After leaving the paradise of Sainte Marie, and on our way back to Antananarivo, we were looking for some nice waypoint along the coast to break down the long journey. We ended up in Foulpointe (officially Mahavelona), a lovely beach town halfway between Sainte Marie and Toamasina, and settled there for four days near the end of our three-month trip around Madagascar.We were … [Read more...]
Two Days in Toamasina (Tamatave), Madagascar
Also known by its colonial French name of Tamatave, Toamasina is the principal port city and second-largest city of Madagascar. We visited it in January 2024 and stayed for three nights before continuing to the country's remote and pristine northeastern coast.Following a 7-hour bus trip from Andasibe, we arrived in Toamasina in the late afternoon. We settled in Hotel Beryl near … [Read more...]
Toliara, Ifaty Beach – Madagascar Road Trip #5
After Isalo National Park, the next destination of our Madagascar road trip was the city of Toliara, also commonly referred to by its French transcription of Tulear. With a population of 170,000, this is the largest city in southern Madagascar and the sixth-largest in the country as a whole. Located on the island’s southwest coast, it is noted for its exotic, sun-struck … [Read more...]
Morondava, Avenue of Baobabs, Betania – Madagascar Road Trip #2
After Antsirabe, the second chapter of our 2023 road trip in southern Madagascar was to take place in Morondava: the capital city of Menabe Region in the country’s central-western coast. Besides its scenic tropical beaches and cultural significance, the city is principally visited as the gateway to the world-famous, nearby natural wonder of the Avenue of Baobabs.The drive to … [Read more...]
Antsirabe – Madagascar Road Trip #1
Antsirabe, with a population of roughly 400,000, is the third-largest city in Madagascar. Its name translates to the place of much salt. Owing to the numerous thermal springs and freshwater sources in its vicinity, it also goes by the nickname the City of Water. It is known for its cultural diversity (a melting pot of Malagasy tribes) and its immense fleet of human-powered … [Read more...]
In Soran and Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan
A volley of curious gazes converged upon us as soon as we exited the car, in the middle of a bustling street in downtown Soran. This city, hosting some 125,000 inhabitants, is the major population center within the remote, mountainous region of northeastern Iraqi Kurdistan. Needless to say that it’s not a touristic hotspot.We weren’t originally planning to stay there; didn’t … [Read more...]
Traveling to Erbil: The Capital City of Iraqi Kurdistan
The sun had set over Diyarbakir: Turkey’s most populous Kurdish city. The heat had subsided. And after the Turkish fighter jets’ intimidating flights over the rooftops came to a pause, the quiet was reinstated. It was time to go.We were soon sitting on the curb of a dark street, backpacks lying on the side, waiting for the bus. As minutes elapsed and no such appeared, I … [Read more...]
Mosul: An Iraqi City Recovering after 4 Years of Islamic-State Rule
Mosul has never been your typical travel bucket-list inclusion. More recently, it may have rather topped the list of your most sure-to-get-killed places on the planet—by murder, or suicide if by any chance you are a jihadi. But since it got liberated from ISIS in July 2017, it’s been twinkling on my wanderlust’s radar.I intend this as a unique travel story and not a rephrasing … [Read more...]
Khao Tao Beach in Hua Hin, Thailand: Travel Guide
In May 2020, having been stuck in northern Thailand for two months already, following the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, long-distance public transport in the country began to slowly reoperate. We had missed the coast. It was time to look for some nice beach in the south to head to and settle at. Pondering a few different options, we ended up in the village of Khao Tao, … [Read more...]
A day strolling around Sunset Beach & Jumeirah in Dubai
After having spent my first day in Dubai mostly in the area around Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall, on the second day now, I was after something somewhat calmer and more natural. A beach would do just fine. Jumeirah hotel was also another of Dubai’s most renown landmarks I’d like to see. Beside the hotel complex, there stretches a beach known as Sunset Beach, or Public Beach, or … [Read more...]
