Stats

Hitchhiked distance: 4555 kilometer

Number of lifts: 57

Average waiting time: 11 minutes 56 seconds

Waiting time total: 11 hours 20 minutes

You can download the log here. But be careful, it contains as well a short stage to Bishkek, that I did.

My Route

I hitchhiked from the chinese border to Amlata and did a little trip do Kirgistan, before coming back to Almata and going the long way towards Aktau at the Caspian Sea. Check out the route here.

People

It is a bit difficult to describe the typical Kazakhztan. The country is a cultural melting pot. The native Kasach person has blond hair and blue eyes, as I was told. And some day Dschinghis-Khan came along and made everyone become Asian. Or somehow like that it happened. If you walk through Almata it is impossible to see, if that person ahead of you is Kazakh, Chinese, German, Russian, or even a Turk. People look so different. I loved that.

People in Kazakhztan are kinda chummy and warm. Not as rough as the Russians. Kazakh‘s are like the Colombians of the UDSSR. Many of them speak some German, even if it is just a few words. And every second person is driving an (old) German car. You will get invitations for drinking fairly easy and people seem honestly interested in you.

What I recognized as well is, that you can have a quiet and relaxed time in Kazakhztan. Because everyone is looking so different, nobody seems to be alien and you can assimilate yourself pretty good. Very pleasent.

One thing I should mention and which regards mostly the woman who are going to hitchhike through Kazakhztan. Kazakhan men are very macho.like and I heard an above average number of stories about tried rape and sexual harrasment from my female hitchhiking friends. I can not really evaluate this, because I am a man and I was not molested by myself. And I don‘t want to put all Kazachans in one pot or create unneccessary fear. But Kazachztan follows some kind of reputation in this regard and I want you to be aware of that. It does not mean you will be in any kind of trouble or in the need to go nuts, if you visit Kazachztan. There are lots of wonderful people to meet. I just want you to take care of yourself guys.

Roads

The roads. Thats a very special topic in post sovjet countries. First I should say, that you will find big and well maintained roads between the major cities and moving around here should be not a problem at all. But i wouldn‘t say that about every region in Kazakhztan.

When I came from the chinese border to Almata I already crossed one of those wrecked roads, which can be a bit tough to deal with sometimes. But what I encountered in the center of the country was even for me a new level of apocalypse. Allthough I hitchhiked on the worst roads of our planet before. I mean, streets are there to make movement easier and open up new territories. In Kazakhztan they more seem to be an additional obstacle with a special feature which is: They are make your life a living hell and you might be faster walking or taking the dirt-road which wriggles aside the main road. Something I only discovered in post sovjet countries, btw.

I had a very interesting hitchhiking tour from Qyandiyaghasch to Makat. Three cars in eight hours and directly through the Kazakhan Steppe. People prefer to do a 1000 km detour instead of going this 400 km long stretch. For a reason, how I had to find out. This road is probably the worst I ever encountered in my hitchhiking life. But beautiful! Worth it! In its very special way.

Besides be aware of the fact, that Kazakhztan is mostly Steppe, just little mountans but mostly wide wastelands. Until the horizon. A little bit like Argentina but with less people. I really liked blasting through this. Because hitchhiking was super easy.

Tactics

Right in the beginning I gotta break a lance for Kazakhztan. I had so much fun there while hitchhiking. Fuck yeah. People just know whats going on. Basically every car is a taxi here, which is a bit problematic for your movement. But if you are clear from the beginning and tell them right away, that you won‘t pay/have no money, then most of the time they gonna take you anyway. But a clear communication is very important and so to know some basics in Russian. Also mention, that you do Autostop and most people will get what you do. It is definitely a different story than in Japan where everyone thinks you are absolutely lost and need help. In Kazakhztan you will get more of this „Ah another hitchhiker!“-feeling.

Another point I really enjoyed: You can hitchhike basically everywhere along the road. Sometimes you need to walk a bit to find a better spot, but positioning is straight forward and uncomplicated. You will also find good onramps at the bigger junctions and roundabouts in the cities. I would not recommend to position yourself at bus-stops, because people will think you wait for the bus. Also because the locals are hitchhiking here and they usually pay. Don‘t get into that sharktank.

Thir point about Kazakhztan is night-hitchhiking, which works fantastically. There is no difference between day and night-time. Cars stop equally fast. Very comfortable. But I guess my hitchhiking suit and the reflectors did a good amount of work here.

Kazakhztan is a super easy and straight forward hitchhiking country. Just use the bypass roads, when going through bigger cities. They are existing almost every time and you don‘t want to end up inside the cities. Because there is Moloch time.

Impressions

Specifics

I told already that Kazakhztan is pretty flat but at the border with Kirgistan you will find some nice mountains and in Almata you have a nice view on them. Almata is a beautiful city anyway, if you like grey Sovjet prefab estates, which I do very much. But mostly because of the people. I thought the Kazachan people are really friendly and nice and I definitely gonna head back one day and visit some friends there.

Culinarily I could connect very well to Kazakhztan as well. Beside the good old Plow (rice dish) and the omnipresent Samsa (filled pasties) we also made a very delicious summer soup with potatoes, chives, eggs, some kind of yoghurt drink and sparkling water. Sounds strange but tastes terrific. Also you got some Kwas, which is some kind of a light beer, made of fermented bred and the good old Kumis (rotten horse milk). Not made for everyone but people in this region seem do like a sour taste.

If you head towards Kazakhztan you will either cross Russia or through Central Asia. In the latter case it could get a little complicated, because getting visas in countries like Uzbekistan or Turkmenistan can be quite a hustle. I by myself took the cargo boat through the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan. Was a funny tour that I can only recommend. If you need more infos about this passage you should check in with Caravanistan.com, which is btw. by far the best ressource for informations, if you wanna travel Central Asia.

Der Beitrag Hitchhiking in… (20) Kazakhztan erschien zuerst auf Warm Roads.

Stats

Hitchhiked distance: 11010 kilometer

Number of lifts: 129

Average waiting time: 40 minutes 20 seconds

Waiting time total: 69 hours 55 minutes

Log is available here.

My Route

I entered the United States of America the first time through Texas and stayed some weeks in Austin. From there I was flying with my friend Patrick Falterman to New Mexico. I hitchhiked to Denver and went on by trainhopping to Salt Lake City, California all the way up to Seattle. It was also my first contact with trainhopping at all. What a blast!

Later I hitchhiked up and forth in Washington and Oregon, before I set off through Canada into direction New York. I lived a month in New York and hitchhiked from there 5000 miles to the Northend of Alaska. On my way back I had a small detour through San Francisco before entering Canada again.

People

I can‘t say, even after more than half a year in Northamerica, that I understand the people there. The USA are big and divers. It is hard to make a general assumption about this place. The States can be very different from each other. Coast vs. Inner country, west vs. East, everywhere are people a bit different. But all are Americans and therefore part of this wicked society. I just try to give an impression about that.

In the beginning I have to say, that I had my biggest culture shock in the USA. You would think that the people in the USA would be more similar to us Europeans than f.e. the people in South America. Not at all. At least in my opinion. The USA are the same kind of capitalistic dickheads as we Germans, but in America society is much more brutal and uncertain than in Europe. It starts with the health-care system and goes on with living on debts, short-term paychecks and underpaid jobs (which you need more than one, of course). I mean, our system seems compared to what I encountered in the USA like an ideological, flawless Socialism. And there is an abnormal pressure to perform, that we have not at all on our continent.

Generally it was a bit hard for me to connect with the people in Northamerica further than the normal superficial interaction. Everyone is very friendly and polite for sure. But if it gets a bit more personal you will meet their bounds pretty soon. People are very protective about personal issues. And then this pseudo-friendlieness. In the beginning I really hated it, but you get used to everything. When I went back to Germany, I even missed that people are so superficial friendly with each other. I spend a lot of time in California and I had to learn, that it is not so important what you say, but more, how you say it. Germany, compared to that, is a very direct society. A friend just told me: „You can‘t hide in Germany.“ And this is, after months within this superficial but nice world, a bit annoying as well sometimes.

On big topic in the USA is fear. Fear something could happen. Fear to get killed by a hitchhiker. Fear of terrorism. Fear to become sick. Fear of life. The USA are in my opinion much more neurotic and paranoid than the rest of the world. People like it to be stable. Everything should stay how it is. Brazil was similar neurotic in my eyes and I think it has to do with the strong influence of religion within the society.

Especially when hitchhiking you will encounter this fear very directly, when you try ask for rides at a gas station. This is not very appreciated. If you approach people, they will have a very negative attitude towards you. They look strange, want to be left alone and see you as scum. It feels like running the gauntlet sometimes. And I never experienced that in another country. Canada for example is the very opposite of this. People approach you at the gas station, ask what you are doing there and start a conversation with you.

