DONE!
19 450 km overland by hitchhiking!
I’m finally reaching home alive and in one piece! No word can describe the feeling
12 countries
102 hitchhiked cars, trucks, motorcycles, buses, trains, police cars and… an airplane!
45 host families
but most important, hundreds and hundreds of new friends from all over the world.
What used to be an insane idea months ago became reality… can’t believe yet…
Thanks for all the great people who crossed my way, Thanks also for everyone on the Facebook page for the nice words and support!
Time to have a good rest and write down everything!
Sometimes, it’s hard to define a limit between challenging yourself and falling into danger…
But chasing extreme sensations remains stronger than any risk…
I am crossing one of the most spectacular borders in the world, “Essallum” (literally Ladder in Arabic), joining Egypt to the Libyan territory.Situated over a mountain, the climbing road was overcrowded with Egyptian military on high alert.
“Halt! Where are you going?!”
“Libyan side Sir”
“Border is closed , go back!!”
“I am Tunisian, I really need to cross to go home”
“I said Go Back!! it’s closed even for Egyptians, You may fly straight instead”
“Yes but…”
“But what?! Can’t afford it?!!”
“I am affraid no Sir…” (fake sad face)
“Empty your pockets!!”
…
“Good evening Sir, we’ve got a Tunisian guy. He seems to be a traveler. He’s requesting to get in.”
“What??!”
“He says he’s going to his country overland. We checked and he just has 150 pounds (25$) cash. What should we do?”
“We have to ask, tell him to wait”
…
30 minutes…
“Ok! you can go! Hope you know what you’re doing…”
Standing in the No-man’s land, with my exit stamped passport, I witnessed one of most memorable scenes of my trip…
I was the only one walking into the Libyan side… alone
From the other direction, hundreds and hundreds of people coming with their huge luggage…
“Where are you going brother?
.. Are you serious?”
“Is it that messed up?”
“Definitely!! Worse than ever! Every gate requires you to pay fines to let you pass. You don’t really look like a local… That sounds worse! You should come back”
“Are there banks working? ATMs?”
“Man, the banking system is down since a week!”
…
“Hello Sir”
“You again?! What do you want?!”
“Is it possible to go back…?”
“SERIOUSLY?!!!!!! You’re already stamped… sorry… no way back”
A one more country to discover… a one more culture to immerse in… and a one more road to hitchhikeI am reaching Turkey, at the crossroads between Asia and Europe, for a new journey The holy month of Ramadan is here and the challenge is bigger!Heat, thirst, fatigue… not enough to deter me from reaching home
A journey of 1080km this time, across Turkey from east to west. Heading to the fairy Istanbul along the black sea coast and the trip is as nice as tiring.
It was one day to Ramadan, I was quite stressed about how to travel and fast, how to manage to have a proper dinner by sunset and specially how to don’t miss the football matches of the world cup! :DD (yeah a man is a man)
So, I was walking trying to find some transports to get me out of the city of Trabzon. It seemed that my huge backpack was very attractive since a guy stopped by his car near me and suggested to help.
Hassan was a hostel manager, he took me to his place, prepared breakfast and then drove me till the exit of the city from where I started hitchhiking.
Around 7am I catched a truck which took me for 60km. As soon as I got out of it, a group of old men curious about this obvious tourist invited me to have tea with them. We couldnt understand each other at all, but enough to notice how friendly are people towards foreigners.
Then, a petrol tanker took me for 80km and put me in the middle of the express way.
And the funny moment of the day, another truck driver stopped for me. I was trying to introduce myself in a mix of English and stupid level of Turkish until I said ‘Tunus’! (Tunisia)
His outburst was a surprise! He could speak Arabic very well. He was from the southern region of Turkey, on the border with Syria. And as he said, all people from there are fluent in Arabic.
The 350km with him were so nice. Sharing stories about his life and my adventure.At 9pm, he dropped me in a service area by the express way.
Due to heavy rain, it was impossible to camp in my tent. So I just laid inside the prayer room (great advantage when hitchhiking a Muslim country), hoping that no one will come in till morning.
I woke up at 10am willing to pursue my way under +37° heat. Waiting in an express way is always a struggle as all cars are riding too fast.In hitchhiking, a driver has only a couple of seconds between noticing you and deciding to break. And if he’s already riding at 100km/h, that makes it totally discouraging for him. If not, be ready to run 50~100m with your backpack to catch him.
