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News October 2014              (Windhoek/Namibia, 11/3/2014)
 
Website statistics:   'Webalizer' has been shut down definitively in February 2013. 'Logaholic' is the current counter.
                        'Logaholic' shows now the following figures in October 2014: 25'802 visits / 94'497 pages
                                  'Google-Analytics' showed 29'281 pageviews during October. The visitors come from ~229 countries!
                   ('Logaholic' September = 20'410 visits / 76'687 pages; August = 19'319 visits / 73'506 pages)
                        ('Google-Analytics': September = 23'158 pageviews / August = 30'894 pageviews)
                                  Record day since 12/17/1998 = the birthday of our website: on 11/5/2007 = 13'407 visitors and 787'456 hits ('Webalizer')
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Angola is history! Angola seen from a touristic point is still a very pristine country: No touristic infrastructure, and because
there are none around of this species, the Angolans are not yet spoiled by them and are not always on the lookout to get out
some money. We liked the country very much: Friendly people, native village life, in between also interesting landscapes and
a sense of security. Currently there's a wave of criminality in Namibia particularly in the capital of Windhoek that makes a
visit of the city like 'running a gauntlet': Assaults with knives in broad daylight; smashing car windows; tearing open car doors;
slashing tires to force the occupants out of the vehicle; chasing of tourist rent-a-cars, etc. simply violence towards tourists.
 
Nevertheless our Angola trip was marred too albeit in another way, just on the eve of our 30th anniversary of "being on the
road" on October 15th, 2014. We're driving on a perfect blacktop road and wanted to have a lunch break under a shady tree.
When we wanted to change into reverse gear, nothing happens: No forward no backward, neither in normal nor in reduction
gear. Thoughts of a broken transmission or transfer turn up! After all kinds of tries, engaging the front wheel hub starts moving
the vehicle, thus we are able to return to the road. Safe? No not at all, since not even a mile further a big bang says good bye
to the right rear wheel, which speeds towards a thatched hut village, while the LandCruiser busts out to the right and crashes
down an embankment. For the moment it seemed that we would somersault what would have meant the end of our "epic"
journey, but somehow the car flipped to the left and came finally to a stop on the red soil. Unimaginable if Angola like
in all other South African countries would have driven on the left side too! A head-on collision would have been inevitable.
 
Sitting now in the soft soil we puzzled over the cause, specifically that both the malfunction of the transmission as well
as the axle fracture happened on top of one another. In a nutshell: The axle fracture occurred very shortly before changing
into reverse gear, thus the back differential couldn't move anymore the wheel. Only engaging the free wheel hub caused that
the front drive functioned again, while the broken off rear wheel "worked its way out" of the axle housing during the following
mile.
 
Until we were able thanks to having a spare shaft with us to continue our trip, it took a while: Jacking up the heavy car on
this soft ground; opening the differential and removing the remaining stump of the shaft; replacing the spare shaft; dismantling
for security reasons the rear propeller shaft and afterwards some cautions attempts to climb up to the paved road. That during
this time from 1pm to 7pm and during the actual anniversary day, October 16th, from 5am to 11am nearly the whole village
was spectating at each of our activities is self-evident. That a white car tourist looses one of its wheels doesn't happen every
day! We left our "jubilee spot" exhausted and daubed with oil and moved with a speed of 30 miles/h only to avoid incidents,
in case there would be still something damaged direction south, i.e. Namibia. Our LandCruiser FJ60, model 1982, wasn't
popular in Angola due to its long civil war. Hence spare parts are not available and would have to be flown in or rather to be
fetched abroad. It doesn't bear contemplating what consequences this would have caused, e.g. concerning the one month visa
and the temporary vehicle permit.
 
In short we were able to do the following 1'000 miles until Windhoek in Namibia without further problems. We are now
searching for another spare shaft, as another loss of it will be for sure. Botswana, the neighbor country of Namibia, is said to
have more resources, hence we shall move shortly there.
 
 
                                                                   Angola/mile 30 Huambo-Benguela: Third axle fracture after 440'000 miles on the eve of our 30-years anniversary on 10/16/2014
 
However, "luck" was again on our side when we received for the second time a three-months permit for Namibia. Normally
it's common that nowadays tourists get only once an allowance of three months in a calendar year, what causes big
headaches to many of the numerous European visitors with its European vehicles.
 

