Here are my personal travel stories from a lifetime of nomadic living and exploring the world. Some are more informative, typical-blog-style; others are meant to be more entertaining with an emphasis on creative writing. You can browse them by country or subject via the secondary menu above. Or you can check out the most popular or recent ones below.
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Kurile Lake, Kamchatka: 30 Humans & 300 Bears at the End of the World
Downhearted, I regarded the scenery behind the drawn-aside curtain. The Orwellian, drab, concrete human containers the Soviets named Khrushchyovkas seemed even drearier behind the veil of the haze. The dense mass of black clouds that covered them did not allow ...
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 ...
A Solar Eclipse, a Rave Party, and a Bunch of Terrorists on Sulawesi
It was winter in the Northern Hemisphere. But as always, it was summer near the Equator. I was overwintering in the tropical latitudes of Southeast Asia. A good German friend had told me that he was about to head that ...
That Hippo Who Almost Killed Me in the Okavango Delta of Botswana
I don’t usually partake in contests of any kind. Never had that habit. But when I saw the latest writing prompt from the Globetrotters traveling publication on Medium, I couldn’t resist it. Wild: that’s exactly how I’d intuitively describe most ...
Two Lone Tourists In Baghdad
We were very lucky it was overcast over the city of Erbil. That’s not a common occurrence. And it happened on the perfect day: the day we had to spend in its entirety dawdling outside. Erbil isn’t a city with ...
When I Climbed that Pyramid in Giza
Under no circumstances could I let this opportunity pass without paying a visit to Giza and its pyramids. So, very early one morning, having started at dawn to avoid the traffic, I was passing beside the welcoming Sphinx and I ...
Ruta De Las Flores Road Trip
Ruta de las Flores (literally the flower route) is famed as one of El Salvador's most scenic traveling itineraries. It runs for about 50 km between the town of Sonsonate and Ahuachapan, going through a diversity of lush landscapes and ...
An Independent, 3-day Island-Hopping Kayaking Tour in Port Barton Bay
Port Barton on Palawan Island, Philippines, is famous for one thing: island-hopping tours. There is a multitude of pristine, heavenly little islands popping out from Port Barton Bay’s clear, blue waters. There are literally hundreds of boats stationed at Port ...
Sailing Evia Island, Greece: Marmari, Almyropotamos
Late summer 2020, Sophie and I were sojourning in my hometown, Chalkida, capital city of Evia, Greece’s second-largest island. A mellow evening, I received an unexpected call from my old pal, Dimosthenis. To my excitement, he let me know that ...
Getting Visited by a Brown Bear, that Night in the Carpathian Mountains
It was an exceptionally hot summer afternoon. Many hours had withered away since I had left my last night's refuge in that cornfield somewhere near Bacau, by dawn that day. Through many towns and villages, and immense extents of fields, I ...
Attending a Senegalese Wrestling (Njom) Contest in Joal
It was that other night. Quite an advanced night it was. Deep darkness had befallen over the west African coast since a few hours ago. And me with a friend we were striding along the lonely road from the town of Joal towards ...
Pompei, an Ancient City Preserved in its Entirety
The advent of this new day found me at a hostel in the town of Pompei, Campania, South Italy. The reason I had ended up there; plus the reason that pretty much anyone ever ends up over there; plus the ...
The Gem Scam in India – How I Scammed those Indian Scammers
It all began that late afternoon. I sat alone at that Sikh-family-owned restaurant I used to go to during my sojourn in Pushkar, one of India's holiest cities, sipping a cup of coffee and waiting for my dinner. Then I ...
Camel Safari in Thar Desert: the Great Indian Desert
Notwithstanding the subtle mantle of high-hovering cirrus clouds that webbed the east, it was a brilliant morning. A soft quietude and a caressing breeze prevailed in the air. A fat grey ox with erected horns was walking lazily along the ...
Tambacounda and Niokolo-Koba National Park – A Travel Story from Senegal
It was a long and uncomfortable journey. Me, a friend of mine, and six more locals together with the driver, squashed inside that wrecked old car, we drove throughout an entire day amidst great portions of flat, arid land till ...
What to see in Moscow in 2 days
Moscow, home to well over 10 million people, is the largest city in Europe. The city is so vast that one would always have the potential to discover new things in it, even after having lived there for an entire ...
Giri Giri: The Magical West African Talisman that Protects against Bullets and Demons
I remember the first time I got introduced to that object known as Giri Giri... It was in that seaside Senegalese town named Joal. By some random circumstances, I and a friend had ended up there, attending a big event ...
A Road Trip in Primorsky Krai
Day #1: Tokarevsky Lighthouse & Land of the Leopard National Park After some really epic adventuring in Kamchatka for a month and a half, we met again the Russian mainland in Vladivostok. We had to get back to Europe soon, ...
