Ankara is the real capital city of Turkey. While people might associate Istanbul with being the assumed capital, Ankara takes the award (and as a few of my mates mentioned on Facebook “will get you the point in a pub quiz”). My travels took me twice to Ankara to check out the charm of this Read more about Backpacking in Ankara, Turkey: 5 Things to See and Do in the Turkish Capital[…]
“Well it’s the same room but everything’s different; you could fight the sleep but not the dream” – Neil Finn. I loved touring Palestine and Israel a few months back and having been interested in the political situation there for a long time, I headed to the city of Hebron. Hebron has for many years Read more about Touring H1 and H2 both the Israeli and Palestinian Controlled Parts of Hebron, Palestine[…]
You’ll pinch yourself when you get to a place like Sheki (Seki/Shaki), just to check it’s really happening. You’re in a city you’ve never heard of. No backpackers anywhere and you have a completely cool city all to yourself!! Sheki does a good job to promote Azerbaijan to the world. While backpacking in Sheki ‘s Read more about Backpacking in Sheki, Azerbaijan: Top 5 Things to See and Do[…]
While a recent Thirsty Thursdays was about the first time I ever tried Palestinian beer (in Bethlehem), this week it’s all about the Taybeh Oktoberfest in Ramallah in Palestine. That’s right I ended up going to a beer festival in Palestine! One of my recent travel highlights for sure! What is Taybeh Oktoberfest? It’s a Read more about Thirsty Thursdays: Taybeh Oktoberfest in Ramallah, Palestine[…]
An Underground City? Who’s up for that? A place where nobody lives? An old “city”? It’s not Machu Picchu all over again is it? Well yes but on your travel journey through the moon-like surfaces of Cappadocia, this is a city you should definitely visit. In fact there are a number of these underground cities Read more about Visiting Kaymakli Underground City, Cappadocia, Turkey🇹🇷[…]
Armenia has monasteries coming out of its ears so the country isn’t short of them by any stretch. However we had about 10 days in Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh so had to pick and choose which ones we wanted to check out. The first of these (more to follow) was Haghpat Monastery which is in Read more about Visiting Haghpat Monastery in Northern Armenia[…]
Ein Gedi (also spelt En Gedi) is a desert oasis. Situated in eastern Israel, close enough to the Dead Sea and Masada, this makes for an awesome stop over while doing the pair. Israel is quite simply full of surprises and Ein Gedi was a neat extra that we didn’t even know about or bank Read more about Visiting Ein Gedi: A “Desert Oasis” in Israel[…]
It’s Visa time again on Don’t Stop Living as I share my expert visa advice from my travels with you. The most recent visa advice is on how to get an Iran Visa in Trabzon, Turkey. A lot of seasoned travellers have found that Trabzon in Turkey is the easiest, fastest and handiest place to Read more about How to Get an Iran🇮🇷 Visa in Trabzon, Turkey🇹🇷[…]
OK, so Iran Visas are not the easiest to get (except for those lucky nationalities who can get them done in one day in Trabzon) and if you’re like me, and possess passports for Anglophone/English Speaking countries (I own a British and an Irish passport) then you’ll need to get an Authorisation Code before you Read more about How to Get An Authorisation Code for an Iran Visa🇮🇷[…]
Ever crossed into a different continent by boat? I have, if you’ve read my Drake Passage journey post you’ll remember my trip on the Southern Ocean. That was back in 2010, South America to Antarctica and that one took me 2 days. Imagine a boat ride that takes you to a different continent in less Read more about World Borders: Europe to Asia in Istanbul, Turkey (Ferry Across the Bosphorus)[…]