https://hitchwiki.org/en/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=JeppeRobert&feedformat=atomHitchwiki - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T21:04:57ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.32.3https://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo&diff=49291Democratic Republic of the Congo2011-02-06T13:46:22Z<p>JeppeRobert: </p>
<hr />
<div>The '''Democratic Republic of the Congo''' is a country in central Africa bordering Angola, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, the Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and Zambia.<br />
<br />
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, often called DR Congo, RDC or Congo-Kinshasa is not to be confused with it's neighbor to the north the Republic of the Congo (often called Congo-Brazzaville).<br />
<br />
<br />
== Background ==<br />
The second Congo war, known as The African World War in the countries involved, officially came to and end in 2003. In five years of combat, more than 5,4 million people died making in the deadliest war since world war 2.<br />
The aftermath of that war is not over yet. The UN and the armies of several neighboring countries (although most deny it) are heavily represented in DR Congo harvesting the natural resources.<br />
The areas of the country not under the control of foreign forces are mostly run by local militias (Mai-Mai, Hutu etc.), terrorist forces (Lord's Resistance army etc.), European/Zimbabwean mercenaries, or the Congolese Army, of which whole brigades has disbanded forming their own Colonel Kurz style parallel societies.<br />
<br />
Congo is widely recognized as the richest country in the world in terms of natural resources, but it currently has the second lowest GDP pr. Capita in the world.<br />
<br />
It's needless to say, that traveling solo in Congo can be ridiculously dangerous, and is not recommended for anyone.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Safe Areas ==<br />
There is currently only three relatively small areas safe for tourists, backpackers and hitchhikers. Those are the capital Kinshasa in western Congo, the town of Goma on the border to Rwanda in eastern Congo and the bush land of the easternmost part of the Orientale province in north-eastern congo. There are few roads and plenty of militias between these areas, and trying to get from one to another overland will cost you months of traveling and most likely your life. It's not worth trying!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Hitchhiking in the West ==<br />
Kinshasa is a huge city a population of more than 10 million. It is considered quite safe on the same level as high risk African capitals as Lagos or Nairobi. <br />
When waving at the cars you will get a ride in a matter of seconds. You will be expected to pay for your ride.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Hitchhiking in the East ==<br />
In early 2010 Hitchwiki member [http://hitchwiki.org/community/members/JeppeRobert/ JeppeRobert] tried hitching in the region. Feel free to send my any questions you might have considering Congo.<br />
<br />
The town of Goma is controlled by the UN. It lies on the border to Rwanda, and is divided from the Rwandan city of Gisenyi by a wall. Because of the huge amount of UN personnel in the town, it is quite easy to get a free ride around town or a few kilometers out of it. If you plan to visit the mountain gorillas in the nearby Volcanos National park, you might get lucky hitching a ride with fellow backpackers. Ask around in the bars or hotels in town. <br />
Going more than 15-20 kilometers away from the town is very dangerous. There is plenty of rebel activity in the area, and the local warlords will do anything to make the UN look bad. Hence attacks on foreigners is quite common.<br />
<br />
Further to the north. The part of the Oriantale province bordering the West-nile region of Uganda is safe. Day trips from Nebbi or Arua in Uganda are okay. any further and things become difficult.<br />
Hitchhiking is the same as in [[Uganda]]. Every single vehicle passing by will pick you up, but only the ones driven by NGO's or the UN will be free. Everyone else will expect a payment. <br />
<br />
<br />
== General Tips ==<br />
The Ugandan Shilling and Rwandan franc are the standard currencies in the areas of Congo bordering these places.<br />
<br />
If you get "arrested" by local militias US dollars can buy you out of any trouble. Always have a 10 or 20 dollar note in an easily accessible pocket and at least 50 dollars hidden in your shoes or underwear.<br />
<br />
Get the phone number of someone who can help you.<br />
<br />
Don't be seen hitching a ride with white people in none-NGO cars. They are most likely mercenaries and are hated by the locals.<br />
<br />
Give your country's embassy in Uganda or DR Congo your contact details. It is the fastest way to get info on a sudden chance in the security situation.<br />
<br />
Check, double check and triple check the security situation in any area of the Congo you want to go. Humanitarian NGO's are good for this.</div>JeppeRoberthttps://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Hitchgathering/2011&diff=49169Hitchgathering/20112011-01-28T18:02:37Z<p>JeppeRobert: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{hitchgathering2011}}<br />
'''Hitchgathering 2011''' is the temporary title for the fourth edition of the annual '''European hitchhiking festival'''.<br />