Kayaking to Koh Libong Island
Day #8 (27/6/2020) Distance travelled: 0 km (but 32 km kayaked!) More on YouTube Conditions overnight were uneventful; no storm, no heat, not even a barking dog. No sooner than we blinked our eyes open, we made our way down ...
3 Winter Days in Gjirokaster: Travel Guide
Overwhelmed with awe we regarded our new surroundings as we ambled through the timeworn city of Gjirokaster. We had just arrived there after a 2-day hike from Delvina over Mount Gjere. It was one of the last days of 2020 ...
Tham Krasae Bridge Railway Station: day trip from Kanchanaburi
After a motorbike trip to Erawan Waterfalls, as a second destination for a day trip from Kanchanaburi, we chose Tham Krasae Bridge Railway Station. That is part of the Siam-Burma historic railway built by the Japanese army during the WW2 ...
Cycling in Malta – Guide & 2-day Trip Report
Upon arriving on the island of Malta, one of the first things I noted was its tiny size. Of course, I knew from before that it is a very small country, but I expected it somewhat bigger. Peering at the ...
Things to see and do in Minsk, Belarus
Belarus recently changed its visa policy, allowing for the first time EU citizens to enter the country without a visa. Given this opportunity to remove one more of the very few remaining European countries from my bucket list, a chilly autumn ...
From Kandy to Sigiriya day trip by scooter
While traveling in Sri Lanka with a friend, we eventually wound up in Kandy. We had a few days to spare there, before moving onwards to Ella, and there wasn't much to do in such a bustling and rowdy city ...
Saxon Switzerland Trip day #2 РBastei Bridge, Zschirnstein, K̦nigstein
One who's been used to be sleeping in no other place than a soft bed would probably not describe a car as an ideal, cozy night shelter. As I though, have been used to be resting my body in pretty ...
Two Days in Bukhara: Immersing in the Silk Road’s Legacy
Following Samarkand, we continued our Central Asia journey with two days in Bukhara. One of the most ancient cities in Uzbekistan, this is a treasure trove of history and culture that dates back over 2,500 years. Once a key hub ...
From Samarkand to Bukhara by Bus or Shared Taxi
After spending two days exploring the vibrant and historic city of Samarkand at the start of our 2024 Central Asia journey, we decided to continue our adventure by heading to Bukhara. In this post, I’ll share helpful information and key ...
Two Days in Samarkand: Uzbekistan’s Silk Road Treasure City
In early August 2024, we began our month-long journey through Central Asia, stepping off the plane into the hot, dazzling noon at Samarkand International Airport. One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the region, Samarkand holds immense historical and ...
Samarina: A Picturesque, Lively Village amid Greece’s Remotest Wilderness
We had just left Mount Smolikas and were driving through the heart of the Pindus Mountains. Nothing but rock and forest was visible at the sides of the narrow, vacant road. After having hiked for five hours since dawn, we ...
Things to Do in Kastoria City, Greece
In July 2024, we left Vergina and its archaeological wonders and headed west. In about two hours, we arrived in the city of Kastoria. My 13-year-old nephew was spending the summer there at his grandma’s, and we stopped by for ...
What to Do in Mahébourg, Mauritius
Mahébourg is a quaint, historical town on the southeastern coast of Mauritius, known for its deep connections to the island’s colonial past. Once the capital during the French rule, it now offers a quieter, more laid-back and authentic atmosphere compared ...
What to See in Port Louis, Mauritius
While not the place you would choose to stay during a holiday in Mauritius—there are many paradisal beaches for that—Port Louis is a charming little city squeezed between the ocean and the steep, lush Moka Mountains. During our two-month stay ...
What to See during a Day Trip to Curepipe, Mauritius
Curepipe is a town in the central plateau of Mauritius, located at the southern end of the Port Louis-Curepipe urban corridor and the Metro Express line that runs through it. It is also called the City of Light, as it ...
Swimming & Snorkeling in Blue Bay, Mauritius
With its impressive palette of blues, ranging from deep cerulean to bright turquoise, Blue Bay is one of the most popular attractions on the island of Mauritius. Designated as a protected marine park, its extensive reef hosts over 50 species ...
Dimitsana to Zygovisti: Menalon Mountain Trail Section 2
Following a pleasant hike from Stemnitsa the previous day, we woke up refreshed in the mountainous coolness of Dimitsana village. The plan now was to continue along the second section of the acclaimed Menalon Mountain Trail toward the village of ...
Stemnitsa to Dimitsana, Lousios Gorge: Menalon Mountain Trail Section 1
Summer of 2024, I had a client/friend who tasked me with taking him on a two-day hiking trip in Greece. It would be his first-ever of the kind. We needed a beginner-grade route with sufficient shade for the summer heat ...
Visiting Alexander the Great’s Palace in Aigai, Macedonia, Greece
Following 16 years of restoration work, the Palace of Aigai has finally opened to visitors. Situated in the modern-day town of Vergina, Aigai was the capital city of the ancient Kingdom of Macedonia. Its magnificent palace—one of the largest and ...
