Since our last update three weeks ago, we have traveled 12000 kilometers, experienced different climate zones, and met a wide variety of people. But first things first: we will start where we left off last time, in Alice Springs.

We boarded the Greyhound bus in Alice Springs and traveled for 20 hours to Adelaide. During the day, the trip was quite pleasant, apart from the terrible body odors of some of our fellow passengers. But at night, the old bus proved to be extremely uncomfortable for sleeping. In addition, the driver cursed loudly when he almost hit a cow and was only able to swerve onto the gravel at the last second!

We arrived in Adelaide early in the morning, exhausted from lack of sleep. We kept ourselves awake with plenty of coffee, visited a few familiar shops, and enjoyed the sunny afternoon in a park. Towards evening, we returned to the bus station, where our journey continued towards Melbourne. The 12-hour night ride was much quieter this time, and we were tired enough to sleep for a few hours. In Melbourne, it was freezing cold, and we waited shivering until the waiting room was finally unlocked so we could munch on our oatmeal sheltered from the wind. Afterwards, we rode out into the crisp autumn morning, strolled through the botanical garden, and pedaled our battered bikes to the beach. After visiting the art museum, the day was already over and we were ready for the last leg of the night bus to Sydney. Although we were able to sleep reasonably well on this trip, we were happy and exhausted when the long bus rides were over and we were able to return to Bonnie and Michael.

Ah, it was so nice to be welcomed warmly into a familiar home and to discuss Australia and the world over wonderful food until late in the evening. David had been somewhat affected by the long journey, so he had to skip the delicious Yam Cha breakfast the next morning. As a special surprise, Bonnie & Michael had bought real Swiss cheese for a cozy raclette evening… heavenly😊. During our stay, however, we didn’t just devote ourselves to eating. We had a long list of things to do, mainly getting our bikes back into shape and preparing our equipment for the cold and wet weather. A comprehensive parcel of spare parts from Switzerland was waiting for us. It included new cassettes, chainrings, a new rear derailleur for my bike, derailleur pulleys, shift indicators, six chains, a new rear brake (also for me😉), brake pads, derailleur hangers, new rearview mirrors, a chain guard ring, and much more. All the spare parts fit and were expertly installed by David during a major service. With completely overhauled bikes, shiny sprockets, and working brakes, we were fully mobile again—what a joy!

This meant we could show our faces at the bike shop, where bike boxes for the flight and our new bike panniers were waiting for us. We’re not necessarily proud of this story, but we’re happy nonetheless: as the contents of our bags got wetter and wetter in the rainy weather of the Victorian Alps, we asked Ortlieb’s customer service if there was any way we could treat the material to make it waterproof again. Since nothing is repaired in Australia, but replaced directly, the response we got was: “Where do you want to pick up your new bags?” Hmmm… after more than three years of continuous use, a warranty claim was no longer justified. But we didn’t turn down the generous offer anyway.

We didn’t replace our rain gear and tent, but we did re-waterproof them. Thanks to Bonnie for repairing our clothes! This gave us some time to stroll through the streets of Newtown, take a short harbor tour, and do some sightseeing. The days in Sydney passed far too quickly and soon the morning came when we had to say goodbye to Michael and, after a wonderful breakfast, to Bonnie too😢. Loaded with bikes and luggage boxes, we rode along the bike path straight into Sydney Airport. About two hours later, our bikes and bags were packed and everything was ready for check-in.

The price for the 10-hour flight with the low-cost airline Jetstar was unbeatable. But it offered what it cost: not much. Dinner, which we had treated ourselves to for a small surcharge when booking, was minimal and only made us hungry for more. Even the movies in the in-flight cinema would have cost extra. But never mind, we and our luggage arrived in the US on time and intact, specifically in Honolulu on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

Despite many warnings about new regulations, entry was completed in no time without any questions or problems, and we found ourselves free in Hawaii. We had our first shock when we wanted to buy oatmeal for breakfast at the supermarket. $8 for a pound of oatmeal! Really? In Switzerland, it costs 0.65 francs (checked in the Migros online shop😉).
But according to Google, a consumer price of $4 to $8 per pound of oatmeal seems to be normal in the US. In disbelief, we searched the internet for the world market prices for American oats. This amounts to $330 per ton, or $0.15 per pound… Like the locals, we unfortunately have no choice but to pay the asking prices and enjoy our breakfast sensibly for the foreseeable future.