<br />
== Latest News ==<br />
We are looking for new suggestions to have a voting soon! A new deadline will be set shortly, so hurry up :) <br />
<br />
We are working on Evaluation of the 6810. Add your comments here: http://hitchwiki.org/en/Hitchgathering/2011/Evaluation<br />
<br />
==Deadline==<br />
Let's set a date for the next one and from there, go back in time and set a couple of deadlines for stuff to get done.<br />
<br />
#Decide the place: end of january 2011<br />
#The gathering: 5/8/11<br />
<br />
<br />
===Comments===<br />
* 5 August is fine, it's a Friday and in context with the previous versions. Pro! --[[User:Platschi|Platschi]] 16:15, 26 September 2010 (CEST)<br />
* We tried to get the location fixed by 15 December but seemingly need more time. New suggestion end of January. --[[User:Astikain|Astikain]] 04:01, 10 January 2011 (CET)<br />
<br />
== Location Hunting ==<br />
===Have requirements for the suggestion of places===<br />
*Person that suggests a spot becomes responsible on setting up a team to organize it there.<br />
*Pros and cons<br />
*Central or more adventurous destination?<br />
*propose a specific location, not a country (''[[Hitchgathering/2011#Bulgaria_--Boyan|see example]]'')<br />
<br />
''If you have a place where you know 100-150 hitchhikers can be hosted and you can take care of making sure there is local support (also just by finding someone locally that wants to take care of this part), please, list the location. :)''<br />
<br />
== Suggestions ==<br />
<br />
''For now, let's display the first suggestions first''.<br />
<br />
===Bristol -- [[User:Xo|xo]]===<br />
====Pros====<br />
* 100-150 hh can easily be hosted in squat like [http://freefactory.wordpress.com/ The Red Factory] or other, a squat could even be open if needed.<br />
* There is also enough food for everyone in the large population of dumpster in the city.<br />
* Most of the Noborder activist in Calais are people from Bristol, as most hitch-hiker would pass by Calais maybe some action in collaboration could be made.<br />
* Huge number of contact (including local media) and local support with individual and different group.<br />
* a lot of local groups are interested in the project from the few talk I had<br />
* one benefit gig could be easily be made on the friday night to raise money for food and the diverse expense during the week end, even free for the hitch hiker. it would be a good ocasion to comunicate and atract people outside of our closed circuit comunity. <br />
* I'm on it! and ther was 2 other people from bristol at the last hitch gathering<br />
* The beer is great, and you're supposed to drink it warm (which we WILL do)<br />
* We could cooperate with Mark Boyle´s [http://www.justfortheloveofit.org/ Freeconomy community] and arrange quality program with them (artists, free shops, veggie kitchen etc)<br />
<br />
====Cons====<br />
* UK Immigration polities and visa issue<br />
:Worse than Schengen? Anyway, people going to UK HHing must also get Schengen pass... --[[User:Sitarane|Sitarane]]<br />
::Much worse than Schengen. Since there are no exit stamps and their stamp is good for 6 months, they always end up suspecting you of living/working illegally in the UK. Last time I landed in Glasgow (to avoid Heathrow) but was still asked 23 questions in a row, including written details of two people in the UK. I am aware of not less than 4 different people, US/CA/AU that have been denied entry while hitchhiking over the channel. If I would not be changing passports, I wouldn't assume it's gonna work now because I already have 4 different entry stamps + a work-holiday visa. Each entry was more difficult than the one before. --[[User:Perilisk|Perilisk]] 22:26, 10 January 2011 (CET)<br />
* You've got to cross the channel<br />
* HH sucks in Britain.<br />
** What a load of bullshit, I've done over 60,000 km in the UK and it works, even for someone well over the age of the average hitchhiker. See the table below! [[User:Prino|Prino]] 22:38, 29 September 2010 (CEST)<br />
<pre><br />
+------+---------------------------+---------------------------+---------------------------+<br />
| | Waits <= 1 hour | Waits > 1 hour | Total |<br />
| +------+---------+----------+------+---------+----------+------+---------+----------+<br />
| Cnty | # | Time | Avg Wait | # | Time | Avg Wait | # | Time | Avg Wait |<br />
+------+------+---------+----------+------+---------+----------+------+---------+----------+<br />
| GB | 471 | 210.17 | 0:26:47 | 138 | 242.24 | 1:45:23 | 609 | 452.41 | 0:44:36 |<br />
+------+------+---------+----------+------+---------+----------+------+---------+----------+<br />
</pre><br />
* Rain<br />
* Expensive<br />
** not as mush as Paris, and for participant expense should be limited to their own consumption of cider<br />
* Doesn't qualify as "central for a big gathering" nor "far and more adventurous". It's far and boring.<br />
** That's a weird conception of boring, I've never considered hitch-hiking boring especially when having to hitch a boat.<br />
* Beer suck<br />
** not just beer, cider as well...<br />
<br />
===Lyon --[[User:Sitarane|Sitarane]]===<br />
<br />
====Pros====<br />
*There's that place that looks cute, I'll go and check it out this week-end probably. --[[User:Sitarane|Sitarane]]<br />
Parc de Miribel[http://www.openstreetmap.org/?lat=45.8053&lon=4.9534&zoom=14&layers=M Map], [http://www.grand-parc.fr Website]<br />
