“Ride across the river, deep and wide” – Mark Knopfler. My Bangor to Bangui story is a wild one. I’ve already chaptertitled it for a future book in my third series (the 200th – 300th country series which will succeed “Backpacking Centurion 0-100” and “This Is The Next Century 100-200“) I grew up in the…
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“I get so high, I just can’t feel it” – Noel Gallagher. The news you need to hear firstly is that lofty wee Seborga is a pure fire charmigator. Anyone who disputes this, can come and see me and I’ll tell them in true Alan Mcdonald style. This high one kicks lowly Milan and Genoa…
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“It’s all too beautiful” – Small Faces. Despite what the tourist brochures and obvious tourists tell you, Northern Ireland’s charm lies not in Belfast and the Giant’s Causeway!! Nor in the Bushmills Distillery and the Carrick a Rede Rope Bridge! Even though I promoted them to the hilt myself many times and continue to tell…
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“He’s the only swinger in town” – UK Commentator on the Roger Milla corner flag celebration (1990) While Douala isn’t Cameroon’s capital city per se, nor is it Roger Milla’s birthtown, it certainly has a capital city vibe. To all intents and purposes, this feels like a capital and indeed it serves at Cameroon’s seaport…
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“I follow the Moskva down to Gorky Park” – Scorpions. On a brave spring day in March 2024, I celebrated an odd moment of freedom here, actually on a glory day. 26th March 2024 to be exact. This was my day of freedom from the world and the disasters of the previous 10 years. And…
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“Would you stay on standby? Because I need another alibi” – Shed Seven. Whackpacking at São Tomé away probably changed my life; again. Well, firstly there was my excellent Writer’s Lair at Casa De Ferias with my host Bernilda, and almost getting stranded in Africa again. I got through it and returned to the calm…
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Backpacking in Guinea🇬🇳: Touring Conakry The Week Of The Explosion“It’s just a dropped stitch; in life’s tapestry” – Joanie Trotter. Monday morning 18th December 2023, two things happened that would influence and impact my entire next week, changing the title of this very blog post. It was supposed to be “Backpacking in Guinea 🇬🇳 :…
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“Alone on the beach, on my own, out of reach and you just passed me by” – Noel Gallagher. Before this trip to Pakistan (my final Stan), I got my Pakistan visa online (not exactly an easy visa to secure) and arranged to fly into Lahore and out of Karachi. From Lahore, I’d also visit…
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“Instead of stressed, I lie here charmed” – Placebo. My first stop in Pakistan was Lahore. After the online visa application (rather taxing), I was booked in to stay at The Rose Palace Hotel in Lahore. From here I would backpack the sights of the city, head out to Wagah for the famous border parade…
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“Fragrant Harbour” – Hong Kong (in disguise). Saint Lucia was a bit of an unexpected gem and an island paradise on my 2021 – 2022 Caribbean trip. The sweet smells by the harbour of the capital scented me way back till my first day ever in the Hong, over a decade earlier. I flew into…
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