“An extraordinary guy can never have an ordinary day” – Noel Gallagher. During Christmas 2024 I finally hit the 230 mark of recognised countries I have backpacked through, the latest piece of that wacaday jigsaw fell on unassuming Central African Republic. Of those 230, some of those countries I have only been to once. But…
Read More
When I was backpacking in Costa Rica, I was based mostly in San Jose and Alajuela. It was my last country of call on that adventure overland from Mexico City down to Alajuela. I was able to get a good mix of urban and rural life in Costa Rica. While staying at the Hemingway Inn in…
Read More
When backpacking in Costa Rica, the city of Alajuela is most definitely not on most people’s tourist trail. However, my final flight out of Costa Rica to the USA was from San Jose international airport, which is actually closer to Alajuela than it is to San Jose. So after touring San Jose with author Michael Miller,…
Read More
My central American adventure was coming to an end and I knew it. I had two final nights in Costa Rica and having already explored San Jose, the capital, I decided to enjoy my final two nights in Central America by staying out in the mountains. I targeted the town of Alajuela as it just…
Read More
It’s a long time since I wrote anything about Belarus (even though I once wrote a chapter for a book on my trip there). And as it’s yet to feature on my Friday’s Featured Food series, I thought it was time to recollect that day I tried Belarussian Porridge in the drab city of Bobruisk.…
Read More
Manic Street Preachers first came into my ears about 20 years ago, in 1992 when on a chance radio listen, I was enthused by their hit single “Suicide Is Painless” (Theme From M.A.S.H.). At the time I didn’t realise it was a cover version, nor knew anything about this band. As the 90s progressed I…
Read More