The Gap Year Blog

Nicaragua, tierra mia - Vienna Calling - Streets of London - Dubliners - India of My Dreams - Touring Germany - Discovering Austria

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Rabbit Island

Wow, it really seems to be a long time ago since I spent the weekend on rabbit island - there’S just so much to do and see, and whenever I do have the time to post something, the internet is usually too slow to do so...

Anyways: I spent one night on beautiful Rabbit Island a few weeks ago. No internet, no showers, almost no electricity - just the beach and a small bungalow (well, and the amazing hotel restaurant)

The next morning, I went to a beautiful temple cave (Wat Srei? I’m gonna have to look it up) - maybe a bit too early, since it turned out that it was smaller and less time consuing than expected.

That way, I arrived in Takeo in the afternoon instead of the evening, and spent the rest of the day cycling around and exploring the two markets.

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CHD - Children with Hope for Development

Each day on my way to the CHD school, I pass rice paddies and buffaloes, monks and “Hello” - yelling children - and sometimes even elephants! I found CHD through the internet and was impressed by the project: CHD provides free afternoon classes in English and Maths to school children, is professional, very well-organized, and the founder, Sokha Treng, is able to motivate both children and volunteers to do their very best.

I teach three classes each day Monday through Friday and even though it hasn’t always been easy, I am sad to leave the organisation by the end of this week. A few days ago, the school (now only a palm roof) was moved a few meters so, thanks to the donations made and collected by volunteers, the construction of the new school building can start. Until it is finished, teachers and students are forced to interrupt the class or even go home when it rains, since the palm roof isn’t waterproof.

If you are thinking about volunteering at a good, safe, organisation or want to make a difference by donating money for a good cause, have a look at their website:

http://www.chdcambodia.org/

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Koh Kong

Béné, whom I had met in Kampot the week before, wrote me that she was going to be in Kampot for the weekend, and since I really wanted to see her again (we had a great tme in Kampot) and the city (and especially its surroundings) was supposed to be amazing, I went. Had to spend the first night in Phnom Penh and was debating whether or not I’d actually go, since it takes 7 hours to get there - but in the end, I did, and it was absolutely worth it!

I arrived on Saturday afternoon, met up with Béné and we went to the river to watch the sunset, The next moring, we got up early and left for a trekking tour through the Cardamom mountains, that are covered in virgin rainforest.  After three hours,  we arrived an amazingly beautiful waterfall with a great view on the valley and went swimming. I could have stayed there forever.

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Going to School

My way to school here in Takeo really is extraordinary: every day, I cycle 20km, passing beautiful rice paddies, buffaloes, and “Hello!” yelling children.

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Cambodia

Spending a month in Cambodia to volunteer at CHD (Children with Hope for Development), an afternoon school in Po Village near Takéo. I’m working during the week - but, as I did in Nicaragua, travel around on the weekends! 

Kampot

Spent my first weekend in Kampot, a small city in the south of Combodia, just   two hours from Takéo.  Went on a firefly-boat tour on the first evening - but it was a bit different than expected, since it happened to be a party boat aaand it’s appearantly the wrong season for fireflies, so I didn’t see a lot of them. Still, it was nice to cruise on the river for a bit. On the next morning, I and Bénédicte, who I had met in the hostel, went on a tuk-tuk tour to a Phnom Chhnork, an ancient temple in a cave. On the way there, we stopped by a salt field (closed during the rainy season), a “secret lake”, and a pepper plantation - appearantly, Kampot pepper is very famous and one of the best in the world - who knew...?

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Grundlsee

Spent an absolutely beautiful weekend in the Styrian Grundlsee, where my father spent his childhood holidays. Had three very nice days full of postcard motivs, hiking trips and cool swims in the lake.

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Germany, Part V.I: Leipzig

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Germany, Part V: Leipzig

My last stop of my big university tour was Leipzig. (I didn’t really take a lot of pictures in Berlin, so I’m not gonna post any here) I lived at my cousin’s place aaand basically went to three parties in the first two days that I spent there - in other words, I had a great time!

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 Germany, Part IV.I: Altes Land and Hamburg

On sunday my aunt and I made a bike tour through the “Old Country” - luckily, the weather was amazing and we had a beautiful day.

Before going to Berlin, I walked through Hamburg a bit more and took some more pictures.

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Germany, Part IV: Hamburg

Visited my aunt in Buxtehude close to Hamburg for another two days. Spent the afernoon of my first day in Hamburg - and, once again, fell in love with this stunningly beautiful city. In the evening, we watched the Eurovision Song Contest at home on the couch - it was simply too cold for public viewing....

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Germany, Part III: Muenster

One of my favourites during the tour and almost-choice as a city to study in.

(Fun fact: a few years ago, an actual swan fell in love with the swan boat in the picture above. She (Petra) followed it around all day, and as often as they were seperated, as often she came back, until a few years ago, she finally found a new partner)

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Germany, Part II: Bonn

I went to Bonn for two days to visit Antonia, who I met in Nicaragua - it was really great to see her again (sorry for not posting the pictures earlier)!

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Germany, Part I: Freiburg

Freiburg was the first stop of my big uni tour through Germany. My parents took me there before leaving for the golden wedding anniversary of my great uncle.

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India, Part IX: Adimalathura

After almost three weeks of travelling, we got back to Adimalathura for one night before leaving India... I had an amazing time!

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India, Part IIX: Vadi, Koduvila, and Anchal

On our way to Koduvila, we made a surprise visit at a convent in Vadi. Stayed for a few hours, harvested some mangoes, and then got back into the cab to go to Koduvila. The next day, we visited a familiy sponsored by namasteIndia!. Before we left Koduvila, we did another backwaters tour before leaving for Anchal. The convent in Anchal has a huge, beautiful garden (it’s really more of a forrest), where the nuns harvest nutmeg, jack fruit, mangoes, and caoutchouk. Again, we stayed for only a few hours before returning to Adimalathura, our final stop.

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India, Part VII.I: Alappuzha

More pictures of the backwaters & of another morning walk :)

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India, Part VII: Alappuzha

After a wonderful morning walk by myslefto the dock (built by the English & last been used by them before they left), we spent half the day on the beach before going to the city to buy scarfes and to do a Backwaters tour.