About Palm Tree Productions, and the Palms

What is Palm Tree Productions? And who are the Palms?

 

A Lifetime of Moving: Africa 1981 - 2001

Detlef and Gabi met in Hargeisa, Somalia in 1982, where both of us were working for the German Emergency Doctors (Cap Anamur). The German Emergency Doctors were providing medical services to refugees in northern Somalia, and assisted local authorities in re-establishing the Hargeisa Hospital. Later, Detlef then joined the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). By the time we left Somalia in 1987, we were married and had Maryan, Tini and Josi, all born in Hargeisa. 

Next stop was Khartoum, Sudan. We stayed there until early 1989, when Detlef was asked to begin and coordinate for UNICEF the work of Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS). OLS was a major relief operation for the people in southern Sudan living under the control of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). OLS was based in Nairobi, Kenya and operated across the border into Sudan.

We managed to travel extensively through Kenya and northern Tanzania, having visited virtually all well-known and lesser-known nationalparks, mountains and sights. Tobi was born in Nairobi.

From 1993 to 1997, we stayed in Lilongwe, Malawi. In 1994, we witnessed the removal of the "lifetime president" of Malawi, Kamuzu Banda. Since Malawi is not very big, and most mountains were quickly scaled, we journeyed overland to Namibia. Having returned to Malawi, we decided to buy an old four-wheel Mercedes Benz ambulance and turned it into a go-anywhere-expedition truck, which we used extensively during our remaining years in Africa. We bought a film camera and editing equipment, and started to produce short movies of our adventures, under the PalmTree Productions label.

In 1997 we moved to Namibia, which was not only a very interesting country to assist with development work, but - as everyone knows - is a fantastic and huge playground for travel adventures. We managed to visit most places, including a longer journey to Capetown and the southern tip of Africa.

 

USA 2001 - 2009

In early 2001, Detlef was asked to work at UNICEF Head Quarters and we moved to New York. We lived in the northern suburbs, to have an easy and quick escape into the wilderness of the American National Parks and Reserves. Gabi and Detlef racked up a considerable number of shorter and longer hikes in the southern part of New York State, and also began to venture into the great hiking territories of the Northern Appalachian Mountains and the Adirondacks.

Encouraged by holiday adventures in the Swiss Alps, we again purchased more advanced climbing gear, and set our eyes on the Cascade Mountaines in Washington State (West Coast) and Colorado, where we went twice in Summer. Eventually, we began (again) hiking multi-day trips into the wilderness and mountain ranges. In 2007 we decided to tackle the Mexican volcanoes, including Pico de Orizaba. Considerably higher than the European Alps, at more than 5600 meter, it is the third highest mountain of North America.

New York and the exigencies of UNIEF work provided us with numerous travel opportunities to distant places, including Bhutan and Vietnam.

 

In the Adirondacks National Park, New York

Albania 2009 - 2015

In March 2009, we moved to Tirana, Albania. Albania still full of some mystery and opportunity. We managed to build up a large catalogue of hiking trails to virtually all Albanian mountains (except those in the so-called Albanian Alps). As many of these places are remote, we simultanously recorded many interesting offroad trails that are off the beaten path of many travelers to Albania.

 

Monschau, Eifel: From 2015 

Being nusy to prepare our base for future adventures!

 

PalmTree Productions lives on. If you wish to get in touch, send us an email.