*For some reasons that I can't begin to understand, travelers love France. It can attract many people.<br />
<br />
====Cons====<br />
*France again? We already had Paris!<br />
*French drivers have too much testosterone<br />
*Too much in the west<br />
*Too expensive<br />
*Schengen...<br />
<br />
===Nordics --[[User:Atopia|atopia]]===<br />
*Nordic countries refer to Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland (Scandinavia is without the latter two) --[[User:Astikain|Astikain]] 04:10, 10 January 2011 (CET)<br />
<br />
====Pros====<br />
*A new+missing geographical direction of Europe (888:West, 789:East, 6810:South, -> 5811:North)<br />
*A different type of setting: we had beach-gatherings for the last two times<br />
**In Scandinavia both urban and rural camping works well<br />
*Another cultural part of Europe (compared to Italy, France vs. Portugal)<br />
*Hardly any language barrier for English speakers<br />
*Easy to hitchhike ''(very good in south, slower in Swedish/Norwegian/Finnish -Lapland)'' And countries where HH would get a lot of spread in the media - and the purpose of promoting HH would help!!!<br />
*The privilege to camp wild for a day in most places (although this is VERY illegal in Denmark)<br />
*Can include ferry/boat hitchhiking<br />
*Wide & good [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_to_roam everyman's rights]<br />
*Very cool nature more north you go<br />
*Very beautiful, and a lot of places to camp!<br />
*Could get sponsored, and camp close to one of Turistforeningens cabbins (Norway) - toilets, showers etc.<br />
*A lot of very beautiful beaches/mountains.<br />
*Drinkable water (And if no toilet around, there's always a mountain with small rivers and the best water in the world)<br />
*I could get a team together on the westcoast of Norway! :)<br />
<br />
====Cons====<br />
*Mosquitos? <br />
-Easy to avoid.<br />
-'''But still annyoing.'''<br />
- No Mosquitos in Denmark and Souther Sweden<br />
<br />
<br />
*Unstable weather!<br />
*Too expensive (!!!!!!) (But easy to get sponsored with free food/supplies) '''How to get sponsored ?''' (ask local shops and stuff. No problem.)<br />
*Schengen<br />
*No public beer drinking in cities (in denmark public drinking is not only legal. It is the norm)<br />
*No places + local contacts yet (but we do know some sweet folks from Scandinavia)<br />
** \o_ one here from FI. There are plenty of good places, esp. around the countryside. And I have even more contacts. We would also love to bring some life to our almost not existing anymore "HH-club". -[[User:Mikael|Mikael]] 18:50, 23 November 2010 (CET)<br />
**A lot of places, campings and even big tents, easy to arrange very cheap.<br />
<br />
A====Comments====<br />
*let's have a 888ish meeting again: it's about time for an easy destination as hitchhiking is best promoted by many hitchhikers<br />
**Hitchhiking ''is not'' too popular around Scandinavia, but it works. These countries are a good choice if we wish to promote.<br />
*Estonia has a "Scandinavian feeling" and is in the north, but is a lot cheaper. I feel that a huge concern about the real Scandinavia is that it's just way too expensive. Hhikers usually know how to get around with little money, but something always comes up you need to buy/pay for.<br />
*In Finland there are a lot of free places to camp, either with facilities (have to book early) or just anywhere in the nature. --[[User:Astikain|Astikain]] 04:10, 10 January 2011 (CET)<br />
* Why this f*cking emphasis on cheap, we are traveling for free, so what's wrong with spending some money at our destination?<br />
** 1. In many countries a salary of 400 euro/month is considered good money. People from these countries should also be able to participate. 2. A lot of long-term travelers go around on spending less than 100$/month. 3. Most people who travel for free also got used to free places to sleep, and many are also into getting free food (e.g. through dumpster diving). [[User:Guaka|guaka]] 10:06, 19 January 2011 (CET)<br />
<br />
===Bulgaria --[[User:Boayn|Boyan]]===<br />
<br />
Quite big national hitchhiking society.<br />
Local support is a snap.<br />
Hitching is a blast.<br />
Exact location: The Black Sea, Kara Dere (near the city of Biala)<br />
<br />
Coords.: 42.892231,27.899687<br />
<br />
Have a look at [[hitchgathering/2011/Pictures_of_Bulgaria|Pictures of Bulgaria]]<br />
<br />
====Pros====<br />
<br />
*huge remote beach<br />
*water supply from a spring on the beach (''The issue of drinking water: There is a natural spring right on the beach. The only insignificant con is that the nice camping areas in the forest are a bit further on the beach on a 15 mins walk from the spring. But 10 liter tubes do a great job and daily "trips" are just a walk on the beach'')<br />
*perfect shade, as the beach borders with a marvelous forest, where it's cool all day long and in the night it's not windy and sandy <br />
*people there are generally nice <br />
*cheap!<br />
*equally near to (between) the two biggest cities (Varna, Burgas) on the coast line.<br />
*close to turkey<br />
*small "bar"(caravan) for beer, fish&chips, etc. on one end of the beach<br />
*few to none about the mosquito issue<br />
*the trumpet festival at Guča happens the week after 5/8/11, just 850km to the west<br />
<br />
====Cons====<br />
<br />
