** STOP PRESS – since this article I have since been to Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Dubai and the UAE. As I count down my trip to the Middle East I now reflect on that time, back in 2008 where I turned down a sponsored trip to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. That’s right…
Read MoreI’m on a roll with Moscow and Russia reminiscing this week. I literally make a list of all the posts I want to write and bomb through them. Having talked about things to do in Moscow yesterday, today I reminisce on my first meal in Moscow in Russia. Basically a starter, a main course and…
Read MoreWell Russia – it’s been a while. It was almost 6 years since I took my backpack to Moscow in Russia and set about sightseeing in this immense historic capital city. Finally then and just cos (deliberate “working class typing error” there) I’m off to Azerbaijan soon (an ex Soviet state), better late than never…
Read MoreWhile my blog is normally informative and retrospective, sometimes I’m writing so much that I’m not always in the “here and now”. Well this post will clear things up about where I am right now, where I’m heading next and why I am so excited travel wise. My next 5 travel destinations are now planned…
Read More** STOPPRESS – since this article I have actually been to Dubai and the UAE. How boring is it to write a travel story about visiting an airport? The answer is very, but I like to document everything and this journey was an emotional one. Plus it was my first time landing in Dubai, United…
Read MoreIt was an odd but enjoyable experience to stay overnight in a Muslim Hostel. It was also a short lived one. On my first trip to Qatar in 2011, I spent a night in Doha B Hostel, Doha, Qatar. I didn’t even believe there would be any type of “hostel” in Doha,…
Read MoreIt is possible you’ve never heard of Doha, it hardly advertises itself to you in the same way as New York, Paris and Buenos Aires do. But this, is a special, “sleeping giant” capital city of intrigue. It was my first ever trip to the “Middle East” (itself an oxymoron) and came about in…
Read MoreIt is one of the most famous “squares” in the world and back in 2007, I was privileged enough to spend 4 days in Moscow as part of my whirlwind round the world trip. It all passed me by rather quickly. I stayed in Hostel Moscow and met loads of people there, I met people…
Read MoreI found myself exposed to the innocence of communism a few times. I had never seen Eastern Europe before the wall came down. But I had savoured the drab, greyness of a growing Varshava in 2005. I also strode my skeleton through the streets of Beijing in hope of finding an answer to the question…
Read More“We’re in the army now” – Status Quo. I had watched the Northern Ireland ladies team in May 2007 in Gillingham, Kent. We lost 4-0 to England and played with passion and pride against full-time professionals. Me and a few of the lads sang our hearts out, completely making fools of the silent England fans…
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