Category: Central Asia/Middle East

xinaliq backpacking

Backpacking in Azerbaijan: Exploring the Mountains of Xinaliq, ‘Europe’s Highest Village’

Posted on by Jonny Blair

Xinaliq is a magical place. Anyone who has ever explored this spot has had a truly memorable experience for sure. Some references site Xinaliq as “Europe’s Highest Village”, a fact that could well be true, though geographically the inclusion of Azerbaijan as ‘Europe’ is slightly misleading. It’s more Middle East than Europe. Yet it’s more Read more about Backpacking in Azerbaijan: Exploring the Mountains of Xinaliq, ‘Europe’s Highest Village’[…]

imam reza iran backpacking

Touring The Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad Iran: The Biggest Mosque in the World

Posted on by Jonny Blair

Despite the fact that the Imam Reza Shrine is one of the most touristy places of Iran, that fact passes you by fairly easily and quickly. The tourists and visitors are mostly Muslims and “local tourists”. This place is truly off the normal travel wall, I can assure you of that. We were the only Read more about Touring The Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad Iran: The Biggest Mosque in the World[…]

shakshuka israel

Friday’s Featured Food: Helping Prepare Shakshuka for Brunch in Jerusalem, Israel

Posted on by Indie Travel

This is the second part in a “brunch fest” we experienced while backpacking in Jerusalem in Israel recently. When you stay at the fantastic Abraham Hostel, the amount of different activities you can try and the range of foods available is amazing. Just thinking about it makes me miss the Israeli food. It comes with Read more about Friday’s Featured Food: Helping Prepare Shakshuka for Brunch in Jerusalem, Israel[…]

lock in lee brummie

Barmby Army: The Freaks, A 10 Year Journey With Lock In Lee and Jonny Blair featuring Nicky Barmby, Jonny Evans and Jack Barmby

Posted on by Jonny Blair

Time for one of the most random posts ever on here. I’m not giving you a visa guide for Suriname, a backpacking overview of Taiwan or indeed how to get a farming job in the land down under. Life can freak you out sometimes. And in this case it’s a good thing. If you have Read more about Barmby Army: The Freaks, A 10 Year Journey With Lock In Lee and Jonny Blair featuring Nicky Barmby, Jonny Evans and Jack Barmby[…]

My Top 10 Fences, Walls and Physical Borders From My Travels

Posted on by Jonny Blair

On my backpacking travels, I’ve done a lot of “walking on walls”, “crossing borders” and “climbing fences”. So here’s a quirky backpacking list of my Top 10 fences, walls or borders – whatever you want to call them. As humans we have felt the need to build walls to “keep out the foreigners” (copyright Paul Read more about My Top 10 Fences, Walls and Physical Borders From My Travels[…]

A Backpacker’s Guide to Iraqi Kurdistan

Posted on by Jonny Blair

Having recently backpacked in northern Iraq in the region known as Iraqi Kurdistan, I felt that a backpacker’s overview was in store. It’s rare for me to give an overview of a country in a single post as I try to be more detailed and individual than that, but here goes. Here is a decent Read more about A Backpacker’s Guide to Iraqi Kurdistan[…]

Thirsty Thursdays: A Free Drink for Telling a Backpacker Story in Jerusalem, Israel

Posted on by Indie Travel

The thing about travel which appeals the most is surely the experiences you have. They are more than the place, they are more than the food and they are more than the people. When I was staying in the awesome Abraham Hostel in Jerusalem, I found out they have a really cool “Backpacker Travel Stories” Read more about Thirsty Thursdays: A Free Drink for Telling a Backpacker Story in Jerusalem, Israel[…]

My Return to Norn Iron Matches: Azerbaijan 2-0 Northern Ireland in Baku

Posted on by Jonny Blair

This is a break from the usual travel and lifestyle posts on here and I’m glad to be finally writing about watching football again, not just on my own site but I’ve done a load of football articles recently, including on UFWC. Football has played a big part in my travels, it’s a MASSIVE part Read more about My Return to Norn Iron Matches: Azerbaijan 2-0 Northern Ireland in Baku[…]