A break from travelling
After 11 months on the road, we landed in Milan Linate on 23 April and then travelled with the SBB to Bern, where our parents gave us a warm welcome. We spent the summer in Switzerland and will fly back to Mexico City on September 16, 2019 to continue our journey.
Why did you return home?
The question that is most burning on everyone's lips is the reason for our interruption and our return home to Switzerland. We had planned this situation in which we now find ourselves, namely never....
Well, that was the case: Alexandra received a call from her former boss in autumn, about half a year after her trip, asking her if she wanted to start working again in May 2019. There were dismissals and pregnancies that caused staff shortages in her old team. After long consideration, we finally accepted the offer and decided to work in Switzerland for 4 months during the summer.
One of the reasons for this decision was the happy situation that Mathias was also able to conclude a temporary contract with his old job for this period. We also had six! We received wedding invitations, four of which we were able to attend due to our return. And of course we were happy that we could spend time with friends and family and that after the working phase our travel cheese will be full again.
How does it feel to be home again? Do you remember how to work?
We settled back in Switzerland surprisingly quickly and found our way around. I think this has something to do with the fact that we had some time to adjust to this situation and that we always had the thought in mind that we could travel on again once the work was done. That motivated me immensely. Moreover, arriving was made really easy for us. During the four months we were allowed to live in a studio apartment with Alexandra's parents (our apartment is still sublet) and we already knew our jobs very well. Somehow not much changes in one year. Especially at work we noticed that we found the connection extremely fast and that we were fully operational from the first day on.
What was the most beautiful experience on your journey so far?
We were asked this question very often. But we don't have a simple answer. Every country and every region in which we have travelled so far had its special features and something that fascinated us. Of course there were some highlights, like encounters with wild animals or the incredible hospitality of people we met on the way. But we could not define a concrete experience as THE most beautiful one.
Much more than individual experiences we liked the lifestyle we led as overlanders. The freedom that we have never felt before, the togetherness that was often neglected in Switzerland and also the closeness to nature were things that have become incredibly important to us and are one of the main reasons why we want to continue travelling in this way.
Where did you leave Baloo for the time you are in Switzerland?
We found a nice place for Baloo on a camping site in Teotihuacàn, where he waits for us on a covered shady place. Many thanks to all the travellers who sent us a picture or a message when they passed by the campsite and saw our Baloo standing there.
How does your journey continue? What are the next plans?
We have considered two options. Either we ship Baloo directly after our arrival from Veracruz (Mexico) to South America (Buenos Aires or Montevideo) and then roll up the field from the south. Or - as originally planned - we continue through Central America, will ship from Panama to Colombia to overcome the Darien Gap and then continue our route south.
For a while we were not sure whether we should really drive through Central America or not, as we heard from many travellers that this part could be left out safely. Too laborious border crossings, too unspectacular nature, too hot, and and and ...
But now we have definitely decided that we want to make our own picture and drive through Central America. If we have the opportunity, we want to get to know these countries as well.
We will fly back to Mexico City on September 16th, then spend a few days in the city before heading to Teotihuacàn to Baloo and get him ready to travel again. Afterwards we will surely drive quite fast to Chetumal, from where we will continue our journey through Belize and Guatemala.