One Day in Rio de Janeiro

Here’s a little snapshot I wanted to share where I am at the moment. Spending time home in quarantine isn’t easy. At least I have the beauty of the marvelous city of Rio de Janeiro to keep my morale up while I can’t continue traveling around the world. I decided to have a little fun today. I took pictures of the view from my window at different times to compare them together, to show how the beauty of this city changes through time. I am constantly blown away by Rio which never ceases to impress me year after year, every single day, every single hour. The pictures are taken from my Lagoa apartment rental I found to spend the quarantine, overlooking the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon. I took the first picture early in the morning at 7:00, where the sun wakes up from behind, lighting up Ipanema on the left side, where we see a little bit of the Atlantic ocean, and the Morro Dois […]

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My Favorite Town in Cuba is… Trinidad!

Even better than Havana in my opinion, it is a perfect little picturesque and authentic village to spend two to three days while in Cuba. I felt transported back in the 19th century walking around its cobblestone streets and its colorful houses. The setup is just magical and nature as well. But be quick to come because I predict that its authenticity will disappear very soon as it is booming with construction at the moment. Hotels are popping everywhere and tourist traps will arrive soon after. If they say Cuba must be visited before it becomes developed, then Trinidad is to be number one on your bucket list. In This Article…1 What should you do there?2 Any restaurants to recommend?3 How to get to Trinidad?4 Trinidad in pictures… What should you do there? I enjoyed just walking around the old town. It’s so nice and feels so good to just observe how people are living. It just feels so colonial at the same time so […]

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Spending New Year’s Eve in Havana

I had long wanted to go back to Cuba since I first visited the island back in 2002. At the time, it was the typical all-inclusive hotel in Cayo Coco in the middle of the island so I couldn’t really say I had the real Cuban experience. Nevertheless, I remember I had been stung by the joy of the people of Cuba and since I this year I had the opportunity to go back, I thought to myself it could be a good experience to spend New year’s Eve in the country. In This Article…1 Havana the capital of joy2 Trying to live a normal life in Havana3 Do I recommend going to Havana? Havana the capital of joy If we can call Havana the Capital of rum we can also pro probably call it the capital of cigars, salsa and even fun-loving people too. For me time in the city, I rented a one-week apartment in the old town of Havana which was a […]

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YEMEN – My 194th of 195 Country Visited – A One Week Expedition Across Socotra

Plunged into a Civil war since 2015, Yemen has been a difficult destination to visit on my quest to reach every one of the 196 countries of the world. I have been waiting for years to be able to go to Sana’a, the cultural capital of Yemen. But as I was planning to come in 2014, it became more and more dangerous for foreigners. It became too risky to make it to the country and soon after, the country fell into a never-ending war which is still raging strong at the time of writing this article. But even during wartime, there are always workarounds to enter a country. So how was it possible for me to spend a whole week in Yemen in 2019? The Secret was to go to Socotra, an island which is part of an archipelago of 4 islands located in the Arabian Sea, right on the tip of the horn of Africa. When I visited the island in November 2019, the national […]

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Canadian Newspaper LA PRESSE Publishes my Recommendations for Popular Destination Alternatives

For a third time, my travel recommendations were showcased in the Canadian Newspaper “La Presse”. The last time I was contacted by a journalist of the famous Canadian news outlet, I was asked to contribute to an article about Travel Recommendation for Top Destinations for Canadians in 2019. The article Can be found here. It was an interesting experience and gratifying since  I have always read this newspaper growing up in Canada. This time around, I was asked to contribute to an article about Travel alternatives to popular destinations around the world. This was an interesting choice of subject since I am the first to complain that some cities are being totally ruined by the insane amount of tourism that roam their streets. This uncontrollable inflow of tourism is good for the local economy, but as a world traveler, I now sadly avoid to stay in these destinations, which would otherwise be amazing places to spend time. Some examples are Paris, London, Barcelona, Prague, Dubrovnik, […]

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Exploring Niamey in Niger – An Example for African Development – (My 192nd of 195 Country Visited)