To understand hitchhiking in the USA you have to consider another part. In the USA are living a lot of people in the streets and there are many who have serious mental health issues and would be in the need for help. But there is no health system, that would take care about them and therefore the people are left by themselves. And for everyone who has no car, due to the lack of public transportation, the only way to move around is by hitchhiking.

You gotta understand the general difference in traveling culture between the USA and Europe. Here you move around with your hippie and student friends, people think you are cool and hitchhiking has quite a good reputation among people. On the American streets (while hitchhiking as well as while traveling), there is a wild mix of hobos, homeless, hippies, students, drug addicts, people who are on the run, people who are distressed and people who just don‘t want to be part of this society anymore and live as an outlaw. The characters you meet are much more radical, extreme and annoying than in most other parts of the world. For the good as well as for the bad. It is different to hitchhike the USA than to hitchhike in Europe. But I found it super exciting to move around in the USA and meet people there. I met some really great characters there that opened up my world a lot. Thanks for that!

But what really sucks is the outcome of this mixture towards hitchhiking. As a hitchhiker people in the USA will treat you like a drug addict criminal. That is the mean difference to Europe, because here you are (like in most countries in the world) the cool kid and free spirit, because you hitchhike. In the USA you are the scum because you hitchhike. And I will never get used to that. It is one of the biggest disadvantages about this country. Hitchhiking is not fun at all with this.

In addition to that there is a statistical reason. It takes a while till people stop for you. I had more than 40 minutes average waiting time in the USA and this is only be topped by Colombia as the worst country for hitchhiking. For the 130 rides I had, this is a very bad average waiting time. There is not much left of the Hippiedream about hitchhiking through the USA. Reality is made by hard numbers and woebegone waiting times, with people that hate you, because you hitchhike.

In the end something positive. People in the USA are very helpful. Not to give you a ride, but in general. And this has to do with the many homeless people around. Constantly they throw food and drinks at you. Even money. People in the US see it as their responsibility to help others. It is part of the cultural peculiarity.

In the USA people like to help, donate, give away food. They see it as an inadvertent intervention if the state would do so. It is a typical Republican agenda to keep the state as small as possible and out of as many part of your daily life as possible. In Europe it is the opposite. When the state is fostering volunteering, some people might say this is shit, because the state just uses the free workforce to not fulfill his own responsibilities. There are two very contrary positions about the role of the state towards the society. And those influence the people a lot. Good for you guys being in the USA because you might get food and drinks for free. But it won‘t bring you any rides. Anyway, take the presents, For the people there it is important to help others and you make them happy if you let them help you.

Roads

The American Highway Network is the most beautiful collective of roads in the world for me. And that, for sure, is a big plus about hitchhiking in the USA. Even if it helps just a little. When I first time came to Texas I just thought: „Fuck yeah, this is exactly as beautiful and perfect how I expected this roads to be!“. There are those sweet shootings from the post war period, pale pictures from the 50‘s, time of the oil boom, beginning of a new era and the time were most of this magnificent infrastructure was build. Long, straight interstates, flower-shaped interchanges, few cars in the road and somehow I have the Hoover-Dam as well as Kennedy in my head, when i think about this. Don‘t know why. But with this pictures I entered the USA. And the roads have been exactly how I expected them to be. Not the rest tho.

My excitement might also be supported by the fact, that the american Interstates are bigger, wider and longer than most of the other roads in the world that I was hitchhiking on so far. The continent has a lot of space and you will feel that very quickly, when moving around in the USA. Everything is bigger, Roads, Cars and Egos. I think it is the perfect country to do a road-trip, if you want to drive by your own. Afterwards I went to Japan, which is kind of the counterpart to this society. There is not much space, everything is small, detailed and tight. Japanese cars felt like toy cars to me, when I arrived there from the USA. Sometimes I even had to laugh, when someone came across me in the street with his dwarf-mobile.

What I missed while hitchhiking thought the USA was: Service areas. There are regular gas stations at almost every exit with fast-food restaurants. But no service stations, like we know them from the European highway network. That is a clear disadvantage, when it comes to hitchhiking. There are too much gas stations, so it is hard to find the frequented ones. Sometimes you are lucky, sometimes not. Only north of New York I encountered some really nice rest areas along the toll roads. Between NYC and Montreal. They have been wonderful, but I think it was a specific along the privatized highway there. In general I don‘t think the interstates are that good of an infrastructure for hitchhiking, especially if you go for a long distance hitchhiking trip through the USA.

Beside the Interstates you got Highways which are something like the German Bundesstraße. I can not really recommend the Highways either. Traffic moves too fast and often I had problems with the police. Especially in Idaho they kicked me out of the highway regularly and I had to switch to gas stations or slip roads. If you go cross country in the north I would always prefer to take the route through Canada.

Cities in the USA are also a bit special. There are many cars around. Too many. Every person in the USA seems in the need for an own car. They even introduced car-sharing lanes, where you are only allowed to drive if you are with two or more people in the car. Up to 500$ you gotta pay, if you use them while being alone. There are many traffic jams. And this is a chance for us hitchhikers. During rush hour it is very easy to catch rides out of the cities. You can catch them directly on the interstates during the stop and go traffic. Or better take the onramp, if the cars stand all the way back into it.

Tactics for hitchhiking in the USA

I hated it to approach people at gas stations in the USA. And many owner also didn‘t allow that you do it. I got kicked out by sheriffs from those places as well as I gave up, because the people where too annoying. I prefer to thumb along the road. But that was not very expedient as well. Biggest problem was, that most people in the USA are not driving very far. The average length of a ride was below average.

F.e. in Canada the average distance was about twice as high as in the USA. Both countries are similar big, so we can compare this very well. I guess the US-people just don‘t like to travel within their country so much. You an definitely find people on the Interstates that are going cross country. But how to catch those rides the best I couldn‘t figure out. If you have an idea, let me know.

Hitchhiking onramps in the USA is a bit laborious. Of curse it differs between the states and it is often the only option anyway. Maybe a sign might be useful, but as you might know, I am never hitchhiking with signs.

One advice I can give here:

You should dress as serious as possible. As I told before, people have a strong association of hitchhikers, people without money, criminals, wicked people, prisoners, scum…etc. Even when I was in my hitchhiking suit people tended to throw money and food at me, because they thought I was homeless. Maybe shaving would have helped. But the stereotype is deep inside their heads.

Also you will get into a lot of police controls and they will be far more relaxed, if they recognize that you are sane. Sometimes they might even give you a ride to get off the highway. I had a lot of rides with the police. As much as in no other country in the world. Always in the prisoner box in the back!

In general I just wanted to point out, that it is worth to look a bit different from the rest of the folks on the road. Even if you stay punk within yourself. When I was hitchhiking through California recently, I had a green military coat and looked a bit aristocratic in it. I had the feeling hitchhiking through the USA worked much better this way.

But anyway. However you look, if you hitchhike through the USA stay sober in any case!

Specifics

Contrary to other claims, Hitchhiking in the USA is not forbidden! Just in some places there are laws against hitchhiking. But the legislation within the states is different and in most of the states yoz are allowed to hitchhike. But even in states where hitchhiking is forbidden, the question is still if the law is enforced or not. Often it is up to th officer that controls you and they, sometimes, don‘t even know about the specific laws about hitchhiking in their state.

In the worst case you will get a fine, but I don‘t know anyone personally who got to get one. But to have it complete: In Utah, Idaho, Nevada, as well as New Jersey and Delaware hitchhiking is officially forbidden. But in Idaho f. e. I had plenty of police controls and never any problems, even rides with the police. A good overview about the states should give this map. Furthermore it might be interesting to have a loser look to the actual laws, Sometimes it is forbidden to solicit rides at the side of the road, but you can go to gas stations and ask there. Hitchhiking can mean many different things. Be creative. Most important is, that you get the next ride.

I mentioned already that everything in the USA is bigger and more snobbish than in other places of the world. One of the peaks of this gigantism you could observe in the North American Caravan Culture. Caravans are in the USA as big as a touring coach in Europe. And because this is not enough, most people also pull their oversized trucks behind themselves. Here this would be a rig with a trailer, there it is just the pensioner going for some holidays. Strange.

There are lots of awesome national parks in the USA which can be visited. Beside the big, famous parks (Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon) I can recommend the Zion National Park. Also you find the famous Redwoods in northern California. Beside Cannabis farmers and Hippies you will find some of the biggest trees in the world out here. A must see if you going to have a trip along the Westcoast.

New York. This city. They say, if you can survive in New York, you can survive at any place in the world. Seems legit. New York is very impressive with all its skyscrapers and glamorous but also shameless expensive. You pay for everything, too much in New York and in the end you have to tip 20% on top of this. But happy us it is also a very good place for dumpster diving. There is my most favorite dumpster in the world: Sushi at the Time Square. Every night fresh and for free. Have a look it is worth it!