Full but not necessarily happy, we made our way towards the city center. On the way, we encountered countless homeless people. Some were sleeping on the ground with nothing, others had settled under bridges. In the warm, humid tropical climate, the sad sights were accompanied by unpleasant smells. There were also many homeless people in the small, authentic Chinatown in the city center. Nevertheless, we felt comfortable in the bustling neighborhood and enjoyed the wide range of culinary offerings.

Our Warmshowers hosts Laura & Frank lived right next to Chinatown in a high-rise building with a great view. Laura seemed a little shocked when she met us in front of the house with the cardboard boxes on the luggage rack. What had they gotten themselves into? Nevertheless, she took us up to the 14th floor. There we were able to move into their beautiful guest room and were given lots of tips about Honolulu and its surroundings. We wouldn’t have had enough time on Oahu to see and try everything😊.

Of course, a visit to Pearl Harbor was a must, but the museum didn’t really impress us. We were much more enthusiastic about the food court in Chinatown, the graffiti in downtown, and the balcony of our temporary home😊. We would have had no trouble at all keeping ourselves busy in the city and its surroundings until our departure. However, we had already planned to circle the island and had made reservations with another Warm Showers host in the East. That was a good thing, because it would have been a shame to miss the spectacular east coast. Because it was the weekend, the beaches were very busy and the traffic was heavy. However, people were always very considerate towards us, even when we turned onto the wrong side of the road again. In fact, after a year and a half of driving on the left, we had to get used to driving on the right again!

Three extremely pleasant days of cycling were enough to circle the small island of Oahu and return to Laura and Frank. We enjoyed a final convivial evening with our lovely hosts and set off early the next morning to climb Diamond Head viewpoint during the reserved time slot between 6 and 7 am. Getting up early was rewarded with beautiful views over Honolulu and Waikiki. Laura & Frank had entrusted us with the key to their apartment so that we could pick up our luggage later and cycle to the airport.

Because we had practiced packing the bikes just six days earlier, it went very quickly and we were ready for our connecting flight much too early. We left the tropical paradise with mixed feelings: on the one hand, we were happy to have met wonderful Warmshower hosts and gained a brief insight into their everyday lives, and we were impressed by the unexpected scenic beauty. On the other hand, we were depressed that we saw no happy faces or laughter on the streets. Added to this was the shocking situation with the homeless and the outrageously high prices for everything, not just oatmeal. Nope, imported products aren’t too cheap, but the store brands are unjustifiably expensive. If basic foodstuffs cost more than twice as much in the agricultural superpower USA as they do in Switzerland, something can’t be right. Producers don’t get more money for their products, and supermarket employees earn about half as much. Somewhere, an incredible amount of money must be disappearing. Some people take private yoga lessons on SUP boards to achieve the perfect look, race around the island in a Tesla Cybertruck, and shop in designer stores, while others can barely make ends meet. We found this inequality disturbing and frustrating. Maybe we’ll get used to it soon, and hopefully Oahu was an unpleasant extreme example.

After a five-hour flight, we landed in a completely new world for the second time in a week. Our luggage and bike boxes were already waiting for us when we reached the baggage claim area at Anchorage Airport. In the arrivals hall, we were able to assemble our bikes completely undisturbed, while long boxes containing hunting rifles were being picked up at the counter next door. Even before we left, we got into conversation with some friendly passers-by and were very relieved that the mood here in Alaska seemed much happier and more content than on Oahu. No sooner had we left the airport, wrapped up warm, than we saw the outlines of snow-covered mountains and smelled the fresh scent of springtime forests. Excited, we rode along the paved bike path by the sea towards the city center.

While shopping at Walmart, we felt a second wave of relief: food was more affordable here. Apart from the dreaded rain and cold, there was no longer any reason to worry. Especially not when we used the access code to enter the home of our trustworthy Warmshowers host. With a warm coffee in hand, we are now sitting on her cozy sofa and looking forward to meeting Stacey when she comes home from work.

This post was written on Mai 21, 2025 and published on June 4, 2025.