Teenager No. 1: Do you have to wear a headscarf in Islamic-dominated countries? Or is a helmet enough?
So far, that hasn’t been an issue; Turkey is pretty relaxed about it. In Iran, a headscarf is compulsory, but a helmet should suffice when driving. Without a helmet, however, a scarf loosely wrapped around the head should suffice. Now in winter I often wear a buff to protect my ears and neck.
Teen #2: Are you afraid of animals (dogs, scorpions, bugs, snakes, spiders, mosquitoes)?
This is one of the great advantages of the colder months! All these animals except dogs are buried somewhere under the stones and rest until spring. Especially mosquitoes are very annoying and can spoil your mood. Actually we are rather happy when we see such animals (except the mosquitoes)! We were allowed to observe snakes and scorpions. But the scorpions are a bit scary. From time to time we hear jackals howling in the night. These loud calls make us startle from our sleep, but they are not very threatening. Several times we have been warned by wolves and bears. But experience shows: People often have absurd fears of wild animals, which first are even more afraid of us humans and secondly, unfortunately, have already been largely displaced/decimated by humans. It is frightening how few wild animals have spied on the past 7000 km!
Dogs are our constant companions. In most of the countries we have driven through so far, there are countless street/semi-wild dogs. Of course there are always troublesome encounters with them, but the vast majority of dogs are quite friendly and either leave us alone or even become spontaneous friends.
The doctor: Are you vaccinated against rabies because of the dogs and the bats?
Yes! A dog bite is quite realistic on such a trip.
The Mother: Are you afraid of people? Are you afraid of authorities and governments?
Not much! But when we are camping in the wild, we pay attention to who is around and what these people are doing. If we are seen, we usually talk to the people, then any fears (on both sides) can be quickly dispelled. Authorities are a little less accessible, but we have only had real contact with police and soldiers in Turkey. These invited us then in each case to the coffee or tea.
The doctor: Are you afraid of diseases? And what do you do in case of a medical emergency?
We are not more afraid of diseases than we are in Switzerland. We take good care of ourselves, eat well and trust in our physical abilities. So far we had (in each case in a double pack) a little food poisoning, once we had a bad cold and recently we went through the Omnikrom adventure. Fortunately, there are hospitals and doctors all over the world. However, we really hope that we will not have to use such services as an emergency. Simone’s personal horror is dental treatment…
The mother: What do you do against the fear of your parents for you? Do you call them sometimes?
We are good children and we are in contact with our parents. We even write a blog for them :).
Yes, sometimes it’s quite good to be in one place for two days. Since November we have been traveling a bit slower. partly due to the weather or just because. In winter the riding days are automatically shorter, because we adapt to the daylight, Also are in the cold already four hours in the saddle often enough. Right now we are taking a really long winter break at a Work Away. Here we are now three weeks in the same place… and can hardly stand it after just two weeks. We want to go again!