“Your joys are counterfeit. This happiness corrupt political shit” – Richey James Edwards. So in the fourth installment of my trip to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, I report on the journey driving down a Soviet built “road” through a dense forest to a radar system, often known as DUGA 1. This part of the tour seemed less…
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When I was based in Almaty Backpackers in Kazakhstan, I was keen to organise a trip out to the mountains. Almaty itself is a city on a high elevation and only 40 kilometres outside the city is the stunning Ile Alatau National Park. Getting to Ile Alatau National Park Getting here by Marshrutka or normal…
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On Christmas Eve 2015, I arrived in the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan. This city is huge, the biggest in Kazakhstan in fact, despite modern Astana being the capital city. I had flirted with Central Asia and “the Stans” a few times before, visiting Iraqi KurdiSTAN and PodjiSTAN as well as backpacking through Iran, Azerbaijan and…
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The fact that Lviv Ukraine is brimmed full of wacky themed bars is enough to make any keen pub go-er enjoy this thriving nationalistic city with some style and panache. And let me tell you, it ain’t no glammed up pretentious place either. Italians, leave your Ferraris behind; mainland Brits, forget trying to be a…
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Back in 2013, I made my first trip to Turkey and ended up staying for three weeks. There were some pure fire highlights along the way and I still rave about the cities of Trabzon and Ankara and the lonely town of Dogubayazit! We started off in mysterious Istanbul, before overlanding through Ankara and Cappadocia…
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Following on from my incredible morning hiking to the Alpine Cemetery in Ala Archa National Park in Kyrgyzstan, I decide on the easier waterfall and gorge trail in the afternoon. I say easier because the trail is obvious and even has better markings on route, plus a clear path. This was in my first week…
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“We’re in the army. Now. Woah oh we’re in the army.” – Status Quo. I find it hard to believe that it has been nine years since I backpacked my way to the unknown and non-touristy city of Bobruisk in Belarus. This obscure journey was the story I wrote for Shaun Schofield’s book “Albania to…
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“It’s easy to fall into something new that shines” – Ben Paulley (2005). So a week ago yesterday I arrived in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan having crossed overland from Kazakhstan. On arrival I received a 60 day entry visa stamp, so yes I can stay legally as a tourist here for a brace of months. At the…
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The country of Kyrgyzstan seems to hide shyly in the back streets of the backpacking world. It’s not so much a “sleeping giant”, but an “awake baby”. It’s crying to be found, and sometime it will be. While the “self-professed cool crowd” backpack their way through Bangkok, Ulun Danu, Siem Reap and Chiang Mai on…
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As with most of my journeys, I go to places without a huge amount of advance research. I find it clouds my method of thought and gives me an opinion of what to expect before I arrive. Sometimes, we go with the flow. I headed to Chernobyl with a clear head and the memory of…
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