And btw. you can fly pretty cheap to the USA. I shouldn‘t promote this here, but it is so damn cheap and I would rather see my crowd take those places than anyone else. With Norwegian airlines you can fly from Oslo to New York from 86€, one way. This is the cheapest connection I know. But even to the Westcoast and starting from Central Europe you should be able to find flights with return for not more than 450€. Bes is to book directly on the Norwegian website. Don‘t order any food, you can bring it with yourself for the flight. Makes it cheaper.

Police controls are often and they might take a while. Especially in the border regions, they always have to check with the state police, as well as with the federals. Don‘t be surprised. If you get into a control (and you will for sure) stay calm and friendly. Always follow the advices of the law enforcers and try to get a ride with the police if it brings you into a better positioning. They call this courtesy rides and they are the way to go while hitchhiking in the USA. And the police always shows up with at least two cars, because every policemen in the USA has to have his own car. Like everyone in the USA in general, I have the feeling.

Impressions

Der Beitrag Hitchhiking in… (19) the USA erschien zuerst auf Warm Roads.

Stats

Hitchhiked distance: 15.032 kilometer

Number of lifts: 89

Average waiting time: 19 minutes 15 seconds

Waiting time total: 28 hours 33 minutes

Log you can find here.

My Route

I started in Hong-Kong, made a short detour through the Yunnan region in the South and stayed three days in Dali. Afterwards I took a route along the Tibetan border to Chengdu and Wuhan. I continued in direction Bejing into Heilongjiang at the Mongolian border.
The last part lead me all the way from the north-east corner to Kaxgar in the far south-west. From here you can enter the highest road in the world, but I had to turn around and continue into Kazachztan. I hitchhiked more than 15.000 km in less than three weeks.
Route nach Kashgar 12.915km

Kashgar – Horgos 2117km

People

Everyone told me, that the Chinese would be so different. And they are indeed. But I did not experience those differences as drastically as expected. First it should be said, that China is hardly possible to realize, with its 1,35 Billion inhabitants and as the most populated country in the world. The cities are unbelievable big and you will find lots of tower block complexes,, like it should be in a god socialistic country. Also you gather a lot different ethnic groups in one country. The Han Chinese make the biggest group. In the South-West you will find a lot of Tibetans, in the North the people look more like Mongols and in the very west are mostly Uyghurs, which are more Turks/Central Asian than classical Chinese. I definitely learnt that China is not the same like China.

Also I mostly had to do with the new Chinese middle class, because they are the ones who move on the highways and my time in China I spend mostly along highways. I think the different between them and people in Europe is not very big. They also want to consume, drive the newest cars, have smartphones, are interested in travelling and used Google Translate to communicate with me. Not much different than in other countries.

In general the Chinese are very polite, but not like the Japanese who do a bit too much for you. While in Japan some people do a three hour long detour, because they think it is necessarily, this won’t happen in China, which I find very pleasant. But anyway, if you sit in a car during lunch, breakfast or dinner time, you most likely will be invited to eat with the people in your car. Also regularly people bought me food and gave it to me as a present for my upcoming way. Chinese people care about you, what lead to the decision to travel without any money. It was just not necessary here.

A point that I did not like very much was, that sometimes the Chinese people miss to leave yourself some prvacy and they stare at you, as if you would have eight noses. Or they make a video, or foto, or selfie, which happened almost every time, when I was picked up. Sometimes they even gather in groups to look at the stranger. A bit like in a zoo. Maybe as an explanation I think, that China went through a period of incredibly fast changes and foreigners still have a kind of exotic status. People are just very excited about you travelling through their wonderful country. I guess we need to get used to this while hitchhiking. And they don’t want anything bad from you, just miss a little bit of decency. If you don’t like selfies, you better stay out of China.

Btw. Driving is another thing. Chinese can’t drive very well. Unexpected movement, stopping in the middle of the highway without reason, driving slowly on the very left lane or totally ignoring of any road marking are daily observations in the Chinese traffic.
Roads
China has a perfect Highway network, which is a main indicator for the raise of this country. Not before 1988 they opened the first 17 km long highway section, which is now part of the ringroad of Shanghai. It took then 23 years till they had 74.000 km highway and overtook the Interstate-Network in the USA to become the worlds biggest highway network. Nowadays (2016) they have 123.000 km highway. 11.000 km of that only build in 2015. I just write this numbers, to make you understand HOW fast China is growing to overcome the development gap. The higway network is the most important project towards this process.

Even more impressing it will be to actually drive on this highways. There are service areas, like in Germany, which provide a perfect infrastructure for hitchhiking. The highways are in a very good shape and even in more rural corner, like on the Russian-Mongolian border in the North, you have consequently paved highways, which make it very comfortable to travel up and forth through China. If you consider how big this country is, this is a respectable achievement.

The highways in China are toll roads, which might cause that they are mostly used by a new, rich Chinese middle-class and you won’t find any wrecked cars there. The toll stations are a good position for hitchhiking, which gives an additional plus point for China. And what I absolutely enjoyed was, that the capacities of the infrastructures are far from being fully in use, which cause that in more rural areas you have a combination of very very little traffic, new roads and huge service areas. I liked that. But I am also a bit nostalgic and have pictures of the empty American and German highways from the 50s in my head. Todays roads are often so full with cars. In China you can smell pioneer atmosphere which is very intriguing in my eyes.

Another point about the traffic infrastructure, which has not directly to do with the highways. China has another impressive way of transportation: trains. It makes totally sense to invest in higspeed-trains, because the country is so big. There is a as well a huge train network, which are mostly build on high-tracks. The Chinese trains remember me on the German Inter-City-Express and they furthermore seem not to be less fast. Another indicator for the catching up process with the western countries.

Tactics

Before we start talking about hitchhiking, you should understand first: China has a huge highway system with a perfect infrastructure for hitchhiking: the service areas. Signs along the highway are usually with Chinese and Latin sings. Orientation is not as difficult as you might think and you can travel easily throughout the whole country.

The biggest challenge might be the communication problem, but here are some tips, how you can get around that and hitchhike through China like a boss.

Google Translate
Thanks to offline language packages and with offline speech recognition you got a wonderful tool to communicate with the people, even if you don’t have internet. Also if you get out your phone, most Chinese people will follow your example and use their translators as well. I made a couple of conversations like this and it worked really nicely.

WeChat
Better than translate might be to get yourself a WeChat account. This si something like a chinese WhatsApp and everyone is using that. You will recognize their surprising looks, when you show them your WeChat ID and ask them to scan it with their phone. But why WeChat? Because it has a automatic translator build-in. Only working with internet, but really reliable and the people are so happy about it. Also you can make them sending the selfies they did with you. Very practical.

The precious letter
I got a pre-written letter with me, which I got from a hitchiking buddy before. And honestly, I don’t really know what exactly was written on it. Something like „Hello I am Stefan from Germany, I am here to travel your beautiful country. Usually I move by hitchhiking (explaining hitchhiking) please don’t bring me to a bus or train station. I like to travel that way….etcpp.“ When people were reading that piece of paper I always could observe a big smile getting into their face. Beautiful. My secret weapon. I passed the letter to another friend who is hitchhiking through China. From hitchhiker to hitchhiker. Here is a photo of this letter.

List of Chinese number plates
Chinese number plates are as precise as in Germany. The first sign stands for the province and next comes a letter, which stands for the city/region. The capitals of the provinces often have the letter „A“. For a more precise determination you can download the full list of Chinese number plates from Wikipedia. Very helpful if you want to approach people directly at the gas station or make yourself a sign.

Service areas and overview signs
In almost every bigger city or highway intersection, you will find a service area. The people will usually know where. And if you want to keep control about you movement, there are some overview signs on the highway, where usually the next three service stations are shown. Very helpful if you plan your route. Just keep your eyes open.

Service areas have often a gas station, a restaurant and sometimes even free Wifi. Doors are always open in China and you can sneak on the roofs of the buildings to find a nice sleeping place. Just be careful which door you open, sometimes there might be someone sleeping behind already. Several times I ended up in peoples private rooms.

Hitchhiking in China can be executed in several ways. It works perfectly if you just stand at the end of a service area and stick your thumb out. Signs make sense but with the number plates it might be easier to find a ride by yourself, than making the ride find you.
Another good strategy is as followed. You get on the highway and go to the toilet or drink some water. Usually it will not take long, till someone approaches you and starts talking. You won’t understand anything. Let the person talk for 30 seconds and then then take out your letter. While he is reading a big smile will occure on his face. They might say „Germany!“, if they are at the part of your origin and laugh. After reading the contact person will start to search car for you and include other people in the process, which stand around you meanwhile and watch the scenery. Then everything will go its way and work automatically.

