🪐 I left for this journey around the world on the 28th of August 2021. I started my travels by reaching the wild Greek island of Kefalonia for a creative travel writing workshop. From here the island of Ithaca is just one hour distance by ferry. Ithaca, a metaphor for all destinations, the journey to Ithaka is a metaphor for the human journey through life. Could I have missed it? For sure not! The island of Zakynthos for some quality time with my family and finally reunited with Flow, who started this journey already on the 20th of July 2021 hitchhiking along all the Balkans.
Currently in: INDIA
Follow the journey in real time via Polarsteps
The itinerary
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After some days in Zakynthos we start our hitchhiking journey towards other planned and unplanned destinations in Greece: Patras, Antirrio, Gouriótissa, Amfilochia, Arta and Thessaloniki. We cross the border to Bulgaria and in Sofia we take a night bus to Bucharest, Romania.
After spending one week and the 30th birthday of Flow in the capital, we traveled towards the majestic Transilvania: Bucegi National Park, Busteni, Brasov, Cartisoara, Balea Lake, Fagaras Mountains, Transfagarasan Road, Sighisoara. We cross the mountains of the Romanian Moldova and arrived in Ias.
Cross the border again to enter Moldova where we visit Balti and Transnistria: the so called “country that doesn’t exist” since nobody officially recognizes it. We spontaneously decide to visit Ukraine after meeting some great people we cross another border and arrive in Odessa. A couple of days there with some friends met on the way and cross again the border to Romania with a Ferry.
We hitchhike to Tulcea, where our journey towards the Danube Delta with a 4h boat begins. Some hikes and spontaneous boat rides in this natural area and back inland to Constanta. Cross the border to Bulgaria to spend two unplanned days with a British couple in a van to head towards Varna. An intense hitchhiking day towards Sofia, the capital as our final Bulgarian destination.
A quick stop in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia and then new rides towards Prizren, the second biggest city of Kosovo. Some days in Prizren spent with the family of my best friend and then a great couchsurfing experience in Pristina. A long day of hitchhiking and entered Albania, direction Valbonë National Park where we wait to cross the peaks with a horse to carry our backpacks that never arrived. Embarked on a great adventure by being invited at a locals house in the middle of nowhere. Shkoder, Tirana, two days of wild camping at a paradisiac beach and then south to Saranda and Ksamil Islands.
Back to Greece in Igoumenitsa with a French friend met while hitchhiking and in Gouriotissa to visit an old friend. Two hours ferry from Astakos to Kefalonia, where we spend the month of December working in a creative art studio and guest house. Back on the road to discover some more inland Greece: Patras, Athens and region of Macedonia.
Finally in Asia! Off for new adventures in Turkey where we start by visiting the magical Istanbul with both its European and Asian sides. After meeting local musicians in Kadiköy we continue towards Izmir, a city where we meet many different couchsurfers. Rides towards the UNESCO Site of Pamukkale with its thermal waters and terraces, then Marmaris and some tiny farmers villages around the region of Muğla. Here starts our itinerary along the coast: Fethyie as a starting point of the Lycian Trail where we hike and camp until Kabak. We then embark on the Cennet Trail together with a friend met on the way. Back to society with a successful hitchhiking day: a truck drives us along the coast at sunset all the way until Antalya. Alanya, Mersin and along the coast again all the way to the eastern side of Turkey, Southeast Anatolia. Here we visit the majestic historical cities of Sanliurfa, Mardin and Diyarbakir. The coolest ride with a huge truck spending the night cooking and sleeping on board and then the dreamy region of Cappadocia. The suggestive Dogu Expresi train ride all the way to Kars and back… for a total of 60h onboard where we meet new international friends. Another train ride to Batman, a cargo ferry to Van and finally another border to cross.
We walk the frontier to Iran. Spontaneous ride with unknown destination and we end up invited for the night first in Tabriz and then in Karaj. Some days in Tehran and a night train ride all the way to Mashhad where we spend the days of Nowruz Iranian New Year’s with the family of a great friend of us. Lots of rides and and encounters in Isfahan, Kashan, Yazd, salt lakes and deserts, Shiraz, Qeshm&Hormuz islands and then cycle east reaching Zahedan, the bordering city with Pakistan.
In Iran we meet numerous fellow travelers and create an epic group, sticking together for months along Iran and Pakistan. Crossed the border all together, escorted by the police and sleeping at numerous police stations along Balochistan till Quetta. Islamabad, one of the greenest capitals and up north for the unforgettable Pakistani mountains. Swat Valley, Kalash Valley, Chitral, Phander Valley, Gilgit, Hunza valley and a collection of base camps with lots of hiking. Rakaposhi base camp, Diran base camp and Nanga Parbat base camp. Cross the Wagah/Attari border in Lahore to finally reach India.
What a dream! The journey in India starts in Amritsar, the city of the Golden Temple. From here we hitchhike all the way to Delhi, where the paths of me and Flow take different directions by saying goodbye to each other with lots of affection. From here I follow my way south to enjoy the monsoon season in Goa.
