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.
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. On a mellow evening, I received an unexpected call from my old pal, Dimosthenis. To my excitement, he let me know ...
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 – Bastei Bridge, Zschirnstein, Königstein
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 ...
Panajachel, Guatemala: A Day Exploring Lake Atitlán’s Largest Town
Panajachel (usually “Pana”) is Lake Atitlán’s main transport and service hub, and the most developed town on the shoreline. It’s where a lot of people first arrive from elsewhere in Guatemala, and it shows: more banks, more shops, more tour ...
San Marcos: a Day Trip to Lake Atitlán’s Spiritual Village
San Marcos La Laguna is a small lakeside village on Lake Atitlán, known for its strong association with spirituality, wellness, and alternative lifestyles. It has built a reputation as the lake’s center for yoga, meditation, and holistic practices, attracting travelers ...
San Juan La Laguna: a Day Trip to Lake Atitlán’s Artsy Village
San Juan La Laguna sits immediately east of San Pedro and feels like its quiet, deliberate counterpoint. It’s a small Tz’utujil Maya town that has leaned heavily into community-based tourism, built around art, textiles, and local production rather than nightlife ...
Santa Cruz La Laguna, Lake Atitlán: Our Day Trip & Things to Do
Santa Cruz La Laguna is a small, steeply terraced village on the northern shore of Lake Atitlán in Guatemala, accessible primarily by boat due to its lack of a practical road connection. The village is known for its dramatic setting—perched ...
Kayaking on Lake Atitlán: Beneath Volcán San Pedro
Kayaking is one of my favorite modes of exploring. A spontaneous urge to paddle almost always takes hold whenever I’m faced with an inviting stretch of water. When we arrived at Lake Atitlán in Guatemala—ringed by steep, jungle-covered slopes and ...
From Quetzaltenango to Lake Atitlán by Chicken Buses
About a week had flown by in Quetzaltenango. We’d had some lovely adventures in the area, including climbing the active volcano Santa María and witnessing rain-calling Maya rituals on the sacred shores of Lake Chicabal. Now, it was time to ...
Quetzaltenango (Xela): Our Week in Guatemala’s Maya Heartland
Quetzaltenango, locally called Xela (pronounced “Shay-lah”), is Guatemala’s second-largest city and a cultural hub in the western highlands. Located at over 2,300 meters (7,600 feet) above sea level, it sits in a valley surrounded by volcanoes, including the active Santa ...
Lake Atitlán: Villages Guide & Things to Do
Lake Atitlán is a volcanic crater lake located in the Guatemalan Highlands, in the department of Sololá. It sits at an elevation of about 1,562 meters (5,125 feet) above sea level and is surrounded by three prominent volcanoes—Atitlán, Tolimán, and ...
Crossing the El Carmen–Talisman Border from Mexico to Guatemala
Nearly two months had passed in Mexico. It was time to continue our trip southeast through Central America. Next destination: Guatemala. It took a long overnight journey from Playa Zipolite on Oaxaca’s coast to reach our final stop in Mexico ...
Laguna Chicabal: Hiking Guatemala’s Sacred Maya Lake
Laguna Chicabal (Lake Chicabal) is a crater lake located within the inactive Chicabal Volcano in the Quetzaltenango Department of Guatemala, at an elevation of about 2,900 meters (9,500 feet). It's considered a sacred site by the local Mam Maya people, ...
Santa María Volcano, Guatemala: our Hike without a Guide
Santa María Volcano is a massive stratovolcano located in the western highlands of Guatemala, near the city of Quetzaltenango (or Xela, as locals call it). Standing at about 3,772 meters (12,375 feet), it's one of the highest volcanoes in Central ...
La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná Jesuit Mission Ruins: Day Trip from Posadas
La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná (The Holy Trinity of the Parana) is one of the most prominent ruins of the Jesuit missions in Paraguay, located near the town of Encarnación, just across the river from Posadas, Argentina. Founded in the ...
