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Malaysia – mixed feelings….

2 Live The Dream — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 10:22:48 +0000

We look back onto our three weeks in Malaysia with mixed feelings. Did we like the country? This question is difficult to answer: we had some fantastic experiences there, but at the same time also some moments that were definitely not amongst the highlights of our trip. We crossed the border from Thailand to Malaysia near Beton, which lies…

Thailand part 2 – beach life and more

2 Live The Dream — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:26:29 +0000

May 7, 2013 in Thailand, On the road We left Bangkok with mixed feelings. On the one hand, we were looking forward to Phuket where we would meet Filippo’s brother and his wife in a few days. They were coming to visit and to spend their holidays with us. But on the other hand, we were also sad to say…

One year on the road – and this is not the end

2 Live The Dream — Wed, 01 May 2013 22:01:57 +0000

Exactly one year ago, on May 2nd, 2012 it was the day of our departure – we were finally ready to leave. We originally had planned to leave one month earlier, but all the preparations had taken longer than expected, and the last nights before we left we hadn’t slept much. But now we were standing there with our motorcycles,…

Almost a new home…. – Thailand – part 1

2 Live The Dream — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:23:18 +0000

We experienced a major culture shock, when we arrived at the airport in Bangkok by the end of November last year. After several months in third-world-countries we had the feeling that somebody had transported us right into the future. We sat in the taxi on the way from the airport to our friend Joerg’s house in the city, and couldn’t…

Travelling on a „Washing-Machine-GS”

2 Live The Dream — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 16:41:16 +0000

The water pump is a well-known weak point at the BMW F650GS. Most bikes of this model have it replaced sooner or later. The water-pump of Heike’s F650GS now failed in Thailand – after 70000 km. “Filippo McGyver” demonstrated how it can be repaired and temporarily replaced by a washing-machine. The pump of Heike’s F650GS failed without any warning and…

Laos – the south – caves and 4000 islands…

2 Live The Dream — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 09:17:45 +0000

Since we liked the north of Laos very much, we also wanted to explore the south of the country. In the north we had especially liked the mountain landscape – in the south it was more the huge caves in the limestone hills, and the many islands in the wide Mekong River that we found very memorable. First, we spent…

Laos – the north – heaven for motorcyclists

2 Live The Dream — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 05:37:56 +0000

We took a little bit more than two weeks to travel the north of Laos. It’s a beautiful area that seems like it is made solely for motorcycling. The twisty roads that run through the fantastic mountain landscape are generally in a relatively good condition. Traffic is almost non-existent, and for those that love to go off-road, there are many…

Cambodia – beaches, temples and killing fields

2 Live The Dream — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 14:41:11 +0000

The most memorable experiences of our two-week tour through Cambodia were the beautiful beaches, the visit of the fantastic temples of Angkor Wat, and the encounter with the terrible history of the country under the regime of the Khmer Rouge. Since we had not been to the sea for a long time, we took the chance for a few days…

Myanmar / Burma – wonderful country full of wonderful people

2 Live The Dream — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 05:42:32 +0000

What an experience – only one week in Myanmar, but so intense like a whole month on the road. And it was something we had not expected, because until now it was not possible to enter the country with a big motorcycle. The border crossing alone was quite a story: they were already expecting us, everybody was kind of excited…

Myanmar by Motorcycle

2 Live The Dream — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 05:53:21 +0000

For us a dream has come true: we have travelled on our motorcycles through Myanmar (or maybe to some it is more familiar as Burma). Until now, it was not possible to enter the country officially with a foreign motorcycle. Together with three other motorcyclists we were now the first group that was officially allowed to travel this beautiful country.…

Nepal – beautiful, but not always …

2 Live The Dream — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 11:05:47 +0000

In some ways, Nepal is like India – but it is also different. If you travel from India to Nepal, you can immediately feel a sense of relieve. It is less chaotic, the people are not so obtrusive, and the traffic is not as bad. We could really feel the change right at the border. And Nepal is a country…

From Pokhara to Muktinath – our tour to the Annapurna

2 Live The Dream — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 18:32:17 +0000

Most areas in Nepal have no roads, and there are not many places in the mountains that can be reached by motorcycle. One exception is the road to Jomson, and from there further on to Muktinath, next to the Annapurna range. However, even this road exists only since a few years, and the word “road” actually doesn’t describe it very…

Through the jungle in Nepal

2 Live The Dream — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 08:15:56 +0000

Nepal consists of high mountains and white peaks – that’s what we thought. So we were really surprised to find out that it has also areas with tropical jungle forests, with tigers, elephants and crocodiles. There are several national parks in Nepal, where you can experience the jungle and its wildlife. We stayed at the Bardia National Park for a…

Between fascination and madness: India

2 Live The Dream — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:40:37 +0000

Stone age and future, culture and chaos, nature and rubbish, wealth and poverty – all this is India. It is a country that is extremely difficult to describe, just as difficult as it is to understand it. You could probably spend years in India, and you still wouldn’t be able to understand the country and its people completely. In the…

Palaces, Forts, Temples – Culture in India

2 Live The Dream — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 16:58:31 +0000

During our tour through Rajastan and afterwards in Agra we went for some cultural sightseeing. We visited the impressive fort and palace in Jodhpur, and the colourful Havelis in Mandwa. We went to Pushkar to see the Brahma temple and the pilgrims. And finally, in Agra we visited the famous landmark of India: the Taj Mahal. The colourful Havelis are…

From Leh to Delhi – what a change!