Back to French-speaking Africa this time in a west-African nation. It was the peak summer season in Niamey, known to be one of the hottest cities in the world, situated in the middle of the Sahara desert! We landed at night and as soon as the airplane doors opened, we felt a wave of dry hot air invade the interior… Just a preview to what I could expect the next few days, with a thermometer over 47 degrees during the day! In General, my expectations for Niger were totally off target from what I had heard and read through my pre-travel research. It was much better than I had imagined. And here’s why… In This Article…1 One of the Poorest Nation in the world… Really?2 The 4th largest producer of Uranium in the world3 Was Wakanda in the movie Black Panther inspired by Niger?4 Enjoying Niamey with local friends5 Top 10 Things to do in Niamey & Niger6 In Pictures7 Pin to Pinterest One of […]

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Exploring Bangui in Central African Republic – My 190th of 195 Country

“Welcome to the Country of Wars” was I told, by my taxi driver taking me from the International Airport to my Hotel downtown Bangui, Capital of Central African Republic. There was definitely something deep about what he said, as from my personal knowledge, this is all I knew about the country prior to coming! Probably this was a reason why I had taken so long to travel here, making it my 51st country visited in Africa, out of the 54 that make the African continent. He then gladly replied: “But finally peace is coming to us”! Among all the United Nations armoured Vehicles and soldiers I could see on the way to the hotel, this positive note was exactly what I needed to hear, as I was ready to begin exploring Bangui. At the time of writing, the government of Central African Republic had just signed, only a few weeks back, a very promising peace deal with the 14 different armed groups who have been […]

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Exploring N’Djamena in Chad – My 189th Country Visited, 50th in Africa

It was a night I will always remember… I arrived in a heavily guarded airport, where the plane was escorted to the front of the airport by military guards armed with Kalashnikovs. It was an evening of the hottest month of the year in N’Djamena, Capital of Chad, a landlocked country in the very heart of Africa. 41 degrees at nighttime, with pretty much 0% of humidity, and absolutely no breeze… I’ve travelled extensively in Africa but rarely have I been hit in the face with such heat! Simply hard to breath… But still, I was extremely excited to arrive once more in a new country on this beautiful continent that I hadn’t been before. And to make it even more special, I was celebrating my 50th country in Africa which counts a total of 54! So here I am in N’Djamena to learn more about Chad, its history, its culture, in the middle of the Saharan desert!  This is actually the first new country […]

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Rovinj Wins the Title of my Favorite City in Croatia

I’ve travelled extensively throughout Croatia over the years as it is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful countries in Europe. I keep coming back because I never get tired of the blue Adriatic Sea, Venetian fortified towns along the coast, the food, the people, etc… And to win the title of the most beautiful city in Croatia is a hard one to designate. Rovinj is just a masterpiece, like few there are in Europe! I can imagine Dubrovnik being this nice before tourism destroyed it, so be quick to come and experience it before Hollywood comes before you, followed by the masses! In This Article…1 All the beauty of Istria in one single Venitian Town2 Best 2 Days Itinerary in Rovinj3 Top 10 Things to do in Rovinj4 Top Rated and Recommended Cafes in Rovinj5 Top Rated and Recommended Restaurants in Rovinj6 Rovinj In Pictures7 Pin to Pinterest All the beauty of Istria in one single Venitian Town Istria has been under Italian […]

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Visiting Split in Croatia – Yacht Capital of the World

Probably the most liveable city in Croatia in my opinion, along with the Capital Zagreb, Split is a highlight on the Adriatic sea which never stops to amaze me! I have come here many times over the past few summers, and it truly feels like one of the trendiest place to be in the summer with most hotels booked out all summer long! Split is just one of my favorite place to be in the hot summer months! In This Article…1 Enjoying its years of fame2 Sailing a Yacht in Split3 Best 2 Days Itinerary in Split4 Top 10 Things to do in Split5 Top Rated and Recommended Cafes in Split6 Top Rated and Recommended Restaurants in Split7 Split In Pictures8 Pin to Pinterest9 Enjoying its years of fame Everybody is talking about holidaying in Croatia these last few years, and this usually means flying directly to Split or Dubrovnik. The airport is constantly upgrading its infrastructure each time I fly in and enjoys a […]

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