I have to add, that the Chinese culture is very much focussed on the collective. Socialistic. It is somehow the collective responsibility to care about you as a tourist. I had the situation very often, that I wanted to get out of a car and the driver insisted to find the next ride for me. Then we talked across the parking area and when he found a car there was a strange conversation occurring. I did not understood, but it was like „Are you driving to Beijing?“ „Yes.“ „Oh, very good, because this person needs to go to Beijing!“ And then they already put my backpack into the car. I never had the feeling that they would actually „ask“ if they want to take me. This part was kind of self-understanding.

Of course it will not always be that easy to hitchhike through China. But most of the time it will work by itself. Alternatively you got very good options for positioning, like exits of service areas. But also toll stations are good. Police controls make sure that you will meet slow traffic, but you should be careful, that the police is not hitchhiking for you, which might take ages. In the end you can also take position directly on the highway intersections, which is illegal, but since there is a lack of traffic police in China, hardly anyone will molest you there. Also those intersections are perfectly made to get around cities.

China is a great country to hitchhike long distances and life on the highway.

Impressions

Specifics

Almost every male Chinese person is smoking. Smoking is part of the Chinese culture, like beer of the German one. If they are lightening themselves a cigarette, they are usually getting two out of the package and offering you one. I had owners of bars, who came to our table and offered cigarettes as a welcoming gesture. Some people smoke tobacco bongs before lunch. I mean, i saw a lot of countries, where they smoke a lot, but China is definitely world champion in this discipline.

Who still thinks China is a development country might have missed the last 15 years of life. This country is blooming and you can see a new player in worlds power game uprising. Not even the perfect highway networks and the new middle class, but also the cities are growing massively. Sky high living blocks shoot out of the ground like mushrooms. Big shopping centres for consumers needs are set, which are far from everything I know in Germany. China is rolling as unstoppable as a mud-avalanche.

In case of food China was the most interesting country I have ever travelled through. I guess I never ate anything twice. Chinese kitchen is so divers and really really good. I tasted some new things, like pork feet, lung, pickled intesticals, duck neck or other things, that sound disgusting but are actually really good! And you should consider, that I just came out of food paradise Japan and it was even harder to impress me. But Chinese kitchen did so, definitely!

The Chinese wall was very beautiful and if you want to be alone, you can just wander in one of the sections that are closed for tourists. Most of the people visit the renovated parts, which does not mean, that the other ones are not accessible. A little bit adventurous to get there but the view pays definitely off!

The Yunnan region in south, near the border to Myanmar is one of the most beautiful areas I have travelled to so far. People are mostly Tibetans and the foot of the Himalayas gives a stunning scenery. People, scenery and food are especially good here and I can recommend to visit there.

Xinjang is the biggest province, which consists mostly of desert. But in the north there is also water and agriculture, which surprised me. There should grow the best peaches of China and also you will find lots of Muslim people in this area. China is not like China here anymore, but more like Central Asia. Completely different to the East of the country.

Internet is not really working well in China, as Google, Facebook and several other services are blocked. You should use a VPN. I by myself had also a Hong-Kong Data package, which made me being able to access all services!

Der Beitrag Hitchhiking in… (18) China erschien zuerst auf Warm Roads.

People

Germans are quite okay people in general. Okay, we are the worst of all capitalists and not as good as people think about us outside of Germany. Yes we have a huge stick in our ass and tend to be a bit inflexible if it is about laws and rules. Organization is very important, because it makes us feel safe. We like it precise and need to optimize and criticize all the time. Everything which is not sticking to the norm is looked at skeptical and need reglementation. Understand this. Confusion is just not good for the efficiency.

Beside the technocratic philistinism, the Germans are also quite interested and open. For me most important, that in Germany is relatively less fear. Hitchhiking is not difficult. People are willed to give rides. I hitchhiked in more than 50 countries throughout my life and I can say, beside other places like Brazil, the US or Colombia, the Germans are very warmhearted and open towards hitchhikers.

Hitchhiking has a very good reputation in Germany. Not least through the yearlong initiatives of several clubs and organizations. Also I should mention, that one of two empiric researches about hitchhiking were made in Germany [Trampen FIEDLER, Joachim, et. al., 1989; Anhalterwesen und Anhaltergefahren: unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des “Kurztrampens”, BKA-Forschungsreihe Sonderband, Bundeskriminalamt Wiesbaden.]. Beside that there are some luminaries, like Dieter Wesch the „Angel of Hitchhikers“. This guy picked up 9528 hitchhikers so far and would be in the Guiness Book of World records, if there would be a category for him. And for sure the „Hitchhiker-Pope Dieter Höft, who opens his place for stranded hitchhikers. He even comes and picks you up from the onramp, if you give him a call and invites you for free beer and free accomodation at his home!

Such nice people! Who can say we Germans are not hitchhiker friendly?

The scene

I am just part of it since around ten years and can only guess the real beginnings. I think I was part of a generation of hitchhikers, that were there, when everything was rolling already, but not the real pioneers. But thats okay. Most important: Germany might have beside Russia, Poland and Lithuania one of the best organized hitchhiking subcultures worldwide.

Ahead Abgefahren e.V., a club who wants to free hitchhiking from the hippie smell and reestablish it in the public sphere. They did for years an excellent lobby and pr-work and definitely started to carve the stone. Abgefahren has a annually race during Whitsun, the German Championship in Middle-Distance-Hitchhiking. All the old fellows are already retired and settled down all over the world. But you knew, that our beloved Hitchwiki was/is on the same server as the Abgefahren club page? And it is not by accident, that the second most written articles are in German. Because the old Abgefahren staff did a lot work here. Thanks fellows! Great job!

Beside that we have Tramprennen.org probably one of the biggest hitchhiking races in the world, organized by the Club of Roam e.V.. Every summer for several weeks a group of hitchhikers is rushing all over Europe. Great fun, I never participated by myself so far, but what they developed over the years deserves a lot of respect! One of the biggest and most active hitchhiking projects at all. They are very beginners friendly and seem to be a warmhearted community. Tramprennen.org has furthermore a complete different target group than Abgefahren, which is kind of surprising, because usually everyone know everyone in the hitchhiking cosmos.

And then there are we. Me and my buddy Ralf (former treasurer of Abgefahren) founded the first German competetive hitchhiking club DTSG, to establish the Russian way of hitchhiking in western Europe and Germany. Our competitions are a bit harder. Usually we pick a challenging route with elements of exploration and orienteering in unknown territories. We take a certain corner of Germany, which is outstanding beautiful, and then hitchhike for 2-3 days up and forth. All in a competition, with checkpoints and rules. We target people that like to be outdoor and seek adventure. Who wants to have a leisure time, might not be right with us. We hitchhike with the knife between our teeth. But I can strongly recommend to try it out. Usually it is a lot of fun.

Roads

Die Autobahn. Okay, if we exclude that I think the American Highway is, for aesthetically reasons, the most beautiful road in the world, there is nothing better than a German Autobahn to move forward. Especially hitchhiking. Germany has no general speed limit, just a „recommended speed“ of 130km/h, which means, you should not go slower. There are not much countries in the world, who do not have a speed limit and even less, who have the right road conditions, to drive as fast as you want. With 250km/h towards your destination…..that you only can have in Germany.

I should say, that the Autobahn is not ideal for thumbing. Not as in Russia, Argentina or Canada, where you usually just stand aside the road. Directly on a German highway it is almost impossible, cause cars are too fast and the police will be there within 5 minutes to get you off there, because it is not allowed to hitchhike directly on the highway. If you want to go on the Autobahn you have to use the onramps. Thats why the Russians call the Autobahn also „The Tube“. If you once are in, you will get pushed through.

Beside the Autobahn you also have normal country roads with a general speed limit of 100km/h, which can be a bit challenging sometimes, cause the traffic runs quite fast over it. Especially if you end up in some part, where the roads are as well build as the Autobahn itself. There is also another type of road, which is called „Kraftfahrstraße“. The problem: You are not allowed to hitchhike here either. I always did that: Hitchhike anyway, if the police comes you pretend to be stupid and they will give you a lift to a better position. Works always well to get rides with the police in Germany, if you are in a fucked up position. Just be polite and friendly as with your drivers.

Sick streets, but also sick cars. Cmon. BMW, Audi, VW, Porsche and Mercedes are all German producers and make the most beautiful cars in the world. If I hitchhike in Germany I prefer to travel with business people, because they drive the newest models and go fucking fast. With 250km/h towards your destination. I explored a lot of highend-car-technique while going through Germany. It is definitely exciting and characteristic for hitchhiking here.

What should be mentioned as well is, that Germany is transit-country for the polish transport industry, which is sooo useful if you move through Europe and hitchhike transnational routes. They often drive through the night and are faster than trucks. Always first choice to get a ride with a polish person. I would count that as advantage for location of Germany.

