I arrived safely in Lahore in Pakistan’s Punjab province, after a transit in Dubai and Karachi. Immediately after exiting the airport terminal and roaming in my taxi it’s congested streets towards the center, I smell of deja-vu hit me with my previous adventures in India, Bangladesh, and Sri-Lanka. And with a reason. They used to be part the same British colonial Empire prior to the Indian Independence Act in 1947. Similar yet very different as the main religion here is Islam, which means dressing code is very different, food is much more reliant on meat and Islamic customs must be followed even though it doesn’t seem too conservative at first sight. Lahore was the perfect city to arrive! Eith 10 million inhabitants, it’s second to Karachi in size but much more livable and modern than its southern sister. The first thing that got me was the warm welcome of its citizens, being extremely helpful and kind to me. Lahore Fort Special thanks to Ahmad which […]
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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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3 Best Argentina Itineraries You Must Do On Your Next Trip
Itinerary 1: Buenos Aires and Surroundings This is what most people will do, having only a week or less of vacation. Buenos Aires by itself is a great city to spend a holiday and provides a great base to explore the surrounding attractions! After Spending a few days in Buenos Aires, it is worth spending a day or two in Mar del Plata, considered the best beach in Argentina. It’s pretty cold to be a holiday beach (sea lions love the area for its cold waters), so best months to visit are December and January. Outside these months the beach is pretty empty, but being a city of over a million people, it will always offer the usual city life. Uruguay offers the best beach options south of Brazil, and Argentians know this. No wonder you will see them all invading their northern neighbor in the Summer! So including a side trip to Punta del Este in Uruguay in January is a must, with a […]
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Visiting Algeria – My Country #174/195
Just arrived in my 174th country worldwide, and 35th in Africa. I’ve waited a long time to come to this country because of the love I have for Morroco, which I expected many similarities. Expectations were met at arrival, but still many differences are obvious. It is definitely not as opened as Morocco and tourism seem reserved for Algerian expats. That said, it seems very welcoming thought! The city of Oran so far is really well developed, having a nice French Riviera style boardwalk, as well as a very modern tramway. My plan was to arrive in Oran, in the West of the country, considered the most lively city in North Africa, and to fly out from Constantine, in the other extremity on the East side of Algeria. This way I will cross the country, staying around the Mediterranean Coast and focus on the most populated areas. I would have loved to go down in the desert which is praised as one of the most […]
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Quebec City, One of the Most Photogenic City in North America
Many will say I might be biased to make this statement as I was born in Quebec City, and it does sound like a justified comment. But anyone who has visited the beautiful old town of Quebec City will testify of the beauty of its “New France” architecture and the European feel that its Fortified walls and narrow streets give. It has been 3 years that I haven’t been to my home Country while circling the worlds most beautiful cities, and every time I come back to Quebec I am always blown away by its beauty. Even though I have studied for years in the Old Quebec at high school at the Petit Seminaire de Quebec, the oldest French speaking seminary in the Americas, whenever I am back in the city, I try to put myself in the skin of a tourist and visit some corners of my beloved city as if I was a First comer or a tourist. This year, as it is the 150th […]
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My Colombia Top 5 Lists for Best Activities, Food, Things to do, People, Cities
Very few countries around the world are as rich as Colombia in terms of activities and culture. In South America, I believe it is one of the most complete of any country and definitely ranks top 2 with Brazil in my book. It is a pretty large country too and with so much to do and places to go, I have prepared a list of my ”top 5 everything” for Colombia so you can prepare your itinerary, in consequence, depending on the amount of time you plan to stay in the country. Whatever happens, make sure to plan a lot of time because transport is always slower in Latin America, especially in Colombia as it is very mountainous and that alone slows down transit times! Top 5 Favorite Cities Medellin Cartagena Cali Guatape Santa Marta Top 5 Best Nature Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona Cali Mountains Guatape San Andres Bogota Top 5 Parties and events Mundial de Salsa in Cali Carnival de Baranquilla Feria de las flores, […]
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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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Why Thailand Should Be Top of Your List to Settle as a Digital Nomad
There was a recent boom of interest in Thailand for the past 15 years and it rapidly converted into the top five destinations for tourism worldwide. Actually, Bangkok is now ranked first in the most visited city in the world in 2016 passing stronghold tourist cities like New York, London, and even Paris. And being the main hub for tourists to reach its beautiful beaches, it’s no surprise it gained that rank. I love Thailand, it’s just an amazing country for so many reasons, especially for its amazingly well-preserved traditions and culture, the kindness of its people, the receptivity of the Thai people and their openness to the world, Its amazing food and its stunning tropical land and impressive beaches. These are just the main characteristics of what comes out of my mind as I write this article, but it expands way more than only this. And just as if it wasn’t enough, you get all this at a bargain! To my eyes and compared […]
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My Brazil “Top 5 lists” for Best Cities, Festivals, Friendliness, Nature and Beaches
My Top 5s To continue with my Brazil Serie, I have prepared another part where you will find quick favorites of mine in this incredible country. Overall the years I’ve spent in Brazil, I have visited most of the states of the country, have experienced most major events and seen most of the major cities all over the country. I can talk for hours about every place I visited in details because I really get passionate about it; my favorite cities, the best places for nature, my favorite places for beaches, etc… But people always end up asking me my top 5 favorite everything… So here it is, all cooked out for you to plan that next trip to the land of samba! Top 5 Favorite Cities 1. Rio de Janeiro 2. Natal 3. Salvador 4. Vitoria 5. Belo Horizonte Top 5 Favorite Nature 1. Lencois Maranhenses 2. Amazon River 3. Jericoacoara 4. Rio’s Landscape 5. Porto de Galinhas Canoa Quebrada, Ceara Top 5 […]
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Timisoara, Romainia. The most liveable city in Romainia
So I spent a month around most of the biggest cities in Romania, 2 weeks in Bucharest, couple days around the Saxon triangle of Transilvania and 1 week in both Cluj Napoca and Timisoara. Definitely, this charming city also called the little Vienna deserves its title! Very nice old town, nice cafes, active Erasmus city, big modern shopping malls. Really felt comfortable in this city and if I had to choose a city to live in Romania, in would be here. It’s on my list of “must come back” cities.
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