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	Start: 2008-04-10					Oli on his way from Munich to Hong Kong				End: 2010-05-12

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2010-06-04
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New Zealand

Finally the pix are online! :-)

news archive...

Diary - The Beginning

1997-02-01
Reason of the trip - a holiday with consequences When I was still a student I went on a big holiday trip with Martin - well, it should become the best holiday of our life. We spent 8 days in Hong Kong and then went on to the Island of Bali for another 4 weeks. I had to organize my practical internship by phone from Hong Kong and Martin started his a little bit later - Intel was quite a cool company already! :-) In Hong Kong we were challenged by the biggest cultural difference of our life with gazillion new impressions. Pictures, smells, ways of living. ...prepared by them we were ready for the easy life on Bali: cheap living, cheap food, cheap transport, everything super easy for things money can buy. Daytime was easy: Breakfast whenever we woke up, riding the waves and hanging around. Night-time was even more easy - it was the time before the stupid men bombed away the famous Sari-Club (you can't miss it! There you have to drink a Jungle Juice. One and you're totally loaded - two and you are history!). Endless nights having pure fun... Of course the impressions changed our complete life. We have to go there again was the first commandment. As we rent a jeep there and travelled around wherever we wanted to we got a snapshot of free life. So - just to combine the two - the idea of going back to Hong Kong and Bali by Car was born.
1998
First strike - no money When I was 23 I was planning the first time to make my dream come true. The planning ended pretty fast when I was confronted by producing around DM 6000,- just for the 'Carnet de passage' - a toll paper you need to enter countries with your own vehicle. Well, I learned my first lesson not to surrender in a rapid way...
2005-07-01
Plans becoming more precise In 2005 plans became more precise. I had saved enough money to buy a car and cope the cost of the trip - about 40,000 km from Munich to Hong Kong. I was ready to leave in summer time when my client appeared and ask me to stay for another half a year. Well, I was young and had to go for the money! Half a year more or less - no problem I thought... - some people know more by now!
2006-04-15
Start of the trip - and the very close end! I bought my car around Frankfurt in area of Taunus. And that saved my live. Because otherwise, if it would have been around my hometown, I would have gone there and killed the man who sold it - the reason I'll tell you... My route I first planned to go was via Austria and Italy (passing by Lago di Garda) and going down to Brindisi and taking the ferry boat to Igomenitza in Greece. But: The very fist day - after passing the Brenner (pass over the alps) I didn't even reach Lago di Garda (which is a half day trip from Munich), but my car broke down! The gear belt broke and nearly destroyed the whole engine. Well, it was the darkest day in my life so far. Some days before I celebrated my farewell party with around sixty friends and got very nice, heart-warming presents (Thx Martin for organizing!!) and I new, I had to tell them I am back home! :-( In that night I couldn't find sleep!! Thanks to the 'Gelben Engel' (The German Automobile Club (ADAC)) I got the 'we-care- about-everything-package': Save return of my broken car, hotel and rental car for 10 days - all for free! As I had to pick up my girl-friend from the airport of Verona and we planned to go to Roma that was a real service... but returning to Munich with a rental car was definitely not part of my idea! :-( After a quick check of my car in the garage it was clear that the landy dealer fucked me completely - the car was a kit - build of many different old cars and definitely not being ready for a 40,000er! I had to spend half a fortune into the car to make it ready - fuck him! Never buy a car at the Taunus Landy dealer - I swear!!
2007-04-15
Second Start The repair of my car took more time that I thought and so fall arrived and I had to wait for the spring again - I am the summer type of person - don't wanna travel around, when temperature is low. That's also the reason I chose the southern silk road and not the one through cold Russia! :-) As I got another project time passed quickly and I planned to restart in late March 2007. By that time my friend Timo from neos ventures asked me to help in a project in Sofia for two weeks. As I am always interested in going abroad, the deal with neos ventures was quickly made. And people in that business now - two weeks time in the beginning can easily reach a one-year-contract! :-) Well, late April the one-year-schedule was not clear and I drove down to Sofia with my friend Tean to be prepared to head west as soon as my part in the project is finished. But as time goes by, projects character change, little Oli was in for another half a year. ...meaning that I had to postpone my leaving date again!! :-) Well, it was one of my most interesting years working for the Bulgarian Telecom, getting in touch with the former eastern block - and many very nice people!
2008
Planning the Third Start As I am still the summer man I had to wait until spring 2008 to start again. With my flat in Munich already cancelled I stayed with friends, parents and until now with my sister - and sometimes in a cellar, where I stored all my belongings... Things went good, projects finished, last things prepared, but then the nightmare with my visas started: First the Iran counsel didn't work as fast as they told me before and so I had to postpone my flight from 22nd of March to the 1st of April. Then the Pakistan counsel didn't tell me that as a foreigner in Germany (I am Austrian) I need a resident permit - well, I don't think they have heard about the contract of Maastricht and things alike. Anyway, I sent it to them and then they realized, that I have to pay an extra fee and sent me back everything again - no, they couldn't do that the first time altogether! :-) As time went by - I had to postpone my flight again (extra costs included of course)! Now the new flight date is the 10th of April! Wish me luck!!