So after one hour waiting with no shadow to hide, finally 2 guys stopped for me. They took me for only 20km but at least I was then placed in a better spot to hitchhike.
From there, 45min wait (again under the sun) and a family van stopped. The sliding door opened, I tried to explain my situation for the 4 family members… They were looking at each other speaking Turkish. Then the son said: “Come in please”! He couldn’t really speak English, but those words were JUST enough for me!
So here I am laying in the back on a kind of mattress. That was all what they could offer due to lack of space, but as for me it was a 5 stars ride.A “Google translator” conversation then engaged, I understood that the family was riding across all Turkey for their holidays. They were heading west but not to Istanbul, so that the plan was to put me somewhere 150km away from my destination where our ways will part.
By 2pm, the temperature was so high that fasting headaches started. The long time waiting earlier in the day was having its effect. I was trying to overcome it by listening to music or just sleeping… but I was anxious about how I will have to wait again when they will drop me.
Suddenly the boy jumped to the back! “We change plan! We change plan!” he said. The words didn’t affect me much first as I was dizzy. I was thinking “ok, what can be the worst thing to happen? They leave me here? They will go south?” So many thoughts crossed my mind while he was typing on his phone to translate to me. “whatever they decide, it won’t be worse than what happened in China months ago when a truck driver left me in an expressway at 11pm totally in the dark near by a Sichuan forest”
“We are going to Istanbul!!!” Smiled the boy. “Oh! Great! Thank you!”I was feeling so happy but in the same time very curious about why they changed their destination.
Later, I was told that one of their family members living in Istanbul just died!! They got the news on the way and thus changed plan to get to the funerals!!
After a long journey of 1300 km by hitchhiking, 2 nights in my tent and more than 12 different cars, I am reaching the land of another conflict, Chechnya.Along the way, you can feel the tension; several military checkpoints and police questioning; All the ingredients guaranteeing a deep immersion to witness traces of the recent war.
Leaving Crimea after an extremely interesting stay.
I had a lot of questions, thoughts and the journey was beyond my expectations.
The conflict is real. The situation is a mess. And the victims of all these political tensions are… the local people.
What do they want? Simple rights!
The right to travel: all flight connections were cancelled due to international boycott
The right to see their family members living in Ukraine: Males aged between 18 and 60 are massively being refused entrance to their ex-nation
The SIMPLE RIGHT of getting access to their own deposited money: As all deposits and savings were under Ukrainian banks. After the annexation, all banks closed and were replaced by Russian ones. The problem? People are no longer able to manage their saved money, unable to use their credit and cash cards. Result, long queues every day in front of banks to protest and show the anger. But no clear issue yet…
The situation is really awful. People telling me that they are considered by their motherland Ukraine as traitors. And at the same time “potential danger” by their new nation.
The change of local currency caused an average 15% raise in all prices.
The most memorable testimony was from a 35 years old woman working as travel agent, she said: “People are being blinded. Everyone says Russia! Russia! Oh Great Russia! As if we became part of an Eldorado. If you have doubts, fears, the unique answer is: Putin Said ! Putin said all pensions will be covered by Russia! Putin said people no longer have to pay any contracted loan!… But where are we now from all promises…? Blocked banking system, price inflation, tourism disaster… They ruined our life”
Traveling is discovering… Travelling is witnessing… Travelling is understanding…
After 12 hours wait in checkpoint, several luggage inspections and military questioning, I was finally granted access to the region that dominated the headlines of this 2014… Crimea!
Since its annexation by Russia few months ago, the autonomous region and its people are in the middle of a territory dispute.
What raised my interest? … Daily life!
How can a region switch from a country to a country? How will government administrations and institutions do? and people working for it? Will they just change flag and pursue as nothing happened?
How will networks work? Supplying, water, electricity, mobile coverage?
How will banking system change? and people already contracting loans or paying for retirement pensions under Ukrainian system?
How about citizenship? Will everyone be forced to change it? What about those against all this?
So many questions and dilemmas that no one could answer so far!
Hitchhiking may be dangerous… but never enough to stop me…Very nice and memorable experience!Conclusion: When you hitchhike a car, always make sure the driver is not drunk xD
Runaway 