OverlandSphere
Overland Travel, Expedition & Adventure Information for 4x4, motorcycle and truck overlanders
“It’s all about trust. And when it comes to monkeys, I have none.“ — Anthony Bourdain This is a good quote to live by. I should have learned my lesson a few weeks ago. Brad and I had just awoken and were strolling down a sleepy street in Cherating when we saw kitten sized baby monkeys swinging in the trees…
2013_05 Vietnam1, a set on Flickr. Our first week in Vietnam with our BigBikes was exciting! This is a photo story from the Laos/Vietnam border crossing, riding the Ho Chi Minh trail up North to Sa Pa.…
With every wave that crashed over the bow, our small boat took on more water. The panic on our young captain’s face shattered any hope that we would make it out of this tropical depression without a miracle, and my brain wouldn’t stop humming the theme from Gilligan’s Island. I wonder how the brain can have a sense of humor…
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…
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,…
After a stifling day, young people loitered on the cement wall alongside the coast enjoying the sea breeze and eating take away from the bustling outdoor market just a parking lot away. Down below, a mess of boulders formed a wave break. Cats pounced between the rocks, unhindered by their strangely peculiar tails; some were stumps, others crooked, and a…
The sound of jungle insects reverberated through the dense, humid night air. A slow loris crept along an overhead electrical wire strung between a tall wooden pole and a cinderblock structure where a woman cooked rice and noodles for the few people who lived around these parts. The loris stopped midway across the wire to give us a wide-eyed stare,…
In our next blog post, you’ll read about a guy we met named Hairi. After spending a couple of days with this man, who lived in a tent in the jungle with his family, we were really inspired. His life has been a continuous string of achievements that didn’t seem possible for someone without any money who lives in a…
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…
Battambang, a dusty little backwaters in NW Cambodia. Although becoming more of a tourist draw, it is still mostly visited by the backpacker crowd, anxious to get further off the well worn “banana pancake” trail that covers SE Asia. From Siem Reap there are two ways to get to Battambang. The first option is to take the mostly comfortable,…
Nine months ago while Sheena and I were stranded in the Colombian mountains, we made a decision. If Nacho ever made it through South America, we would ship to Europe instead of our original plan of shipping to Asia. Things were getting difficult, and we needed a break. From Europe, if things got hard, we could always turn around and…
The depth of my knowledge about Singapore up until about a week ago was gathered from the news in the 1990′s, and from reading Paul Theroux books. I knew that the entire structure and inner workings of the city state were conceived by one person, a sort of Wizard of Oz deciding what would fly and what wouldn’t. I knew…
“I think team Apec was totally corny. The way that the girl flung her arms around-” “Cut! Can we roll that again? Listen, the team’s name is ‘Apex’, not ‘Apec’,” the director said. “Oh, okay, sorry about that. Apex? Got it.” “Three…two…one…ACTION!” “I think team Apex was totally corny. The way that the girl, like, flung her arms around and…
Like all of the businesses on the block, the lights were out. All of the shop owners had migrated out to the streets, conversing with others, watching the night continue on. We eventually left the moonlight and entered a restaurant that was five shades darker inside than the sky was outside. A wall of heat and humidity built up like…
It’s early afternoon and the sun is high overhead, heating the humid air into a sauna that speckles our shirts with perspiration. Vines climb from the ground into the canopy of a tree, out across the limbs, and then dangle in the air above our heads. We sit on a bench and watch people go by. A Chinese couple passes,…
I arrived in Laos and Laos didn’t even know it. In fact, I was in Laos for about an hour, had lunch and a beer before I decided I should get a visa. I hopped in the car and started asking around: Where do I get my passport stamped? I had entered Laos by barge. Mekong and me. Most people…
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…
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…
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…
Bangkok, Thailand… start of the backpacker trail of SE Asia. Love it or hate it, if you’re going to Asia, you WILL end up in Bangkok. We have now been there several times and I must admit, I enjoy it. Yes, it is crazy, crowded, and chaotic. An enormous city of over 8 million, Bangkok is polluted with horrific travel.…
Ubud, Bali proved to be as magical as we had heard. Our days were spent strolling the back streets in awe of the local culture, eating amazing local cuisine, visiting temples and cultural events such as the Fire Show, and simply sitting on the patio of our gorgeously carved cabana and wondering how we ever got so lucky as to…
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…
**** Warning – this post contains some graphic photos and disturbing text. It’s an incredibly important history lesson but be warned, the story isn’t pretty *** Cambodia, a country that touched my heart for many reasons. Much of our time in the country was spent feeling disturbed but the history and modern reality of this little country in SE Asia…
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.…
Location: 33° 33′ 25″ S, 115° 01′ 50″ E (Cape Naturaliste, Western Australia) Distance from Sydney: 3,351 km Here’s a free tip for all those planning to ship your car to Australia by container: Don’t. Ship it to the moon instead. It’ll be easier. When I shipped Magda to the UK she went via a roll-on roll-off (RoRo) vessel. I…
We always appreciate local, environmentally aware companies when we travel and, unfortunately, such companies are not the norm so were more than thrilled to find Green Discovery Tours in Laos. We had been hanging out for over a week in the delightful capital, Vientiane, when we found our Indian visas would not be ready for at least five more days.…
Vietnam- that one word still has the power to create mixed emotions and adamant reactions from many Americans. What we found was a fascinating country, a crossroads of French and Asian culture, and a complicated history. With none of the pre-conceived ideas that taint our parents feelings for this SE Asian country, we were more able to fully appreciate both…
Location: 1° 18′ 48″ N, 103° 51′ 34″ E (Singapore) Distance from Sydney: 6,323 kms Thousands of Australians a year travel to Thailand. 9 or so hours by plane transports them to somewhere exotic and different north of the equator. The food is spicy and cheap, the weather humid and warm, the cities and culture different, the people warm, friendly…
We’ve been to Chiang Mai, Thailand several times and can easily see us joining the many ex-pats who’ve made it their home. The mountain top temple at Duh Suthep is an amazing day trip to enjoy the gorgeous temple as well as the views of the city below. Foto Friday is a post from: The Next Big Adventure…
The customs officer looked out of the window and wiped his brow. It was hot. Outside the lush jungle clicked and buzzed with tropical insects. On the desk in front of him was Magda’s paperwork. He looked back at me with a pained expression: “What colour is your car?” he asked. I looked out at where Magda sat patiently in…