Visiting Krasnoyarsk, Siberian Nature at its Best

My last stop on this Siberian Month was Krasnoyarsk, the third largest city in Siberia and a highlight on my last trip 4 years ago. I had been curious to spend more time here and for the occasion, I rented a 10-day apartment in the center to be close to the action. Looking back at it, it was definitely a good move. The beauty of Krasnoyarsk is in its nature, with its parks all over the city and especially the Stolby national park just a few kilometers away. What I especially like about this city compared to other Russian cities is its compact center, situated between 2 rivers, appearing like an island. It helps to concentrate the points of interest in the center and not spreading over a large distance, making it a great pedestrian city. The riverfronts are covered in green parks and seemed to constantly fill up with couples enjoying its romantic atmosphere and kids feeding the ducks. And just as the city is preparing for […]

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Siberian Style Summer White Storms in Tomsk, Russia

Probably the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Siberia is Snow. Some people even think its winter all year round, just like Antarctica. But that’s far from reality. Being here in the middle of the Summer with 30 degrees temperatures, seeing a white “pollen” storm was quite interesting and ironic considering Siberian’s “white” stereotype… In This Article…1 White Fluffy Pollen Storms2 A Small Town with a Traditional Siberian Feel3 Best 2 Days Itinerary for Tomsk4 Top 10 Things to do in Tomsk5 Top Rated and Recommended Cafes in Tomsk6 Top Rated and Recommended Restaurants in Tomsk7 Tomsk In Pictures8 Pin to Pinterest White Fluffy Pollen Storms In June in Siberia, a special species of cotton-tree starts producing an impressive amount of white, thick pollen flying everywhere to what resembles a real snowstorm. The scene is beautiful to watch, but can also be an annoyance as these massive flying pieces make it hard to breathe as they can easily be breathed in the […]

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Hong Kong: The Great Asian Metropolis as a Hiking Destination

Hong Kong is a beast of a city! Every time I come here I am amazed how quickly it changes here and there every year, ever more into a megapolis of the future. Since it was handed back to China in 1997, it enjoyed the 7% plus growth that the mainland has had over the years. Being here just feels like everything is economically going well. Investment pours in, modern roads and bridges all around the island and none stop flow of Teslas Model S roaming its downtown streets. Thanks to its strategical location and history, hong kong really feels to me like the Capital of Asia. Financially, it definitely is, only rivaled by Singapore. But thanks to the Casino mecca of Macau next door, and Disney land Asia, without forgetting its great airport, its no wonder why it brings in so many tourists on a layover or on a holiday! I noticed a great amount of publicity advertising the “touristic Wonders” of Hong Kong […]

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Guide to Travel to Afghanistan in 2017: My Personal Experience…

Afghanistan… Another one of those countries that raise eyebrows when mentioned. No wonder as we have all been brainwashed by the media for over 15 years of war with news every other day of a car bomb explosion or another suicidal terrorist attack. Afghanistan has its share of problems and war, but in my personal view, that is not a reason to rule it out of my destination list. Most often the best experiences that I live are in those countries considered “off limits”. And Afghanistan has turned out to be an incredible experience well worth time, which I will remember forever. Qargha Lake just outside of Kabul First of all, there was American army guy in the airplane that gave me an interesting insight on the situation in Afghanistan. His view was pretty clear on the aftermath of the American occupation of Afghanistan, as well as the reasons Donald Trump announced an extra 4000 Troops on the ground just a week ago. “Look, it’s pretty clear […]

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Travel Tips to travel to Kabul, Afghanistan – (177th Country Visited)

And here I am, in my last country of Asia: Afghanistan… After visiting Pakistan’s Pashtun city of Peshawar, I really got interested in knowing more about Afghanistan. But in these war times, I must admit I was a little nervous about the situation. Nevertheless, I had planned my visit thoroughly and had a friend to receive me on arrival, with plans to stay in and close to the Capital: Kabul. Outside this area, it is considered unsafe as the Taliban control many areas and many roads. And the story all started on the plane from Dubai, where I was sitting next to this “army looking” guy. A little chat with him would make me discover a highly ranked American army guy who has been in Afghanistan for 8 years, very interesting way to start my trip and get his view on the situation out here. “Be very careful out there” he would say to me, and with a reason. But this was coming from a […]

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2 weeks Traveling Pakistan: My Experience and Impressions

Never would have I imagined Pakistan to be the way it was! I had pictured something similar to India and Bangladesh. But it is far from it! It has its very own flavor and culture, its people are particularly friendly and its landscape is breath-taking! Kind of a mix between Iran, Afghanistan and India and Nepal at the same time. What I hadn’t imagined is how big of a role the mountains take place in their country. It is very much their pride and each holiday local tourism rush to the north to enjoy their Kashmir region. I have seen the Himalayas from different angles before in India, Nepal, and Bhutan, but the mountains in Pakistan are in my opinion the most stunning! If Pakistan could take a breath with all the hate and bad news it endures around the world, it could rival with countries like Switzerland, Argentina or even Canada in terms of Adventure mountain destinations. Pasu near Hunza Valley I had the opportunity […]

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How the Story of Otto Warmbier in North Korea Could Have Been Mine, Yours, or Anyone of Us Present at the Wrong Time…

I’m usually the one saying to people “don’t believe too much what you see on the news, it’s not what it seems over there”… While I do believe that most people are definitely too paranoid as a result of all the negative news about some countries on TV, it’s true that for some destinations, extra caution is required… I was in North Korea in December 2015, exactly one month before Otto went on the same trip, with the same tour company, at the same hotel I was. He basically booked the same tour as I did from a company called Young Pioneers, which is one of the few tour companies that are licensed to organize such tours in North Korea. There are about 20 of them, but they all redirecting people to one single government-run company in North Korea. On arrival, all tourists are joined together in one tour bus and escorted to the same hotel in the middle of an island in the middle […]

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