Month: March 2016

Backpacking in Afghanistan: Visiting Hazrat Ali’s Tomb and Blue Mosque in Masar e Sharif

Posted on by Jonny Blair

“It’s all too beautiful” – Small Faces. When you are backpacking in Afghanistan, be sure to visit the country’s holiest shrine and arguably the coolest looking Islamic complex in Central Asia. This one is a stunner. Despite my previous visits to the Middle East’s largest Mosque in Adana, Turkey and my trip to the world’s Read more about Backpacking in Afghanistan: Visiting Hazrat Ali’s Tomb and Blue Mosque in Masar e Sharif[…]

Backpacking in India: Staying at the Jungle Hostel by The Hostel Crowd in Vagator, Goa

Posted on by Jonny Blair

Goa could just be a backpackers paradise. It’s like the India I never thought existed, only because I was too lazy to come here earlier in life. Even two days before my trip south to North Goa, I was in a hotel in Ahmedabad trying to secure a permit to buy alcohol. Here in Goa, Read more about Backpacking in India: Staying at the Jungle Hostel by The Hostel Crowd in Vagator, Goa[…]

Backpacking in India: Top 6 Sights in Ahmedabad, Gujarat State

Posted on by Jonny Blair

“My life is my message” – Mahatma Gandhi. When you backpack your way to the “dry state” of Gujarat in India, your world may never be the same again. Ahmedabad (the former capital of Gujarat) is far and away the most chaotic city I have ever been to. I thought Chiayi, Xinying, Jakarta and Mexico Read more about Backpacking in India: Top 6 Sights in Ahmedabad, Gujarat State[…]

Backpacking in India: Staying at the Hotel Formule 1 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat State

Posted on by Jonny Blair

When life took me to the “dry state” of Gujarat in India, my Northern Irish soul could think of nothing else but Michael Palin’s journey here and the trouble he went to just to have a few beers in his hotel room. I wanted that too. So I made a beeline for the city of Read more about Backpacking in India: Staying at the Hotel Formule 1 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat State[…]

Whackpacking in India: From Camden to Christiania to Becoming a Hippy in Goa

Posted on by Jonny Blair

“In Camden Town; we walked there as the sun went down.” – Suggs I can’t believe it’s been 9 months since myself and two of my best friends, Millwall Neil and Hippy James backpacked through Primrose Hill and Camden Town. London. Whatever the word “hippy” actually means, for me there is a peace with it. Read more about Whackpacking in India: From Camden to Christiania to Becoming a Hippy in Goa[…]

How To Get An Alcohol Permit at the Grand Bhagwati Hotel in Ahmedabad, Gujarat State, India

How To Get An Alcohol Permit at the Grand Bhagwati Hotel in Ahmedabad, Gujarat State, India

Posted on by Jonny Blair

“Keep on chasing down that rainbow. You never know what you might find. Over the sunset on the horizon, it may be a dream but it tastes like poison. I’m going to take that tiger outside for a ride.” – Noel Gallagher. “A wee carryout, yeooo!!” shouts an Ulsterman! Another of my “must dos” in Read more about How To Get An Alcohol Permit at the Grand Bhagwati Hotel in Ahmedabad, Gujarat State, India[…]

How to Get an Alcohol Permit in Gujarat, India's Only 'Dry Province'

How to Apply Online For An Alcohol Permit For Gujarat, India’s Strictest ‘Dry Province’

Posted on by Jonny Blair

When backpacking in India, I decided to visit the country’s strictest “dry province”, that is to say, “alcohol free province”, the north western province of Gujarat which borders Pakistan. My reasons for visiting Gujarat dated back to a Michael Palin documentary where I remember Palin had to fill in a certificate or document to collect alcohol. Read more about How to Apply Online For An Alcohol Permit For Gujarat, India’s Strictest ‘Dry Province’[…]

Backpacking in India: Staying at the Travellers Inn, Mumbai

Backpacking in India: Staying at the Travellers Inn, Mumbai

Posted on by Jonny Blair

“Down in a den in Bombay. Slack jaw, not much to say. I said to the man are you trying to tempt me? Because I come from the land of plenty” – Men at Work. Inspiration for my visit to Mumbai (formerly Bombay) came from a few sources. A Michael Palin documentary on BBC, a Read more about Backpacking in India: Staying at the Travellers Inn, Mumbai[…]