Wow, wow, and again… Wow! What a beautiful surprise that was waiting for me hidden among the mountains in my last stop in the Horn of Africa: Eritrea! This ex-Italian colony, also known as “The Rome of Africa” by the locals, definitely deserves its title! I could go as far as calling it “The Best Kept Secret of Africa!”… Arriving here was like a miracle after the desertic landscapes of Djibouti and Somalia. Just a few months ago I rated Algiers as my #1 most beautiful city in Africa. I guess we have a contender for the title, Asmara, the Capital of Eritrea, is definitely in my top 3 that’s for sure! Beautiful Asmara at Sunrise The city is by far the cleanest city I’ve ever been in Africa, as well as one of the safest! Being at about 2300 meters above sea level, I first felt like arriving in a Spanishish colonial town up in the Andes in Peru or Ecuador, but with a […]
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Guide to Visiting Juba, South Sudan: My Country #179 of 195
Following my road up the Nile River, I couldn’t continue my Sudanese adventure without venturing through its breakaway republic, and youngest country in the world: South Sudan! And already before arriving here I felt like I already had an initiation to the country. Khartoum already counts a large population of South Sudanese, fleeing the civil war that has struck the country since 2013. Most of the South Sudanese I’ve met in Khartoum seemed very young and wealthy people sent by their parents to live better lives while the situation calmed at home. But arriving in Juba, Capital of South Sudan, I definitely experienced a different situation. Overview of Juba, South Sudan South Sudan is not even 15 years old, yet is has been through several civil wars and political struggles that still today leaves the country in uncertainty. To me, it doesn’t seem like a real country yet, still struggling to get any kind of stability. Poverty is striking everywhere, just next to overpriced hotels […]
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Travel Overland the Mighty Nile River from North to South
In my opinion, there is no doubt about the fact that the Nile River is the most interesting and important river in the world. Just by crossing Egpyt it makes it the most “Unesco Rich” river with so much to see on its shores. But being the longest river in the world, it also crosses numerous rivers all the way up to Lake Victoria in Uganda! This year I decided to start from the mouth of the Nile, in Alexandria, and make my way all the way up to the border of Sudan in Abu Simbel. From the Red dot on top, My road following the Nile upstream to Sudan After a few days in Alexandria enjoying its Mediterranean atmosphere, I went up to Cairo to “Visa hunt” as there are so many embassies in one of the most important capitals in Africa. So I rented an apartment and settled for almost 2 weeks in the big city. It wasn’t my first time in Cairo, but I still enjoyed […]
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Argentina’s top 5 Lists for Best Cities, best Nature, Best food, Best festivals
Here is a collection of my Top 5s for Argentina, following my previous series of articles on Argentina. Feel free to reach out if you have other ideas to improve my lists. Top 5 Favorite Buenos Aires Neighborhood 1. Recoleta 2. Palermo 3. San Telmo 4. Puerto Madero 5. La Boca Top 5 Favorite Cities 1. Mendoza 2. Buenos Aires 3. Cordoba 4. Rosario 5. Mar del Plata Top 5 Best Nature 1. El Chalten 2. El Calafate 3. Ushuaia 4. Bariloche 5. Las Leñas Top 5 Food & Drinks 1. Meat (Argentinan cut) 2. Malbec Wine 3. Empanadas de carne picada 4. Alfajor 5. Milanesa a la Napolitana Top 5 most Scenic Places 1. Iguazú Falls 2. Perito Moreno Glacier 3. Bariloche 4. San Telmo 5. Mar del Plata Top 5 Festivals and Events 1. Oktoberfest in General Belgrano 2. Buenos Aires Tango Festival 3. Carnival 4. Folklore National Festival in Cosquín 5. Vendimia in Mendonza Pin to Pinterest Enjoyed this guide? Help others […]
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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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Taking Part in 2 Afghan Weddings, VIP with Afghan Ministers
I couldn’t have expected a better way to sample Afghan culture! Weddings are, in my opinion, one of the best ways for the traveler to immerse himself in the real essence of what local culture is all about. Not only the food but especially local customs and traditions are always omnipresent at weddings. I had many opportunities to join weddings around the world throughout the years, in Vietnam, Moldova, and twice in Iran. And now I was invited to a Pashtun and a Tajik Wedding, which are both very traditional people. When I arrived in Kabul, I was quickly amazed at those massive “wedding halls” that are everywhere in Kabul. They are covered with flashing lights, sort of like a Las Vegas Hotel, but with Chinese Christmas lights all over. After asking my driver about them, he told me it is currently wedding season and Afghan people traditionally love to invite as many people as they can to weddings, hence the size of the buildings. […]
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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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My #1 Financial Tip for Travelers: Forget the Miles… Get Yourself a No FX Credit Card!
This one will surprise many because as crazy as it seems to me, nobody even thinks about doing this. Banks are some of the richest companies in the world, with billions of dollars of profit every year! how do they achieve this? With interest! Yes, they charge you an incredible amount of money that is extracted every time you take out money, pay for something, etc. So what is my number one tip? Get yourself a “No Foreign Exchange Fee Credit Card” in your home country! Credit cards are an extremely useful tool for the traveler! they make cross-currency transactions painless and avoid getting tons of change in your pocket. I use it more and more now as Visa and Mastercard have done a great job expanding to even the most remote countries in the world. The only problem is that as soon as you buy something in a different country in a different currency, they will add a percentage on that exchange rate […]
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Travel Guide to IRAQ: Visiting a Country During War Times
“Where are you going next” I was asked many times while traveling in Turkey. “I’m going to Iraq”… And quickly the blank look in their eyes would follow with the same interrogation! “But Why?” would usually follow? Why I came here is pretty simple. I had the same philosophy for the last 10 years. I go everywhere, and only once I am there I discover what there is to see, and usually, I am blown away that these things are not more “popular”… Most people dream to go to the same places… New York, Paris, Venice, London… While I do agree these places are nice, I believe most people have just been brainwashed to believe these are the nicest places to see and do not push further to seek what other destinations can give them. I am a professional marketer, I know how these things work. It’s not their fault, they hear about New York, Paris, and London in Music, Movies, TV, Magazines, Publicity, Social […]
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9 Days in Turkey… Is it the Next Big Thing for Western Tourism?
Seems like everybody is talking about Croatia these days… It’s just the everybody’s next holiday list, forgetting all the other beautiful beaches of Europe has to offer like in Spain, Malta, Italy, France, Portugal, etc… It’s just the new trend and everybody want’s a piece of it. With its beautiful coast, tons of festivals, amazing cities and the help of some extra marketing from joining the European Union and of course Games of Thrones, it was the perfect recipe to reach mass tourism! But just a decade ago when I first came to Croatia, it was still just a “post-war” country and still a “Best Kept Secret” to the few who had discovered it. But what will be the next big thing after Croatia’s hype fades away? I just spent a nice 10 days of peak summer season in Turkey and wanted to see why all the Russians chose it as their favorite holiday destination. And for a reason! Turkey is amazing! It’s a big country […]
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