*40 mins walk on a dirt road to the nearest village for food supply (quite easy and pleasant though)<br />
*project for closing the area and building an "Eco Village" (decision and deadline unknown yet)<br />
*language barrier?<br />
** I guess there are as many hhikers who don't speak Bulgarian as hhikers who didn't speak Portuguese. And I guess there are a lot more Russian speakers in Bulgaria than English speakers in Spain.<br />
**language barrier is absolutely no problem, everybody knows what the thumb means, also city's names on road signs are nearly always in Cyrillic and Latin.<br />
*'''Many''' campers in summer<br />
*'''Forget''' about dumpster-diving here<br />
<br />
===Lithuania --[[User:Mikael|Mikael]]===<br />
====Pros====<br />
* Active HH-club(s)/people. Good connections by [[User:Mikael|Mikael]]. Actually it seems we would have multiple places where we could arrange this, and some people ready to arrange stuff.<br />
* Lots of similar events already arranged (in countryside mostly), a good coverage of known good places <br />
* Relatively cheap country<br />
* Might be easier for Russians & Belarusians to get a visa? (not sure)<br />
**Nah,it's everywhere the same shitty procedure throughout Schengen. Only exception might be Finland visa for people from Karelia/Petersburg area.<br />
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curonian_Spit Curonian Spit]<br />
* Easy to reach from any direction really<br />
<br />
====Cons====<br />
* No public beer drinking in cities<br />
* HH is already "normalized", and promoting would be of no use.<br />
<br />
=== Berlin ===<br />
<br />
====Pros====<br />
* Germany is one of the best place to HH<br />
* Northern and central at the same time<br />
* Most of us know dumpsterdiving/parties/life there --> easy and family-ish<br />
* Cheap<br />
* Will attract much more people than last year.<br />
* Huge community of couchsurfers, hitchhikers, dumpster divers, etc. There'll surely be some people who are willing to help.<br />
<br />
====Cons====<br />
* Too easy --> Boring<br />
** So what? It's supposed to be a gathering, not a challenge. Easier = more people. More difficult = less people, only hardcore-hitchhikers with a lot of time.<br />
**Last year we had quite a challenging destination, maybe we should go for a central one this year, more ppl means also more promotion.<br />
<br />
===The Netherlands --[[User:???|???]]===<br />
<br />
++jeee,lets do it in NL!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Spain --[[Special:Contributions/92.250.129.149|jimmsfairytales0com]] 17:03, 25 January 2011 (CET) ===<br />
(specifically: at a free campsite in a mountain natural park near Vistabella del Maestrat [province: Castelló], Comunitat Valenciana)<br />
*'''Circus! Competitions! Prizes!'''<br />
<br />
<br />
==== Pros ====<br />
*It's off the beaten track, so hitching there offers an interesting challenge.<br />
*It's different, not "touristy".<br />
*There's a less-than-an-hour hike to the top of the mountain (We'd hike from 1400m. to just over 1800m. [altitude]).<br />
*There's a 2 hour hike to a mountain stream (with diving and [short-distance] swimming possibilities) that is so clean, you can drink the water you're swimming in.<br />
*I have friends in the park service who could give us (if we want) an additional guided trail tour / nature talk.<br />
*Have you ever seen stars like this??? (Well - ''most of you'' - probably... but not often.)<br />
*The european rainbow gathering will be in spain in august, so people can camp there after the hitchgathering.<br />
<br />
==== Cons ====<br />
*It's off the beaten track, so hitching there might be problematic.<br />
*Because of other campers, we'd have to respect noise levels, but we can do an overnight trip to a possible partying place. (Near the mountain stream, so we could tie in the two activities.) Or organise an "open-house" party in the village 9km away.<br />
*Dumpster-diving is possible nearby only on a limited scale.<br />
*Last year's was in neighbouring Portugal, and many of you want something completely different. (But then this is mountains as opposed to beach.)<br />
*I'm usually a FIASCO at organising (I think too big), so I'll need somebody on the team to keep me in check. (I'm new at this kind of wiki-posting. Can somebody explain how I get rid of those lines? "use sparingly", but I DIDN'T ask for them!)<br />
*We had the area last year (including the long discussion about Spain's hitchability ;-) )<br />
<br />
===New proposals===<br />
<br />
''[http://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Hitchgathering/2011&action=edit add your suggestion?!]''<br />
[[Category:Hitchgathering]]</div>JeppeRoberthttps://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Hitchgathering/2011&diff=49168Hitchgathering/20112011-01-28T18:01:09Z<p>JeppeRobert: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{hitchgathering2011}}<br />
'''Hitchgathering 2011''' is the temporary title for the fourth edition of the annual '''European hitchhiking festival'''.<br />
<br />
== Latest News ==<br />
We are looking for new suggestions to have a voting soon! A new deadline will be set shortly, so hurry up :) <br />
<br />
We are working on Evaluation of the 6810. Add your comments here: http://hitchwiki.org/en/Hitchgathering/2011/Evaluation<br />
<br />
==Deadline==<br />
Let's set a date for the next one and from there, go back in time and set a couple of deadlines for stuff to get done.<br />
