A year on the road

October 4, 2023
by Jens Hevike
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Two years ago I decided not to earn more money, but to spend my saved money to discover the world. A year ago, I put this idea into action. Since then, I’ve had countless adventures, visited seven countries on two continents, and walked over 4,000 kilometers.

What to consider when hiking in Peru

September 16, 2023
by Jens Hevike
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Here, in addition to my experiences on the trails Alpamayo, Santa Cruz, Huayhuash and Olleros/Chavin also share some technical information independent of my personal impressions. During my time in Huaraz, I met few solo hikers on the trails. But if you already have hiking experience, it should be possible without problems to travel without a guide or in a group.

Extreme precipice – Huayahuas – Peru

September 15, 2023
by Jens Hevike
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What gets my pulse racing is mastering difficult situations by yourself, going off the beaten path and finding your own risky way back. There is a reason why a path has developed in a certain direction from this 5000 meter high saddle. Over and over again this path has been consolidated by further steps, this path has worked and proven itself before. I see before me many possibilities that have not yet been established, but which I consider worth exploring. What can go wrong?

Peru – Alpamayo and Santa Cruz – At an altitude of 4800 metres

August 30, 2023
by Jens Hevike
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The temperatures have dropped to the freezing point again. What just kept me warm on my last tour were my two jackets, which I forgot this time with my other stuff in Huaraz. However, with my old sleeping bag I would not have survived this time either. Fortunately, I now have a new sleeping bag that keeps me cozy warm down to -7 degrees, too warm that I can only use it as a blanket so as not to stew in my own juice. On this hike, I will no longer let anyone tell me that I freeze at night.

Huaraz – Camping at 4000 meters

August 22, 2023
by Jens Hevike
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My tent is covered with a thin layer of ice. Again and again I startle from the bone-chilling cold. I need several layers of clothing to keep me reasonably warm. I wear two pairs of pants, a T-shirt, a down jacket, a rain jacket, and a pair of thick wool socks, with a sleeping bag liner over them. Nevertheless, I am far from the coziness that my sleeping bag promises me at 10 degrees.

Quilotoa – Ecuador

August 15, 2023
by Jens Hevike
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At the top, I was welcomed by a farmer and his father, who at my request allowed me to camp on their small piece of land. For the first time in my life at over 3000 m altitude. After I set up the tent, with little nephew Juti watching me the whole time, together we helped his uncle Segundo weed alfalfa for his guinea pigs. Using a knife that looks like a sickle, we cut the whole plant off at the root. He tells me that his family only speaks Quechua, the language of the indigenous people. For me, this is completely incomprehensible.

I don’t want to be a tourist any more – Guajira Desert

August 10, 2023
by Jens Hevike
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In the past, the people in the desert could survive well without outside help. But at some point came tourism, from which they live in part. They make a little turnover with the tourists, sell cold drinks and homemade bags. The bags are nice, but I have no use for them. Coal has also been found on their land, which they are hardly compensated for mining. But with the roads, the dirt and the rails they don’t need, they have to live now.

As a tourist in Colombia – Parque Tayrona

July 30, 2023
by Jens Hevike
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I would certainly not have starved, but for more than a few noodles with tomato sauce and the hammock for the night it was not enough. Fortunately, the experienced hiker found mangoes and avocados in the jungle, without which he would have had to starve for breakfast and lunch. I sat like a monkey under the trees in the riverbed and enjoyed the fruits. Somehow it is a great experience not to be able to slay all problems with money. It is new for me not to have money. Often enough you find a solution for which you don’t need money.

So (a)social

July 18, 2023
by Jens Hevike
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Yes, I am a very social person. I love being with other people and getting to know new people and their experiences. Yet, I also have an “anti-social” side where any interaction with people takes energy. Extroverts who charge in social settings like someone struck by lightning often can’t put themselves in our introverted shoes. In the past, I have sometimes been mocked for this, that I was tired again. Yet I was doing my best. Alcohol often helped me temporarily calm the introverted part of me – at least for the evening. I paid the cost later with even more tiredness.

A month in the Colombian jungle

July 10, 2023
by Jens Hevike
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The almost four weeks in the Blue Dot Hostel have given me a lot of fun and joy. I learned a lot of new things about working and living together in the Jungle. The people in the camp have sweetened my time and have grown close to my heart. Volunteering somewhere has opened up a whole new horizon of travel for me. Because everyone stays here longer, you get to know each other much better than if you just move from hostel to hostel, where it feels like you start over with small talk every day. Since you pay with your own labor here, it’s also an inexpensive way to get to know a country. Provided you have time.