Tactics

Moving in Germany. There are several strategies. I know people that only use the onramps and are doing good with it. They mostly have a good keeping area and people stop relatively fast.

I personally prefer the gas station hopping. Because it is so fucking easy. You just move from gas station (in German called „Raststätte“) to gas station. Just talk to the people that stop and fill new gas. Over the years I optimized my technique in a way, that I move as fast, as I would do, when I drive by myself (considering 250km/h business man who compensate the waiting time). I can hardly describe my way of asking, it is all instinctive. I can see, who might take me and who not. Usually I do not need to ask more than 1-3 people. In the end I even started thumbing at the end of the service areas, cause asking became so boring and I lost the fun of hitchhiking a bit.

Of course you need to be a bit charming and look accurate. So no beer, not carrying two expedition bagpacks, no dog pack and other things, that might disturb average people, even if those things are totally normal. To ask has a lot to do with superficial things. If they can trust you, it is half of the game.

Germany has a very complex and complicated highway network. It is good, because you always can choose between the routes, but it also can be very confusing, if you do not know the area. You shoudl definitely pack a map with all service areas and study it, whenever you can. Alternatively you can download here a .pdf with all service areas and onramps on it and combine it with your smartphone. Orientation and planning is very important to not miss your next checkpoint. I know my routes by heart meanwhile, know every service area and onramp and still I carry a map with me. Just a basic tool!

What is also unbelievable helpful in Germany are the number plates, where you can determ relatively precise, where a car is registered. So you can guess, where they go or come from. Note: There are certain areas, that are used for rented cars. (Europcar has „HH“ (Hamburg), Avis – „EU“ (Euskirchen), Sixt – „M“ (Munich), Hertz „DN-H“ (Düren)). The first letter is usually the district, where it is registered and after a while you should know what you need to look for. Beside that, there is a little patch which tells you, what state that number plate is sticking too, which also can be wonderful, if you do not know the district letters.

A list (in German) with all number plates is here.

And some general information to the number plate (in German) you can finde here.

Specifics

The cheapest food with the best value at the service areas is the good old German Bockwurst. A special kind of sausage. I would never have thought, that I miss the Bockwurst one day. But after 1,5 years hitchhiking all over the world, I had to realize, that there is nothing as the German Bockwurst elsewhere. And it is somehow part of the service area culture. Recommended!

Everything at the service areas is too expensive. Especially water, which I find really bold. But you can find tabs which are used by the truckers and there you get some free water.

Even for the toilettes you need to pay. But usually you can jump over the barrier, if they don’t look. Nobody will pull you out the toilette, while you having a shit. Also there is nice music in the SaniFair locations! Shitting is a human right, nobody should pay for it.

Der Beitrag Hitchhiking in… (17) Germany erschien zuerst auf Warm Roads.

Stats

Hitchhiked distance: 4711 kilometer

Number of lifts: 79

Average waiting time: 11 minutes 36 seconds

Waiting time total: 15 hours 17 minutes

Log you can find here, as always.

Some comment about the stats. I had to wait once around 6 hours at a gas station, more or less hitchhiking, eating, chatting, until I met two japanese hitchhikers who found a ride for us. I did not take this waiting time into the statistics. Yes I faked it, haha! I want to admit this openly. It has a purpose, because this time would change the average waiting time and would not represent the real Japan, how I experienced it. A first-class hitchhiking country.

And in difference towoards my other logs, we have been hitching around in a team (F&M) most of the distance.

My Route

I started my hitchhiking trip in Tokio, went to Matsumoto, Tokio again and then down to Tokushima. We made a round on Shikoku island and visited Okayama on our way back to Tokyo.

Second expedition lead up to Aomori and back down to Tokio, while as we were visiting several onsens and exploring some mountain roads on our way back. Basically I was hitchhiking through all mainland of Japan.

Japanese people – Your hitchiking friends

It is really hard to imagine, that there would be another place in the world, where the people are as polite as in Japan. Politeness and feeling comfortable have a very crucial position in social interaction in Japan. For example: If you sleep somewhere in front of an entrance and people come the next morning, because they need to go to work. They would excuse themselve for passing by, because they have to go to work. They would never shout at you. Typical japanese.

While hitchhiking through Japan, of course, I had some awesome experiences. There is no coutnry in the world where people stopped as fast as here. Two reasons: On the one hand the politeness and friendly nature towards strangers, but also curiosity about you as a person. I think Japan is a very secluded country and they are happy to get some fresh impressions from outside. Therefore you should learn some japanese! I totally failed that mission and feel a bit pity about it. I think as a matter of respect towards the people you should have some language skills, because they are really happy, if you can tell them a little bit out of your traveller life.

Once we got 100€ as a present from our drivers. Just because. My hitchhiking partner said, that she was giving chocolate as a present to the drivers for a while, but it turned out, that people gave tons of stuff back to her. Something about the culture, if you receive a present, you give something back. For her it was a bit awkward, because the people gave too much and she stopped giving away chocolate.

If you ask me: Is hitchhiking in Japan dangerous? I would say: “Hell, no!” It might be one of the safest countries to hitchhike in. Even as a solo female hitchhiker you won’t have much issues of people harrassing you in this Japan. People in general are very careful, in means they care about you. Sometimes they might even take you, because they think something is wrong and they don’t get, that you hitchhike.

Japanese people did not really understand the basic principle of hitchhiking, which is: They go their way and give you a ride for a part of this way. No need to do detours. We don’t need detours. But japanese people do this all the time. Sometimes they drive 1,5 hours to your destination and if you ask them, where they go now, they point out a place 15 minutes from where they picked you up. Damn.

Without speaking japanese, those coincidences are hard to avoid. All in all a bit too friendly, but not a disadvantage for hitchhiking at all. Still I don’t feel very good with it. Btw.: The first time this happened while being with two japanese hitchhikers and hour driver paid 50€ toll fee, while doing a 1,5 hour drive to the place we had to go. So it is not just a phenomen which is related to foreigners.

Beside that I want to say, that Japan has a very young japanese hitchhiking community. I found several times other hitchhikers (all male) at the gas stations. Every time equipped with a sign. ALWAYS! Very well dressed as well. Made a good impression to me. Very likeable generation of hitchhikers, that is carrying out pioneers work for making hitchhiking in Japan more popular.

I got different explanations for this. There is a tv-series in Japan. Some team which is hanging out at the airport in Tokio and waiting for travellers to come out of the airplane and escort them. This series is very popular. And there is some girl, which is travelling with hitchhiking through the country and using couchsurfing. And if the japanese people see this they get totally intrigued.

A second reason: It is relatively hard to get cheap from A to B. There are trains, but those are expensive. Japanese has a very active ans superb underground music scene. I assume, that many musicians might travel with hitchhiking from as well. Once I got picked up by a young lady, who said, that she listened to a radio show of some musician and he said he is hitchhiking and that was the reason, why she picked me up. It is definitely very exciting what is happening in Japan at the moment.

Little sidenote, which I found very special in Japan: There are many female truckers and they also stop sometimes, to give you a ride.

Japanese Roads

Japan has an almost perfect highway system. Most of the country (except Hokkaido) is easily accessable through the expressways. An there you got THE infrastructure for hitchhiking. So called SA&PA (Service & Parking Areas). On the parking areas you got only some vending machines and toilettes sometimes. The service areas are much bigger most of the time, with gas stations, shopping malls and sometimes even swimming pools. Especially around Tokyo you got service areas that feel like a wellness spa for hitchhikers. Bakery, supermarkets, free Wifi, Toilette, little shops and massive traffic. But hey, I have never been on a SA or PA in Japan, where I was afraid to get stucked. They all work.

The normal japanese road is first of all: Tight and narrow. Sometimes we got rides with people that could not go on the Expressway, because it is too expensive and we had to give our lifes into the navigation system. It felt like a bad joke at some points, because we entered those really really small roads. Sometimes even missing the raod, because it looked like a gateway to a house. I never have seen anything like this. When I complained about Colombia and Chile because of the missing keeping area, so I have to say, that I was happy in Japan, if there was a keeping area at all. Same for the Expressways btw. Sometimes they totally forgot the emergency line. I think this is the biggest problem, while hithchiking in Japan: Space for stopping.

Beside that there is a second deficit. The locomotion is very slow. The tempo limit in the Expressway is usually 100 km/h. If you move on the country roads, you mostly do 50-60 km/h. Fortunately Japan is not very big and you just need 2-3 days to go across the whole main island. But if you move on the small roads, be prepared for an exciting tour!

Btw.: What venice for bridges…..oh no, stop. What Hamburg for bridges (Hamburg has the most bridges in all Europe. 2.486, more than Venice, Amsterdam and London together) is Japan for tunnel. There are so many tunnels in Japan. Unbelievable. Everywhere in the country. I guess there are far more tunnels than Expressways. Definitely a marked characteristic.