New Reports/Pictures
 
                                                                                           mouse over picture shows comments
                                                                                                              click a picture to see details
 
Angola
2 Picture Galleries
 
(Sept.-Oct. 2014)
Angola/Leba Pass: 6'053 ft. high pass between Lubango and Namibe
Part 1: September 26th to October 4th, 2014
Part 2: October 4th to 22nd, 2014
Namibia
Picture Gallery
 
(July-Sept. 2014)
 
Namibia/Walvis Bay: Dune No. 7
Cape Verde
1 Picture Report
6 Picture Galleries
 
(Nov. 2013-May 2014)
Cape Verde: Girl from Praia
Island of Santiago (Report)
Island of Fogo
Island of Brava
Island of São Nicolau
Island of São Vicente
Island of Santo Antão Part 1 Eastern Side
Island of Santo Antão Part 2 Western side
Transnistria
Picture Gallery
 
(Aug. 22 - Sept. 1, 2013)
 
Transnistria: Lenin in front of the parliament building
Moldova
Picture Gallery
 
(Aug. 21/22, 2013)
(Sept. 1 - 4, 2013)
Moldova: Trebujeni - a typical Moldovan village near Orheiul Vechi
 
Ukraine
Picture Gallery
 
(Aug. 17 - 21, 2013)
(Sept. 4 - 22, 2013)
 
Ukraine: Roksolany along Dniestr-Liman: The churches with its 'golden' domes can be seen everywhere
Abkhazia
Picture Gallery
 
(Aug. 5 - 13, 2013)
Abkhazia: Pebble beach of Sukhumi
 
Nagorno-Karabakh
Picture Gallery
 
(July 9 - 17, 2013)
 
Nagorno-Karabakh/Stepanakert: The Monument 'Tatik u Papik'
Armenia
2 Picture Galleries
 
(July 2 - 9, 2013)
(July 17 - 22, 2013)
Armenia: Haghpat Monastery near Alaverdi in the North
Armenia part 1
(from the Georgia border at Bagratashen
to the Nagorno-Karabakh border near Goris)
 
Armenia part 2
(from the Nagorno-Karabakh border near Goris
to the Georgia border near Gyumri)
Azerbaijan
Picture Gallery
 
(June 13 - 24, 2013)
Azerbaijan: Baku: Flame Towers
Georgia
3 Picture Galleries
 
(June 4 - 13, 2013)
(June 24 - July 2, 2013)
(July 22 - Aug. 5, 2013)
(Aug. 13 - 15, 2013)
Georgia: Mtskheta and the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
Georgia part 1
(from the Turkish border at Sarpi
to the Azerbaijani border near Lagodekhi)
Georgia part 2
(Tbilisi + from the Armenian border at Ninotsminda
via Kazbegi, Kutaisi to Zugdidi before Svaneti)
Georgia part 3
(Svaneti + Ferry to the Ukraine)
Turkey
Picture Gallery
 
(May 28, - June 4, 2013)
(Esendere-Hakkari-Van-
Dogubayazit-Kars-Ardahan-Hopa)
Turkey/Southeast-Anatolia: Kurdish Village Soguksu with Volcano Tendürek
Iran
3 Picture Galleries
 
(May 2013)
Iran: Picture of Ayatollah Khomeini in the Nasir-al-Molk Mosque in Shiraz
Iran part 1
(Ferry Port Bandar Abbas-Shiraz-Persepolis-Pasargad)
Iran part 2
(Pasargad (excl.)-Yazd-Esfahan)
Iran part 3
(Esfahan (excl.)-Chelgerd-Hamadan-Sanandaj-Orumiyeh)
Oman
5 Picture Galleries
 
(Jan. 28, - March 29, 2013)
Part 2: Sohar-Muskat-Rustaq-Nizwa
Part 3: Sur-East Coast-Isl.of Masirah-Dhofar
Part 4: South: Salalah & Srndg. (Dhofar)-Nizwa
Part 5: Western Hajar Mountains
Oman/Musandam: View to the bay Khor an-Najd, southeast of Khasab
2nd Rejuvenation
Picture Gallery
 
(Bodywork: Aug.-Oct. 2012)

