"Guten Abend" to all travellers and dreamers 
.
Im excited to become a member of this exquisite community and hope to find a lot of experience, inspiration and hopefully some friends of course.
I live in the north east of Berlin, in a little town called Bernau.
My overland story startet on a nice beach in Thailand. A beautiful and remote place, only a small village some hundred meters away. I've been visiting this island in 2015, staying in the only guesthouse you could find this time ( besides a few rarely spread hotel resorts which were way to expensive and not the type of travel I was looking for). I rented a scooter, explored the island and finally I stoud in the north end on this beach. White sand, palm trees around and a lot of shady space in between. Just perfect for a couple of days stay in your own rolling home, able to make some food, enjoying the view and listening to the waves at night.
I knew I had to come back, someday. That time a little swim had to do it and I scootered away to enjoy chicken at the night market 20 km away.
I still have to get there, someday ^^.
Okay, most probably this beach is already lost to another big hotel complex or whatever they figured out to delight the commercial tourism needs. I just don't want to check it on google earth. To painful I expect.
But the dream to reach Thailand and to find a nice place like this still exists.
In 2019, it was just about easter, I finally found a car that I considered to be a good basis for my travel mobile, my 2008 Nissan Patrol.
Then end of summer came. I thought it was to early to let the sun leave, to early to live in cold unpleasant temperatures. Time to practice.
The Nissan received its first upgrade. Back seats out and a aluminum framework in to create some sleeping space inside. Due to the big bed I had to get a roof rack , to store some water other stuff on it. And it looked great ;-) .
In September 2019 we (Patrol and I) left to visit morocco. I had 4 weeks for the initial travel experience in my very own Overlander. Mega!
My second night in Morocco:
It was way to hot to sleep inside. When I opened the window the mosquitos drove me almost crazy. When I finally gave up I took my sleeping bag and stumbled down to the beach. Now the air was cooler and the mosquitos let me alone. But I couldn't see my Patrol so I had terrible nightmares about my freekin' car being stolen.
In the morning I woke up completely exhausted ..... and surrounded by litter. Plastic bottles and bags, as far as I could see. That must be the Atlantic. Wow!
I was happy to found my car untouched. What a night!!!
"Let's have a nice coffee, make some breakfast and the world will turn a better place" I told myself.
I opened the back of the Patrol, just started my gas cooker with water for coffee and set the ingredients for my healing morning meal as my eyes spotted some wild dogs through the front window.
"NO WAY" I told to myself. "Thats a joke, right?"
Suddenly barking from behind me. I turned around and another group of wild dogs appeared, maybe 50 meter away. Both sides started barking at each other, me in between.
I flew on the front seats and shut the door behind me.
So there I sat.I hated myself. For beeing so naive, for being such a scared cat, for being hungry and tired..... Ohh yeah! It was amazing ^^ !
But I tell you what. The weeks after were some of the best in my life. I met so many nice people, locals as well as other overlanders.
This crazy Italian surgeon who nearly died in the Sahara because his beautiful Land Cruiser quit working in the middle of nowhere. We stick together for some days till Flavio moved on to Mauritania to help out in an hospital.
This moroccan guy I shared a coffee with, at a service area. We communicated via pencil pictures in my diary, because we didn't knew each others language. He finally invited me to his little hut behind the building where he lived and looked after the neighbouring construction side (It looked like it was abandoned for years). It was intense and lovely at the same moment. I enjoyed his company very much.
Later I met Kalle, a super chilled out guy from south Germany, who travelled with his lovely dog Lisy. She joined him in South America once, as he lay cursing under his overlander. She licked his face and never let him go away since. We used to drink Cuba Libre and listend to rock music during the the next days, sitting in pleasant places. Thats why I eventually called the dog girl "Thin Lizzy". She was super sweet and protected the cars on super market park spaces like no one else.
Long story short.... It was a great trip in fact and I got infected with the overland virus. I want more.
The following years my girlfriend and I travelled allot through Europe. Thanks to Corona the Middle Sea countries were pleasantly empty and enjoyable.
Currently I'm preparing the Patrol for the next adventure. Some lessons learned will be implemented of course.
I've arranged a 12 months break from work. The journey starts beginning of October 2023 in Germany and we'll head east as far as possible without costly shipping (at least over big distance) via Greece, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and India. It doesn't look very promising that I will reach Thailand this time. But in Germany we use to say "Der Weg ist das Ziel". Let's see what it'll be.
So. I hope my little introduction story put a little smile on your faces.
I'm looking to met you guys, out there or even here.