The bridges are also very scenic. I mean, I was impressed when I crossed through the US by the Golden gate Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge and some other constructions I crossed. But honestly, against japanese Engineering the US look like a developing country to me!

Especially about Tokio:

Hitchwiki says Tokio is not hitchable. I mean, it is true that you have NO SPACE AT ALL on the onramps. But hitchhiking  in Tokio works anyway. Awesome good, I have to say. I hitched three times on the Expressway from Tokyo and I waited not longer than 5 minutes. The second time I even got picked up together with two japanese hitchhikers that where waiting there with their signs. I mean, if the locals do it?

In Tokyo you got onramps that suck and you got onramps that REALLY suck (f.e. Shibuya in direction Nagano first entrance). I can not really recommend to hitch out there. I mean, it works. But it feels not right. Also I got send away by the police once.

Tactics for hitchhiking in Japan

Japanese hitchhikers use signs. If you know me, you know that I never do that. But I would recommend to follow this tradition n Japan. Maybe it also stops the drivers to do long detours for you, cause they know where you go and don’t stop, if it is off the track. Names/Signs of destinations is absolutely enough. Like in Europa. No need for complicated messages on your sign.

Keeping area is a big big problem, but you get picked up anyway. But I have to say, that this keeping areas are very important for people in Japan. Much more than in other countries I have crossed. Several times cars stopped up to 500m behind you (!) because they couldn’t figure out, where to stop. Once a guy walked back and approached me 5 minutes, after they passed by, coming back to get me into the car. Japanese people are very determed, if they decide to take you. I thought this is a outstanding quality!

Remember: Every car that passes by is a potential ride, even if they don’t stop! It happened so often, that people turned around and came back, 10-15 minutes after they passed by, because they thought about it and wanted to pick us up. For that reason stay charming and happy, even if nobody stops. All potential rides! If they stop at the horizon and turn on the emergency lights, it is a sure sign, that they give you a ride. And don’t worry, they wait!

Country roads are recommended for hitchhiking., Super easy. Super fun. But very slow locomotion.

About Expressways:

Every onramp has a toll station, so called Interchange (IC). You are not allowed to cross them by foot. I tried it several times and got icked out by the employees. But you can stand in front of those tations, that is not a problem at all!

About service areas:

Usually I would walk to the end of a service area and position myself behind the gas station (which are usually at the very end in Japan) at the beginning of the onramp. Several times people approached me and told me to take position much further in front of this in the middle of the parking area cause there would be ‘more space’. I mean, yeah, it doesn’t make sense objectively. But if you want to be a japanese style hitchhiker, you should take position in the middle of the service area. Or just out of politeness.

If you want to get out of Tokyo you can simply use Google Maps as it includes all Bus and Train routes and gives you also the cheapest price, to get to your destination. It is very simple and very helpful. In general that is a great way to navigate in Tokyo. You life will be improved, if you don’t need to sit for hours in front of the metro plan, to figure out, where to leave the train.

If you want to hitch into Tokyo, it is worth to have a look at the signs on the number plate. Just find out, how the district you want to go is written and scout out the right cars at the parking areas near the city. Usually you can see with the first two signs, where they go. If you don’t know, just ask some local to help you out. People showed me what cars I should look for several times, without me even asking for it.

Japan has a very young and sensible hitchhiking. Compared to the US, where people put hitchhikers on the same step as criminals or mental sick people, people in Japan have no fear at all to pick someon up. Hitchhiking and hitchhikers as well are perceived positively! No prejudices! This is a fucking unique situation which can’t be valued high enough folks!

Once a young woman turned around to pick me up and she said, she passed by, then called her boyfriend and asked him, if she should pick me up. He said: „Yes, go for it!“ and she returned to give me a ride. Anything more to say?

Be as polite as possible if you hitchhike in Japan, that this positive vibe will be preserved and the country can rise as a great hitchhiking nation! Don’t fuck this up, it is so precious!

Impressions

Specifics

Dumpster Diving works in Japan. They have so much ready to eat food, which they throw away every day. Trashwiki says that the 100-Yen-Store is good for this, but the stores I checked had locked dumpsters (they have special little sheds for the trash in Japan): Better choice might be the Family Marts! We had the most succes from all convenient stores in Japan at this ones. Around 10 they might clean the old food. Be there, observe and enjoy. If you find something, it will be awesome much and delicious.

Japan has a stunning bathing culture which is absolutely worth to explore. You got Onsens and Sentos. Onsens are like hot-springs, while as Sentos are public baths with heated water. There are several places with free outdoor Onsens, but this needs to be investigated. Btw. Being in an Onsen has a specific style: You first wash yourself, before you go into the hot swimming pool! Also there is a sauna most of the time. Beside Syria and Turkey Japan is my most favourite country in case of washing yourself.

The japanese kitchen is awesome and was a positive suprise to me. There is almost nothing, that I don’t like (except Natto which looks like slimy bit of snod). Beside Ramen there is Udon and Soba, which you should eat cold. But you can also try Tempora (deep fried…..stuff) and raw fish. In the supermarket you get some croquettes made with potatoes or meat. They are cheap and filling. Also the bakerys are very good. Best food since 1,5 years that I had in Japan!

Internet without provider might be difficult in the first sight in Japan. You have free Wifi everywhere but most of the time it requires registration and a official number to use it for free (1 day or 2 weeks sometimes). But there are other ways to get online. Almost every convenience store has Internet (Family Mart, 7Eleven and Lawson [Lawson is the best!]). Starbucks is also a good spot to go. If you hitchhike on the country roads, you can ask people to drop you there. Btw. McDonals has no Internet but plugs. Somteimes you also might find public open Wifis.

Not worth a note, but anyway: In Japan they drive on the left side. Keep that in mind, if you plan your route and watch out for Service Areas and hitchhiking spots.

Between the north and the south is a huge climate difference. When we went to Shikoku island, there where pleasent 20° and spring time, while as two weeks later in the north was still heavy snow and in Hokkaido you even could make an iglo. Japan is big and the climate divers.

So, if you want to hitchhike in Japan, just do it and enjoy! It is gonna be a great experience!

Der Beitrag Hitchhiking in Japan (16) erschien zuerst auf Warm Roads.

Stats

Hitchhiked distance: 2435 kilometer

Number of lifts: 63

Average waiting time: 15 minutes 46 seconds

Waiting time total: 16 hours 34 minutes

Log you can find here.

My Route

I went from the very end of Panama all the way north into Texas. Most of the time alont the Panamericana.

People

I was surprised by South America already. All the people said, it would be so dangerous, but in the end it was very wonderful. Same for central America. Panama and Costa Rica are kinda former provinces of the United States, now independent and a lot of retired US-Citizens live there. I experienced the hitchhiking there as laborious. I mean, what is worse than hitchhiking in the US? Right, hitchhiking in a country which exists of retired Americans. Lucky me i reached Nicaragua at some point, where it was much more convenient. Very poor country, but nice hitchhiking experience.

Honduras was a good country to hitchhike in, but it seems that this place is suffering a lot by drug trafficking and corruption. I did not feel very safe there, which is very uncommon for me. I would describe the country neutraly as…wild. Beside that also very cheap. I think the people are bloodsuckers, want to make the most out of the tourists and don’t give a shit at the one side and very hospitality at the other side, have a really warm interaction. I was only crossing but had a very intense impression. Negative as well as positive.

In El Salvador you can pay with Dollars, the life-standart is a bit higher and the people are very friendly. It is a little bit my insider tip for Central America. I never recognized this country before, but now I would say: „Go there!“, if someone would asked me for a recommendation in Central America.

And then Guatemala. My love. People are so super nice, very cheap, a lot to see and hell of a hitchhiking experience. Definitely my favourite in the review and the country with the best hitchhiking in all North America. A lot of Pick-Ups, many fast pick ups, nice roads, stunning landscape. Here I will come back!

In the stats Central America has a very good average waiting time. This is mostly because of Guatemala! Just saying.

Roads

Panama has a long highway which gets a bit unsteady in the north. But with Costa Rica the best road quality in Central America. Nicaragua is a bit fucked up, Honduras as well. El Salvador and Guatemala are somehow in the middle of that.

In Costa Rica you should follow the road along the coast line instead of the Panamericana in the middle of the country. It leads through the jungle, along of endless palmtree plantations. An ecological disaster but exciting to watch. In Guatemala you have a lot of volcanoes along the road, it is very scenic and the temperate climate is very convenient. At least if you got out of hot Panama recently.

In the South of Panama is very dense jungle. Be careful, the roads can get fucking slippery through the humidity. I was in an accident there because of this.

