“I follow the Moskva, down to Gorky Park, listening to the wind of change” – Scorpions. After exploring Romania and Moldova, it was time for something even more sublime as I took my eager backpack and soul across the border into Transnistria. Screams of “where?” were screeching out from my friends as I told them…
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Even the day I was heading there, I had never heard of Butuceni. That’s I had never heard of it. Now, having spent a day in this tiny farming village in rural Moldova, I will never forget it and I loved it. I’d already booked to stay overnight in Chisinau in the Tapok Hostel, but…
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So if you’ve followed DSL the last 7 years or so you might be aware of some of the completely ridiculous untouristy places I’ve ended up in. I’m talking about this ten for starters: 1. Bruny Island – remote island off south east Tasmania 2. Shahr e Kord – unknown mountain village in Iran 3.…
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Well it’s been yet another crazy bit of off the wall backpacking as you do. While last year I visited a few countries which may not be “recognised by everyone”, I’m thinking of the trip to Nagorno Karabakh and my endless backpacking through Iraqi Kurdistan and Palestine. This time I was doing a Beatles. Back…
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You might have read my hotel and hostel reviews and wondered is that all I ever do for sleeping, apart from the odd night camping. But it’s not, I’ve had countless homestays down the years in places like Ta Van (Vietnam), Montevideo (Uruguay), Tarjrish (Iran), Stepanakert (Nagorno Karabakh) and Mizra (Israel). The sad thing is…
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Well I had that whole “wow factor” yet again on arrival in Chisinau. As much as I ever try in life, I can never ever ever put into words just how amazing travel is and how I buzz off this lifestyle. I got a night train across the border from Romania to Moldova, leaving Bucharest…
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My recent return to Eastern Europe saw me venture into some new countries in the former eastern bloc. I started off in Romania this time before heading across the border into Moldova and later Transnistria. Moldova is a part of the former USSR and has been its own country again since 1991. I chose to…
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Before I tell my story of the trip to Gori, a bit of background is needed here. In 2005 I visited Poland for the first time. The city where Stalin built the Palace of Culture and Science. A few months later I was working in Bournemouth selling hot dogs with Rafal and Artur- two top…
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In my ongoing world borders series, I cover the real life borders I cross on my crazy journeys. I mentioned before how to get from Jordan to Israel at Sheik Hussein and how to get from Israel to Palestine (to Bethlehem) this time, I go the other way as I detail How to Get From…
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I was sat in a bar in Baku, Azerbaijan in October 2013 and my mate Nial asked us if we would visit Turkey on this trip. The answer was a resounding NO. The reasons why we didn’t plan to go there were predictable. Panny had already been to Turkey. I hadn’t been but I didn’t…
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