<br />
#Decide the place: end of january 2011<br />
#The gathering: 5/8/11<br />
<br />
<br />
===Comments===<br />
* 5 August is fine, it's a Friday and in context with the previous versions. Pro! --[[User:Platschi|Platschi]] 16:15, 26 September 2010 (CEST)<br />
* We tried to get the location fixed by 15 December but seemingly need more time. New suggestion end of January. --[[User:Astikain|Astikain]] 04:01, 10 January 2011 (CET)<br />
<br />
== Location Hunting ==<br />
===Have requirements for the suggestion of places===<br />
*Person that suggests a spot becomes responsible on setting up a team to organize it there.<br />
*Pros and cons<br />
*Central or more adventurous destination?<br />
*propose a specific location, not a country (''[[Hitchgathering/2011#Bulgaria_--Boyan|see example]]'')<br />
<br />
''If you have a place where you know 100-150 hitchhikers can be hosted and you can take care of making sure there is local support (also just by finding someone locally that wants to take care of this part), please, list the location. :)''<br />
<br />
== Suggestions ==<br />
<br />
''For now, let's display the first suggestions first''.<br />
<br />
===Bristol -- [[User:Xo|xo]]===<br />
====Pros====<br />
* 100-150 hh can easily be hosted in squat like [http://freefactory.wordpress.com/ The Red Factory] or other, a squat could even be open if needed.<br />
* There is also enough food for everyone in the large population of dumpster in the city.<br />
* Most of the Noborder activist in Calais are people from Bristol, as most hitch-hiker would pass by Calais maybe some action in collaboration could be made.<br />
* Huge number of contact (including local media) and local support with individual and different group.<br />
* a lot of local groups are interested in the project from the few talk I had<br />
* one benefit gig could be easily be made on the friday night to raise money for food and the diverse expense during the week end, even free for the hitch hiker. it would be a good ocasion to comunicate and atract people outside of our closed circuit comunity. <br />
* I'm on it! and ther was 2 other people from bristol at the last hitch gathering<br />
* The beer is great, and you're supposed to drink it warm (which we WILL do)<br />
* We could cooperate with Mark Boyle´s [http://www.justfortheloveofit.org/ Freeconomy community] and arrange quality program with them (artists, free shops, veggie kitchen etc)<br />
<br />
====Cons====<br />
* UK Immigration polities and visa issue<br />
:Worse than Schengen? Anyway, people going to UK HHing must also get Schengen pass... --[[User:Sitarane|Sitarane]]<br />
::Much worse than Schengen. Since there are no exit stamps and their stamp is good for 6 months, they always end up suspecting you of living/working illegally in the UK. Last time I landed in Glasgow (to avoid Heathrow) but was still asked 23 questions in a row, including written details of two people in the UK. I am aware of not less than 4 different people, US/CA/AU that have been denied entry while hitchhiking over the channel. If I would not be changing passports, I wouldn't assume it's gonna work now because I already have 4 different entry stamps + a work-holiday visa. Each entry was more difficult than the one before. --[[User:Perilisk|Perilisk]] 22:26, 10 January 2011 (CET)<br />
* You've got to cross the channel<br />
* HH sucks in Britain.<br />
** What a load of bullshit, I've done over 60,000 km in the UK and it works, even for someone well over the age of the average hitchhiker. See the table below! [[User:Prino|Prino]] 22:38, 29 September 2010 (CEST)<br />
<pre><br />
+------+---------------------------+---------------------------+---------------------------+<br />
| | Waits <= 1 hour | Waits > 1 hour | Total |<br />
| +------+---------+----------+------+---------+----------+------+---------+----------+<br />
| Cnty | # | Time | Avg Wait | # | Time | Avg Wait | # | Time | Avg Wait |<br />
+------+------+---------+----------+------+---------+----------+------+---------+----------+<br />
| GB | 471 | 210.17 | 0:26:47 | 138 | 242.24 | 1:45:23 | 609 | 452.41 | 0:44:36 |<br />
+------+------+---------+----------+------+---------+----------+------+---------+----------+<br />
</pre><br />
* Rain<br />
* Expensive<br />
** not as mush as Paris, and for participant expense should be limited to their own consumption of cider<br />
* Doesn't qualify as "central for a big gathering" nor "far and more adventurous". It's far and boring.<br />
** That's a weird conception of boring, I've never considered hitch-hiking boring especially when having to hitch a boat.<br />
* Beer suck<br />
** not just beer, cider as well...<br />
<br />
===Lyon --[[User:Sitarane|Sitarane]]===<br />
<br />
====Pros====<br />
*There's that place that looks cute, I'll go and check it out this week-end probably. --[[User:Sitarane|Sitarane]]<br />
Parc de Miribel[http://www.openstreetmap.org/?lat=45.8053&lon=4.9534&zoom=14&layers=M Map], [http://www.grand-parc.fr Website]<br />
*For some reasons that I can't begin to understand, travelers love France. It can attract many people.<br />
<br />
====Cons====<br />
*France again? We already had Paris!<br />
*French drivers have too much testosterone<br />
*Too much in the west<br />
*Too expensive<br />
*Schengen...<br />
<br />
===Nordics --[[User:Atopia|atopia]]===<br />
