“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…
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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…
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You might have read my post on a walking tour of San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital. I was staying in the quirky and inspiring Hemingway Inn in San Jose. A building with character and history and by chance I got to meet Michael Miller there. Michael has written an awesome book on San Jose which…
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You might have read some of my book reviews before, it’s something I’m strict about. I only ever read books that I am genuinely interested in, and I never go browsing for books and just nonchalantly pick one up and read it. That will never happen. In the last 5 years or so, I’ve read…
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While backpacking in Costa Rica recently you might have read how I stayed in the inspiring Hemingway Inn in the Barrio Amon in San Jose. During my stay, not only did I meet traveller and author Deacon Blake, but I also met Michael Miller, who has written a guidebook on exploring the real San Jose.…
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Costa Rica was the last country on my Central American adventure and I was in dire need of a private room and a cosy one. Night buses, dorms, bed bugs and early mornings had taken their toll. I was lucky then that I found Kaps Place in San Jose, Costa Rica! This is a wonderfully…
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“In order to write about life first you must live it” – Ernest Hemingway. Well life continues to inspire me and when you wake up in the morning you have no idea where you will end up that night. This is what I buzz off. However before I had even got my bus to San…
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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.…
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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…
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