We arrived at our AirBnB apartment in Cartagena de Indias on a Saturday around 4:30 pm. The apartment is located in a block of buildings with private security, so we had to „check in“ first, showing our passports and the security guy filled out a form - well form is maybe not the right word, taking into account that we are now officially named Markus Deutsch and Manuela Deutsch. ;-)

Then the security guy gave us a paper bracelet (one of those, that you would get at a concert) to put on. We looked at each other for a second and then put them into our pocket - no way wearing such a thing for 3 months :-D

We didn’t know yet, that all the security guys would know us some hours later anyhow.

For 2 weeks we were volunteering on an organic Farm, that produces fruit, vegetables and wine. Here are some stories we relived. Enjoy! :-D

A tent was build up in the night close to our mobile home. We saw the inhabitants just from far throughout the day, b ut met in the evening, shared a wine and talked. They were two canadian girls from Sasketchuan, the flattest state of Canada, as they told us, where you can see how the weather will be the day after tomorrow or where you see people arriving before they even know, they want to visit...

Cabo San Lucas is located at the southmost point of the Baja California. A dusty, beautiful spot with a lot of sun and desert landscapes.

Fantastic beaches with an almost bathtub-like warm and clear pacific ocean. And a sheer endless supply of beer and tequila.

Lots of Americans are spending their holidays here or even just come for a weekend. Surfers love the big waves at the beaches west of Cabo.

But there is more to Cabo than just its beauty...

We walked by that shop of „Wide Open“ on the main street in Cabo San Lucas, marveling at the real Baja California racing car on the pavement.

What should I say, we decided to make that side of the Baja California subject to a close inspection and got us on that car right next day.  :-D

For 2 weeks we were volunteering on an organic Farm, that produces fruit, vegetables and wine. Here are some stories we relived. Enjoy! :-D

Second day of helping out in the vineyard and we will be pruning vines today.

As we are complete rookies, Nathan explains to us, what needs to be done - with a saint like patience...

For 2 weeks we were volunteering on an organic Farm, that produces fruit, vegetables and wine. Here are some stories we relived. Enjoy! :-D

We arrived on a Monday morning and started our volunteering by harvesting garlic... 

Shame on us, we haven’t found a restaurant in Alaska, where they haven't ruined the lovely fresh salmon by overcooking it resulting in a very dry piece of something.

So we bought some fresh salmon and prepared it according to a friends recipe - in the kitchen of the camper van - means it is really easy ;-)

The result was great. Much better than in any alaskan restaurant so far, sorry. 

Interested? 

So here's that fantastic recipe from our friend Ralf!

You need to be special, to live here. And being a bit crazy definitely helps, I would say.

:-D

Meet Dawson City, located deep in Yukon territory at the shores of Klondike and Yukon river, gold rush town around 1900, a bit worn out but still busy. And there are still lots of gold miners living in and around the town.

The tour to Denali National Park was rather spontanious. People we got to know in Valdez told us about it and we decided to go there although it was a bit far from the route we had in mind.

It took us a 9 hour drive to get there and when we finally arrived in the afternoon we discovered, that you need to book a campground in the park at least one year in advance. We tried 4 campsites more along the road, before we found a space at the Denali Outdoor Center.

We were lucky in several ways, as we wouldn’t have imagined how great the spot was!

You probably remember Valdez because of the Exxon Valdez, the oil tanker, that struck a reef in 1989 in the Prince William Sound causing an environmental catastrophe and making the town sadly famous. At least that rang a bell in MY mind hearing of Valdez...

We did not regret the decision to go to Valdez and actually stayed a day longer than planned. Here’s why.

This has a sweet, salty and sharp flavour mix that is ADDICTIVE! It's easy to prepare and keeps (refrigerated) for a week plus. Serve at room temp. It's lovely with goat cheese, Brie and more!

This recipe was kindly provided by our AirBnB Host and new friend Vanessa Rocchio in Duncan, Vancouver Island. We had the Tapenade with a variety of salty crackers and sweet salmon candy (smoked bits of salmon with a sweet glaze). Sooooo good and highly addictive, just like she said. The dried cherries are the secret!

Dinner in the desert. No one around, just some animals keeping you company. In the background majestic mountains glintering in the dying sunlight. Can it get more romantic?