*Nordic countries refer to Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland (Scandinavia is without the latter two) --[[User:Astikain|Astikain]] 04:10, 10 January 2011 (CET)<br />
<br />
====Pros====<br />
*A new+missing geographical direction of Europe (888:West, 789:East, 6810:South, -> 5811:North)<br />
*A different type of setting: we had beach-gatherings for the last two times<br />
**In Scandinavia both urban and rural camping works well<br />
*Another cultural part of Europe (compared to Italy, France vs. Portugal)<br />
*Hardly any language barrier for English speakers<br />
*Easy to hitchhike ''(very good in south, slower in Swedish/Norwegian/Finnish -Lapland)'' And countries where HH would get a lot of spread in the media - and the purpose of promoting HH would help!!!<br />
*The privilege to camp wild for a day in most places<br />
*Can include ferry/boat hitchhiking<br />
*Wide & good [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_to_roam everyman's rights]<br />
*Very cool nature more north you go<br />
*Very beautiful, and a lot of places to camp!<br />
*Could get sponsored, and camp close to one of Turistforeningens cabbins (Norway) - toilets, showers etc.<br />
*A lot of very beautiful beaches/mountains.<br />
*Drinkable water (And if no toilet around, there's always a mountain with small rivers and the best water in the world)<br />
*I could get a team together on the westcoast of Norway! :)<br />
<br />
====Cons====<br />
*Mosquitos? <br />
-Easy to avoid.<br />
-'''But still annyoing.'''<br />
- No Mosquitos in Denmark and Souther Sweden<br />
<br />
<br />
*Unstable weather!<br />
*Too expensive (!!!!!!) (But easy to get sponsored with free food/supplies) '''How to get sponsored ?''' (ask local shops and stuff. No problem.)<br />
*Schengen<br />
*No public beer drinking in cities (in denmark public drinking is not only legal. It is the norm)<br />
*No places + local contacts yet (but we do know some sweet folks from Scandinavia)<br />
** \o_ one here from FI. There are plenty of good places, esp. around the countryside. And I have even more contacts. We would also love to bring some life to our almost not existing anymore "HH-club". -[[User:Mikael|Mikael]] 18:50, 23 November 2010 (CET)<br />
**A lot of places, campings and even big tents, easy to arrange very cheap.<br />
<br />
A====Comments====<br />
*let's have a 888ish meeting again: it's about time for an easy destination as hitchhiking is best promoted by many hitchhikers<br />
**Hitchhiking ''is not'' too popular around Scandinavia, but it works. These countries are a good choice if we wish to promote.<br />
*Estonia has a "Scandinavian feeling" and is in the north, but is a lot cheaper. I feel that a huge concern about the real Scandinavia is that it's just way too expensive. Hhikers usually know how to get around with little money, but something always comes up you need to buy/pay for.<br />
*In Finland there are a lot of free places to camp, either with facilities (have to book early) or just anywhere in the nature. --[[User:Astikain|Astikain]] 04:10, 10 January 2011 (CET)<br />
* Why this f*cking emphasis on cheap, we are traveling for free, so what's wrong with spending some money at our destination?<br />
** 1. In many countries a salary of 400 euro/month is considered good money. People from these countries should also be able to participate. 2. A lot of long-term travelers go around on spending less than 100$/month. 3. Most people who travel for free also got used to free places to sleep, and many are also into getting free food (e.g. through dumpster diving). [[User:Guaka|guaka]] 10:06, 19 January 2011 (CET)<br />
<br />
===Bulgaria --[[User:Boayn|Boyan]]===<br />
<br />
Quite big national hitchhiking society.<br />
Local support is a snap.<br />
Hitching is a blast.<br />
Exact location: The Black Sea, Kara Dere (near the city of Biala)<br />
<br />
Coords.: 42.892231,27.899687<br />
<br />
Have a look at [[hitchgathering/2011/Pictures_of_Bulgaria|Pictures of Bulgaria]]<br />
<br />
====Pros====<br />
<br />
*huge remote beach<br />
*water supply from a spring on the beach (''The issue of drinking water: There is a natural spring right on the beach. The only insignificant con is that the nice camping areas in the forest are a bit further on the beach on a 15 mins walk from the spring. But 10 liter tubes do a great job and daily "trips" are just a walk on the beach'')<br />
*perfect shade, as the beach borders with a marvelous forest, where it's cool all day long and in the night it's not windy and sandy <br />
*people there are generally nice <br />
*cheap!<br />
*equally near to (between) the two biggest cities (Varna, Burgas) on the coast line.<br />
*close to turkey<br />
*small "bar"(caravan) for beer, fish&chips, etc. on one end of the beach<br />
*few to none about the mosquito issue<br />
*the trumpet festival at Guča happens the week after 5/8/11, just 850km to the west<br />
<br />
====Cons====<br />
<br />
*40 mins walk on a dirt road to the nearest village for food supply (quite easy and pleasant though)<br />
*project for closing the area and building an "Eco Village" (decision and deadline unknown yet)<br />
*language barrier?<br />
** I guess there are as many hhikers who don't speak Bulgarian as hhikers who didn't speak Portuguese. And I guess there are a lot more Russian speakers in Bulgaria than English speakers in Spain.<br />
**language barrier is absolutely no problem, everybody knows what the thumb means, also city's names on road signs are nearly always in Cyrillic and Latin.<br />
*'''Many''' campers in summer<br />