If you hitchhike along the Transamericana, then better take the short way through the south-west of Honduras. And check the borders beforehand. If you end up at the wrong border, it can cost you an entire day because of low traffic. Some borders are also not recommendable to cross during the night. Nicaragua and Honduras are in general kind of troubled kids in this region. But go there and find out for yourself and don’t let yourself get influenced too much by my experience.

Tactics

Panama get through it somehow. Not perfect, but possible. Panama City has a kind of city rail, which has only one line, but goes to the other end of the city, which is quite helpful. In Costa Rica I would definitely use the coast. More relaxed surfers and higher chances to get a ride. In Nicaragua just go with the flow. Don’t hitchhike during the night in Honduras, if you are not interested in losing some weight of your luggage and experience the „real adventure“. El Salvador (City) is a wonderful place to hitchhike through, if you stick to my Hitchhiking in Cities – Guide. Don’t be afraid of this cities. But when I was there the sun was shining friendly and maybe my impression is a bit too positive. For Guatemala is not much to say. Enjoy the pick-ups, enjoy the hitchhiking, enjoy the people. Guatemala City can be a bit exhausting, but possible.

Impressions

Specifics

Nothing to say here for this time.

Der Beitrag Hitchhiking in… (15) Central America erschien zuerst auf Warm Roads.

Stats

Hitchhiked distance: 943 kilometer

Number of lifts: 17

Average waiting time: 48 minutes 03 seconds

Waiting time total: 13 hours 37 minutes

Log you can find Log Colcombia.

My Route

I came through the border near Pasto during the night and had a direct lift towards th city. From there I should have went „only to Bogota“. I did the route, but it took me two days for 900 km and this was the main highway in Colombia.

People

I got to say, from all the different people in South America I kind of liked the Colobians the most. Very warn hearted, open people, especially the males are, like all South Americans, a little bit macho, but all in all super friendly. In other party of the country I perceived the male population as a bit arrogant and annoying. Colombia is very tranquil in this case. Furthermore I got to say, that the Colombians are definitely the best dressed people on the whole continent. Maybe this also goes along with the stereotype, that Colombians are so beautiful.
For me being in Colombia felt like the people are very close to each other, without being pushy. Already when I passed the border in the night, the fun began. Some took fotos with me, laughing, shaking, super relaxed and comfortable encounters.

Roads

I thought Chile had not much keeping area. After Ecuador I thought it would not get worser. But Colombia is a class of its own in this case. Especially along the mountains, in the South as well as through the Cordilleras in direction Medellin. Many steep roads and the people drive like maniacs. Beside the missing keeping area you also encounter sometime a missing side-walk. And fast traffic. Many roads are not hitchable there. Just impossible.

The missing keeping area is encountered in almost all the country. You got very few roundabout traffics, some Toll-Stations (which aren’t very promising as well for hitchhiking), many police controls and some Aduanas, where the trucks have to get in, to get their load checked.

The roads are surprisingly slow, at least till Bogota. It is possible, that you will need 8 hours for 200km, because the road is winding up and down through the mountains and you are confronted with slow Trucks.

Tactics

I tried a lot. Walking. No advantage. Normal positioning. No one stops. Aggressive communication, humble body language, with thumb, with hand, waving, static. No success. People just don stop. Or lets say, it takes time.

How you get through Colombia the best? Talking. All my longer lifts I found while asking them. If you get in touch with the people, they are often friendly and open. I wouldn’t recommend „normal“ hitchhiking here. But if you want to hitchhike, there is a secret weapon on your side: Police controls. Whenever I was standing behind a police control, I got a ride relatively fast. It is really the best advice I can give. Also in many discussions with locals, while waiting at the side of the road, they recommended me, to wait near police controls. Of course I rated this as senseless advice in the beginning and tried my normal repertoire of hitchhiking strategies. But it really felt like it made the difference.

Beside that positioning might help at places, where the traffic is reaaaaallly slow. Like walking speed. I had the feeling, that through the guerilla conflicts and the violent history of the country the people are very protective, if they see someone standing at the side of the road. I never waited as long as in Colombia. In no other country. Even if you should take my statistics with cautious, but there is a reason why Colombia took the leading position in the average waiting time. With a lot of space to the second placed country.

Pictures

Specifics

The landscape of Colombia is fantastic. A dream. I really can recommend this country to travel in, if you are not planning to hitchhike, of course. The south has beautiful mountains, fields and a lot of fruits. Colombia is a very rich country in case of agriculture and has a lot of good food (although the typical Rice and Beans and Meat and Salad-dish get a little boring after a while). I ate the best papaya of my life there.

Don leave the official roads without caution, because they have some landmines here and there and in general the surrounding nature is taken by the Guerilla. This conflict is usually not affecting the tourist and through the actual peace agreement, which hopeful comes up, the situation will change completely. And the landmines will disappear. Hopefully.

Coffee. Yes, they have coffee. Real coffee. After I encountered in the rest of the continent mostly brown water. They are a world-class coffee producer and you should make use of this, while you are there. In the morning, midday and evening!

Beside the actual Miss-South-America Colombia also the female BMX-World-Champion as well as some really good cyclists among their folks. Cycling is a big thing in Colombia. If you cross the country on a bike, you get welcomed everywhere. I crossed Colombia for 800 km on a bike. The mountains are horrible. But it was a good experience. With pleasure and torture!

There is no road between Panama and Colombia but the infamous Darien Gap. It is very difficult to hitchhike this passage. I was very lucky and crossed this region on a cargo boat.

Der Beitrag Hitchhiking in… (14) Colombia erschien zuerst auf Warm Roads.

Stats

Hitchhiked distance: 964 kilometer

Number of lifts: 21

Average waiting time: 14 minutes 31 seconds

Waiting time total: 5 hours 05 minutes

The complete log you can find here.

My Route

Through Tumbes/Peru I crossed the border in the South, hitchhiked a night bus to Guayaquil and from there I went through Quite up to the Colombian Border in the North. Short route, straight through.

People

I perceived the Ecuadorian people as a bit weird. I met the people with the best Spanish here, but maybe they also put the most effort in their communication, that I could understand them. I had the feeling they are very good in making connections with strangers, which is also connected to the „US-Feeling“ I had there. The cars, the attitude, all not very South American. Also I had some really strange rides. People sometimes were a bit scared. Because of the growing wealth? Can tell.

Roads

Road where fantastic, but, as in Chile, there was not enough keeping area. Especially in the jungly area in the South everything was kinda tight. Sometimes it was difficult to find a good position. Same like in Chile, the mixture of narrow roads and fast traffic is not very positive for our hitchhiking, cause both qualities support their synergies with each other. Beside this Guayaquil remembered me of an US-Highway, but with the difference, that it ended up in a network of narrow jungle roads.

One more comment to Quite: I had a lot of worries, before I entered this city, which turned out to be not legitimated at all. Quito is in a valley and along the mountains around it, there is a beautiful highway leading through which is perfect for hitchhiking. Positioning works well, if you walk a little and find your place. Not comparable to other big cities in South America. Very convenient for transit. And also beautiful place. I was positively surprised.

Tactics

I did not do anything special in Ecuador. Most of the time take position at the end of the city or at an roundabout traffic. Good positioning is quite important, as the keeping areas are rare. But the Ecuadorians are very friendly towards hitchhikers. In general not the best but also not the worst country to hitchhike in. Just look that you find a position with enough keeping area and slow traffic. Stick you thumb out and you should get a ride relatively fast. Enjoy!

Pictures

Unfortunatley I did not do pictures in Ecuador.

Specifics

Ecuador is much more expensive as the neighbor countries Colombia or Peru.

There are a bunch of volcanoes around Quito which might be worth to visit. I by myself was not there, but everyone recommended it to me. In general the nature around the high plateau in Quito is very beautiful and remembered me a bit about the Alps.

Der Beitrag Hitchhiking in… (13) Ecuador erschien zuerst auf Warm Roads.

Peru is all in all a bit more wild, chaotic and generally more exciting as Bolivia. But same cheap. Not necessarily the nicest country in South America which I crossed during my tour. But there are several reasons, why I would like to return to Peru. Not because of the streets tho, but hitchhiking worked very well, allthough I faced some unexpected complications.

Stats

Hitchhiked distance: 2754 kilometer

Number of lifts: 47

Average waiting time: 24 minutes 44 seconds

Waiting time total: 19 hours 23 minutes

The Log you can find Log Peru

My Route

First I hitchhiked several days through blocked roads from Copacabana near Lago Titicaca to Cusco. What a nice welcome. From there I made my way north through anarchic Lima into Ecuador. Lots of transit.

People

Peruvians are very proud folks in general. Different to Bolivia, where I perceived a more humble attitude. The rich cultural backround comes through. People keep their heads up and seem a bit dangerous sometimes. But also here I made the experience, that behind the surface most of the people are very gentle and friendly, if you approach them with a smile. They are more direct than their neighbours, but not as bitchy as the Argentinians. I liked it.