Miri/Sarawak/Malaysia: Dismantling the roof rack on the occasion of the second "rejuvenation"

 
Report of the second overhaul of 
our LandCruiser in Miri/Sarawak
- the East Malaysian province
on the island of Borneo
Réunion
3 Picture Galleries
 
(Dec. 2011 - May 2012)
(Saint-Denis & surroundings-West Coast-Salazie-
La Paix-North Coast-Takamaka-Dos d'Âne)
Réunion part 2
(Les Makes-La Fenêtre-Saint Louis-East Coast-
The Volcano-Grande Anse)
Réunion part 3
Cilaos-Grande Anse-Le Maïdo-Saint Pierre
Réunion: View from Cap Noir/Dos d'Âne (near La Possession) into the Cirque de Mafate
Madagascar
4 Picture Reports
 
(Sept.  - Dec. 2011)
Madagascar/Morondava: 27 years 'on the road', here in the 'Allée des Baobabs'
Madagascar part 1
(Tamatave-Andasibe-Antananarivo-Miandrivazo)
Madagascar part 2
(Miandrivazo-Morondava-Antsirabe-Fianar-Ambalavao)
Madagascar part 3
(Ambalavao-Isalo N.P.-Tuléar-Ranomafana)
Madagascar part 4
(Antananarivo-Ankadibe-Manambato-Foulpointe-Tamatave)
Mauritius
3 Picture Reports
 
(July - Sept. 2011)
Mauritius 1             (with car)
 
Mauritius 2                (with car)
 
Rodrigues Island    (without car)
Mauritius: Typical steep mountains rising from the sugar cane fields
Sri Lanka
3 Picture Reports
 
(March - May 2011)
Sri Lanka/Dambulla: Buddha in the Golden Temple resp. Cave Temple
Sri Lank part 1
Sri Lank part 2
Sri Lank part 3
United Arab Emirates
3 Picture Galleries:  (with car)
(Nov. 20th, 2012 to Apr. 29th 2013)
1 Picture Gallery:  (w/o car)
(Feb. 19th, to 27th, 2011)
1 Picture Report  (with car)
(February - May 1999)
UAE: 3rd Visit part 3   (with car)
UAE: 3rd Visit part 2   (with car)
UAE: 3rd Visit part 1   (with car)
UAE: 2nd Visit (Dubai-Sharjah) (without car)
UAE: 1st Visit   (with car)
United Arab Emirates: Souk of Sharjah
Yemen
3 Picture Reports (w/o car)
(Feb. 9th, to 19th, 2011)
 
1 Picture Galleriy  (with car)
(May-June 1996)
Dicksam Plateau/Socotra Island/Yemen: Forest of Dragon Blood Trees
Island of Socotra East      (w/o car)
Island of Socotra South    (w/o car)
Island of Socotra West     (w/o car)
 
Pictures from Yemen Trip (with car)
Papua New Guinea
5 Picture Reports
 
(Aug.  - Oct. 2010)
1) Milne Bay - (Port Moresby)
                - Mt. Hagen - Lae
2) Mt.Hagen Cultural Show 8/13-15/2010
3) Lae – Madang – Goroka
4) Goroka Cultural Show 9/17-19/2010
5) Goroka - Mt. Hagen - Kumul Pass
                - Mt. Hagen - Goroka - Lae
Mount Hagen/Papua New Guinea: Huli Wigman from the Southern Highlands at the Mount Hagen Cultural Show 2010
Indonesia 2010
3 Picture Reports
 
(March  - June 2010)
Medan/Sumatra/Indonesia: Indonesian Serenity
 
North Sumatra  Report  (March-April 2010)
West-Sumatra  Report    (May-June 2010)
Southern Sumatra  Report    (June 2010)
 
Tonga
Picture Report
 
(Nov. 2009 - Jan. 2010)
Tongatapu Island Nuku'alofa/Tongatapu/Tonga: Royal Palace
French Polynesia
3 Picture Reports
 
(Aug. -Oct.  2009)
Tahiti/French Polynesia: One type of Tahiti's main flower with many names - Frangipani, Plumeria, Tiare
Tahiti 1st part  Picture Report  (Aug.-Sept. 2009)
Tahiti 2nd part Picture Report  (Oct. 2009)
Moorea Picture Report   (Sept. 2009)
Cook Islands (without car)
Picture Gallery
 