*'''Forget''' about dumpster-diving here<br />
<br />
===Lithuania --[[User:Mikael|Mikael]]===<br />
====Pros====<br />
* Active HH-club(s)/people. Good connections by [[User:Mikael|Mikael]]. Actually it seems we would have multiple places where we could arrange this, and some people ready to arrange stuff.<br />
* Lots of similar events already arranged (in countryside mostly), a good coverage of known good places <br />
* Relatively cheap country<br />
* Might be easier for Russians & Belarusians to get a visa? (not sure)<br />
**Nah,it's everywhere the same shitty procedure throughout Schengen. Only exception might be Finland visa for people from Karelia/Petersburg area.<br />
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curonian_Spit Curonian Spit]<br />
* Easy to reach from any direction really<br />
<br />
====Cons====<br />
* No public beer drinking in cities<br />
* HH is already "normalized", and promoting would be of no use.<br />
<br />
=== Berlin ===<br />
<br />
====Pros====<br />
* Germany is one of the best place to HH<br />
* Northern and central at the same time<br />
* Most of us know dumpsterdiving/parties/life there --> easy and family-ish<br />
* Cheap<br />
* Will attract much more people than last year.<br />
* Huge community of couchsurfers, hitchhikers, dumpster divers, etc. There'll surely be some people who are willing to help.<br />
<br />
====Cons====<br />
* Too easy --> Boring<br />
** So what? It's supposed to be a gathering, not a challenge. Easier = more people. More difficult = less people, only hardcore-hitchhikers with a lot of time.<br />
**Last year we had quite a challenging destination, maybe we should go for a central one this year, more ppl means also more promotion.<br />
<br />
===The Netherlands --[[User:???|???]]===<br />
<br />
++jeee,lets do it in NL!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Spain --[[Special:Contributions/92.250.129.149|jimmsfairytales0com]] 17:03, 25 January 2011 (CET) ===<br />
(specifically: at a free campsite in a mountain natural park near Vistabella del Maestrat [province: Castelló], Comunitat Valenciana)<br />
*'''Circus! Competitions! Prizes!'''<br />
<br />
<br />
==== Pros ====<br />
*It's off the beaten track, so hitching there offers an interesting challenge.<br />
*It's different, not "touristy".<br />
*There's a less-than-an-hour hike to the top of the mountain (We'd hike from 1400m. to just over 1800m. [altitude]).<br />
*There's a 2 hour hike to a mountain stream (with diving and [short-distance] swimming possibilities) that is so clean, you can drink the water you're swimming in.<br />
*I have friends in the park service who could give us (if we want) an additional guided trail tour / nature talk.<br />
*Have you ever seen stars like this??? (Well - ''most of you'' - probably... but not often.)<br />
*The european rainbow gathering will be in spain in august, so people can camp there after the hitchgathering.<br />
<br />
==== Cons ====<br />
*It's off the beaten track, so hitching there might be problematic.<br />
*Because of other campers, we'd have to respect noise levels, but we can do an overnight trip to a possible partying place. (Near the mountain stream, so we could tie in the two activities.) Or organise an "open-house" party in the village 9km away.<br />
*Dumpster-diving is possible nearby only on a limited scale.<br />
*Last year's was in neighbouring Portugal, and many of you want something completely different. (But then this is mountains as opposed to beach.)<br />
*I'm usually a FIASCO at organising (I think too big), so I'll need somebody on the team to keep me in check. (I'm new at this kind of wiki-posting. Can somebody explain how I get rid of those lines? "use sparingly", but I DIDN'T ask for them!)<br />
*We had the area last year (including the long discussion about Spain's hitchability ;-) )<br />
<br />
===New proposals===<br />
<br />
''[http://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Hitchgathering/2011&action=edit add your suggestion?!]''<br />
[[Category:Hitchgathering]]</div>JeppeRoberthttps://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Uganda&diff=49011Uganda2011-01-20T10:40:36Z<p>JeppeRobert: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{infobox Country<br />
|country = of Uganda<br />
|language = English, Swahili<br />
|capital = [[Kampala]]<br />
|pop = 32,500,000<br />
|currency = Ugandan Shilling<br />
|paved = 1,800 km (7%)<br />
|hitch = <br />
|map = <map lat='1.5' lng='32.5' zoom='6' view='0' /><br />
}}<br />
{{IsIn|Eastern Africa}} [[Category:Eastern Africa]][[Category:Africa]]<br />
The Republic of '''Uganda''' is a landlocked country in [[Eastern Africa]]. It is bordered on the east by [[Kenya]], on the north by [[Sudan]], on the west by the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], on the southwest by [[Rwanda]], and on the south by [[Tanzania]].<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Hitching in Uganda ==<br />
Hitching is the main way of transportation for many Ugandans. But not for free. You are expected to pay approximately half of the bus fare for the same trip when being picked up by a truck or pickup. At little more if you want to sit inside the cabin. Taxis (the local matatu's: small 13-seater minibusses) are little more expensive, and are usually packed with people, goats, chicken and luggage to the point where it gets hard to breath.<br />