Cheers
Mark
.Im excited to become a member of this exquisite community and hope to find a lot of experience, inspiration and hopefully some friends of course.
I live in the north east of Berlin, in a little town called Bernau.
My overland story startet on a nice beach in Thailand. A beautiful and remote place, only a small village some hundred meters away. I've been visiting this island in 2015, staying in the only guesthouse you could find this time ( besides a few rarely spread hotel resorts which were way to expensive and not the type of travel I was looking for). I rented a scooter, explored the island and finally I stoud in the north end on this beach. White sand, palm trees around and a lot of shady space in between. Just perfect for a couple of days stay in your own rolling home, able to make some food, enjoying the view and listening to the waves at night.
I knew I had to come back, someday. That time a little swim had to do it and I scootered away to enjoy chicken at the night market 20 km away.
I still have to get there, someday ^^.
Okay, most probably this beach is already lost to another big hotel complex or whatever they figured out to delight the commercial tourism needs. I just don't want to check it on google earth. To painful I expect.
But the dream to reach Thailand and to find a nice place like this still exists.
In 2019, it was just about easter, I finally found a car that I considered to be a good basis for my travel mobile, my 2008 Nissan Patrol.
Then end of summer came. I thought it was to early to let the sun leave, to early to live in cold unpleasant temperatures. Time to practice.
The Nissan received its first upgrade. Back seats out and a aluminum framework in to create some sleeping space inside. Due to the big bed I had to get a roof rack , to store some water other stuff on it. And it looked great ;-) .
In September 2019 we (Patrol and I) left to visit morocco. I had 4 weeks for the initial travel experience in my very own Overlander. Mega!
My second night in Morocco:
It was way to hot to sleep inside. When I opened the window the mosquitos drove me almost crazy. When I finally gave up I took my sleeping bag and stumbled down to the beach. Now the air was cooler and the mosquitos let me alone. But I couldn't see my Patrol so I had terrible nightmares about my freekin' car being stolen.
In the morning I woke up completely exhausted ..... and surrounded by litter. Plastic bottles and bags, as far as I could see. That must be the Atlantic. Wow!
I was happy to found my car untouched. What a night!!!
"Let's have a nice coffee, make some breakfast and the world will turn a better place" I told myself.
I opened the back of the Patrol, just started my gas cooker with water for coffee and set the ingredients for my healing morning meal as my eyes spotted some wild dogs through the front window.
"NO WAY" I told to myself. "Thats a joke, right?"
Suddenly barking from behind me. I turned around and another group of wild dogs appeared, maybe 50 meter away. Both sides started barking at each other, me in between.
I flew on the front seats and shut the door behind me.
So there I sat.I hated myself. For beeing so naive, for being such a scared cat, for being hungry and tired..... Ohh yeah! It was amazing ^^ !
But I tell you what. The weeks after were some of the best in my life. I met so many nice people, locals as well as other overlanders.
This crazy Italian surgeon who nearly died in the Sahara because his beautiful Land Cruiser quit working in the middle of nowhere. We stick together for some days till Flavio moved on to Mauritania to help out in an hospital.
This moroccan guy I shared a coffee with, at a service area. We communicated via pencil pictures in my diary, because we didn't knew each others language. He finally invited me to his little hut behind the building where he lived and looked after the neighbouring construction side (It looked like it was abandoned for years). It was intense and lovely at the same moment. I enjoyed his company very much.
Later I met Kalle, a super chilled out guy from south Germany, who travelled with his lovely dog Lisy. She joined him in South America once, as he lay cursing under his overlander. She licked his face and never let him go away since. We used to drink Cuba Libre and listend to rock music during the the next days, sitting in pleasant places. Thats why I eventually called the dog girl "Thin Lizzy". She was super sweet and protected the cars on super market park spaces like no one else.
Long story short.... It was a great trip in fact and I got infected with the overland virus. I want more.
The following years my girlfriend and I travelled allot through Europe. Thanks to Corona the Middle Sea countries were pleasantly empty and enjoyable.
Currently I'm preparing the Patrol for the next adventure. Some lessons learned will be implemented of course.
I've arranged a 12 months break from work. The journey starts beginning of October 2023 in Germany and we'll head east as far as possible without costly shipping (at least over big distance) via Greece, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and India. It doesn't look very promising that I will reach Thailand this time. But in Germany we use to say "Der Weg ist das Ziel". Let's see what it'll be.
So. I hope my little introduction story put a little smile on your faces.
I'm looking to met you guys, out there or even here.
Cheers
Mark