(Aug. 2009)
Rarotonga Island Cook Islands/Rarotonga: Beauty from the South Pacific
American Samoa
Picture Gallery
 
(July 2009)
American Samoa: View from Pago Pago towards the 1'718ft. high Rainmaker Mountain (Pioa Mountain)
Samoa
4 Picture Reports:
 
(April-June 2009)
Island of Upolu: 1st part
Island of Upolu: 2nd part
Independence Day  June 1st, 2009
Island of Savaii
Apia/Samoa: Coat of Arms of Samoa in front of the Government Office Building
Fiji
3 Picture Galleries:
 
(Jan.-March 2009)
Suva/Fiji: Guard at the Parliament House
1st part: Island of Viti Levu (Jan.+Febr. 2009)
2nd part: Island of Vanua Levu (March 2009)
3rd part: Island of Taveuni (March 2009)
Vanuatu
2 Picture Galleries:
 
(1st visit: July 2008)
(2nd visit: Dec. 2008-Jan. 2009)
Vanuatu 1st visit (without car)
 
Vanuatu 2nd visit (with car)
Vanuatu: Boeing 737-800 of Air Vanuatu at the airport of Port Vila
New Caledonia
3 Picture Galleries:
 
(Aug.-Oct. 2008)
New Caledonia: Nouméa and the St. Joseph Cathedral
1st part: Grand Terre: Nouméa + South (Aug.2008)
2nd part: Grand Terre: North #1 (Aug.+Sept. 2008)
3rd part: Grand Terre: North #2 (Sept.+Oct. 2008)
New Zealand
6 Picture Galleries:
 
(South Island: Febr.-May 2008)
(North Island: May-July 2008)
1st part: South Island (Febr.+March 2008)
2nd part: South Island (March 2008)
3rd part: South Island (April 2008)
4th part: South to North Island (May 2008)
5th part: North Island (May+June 2008)
6th part: North Island (June+July 2008)
New Zealand: South Island - typically
Philippines
1 Picture Gallery:
3 Picture Reports:
(1st visit: Febr. 2008)
(2nd visit: Nov. 2010-Jan. 2011)

Philippines: Ricefields near Sagada/Mountain Province/Northern Luzon

Philippines 1st visit (without car Febr. 2008)
 
Philippines 2nd visit (with car):
Luzon (South)-Mindoro-Panay  (Nov.-Dec. 2010)
Negros-Cebu  (Dec. 2010-Jan. 2011)
Bohol-Luzon (South)  (Jan. 2011)
Taiwan
3 Picture Reports:
 
(Oct.- Nov. 2007)
 
1st part: Kaohsiung-Kenting-Taitung
2nd part: Taitung-Southern Cross-
Island Hwy-Siraya NSA (Zengwun Reservoir)-Alishan-Sun Moon Lake -Taroko-Suao-
Hualien Hwy-Taipei
3rd part: Taipei-Taitung-Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung/Taiwan: God of War at Lotus Pond
Timor-Leste (East Timor)
2 Picture Reports:
 
(May 2007)

Oecussi/Timor-Leste: Landscape East of Oecussi-'Town'

 
 
Exclave of Oecussi
 
Mainland
Indonesia 2006/07
1 Report + 6 Picture Galleries:
(Sumatra-Java: Sept.-Dec. 2006)
(Bali: Jan.-March 2007)
(Lombok, Sumabawa, Flores: April 2007)
(Sumba, West Timor: May+June 2007)
(Sulawesi:June+July 2007)
(Tana Toraja (-Land): June+July 2007)
(Kalimantan: July 2007)
 
Sumatra-Java    (= Report)
Bali
Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores
Sumba, West Timor
Sulawesi
Tana Toraja (Toraja-Land)
Kalimantan
Ke'te Kesu near Rantepao/Sulawesi/Indonesia: Traditional Toraja village
Brunei
Picture Report
 
(Sept. 2006)
Brunei (Borneo): ’The 'Ali Saifuddien'-Mosque at sunset in Bandar Seri Begawan
 