All the tarmac roads in the country are quite heavily traveled, except on sundays and at night. Every single vehicle that passes you with room for an extra passenger will pick you up. In three months of hitching in Uganda I never saw a car drive past me ([http://hitchwiki.org/community/members/JeppeRobert/ JeppeRobert].<br />
<br />
The thumbs up sign is not used in Uganda. They will think you are complimenting the awesomeness of their ride. The most used gestures to stop a vehicle is waving at the driving, pointing on the road with you index finger or (this is my favorite) clapping your hands twice, then put your hand in the air.<br />
<br />
From Kampala there is four main roads. One going west towards Masindi. One north-west towards Packwach-Arua-Koboko-Sudan, one south towards Mbarara-Rwanda/Tanzania and one east towards Jinja-kenya splitting with a road going to mbara-moroto-sudan. All are very trafficked, and hitching a ride is no problem.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Mzungu hitching (a.k.a. white man's hitching) ==<br />
Many roads, especially around the UN depot in Entebbe and close to the borders of DR Congo and Sudan, are used by NGO's and UN agencies. They drive in big SUV's or pick up trucks, often with a huge antenna on the front. Most of them are white (UN, DED etc.) or red (ActionAid, MSF, Save the children etc.).<br />
They are usually driven by educated locals or foreign aid workers, and they are not allowed to act like a bus service, meaning they don't pick up locals wanting a ride.<br />
But they do pick up backpackers, and they dont charge for the service. On top of this, they are often covering huge distances. I once got a ride from Kampala all the way to Yei in Sudan by a UN worker I met on a bar the night before.<br />
Why I call this mzungu hitching is because they no all white people standing alone on the side of the road are not locals. My black friend, who was also a backpacker from Europe, didn't get the same cars to stop.</div>JeppeRoberthttps://hitchwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Uganda&diff=49010Uganda2011-01-20T10:35:20Z<p>JeppeRobert: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{infobox Country<br />
|country = of Uganda<br />
|language = English, Swahili<br />
|capital = [[Kampala]]<br />
|pop = 32,500,000<br />
|currency = Ugandan Shilling<br />
|paved = 1,800 km (7%)<br />
|hitch = <br />
|map = <map lat='1.5' lng='32.5' zoom='6' view='0' /><br />
}}<br />
{{IsIn|Eastern Africa}} [[Category:Eastern Africa]][[Category:Africa]]<br />
The Republic of '''Uganda''' is a landlocked country in [[Eastern Africa]]. It is bordered on the east by [[Kenya]], on the north by [[Sudan]], on the west by the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], on the southwest by [[Rwanda]], and on the south by [[Tanzania]].<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Hitching in Uganda ==<br />
Hitching is the main way of transportation for many Ugandans. But not for free. You are expected to pay approximately half of the bus fare for the same trip when being picked up by a truck or pickup. At little more if you want to sit inside the cabin. Taxis (the local matatu's: small 13-seater minibusses) are little more expensive, and are usually packed with people, goats, chicken and luggage to the point where it gets hard to breath.<br />
All the tarmac roads in the country are quite heavily traveled, except on sundays and at night. Every single vehicle that passes you with room for an extra passenger will pick you up. In three months of hitching in Uganda I never saw a car drive past me.<br />
<br />
The thumbs up sign is not used in Uganda. They will think you are complimenting the awesomeness of their ride. The most used gestures to stop a vehicle is waving at the driving, pointing on the road with you index finger or (this is my favorite) clapping your hands twice, then put your hand in the air.<br />
<br />
From Kampala there is four main roads. One going west towards Masindi. One north-west towards Packwach-Arua-Koboko-Sudan, one south towards Mbarara-Rwanda/Tanzania and one east towards Jinja-kenya splitting with a road going to mbara-moroto-sudan. All are very trafficked, and hitching a ride is no problem.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Mzungu hitching (a.k.a. white man's hitching) ==<br />
Many roads, especially around the UN depot in Entebbe and close to the borders of DR Congo and Sudan, are used by NGO's and UN agencies. They drive in big SUV's or pick up trucks, often with a huge antenna on the front. Most of them are white (UN, DED etc.) or red (ActionAid, MSF, Save the children etc.).<br />
They are usually driven by educated locals or foreign aid workers, and they are not allowed to act like a bus service, meaning they don't pick up locals wanting a ride.<br />
But they do pick up backpackers, and they dont charge for the service. On top of this, they are often covering huge distances. I once got a ride from Kampala all the way to Yei in Sudan by a UN worker I met on a bar the night before.<br />
Why I call this mzungu hitching is because they no all white people standing alone on the side of the road are not locals. My black friend, who was also a backpacker from Europe, didn't get the same cars to stop.</div>JeppeRobert