Beside that I recognized about Peruvians: Rock, classic Rock and good old psychedelic Rock´n Roll. In the radio we got all that long forgotten classics going on. Music from my childhood. Supported by cover bands in the bars of Cusco. I think I somehow got the impression, that Peruvians are the rockers of South America.

Roads

Roads yes. There is a highway up to Lima, which starts behind Ica and is part of the Panamericana. In general this is a good route through plane land with a good road, but the Peruvians don´t really know how to use this brand new Highway. Which means it ends up in some chaotic traffic, which I found everywhere in Peru with it´s orgastic blowoff in Lima. Weird city.

Beside this highway you also got the country side. The streets there are usually quite okay, but eastwards of Nasca you got a lot of serpentines and a longer tour can be quite exhausting here. Maybe a little bit more exhausting as the real rural mudd roads, because the speed is higher and you are exposed to gravitation.

Keeping areas are found very easy, but the big roads are sometimes a bit narrow. But there are much worser countries for his, I don´t want to complain! Here and there you can find nice roundabouts which are always a good choice for positioning. City are often small and good to cross, even by walking. Near the coast you should be cautious, cause there are some big ones like Nasca or the Spawn of Chaos: Lima.

There are tol-stations in Peru which are also quite suitable for hitchhiking. On the big highways there are also some nice rest-areas. All in all some good options for positioning in Peru. The moving is very slow. Either the roads are shit, or the traffic unable. Or both.

Tactics

Walking worked here. But it is hard to make the Peruvians stop sometimes. I was used to Bolivia where literally everything stopped, which passed by.

But in general I had the feeling that hitchhiking worked quite well, with one snag: They expect you to pay. This was indeed a widely spread expectation towards hitchhikers, especially in the South. It is much different to Bolivia or the other countries in South America, because in Peru you will also meet a lot of locals who are hitchhiking. I haven´t seen that in other countries as much as in Peru.

This fact makes your life indeed a bit more complicated here. I recommend to be clear from the beginning, before entering the car, that you won´t pay, don´t have money and do hitchhiking. Often they pick you up anyway. Also I want to note, that the Peruvians are not very offensive, when asking for money, but point out very friendly, that they would need money for gas. Sometimes I wanted to give something, but they said it is okay, because I am a Gringo. But this was more exceptional. Better have a clear communication and avoid unpleasent suprises.

Pictures

Specifics

Lima might be the biggest Moloch I ever crossed and this is not meant negative. The city contains a strange charme and the traffic was so chaotic, that I felt in love with this unique Mayhem.

Cusco is the tourist capital of South America and all treks to Machu Picchu start from here. You will face a strange mix of backpackers, families and weekend travellers in this place. The city is very beautiful, makes good money from the tourist, nice bar culture and some clubs with wicked locals and drugs on every corner.

In Peru you can try the psychoactive San Pedro, which is legal and to buy on the market. In the mountains you can attend to some rituals with shamans and get some tripping in the old ruins. I never attended to thos kind of rituals, but principially you sit around a camp fire and take psychedelic drugs. Sounds not too bad and you don´t get in conflict with the law.

As I just had a look at the pictures again, I have to add something. Peru is beautiful. The landscape is very intriguing. The desert on the western coast is as beautiful as the mountains in the east part. And Cusco is definitely the moste beautiful city I saw in South America. Colonial style. Very nice buildings, just too much tourists.

Der Beitrag Hitchhiking in… (12) Peru erschien zuerst auf Warm Roads.

After some months through hitchhiking Argentina and Chile, exploring a lot of deserty areas, i perceived Bolivia as a green oase. The country has many different sights. Jungle, sparse highlands, beautiful mountain passes and fruitful farm land. All in all Bolivia is my favourite country in South America. Because of the people, the landscape and of course the hitchhiking, which turned out to be a blast, allthough i got warned in the beginning, how bad it would be.

Stats

Hitchhiked distance: 1329 kilometer

Number of lifts: 47

Average waiting time: 24 minutes 44 seconds

Waiting time total: 19 hours 23 minutes

My Bolivia  Log you can download here.

My route

I entered Bolivia after a desert tour through the Atacama and hitchhiked from Uyuni to Sucre. My next tour led right into the stunning highlands from Sucre to Oruro (regarding to google maps it is 8,5 hours for 350km. For a reason which i had found out soon by myself). From Oruro i went through Quime into the northern Yungas area towards Coroico, from where i hitchhiked the infamous Death Road and endet up going through La Paz to Peru.

Humans

In advance a lot of things about Bolivians where reported to me. That they are a very closed nation, they would hate Gringos and hitchhiking is almost impossible there. My experience was totally differen. I met so many awesome people during my hitchhiki ng trips. My first tour to Sucre was one of the most relaxing hitchhiking ever in my life. Only friendly people in the car. No evidence for the distance, i was told before.

In general i perceived the Bolivianos as pretty humble and reserved, but definitely not unfriendly or adverse. Except in Coroico, but this is a touri moloch and tourism makes people turn into bloodsuckers. Unfortunately. But that is everywhere. With a smile and an open mind you usually can make contacts pretty easy. Even if the Bolivianos seem a bit grumpy and not interested in the first moment, behind the surface there are very friendly people hidden. I felt really comftable in Bolivia, allthough i almost got robbed once.

Roads

The mainroads are in excellent condition and it is a real pleassure to hitchhike through the bolivian mountain area. Easy going. Not too much and not too less traffic. The highway towards La Paz is fast and uncomplicated. If you stay on the main roads, you should have an easy life. Keeping areas are sometimes a bit hard to find, but the traffic is so relaxed, that it is not problem to just stop in the street. The highway has a typical emergency lane.

If you go on the same adventure like i did and enter the small, abandoned roads through the inner part of the country, you should be ready for a slow and exhausting drive. The roads are partly paved and partly you will meet really bad mudroads. Similar to the Transamazonica, but in small, slower and on 4000m height. It is definitely worth! A hell of a fun,, believe me!

The absolute highlight, which you shouldn´t miss at all costs was the Yungas. Long mountain passes, that follow the scarp slopes along the Yungas Valley. Amazing views, deep gorges and a lot of dust. Nothing relaxing like a beach holiday, but one of the most beautiful areas in every hitchhiked through.

Tactics

Hitchhiking in Bolivia contains one difficulty, which you should recognize and that are Taxis (which aren´t yellow and neither have a sign), Buses as well as ride-shares. You need to develope a sense about, which cars are paid traffic and which are private. Private cars are our target group. Most of the time it is possible to determine this through the type of car (Taxis often are a certain kind of car) or with the amount and type of passengers. I would definitely recommend you to be selective while hitchhiking. But i should say also, that i was hitchhiking literally EVERYTHING that passed by in the end Many Taxis, f.e. will pick you up anyway, if you explain them, that you won´t pay for ransport but need a lift.

Beside that i successfully used my „Walking-Technique“, which i practised in Brazil already. I think in the end i didn´t waited at all and was either walking or sitting in a car. Always on the move. The Bolivians have a great sense for pedestrians and are very helpful, if they spot you in the middle of nowhere. Worked superb! In rural areas you can get rides with motorcycles but in the country-side just everything stops. Start walking, smile and look forward to your next ride. Not difficult at all in Bolivia.

By the way: Just once i got asked for money. It might be common in Bolivia, but the locals don´t hitchhike very much, like in Peru.

Photos

Specifics

If you enter through Quime into the Yungas area you follow a 60km long descent through endless serpentines and covering almost 3000m altitude difference. What a route. In Quime you reach the gateway towards the Yungas. Don´t miss this area!

Sucre is the capital for learning Spanish in South America, because here was the former domicile of the colonial goverment and, thats what they say, in Sucre they speak the clearest Spanish in whole South America. Many backpackers come here to learn the language. The private lessons are about 5$-7$ which is unbeatable cheap. Tip: Book yourself a teacher through the official language schools for a couple of days and make an agreement with him, to continue the lessons outside of the language school. Most of the time the teachers inly get a small amount of the overall sum and in taking inofficial lessons, everyone profits more.

I hitchhike on the infamous Death Road, which also can be mastered with a downhill bike. For sure alot of fun. In general it is a very beautiful and a bit less dangerous road, than the name would expect. All roads in the Yungas are dangerous and the people know it. Indeed I think the city traffic in lima is more dangerous than the rural roads in Bolivia.

There was no other country where i hitchhiked with so many different vehicle types, than in Bolivia. Especially Trucks, who always have aplace for you on the loading area. But also alot of Pick-Ups, motocycles, digger, emergency cars…..beautiful. A paradise.

I had in Bolivia a series of rides, where five times in a row the first passing vehicle (!) stopped and picked me up. New record! In no other country it worked that well!

Der Beitrag Hitchhiking in… (11) Bolivia erschien zuerst auf Warm Roads.