I thought recently about all the capital cities I’ve been to and how they don’t always live up to expectations. I’ve been to capital cities in about 55 of the 80 countries I’ve backpacked through and thought it was a good moment to do a top 5. I write this post from one of them…
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I love hostels and the vibe that they provide you with on your travels. I love the relaxation of them. I love the people you meet in them and how they feel like home. Hotels are soul-less, hostels have personality. At least most of them (of course I’ve stayed in a few shockers down the…
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“What you see is what you get. You’ve made your bed, you better lie in it” – The Jam (Going Underground). Riding on the Pyongyang Metro System is oddly a highlight from your visit to North Korea’s lively capital city and indeed made it into my top 99 things to do when backpacking Pyongyang. Forget…
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Today on Sunday’s Inspiration it’s time for a quote from Liam Gallagher of Oasis. This was a random line I remembered from a magazine interview in 1997 around the time of the simply epic “Be Here Now” release. With a piece of chalk, Liam inscribed the words “ALWAYS WANT IT” on a blackboard. As I waited…
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Oh my – it’s back to Uruguay for today’s post as I reminisce on truly a fantastic country on my South America tour from 2010 – 2011. I didn’t really touch on my time in Punta Del Este before, except for the epic Sunset at Casapueblo post so here are my top 5 things to…
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While my motives for visiting Batumi on Georgia’s West Coast were purely visa related (I got my Azerbaijan visa there), I found myself with time on my hands as I waited around. Every morning in Batumi it was time for a massive breakfast/lunch feast. On the first morning we got a tip off from Nina…
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Georgia is famous for having a load of these “cave towns” and while you’re backpacking in the area, you really should try and get out to at least one of them. The top ones are Davit Gareja and Uplistsikhe. Our visit to Uplistsikhe was a bit extra special for me as I was joined for…
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Azerbaijan threw more random highlights than we could have imagined. As part of a tour to Qobustan World Heritage Site we also got to visit an area with lots of mini mud volcanoes. It’s south of Qobustan, by about 10 kilometres, so not too far from Baku either and most people do this as part…
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In the last month or so I’ve managed to visit two locations that were used in top films, without really intending to. I toured Petra in Jordan, which was used to film “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”. Then recently in Baku in Azerbaijan I went to the Oil Fields near Baku which were used to…
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Lake Masazir near Baku in Azerbaijan is rumoured to be one of only 8 “pink lakes” in the world. Pink? Yes, the water has a pink and red colour to it, making it stand out. However, Azerbaijan is a rather off the beaten track place to go backpacking, so visiting Lake Masazir isn’t actually the…
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