2 Live The Dream — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:51:15 +0000

The differences and the changes you experience when driving from Leh to Delhi could not possibly be bigger – the culture, the landscape, the living standard – everything changes on this route. There are deserts, glaciers and subtropical forests, uninhabited areas and the always chaotic Delhi; it was freezing cold and extremely hot, and all this on the way from…

Ladakh – completely different from the rest of India

2 Live The Dream — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 13:32:09 +0000

In the far north of India lies Ladakh. It is located in the middle of the Himalaya – between the disputed border with Pakistan and the border with China, respectively Tibet, which is disputed, too. The landscape of Ladakh is stunning with passes up to a breath-taking altitude of more than 5300 m. But also the district-capital Leh is already…

India – the first two weeks

2 Live The Dream — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 18:04:35 +0000

The first 14 days in India passed really fast. We have seen a lot, and we had quite some experiences – some were nice, some not so pleasant. But it definitely wasn’t boring so far. The border crossing from Pakistan to India held no problems for us, and we could finish all the paper work pretty fast. But we also…

The Border-Closing-Ceremony

2 Live The Dream — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 15:15:46 +0000

It is well known that Pakistan and India are not the best friends. But nowhere else this is more celebrated than during the daily ceremony when the border between the two countries is closed just before sunset. Stands have been erected on both sides of the border, which are filled with spectators, and the Indians and Pakistanis support their respective…

Goodbye Pakistan

2 Live The Dream — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 15:15:29 +0000

Five weeks in Pakistan – the memories that we take with us from this country are diverse, and not necessarily positive: many beautiful and unique landscapes – an amazing nature in the north of the country – many extremely uneducated people – many boastful and self-important people – the really precarious security situation – the complete lack of respect towards…

Karakorum – Part 2

2 Live The Dream — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 16:41:06 +0000

After a few days in the small town of Gilgit, where we relaxed a little bit and did some work on the bikes, we continued our journey in order to see more of Karakorum. First we went to Skardu, on a spectacular road high above the mighty, wild, and brow-coloured Indus River – an impressive sight. But a real adventure…

Karakorum – Part 1

2 Live The Dream — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 10:59:54 +0000

We have been travelling through the Karakorum mountain range in the north of Pakistan, between Hindukush and Himalaya now for about 1 week. The landscape here is absolutely stunning and beautiful, and we are experiencing a completely different side of Pakistan than in the plains further in the south, where it is only hot and always dusty. Some of the…

Through Pakistan by train – a new adventure

2 Live The Dream — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 14:56:48 +0000

The train journey from Quetta to Lahore goes over a distance of approximately 1300 km – right across Pakistan. It took us 36 hours – 36 hours, which were quite an adventure, but, to be honest, which we don’t really want to repeat – especially not with the heat during this time of the year. And we even were lucky,…

Through the wild Baluchistan

2 Live The Dream — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 09:34:40 +0000

Travelling overland from Iran to Pakistan you have to cross Baluchistan. This area in Pakistan stretches along the Afghan border from the Iranian border at Taftan until a few hundred kilometers north of Quetta. Baluchistan is well known for being dangerous and not very peaceful. Almost daily there are attacks somewhere in this area, and we were told that in…

4 weeks in Iran – a résumé

2 Live The Dream — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:57:23 +0000

After 4 weeks in Iran it is time to look back, and to reflect on the experiences. We have had so many new adventures, and we have seen so many new things that we could fill books with the stories. What fascinated us most and left us deeply impressed were the people of Iran, their cordiality, their hospitality, and their…

The LoneRider Motorcycle Tent

2 Live The Dream — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 13:47:32 +0000

If you are thinking about a tent for your next motorcycle trip, we suggest that you take a closer look at the LoneRider Motorcycle tent. We have tested this tent, and we really liked it. The tent was developed by a group of experienced long time motorcycle travelers, and they have tried to put all their experience into the development…

Stories from Iran

2 Live The Dream — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 20:10:39 +0000

Many things are different here – very different. Even after three weeks in this country, we have not comprehended many things. But we want to tell you about some particularities, that have surprised us, or that are very characteristic. 1. Hospitality Nowhere else have we experienced such a big hospitality like here in Iran. We are regularly invited for tea…

Iran – first impressions and the border

2 Live The Dream — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 14:22:43 +0000

We are in Iran now since 15 days, and we are already so full of new experiences and stories, it is hard to summarize everything. Iran is definitely completely different from the picture the media draw of it in western countries. All people we have met so far were friendly, welcoming, and honestly interested in us. Also police and officials…

Turkey – a diverse and hospitable country

2 Live The Dream — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 10:13:22 +0000

In total, we were three weeks in Turkey – definitely not enough time for such a big and diverse country with lots of places and things to discover (at the bottom of this page you find some more pictures). Mountains, high plains, rocky and sandy coastlines, almost untouched corners, and highly populated landscapes, antique ruins, chaotic cities, historic sites, high-tech…

A short update from Iran

2 Live The Dream — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 11:16:02 +0000

We have been in Iran now for about one week, and since so many at home were worried because of our travel to Iran we wanted to give you a short update. Our experiences so far were mainly positive, and the country really is fantastic. The people are friendly, open, helpful and the hospitality is enormous. We will write more…