Borneo
3 Picture Reports:
(Sarawak: 1st visit: June-Aug. 2006)
(Sabah: Oct. 2006)
(Sarawak: 2nd visit: Nov. 2006)
Picture Gallery:
(Borneo-Trip: Sept.-Nov. 2006)
 
Sarawak part 1 Northeast (Miri)
Sabah
Sarawak part 2 South (Kuching)
Borneo (Sabah, Brunei, Sarawak, Kalimantan)
Sepilok near Sandakan/Sabah/East-Malaysia (Borneo): Orang Utan Rehabilitation Center
1st Rejuvenation
Picture Report
 
(Engine/Body: June-Aug. 2006)
(Transmission: Sept. 2007)

Miri/Sarawak/East-Malaysia (Borneo): Overhaul of our LandCruiser in 'Full Swing'

 
Report of the first overhaul of 
our LandCruiser in Miri/Sarawak
- the East Malaysian province
on the island of Borneo
Myanmar (South) (without car)
Picture Report
 
(May 2006)
 
Myanmar: Waiting for customers in Kawthoung
 
Thailand
2 Picture Galleries:
 
(1st visit: Nov. 1993 - Jan. 1994)
(2nd visit: Nov. - Dec. 2005)
(3rd visit: Febr. - April 2006)
Thailand: Ho Phra I-Suan Temple in Nakhon Si Thammarat
Temples, Pagodas, Shrines

People, Beaches, Nature

Laos
Picture Report
 
(February 2006)

Laos: The ’Patuxai’, the Laotian replica of the French ’Arc de Triomphe’ in Paris

Vietnam
Picture Report
 
(January 2006)
Vietnam: Two women cultivating a rice field
Cambodia
Picture Report
 
(December 2005)

Cambodia: The main temple of Angkor Wat with its five towers viewed from the hill of the ’Phnom Bakheng’ - Temple

Malaysia (West)
Picture Report
 
(Oct. - Nov. 2005)
(May 2006)
Malaysia: The four minarets of the ’Sultan Salahuddin’ State Mosque in Shah Alam are visible already from far
Singapore
Picture Gallery
 
(September 2005)

Singapore: Merlion - the Land- and Trademark of the Lion City

Macao   (without car)
Picture Gallery
 
(September 2005)

Macao: The ’St. Paul’ ruin is an inspiring sight also at night

 
 
 
 
Hong Kong
2 Picture Galleries:
 
(1st visit: September 2005)
(2nd visit: Dec. 2007-Jan. 2008)

 

 
 
Hong Kong 1st visit (without car)
 
Hong Kong 2nd visit (with car)
Hong Kong: From ’Hong Kong Peak’ we get an excellent view of the ’skyscraper jungle’
The visit of 6 countries with and 1 island without our LandCruiser Middle East
The visit of 10 countries with and 1 without our LandCruiser Southeast Asia
The visit of 4 countries with and 1 islandl without our LandCruiser Indian Ocean
The visit of 4 countries with and 1 without our LandCruiser Far East
The visit of 14 Pacific Islands with and 1 without our LandCruiser

Pacific (Febr. 2008-Jan. 2010 + Aug.-Sept. 2010)

The visit of 13 Caribbean Islands with our LandCruiser

Caribbean (June 2003-Dec. 2004)

+ added from the United Arab Emirates:

Fairytale Wedding in Dubai   (March 1999)

+ added from a earlier visit to the USA:

Las Vegas  (Millennium change)

+ added from our Arabian Peninsula round trip:

Pictures from Yemen (May-June 1996)

+ Flashbacks of our Worldrecordtour:

Pictures from "all the continents" (Oct. 1984 - April 1997)

+ Follow-ups about Toyota-Experiences:
Encounters resp. "Ups + Downs" with
Toyota Companies since 1982
On July 7th, 2005, we were able to celebrate after a journey through 150 countries the car's
600'000th Kilometer - very prosaic in front of the post office in Cayenne/French Guiana.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On June 10th, 2009, we were able to celebrate after a journey through 163 countries the car's
400'000th Mile - in a beautiful landscape in the West of the island of Savaii/Samoa.
Are you interested into the LandCruiser History, prepared by Toyota Motor Sales USA and taken over by
Toyota Motor United Kingdom? (after some loading-time please klick "IN LEGEND" and afterwards "HAIR TO MAGELLAN"

 

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