At home in the world

Hello dear ones,

wow, how time flies... we have been on the road for almost 16 months now and we are still not tired. :) Of course, there have been moments when we asked ourselves 'Why am I doing all this?' 'What am I doing here?' 'Really?' ... and then there are moments when we say to ourselves 'Ok, yes, that's why!' Discovering new places, new people, and new emotions. Getting to know ourselves again. Getting to know each other again. Growing, experimenting, and pushing our limits. The mind and the heart are opening up more and more... breaking out of their comfort zone. Why not? It's amazing what we can achieve, how unnecessary things seem to us that seemed indispensable before. A hot shower every day. New clothes every month. A comfortable mattress. Makeup. A permanent residence? We haven't answered the latter question 100% ourselves, but in Koh Lanta, we realized that a 'home feeling' can also arise outside of Frankfurt. And that opens up completely new paths. New perspectives... and changes something in us that was not there at the beginning of our journey. One could philosophize about this forever... The fact is, at the moment we are at home in the world and simply enjoying the moment... :)

We spent the last two months on Koh Lanta. We can't describe it, but this place has an effect on us. We found friends, created our own everyday routine. We fell asleep every night literally to the sound of the waves and woke up to the sunrise. It was wonderful! No more words needed... ;)

During this time, we have dealt a lot with the issue of waste... Generally, a big issue here in Asia. Living plastic-free... Yes, it’s possible! Even in Asia! Maybe not 100%, but the most important thing is to raise awareness! When we arrived on the island, we immediately got ourselves a Pinto, a kind of Indian lunch box. Since we liked to eat at home, we often got take away food... Actually, the purest plastic battle in Asia, but with Pinto, it's super sustainable and the Thai people loved it! At the market, you have to repeat 3 times that you don't need a plastic bag, and in the restaurant, you sometimes get 2 straws when you say 'no straw please!' ... but as I said, the main thing is to consciously deal with the issue! When we were at the beach, we always took at least 1 bag of trash and a large load of plastic bottles. The bottles can be given to the locals and they get a little money for it. Every Sunday, we supported the Trash Heroes and collected trash on the beaches for 2 hours. Since the heroes on the west coast, where all the popular beach resorts are, have more than enough to do, it is quite difficult to cover the east coast, where we lived. That's why we just started our own campaign. Why not? The Trash Heroes supported us in the media and posted our project on their FB page, friends of ours who have their own homestays or shops in Old Town brought the locals together, we distributed posters in the city and spread word of mouth. Our Noomi was an incredibly big help and is our Trash Hero of the month! In the end, we and 40 volunteers collected almost 70 bags of trash from the streets and the beach. It was a lot of fun! From now on, our friends from Shanti Old Town and Sweet Life Guesthouse will continue the action every first Monday of the month. You just have to start... :)

It was also incredibly beautiful that some friends visited us on Koh Lanta. Our former Captain Gilles made a stopover with us on his way to Malaysia, and our dear friend Li, who we were also traveling with on the sailing ship, docked at Koh Lanta for 2 days to visit us. And our biggest enrichment was the lovely Noomi, who sweetened our days with her enchanting personality and her beautiful voice for 2 weeks.

Also worth mentioning is Sergey's little 'side business'... his homemade ginger beer, which he learned to make during our stay in Malaysia, was really well received everywhere, and a friend of ours even temporarily added it to his bar menu.

When we said goodbye at the end of October, a few tears were shed... But the chapter Koh Lanta is definitely not over yet! ;)

Now I'm jumping back a little... After Vietnam (beginning of July), we flew directly to Sweden, our other home... And bam, the madness started... on the way from the airport to Kärrnäset, we saw our first brown bear... the greatest welcome gift ever...

Here in Sweden, too, we had a great and very emotional time! Our favorite places couldn't be more different, but our hearts also beat for Sweden. The nature, the fresh air, the people, this purity and simplicity enchant us over and over again.

Unexpected events even led us back to our other home in Germany. Thanks to our dear Tati, who squeezed us into her small Mini Cooper on her way back to Germany, we were able to hug friends and family again before our journey continued... That meant a lot to us! Because that's something you won't find a second time anywhere in this world... Your loved ones. We love you guys very much!

In Sweden, too, some dear friends were able to visit us, and we were able to experience and share many unique moments. We hiked, ate, fished, cooked, grilled, sawed, ate, painted, swam, stroked, did yoga, and even felled a tree... You gave us so much energy and love, thank you for that!

Oh, now I'm getting sentimental all of a sudden... We get to experience sooo much love and amazing things! We are incredibly grateful for that!!! *sniff*

But now enough... We have been in Kathmandu, Nepal for two days now and are preparing for our trekking tour in the Himalayas... Oh boy, this is going to be intense... We'll keep you updated! :)

Sending you lots of kisses and love back home!

Sergi & Mine