Libya! Once one of the richest country in Africa, thanks to endless supplies of oil. And like many other oil countries would agree, wherever there is oil, there is trouble. Nothing could be further from the truth in the troubled north-African nation, which has been embroiled in Civil wars since the Arab Spring 10 years prior. I had waited since 2011 to enter Libya, with small windows opening once in a while. I had never managed to enter, and every time I seemed ready to go, more bad news would strike the country once again, spiraling to never ending chaos. \ Some might already know that I am a big fan of north African countries. In fact, I often say that they are my favorite Arab countries, along with Lebanon. Knowing Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia all reserved the same kind of culture, hospitality and amazing food, I knew I would have a great time in Libya. If only it was easier to make it there. […]
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Discovering Mexico During Covid: The Central Highlands
Ten months in Brazil is definitely more than I thought I would stay in 2020. But as the health situation improved in January 2021 (before falling back into chaos with their second wave), I had to leave the country as the state of emergency had been withdrawn, along with the extended visa allowances for tourists. With borders still tightly shut all over the world, I had to find a place that was equally welcoming to foreigners, and big enough to provide quality content for a nomad like me. Mexico checked all the boxes. So there I went, on a flight to one of my favorite countries in the world, arriving in its capital, Mexico City. Mexico is a massive country! It has so much diversity, from its northern desertic regions, to its three mountain chains, as well as two massive coasts stretching on both the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. My plan was to spend a few months in the country and discover a dozen […]
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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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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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Visiting The Magical Istrian Mountain Towns in Croatia
Though the Istrian Coast gather much of the fame for its pristine blue seas and beautiful Venetian towns, another side of Istria should not be missed while visiting the area. The Istrian interior, a mixture of rolling hills, fertile plains and pine forests with medieval hilltop villages is just as impressive and interesting, making a day or two visit an ideal way to gasp in the experience! If you are the kind of person who gets enchanted by Toscany style Plaines, the Istrian Interior is sure to impress you just as much. In This Article…1 Vineyard-dotted Hills and Medieval Towns2 Best 2 Days Itinerary in the Istrian Interior3 Top 6 Things to do in the Istrian Interior4 Top Rated and Recommended Cafes in the Istrian Interior5 Top Rated and Recommended Restaurants in the Istrian Interior6 The Istrian Interior In Pictures7 Pin to Pinterest Vineyard-dotted Hills and Medieval Towns The pace definitly slows down from the buzzing tourist lifestyle of the coast, but that’s actually a good […]
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Saudi Arabia (Country 193/195) – 1 Week Traveling between Jeddah and Riyadh
I had been waiting for years to figure out a way to reach Saudi Arabia on my quest to travel to every country of the world. Being one of the closest countries in the world, Saudi Arabia recently made a 180-degree shift of policy to open its doors in a bid to kick-start tourism in the country. Not only did they start issuing tourist visas for special events starting late 2018, but it also has plans to build a touristic city a little bit in the style of Qatar and Dubai in the middle of the desert, and is already starting to invite several countries to come since 2018. I took advantage of a recent event called Jeddah Seasons to finally being able to explore the Kingdom after years investigating all the possible ways to come. This marked my 193rd country visited out of the 196 in the world. In This Article…1 A long due trip to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia2 Jeddah and the […]
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WarTime Aleppo in Pictures – Captured with a Huawei P30 Pro
I usually add pictures of my travels directly in my photo studio or inside my articles about each destination. But my Photographic experience in Syria and Specially Aleppo was so breathtaking and troubling that it deserved to be published in a separate article of its own. After posting on my private facebook some of these pictures taken with the Leica Camera on my Pro 30 Pro, the reception was so impressive from public and private messages that I decided to share them to the world. The photos in this article were all taken in May 2019 during my visit around Syria which is summarized in my article: 5 Days Traveling around SYRIA during War Times. Being one of the first traveler in the country since 2011, I wanted to express the situation that Syrians have endured through those difficult years. Extensive details have been provided about my experience around the country, and for the purpose of clarity, I will only provide a few explanations about […]
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5 Days Traveling around SYRIA during War Times
As some of you read this article, it is important to time-stamp the events at the time of writing. As fighting is still raging in some areas, the war is coming to an end and the situation is changing rapidly. With the government now in control of the country once again, I expect the situation to improve very quickly through the next 2 years, and people reading this article 2 years from now might get a very different experience on their trip. But Make no mistake, as I was visiting in mid-may 2019, the country was still at war and heavy fighting was going on in the Idlib region and around Aleppo where I stayed 2 nights… Was it worth the risk? I Beleive it did, and here’s why… I decided to come to Syria as I believed it was the right time to come after a long 9 years wait. In my opinion, it marked the safest time to come in recent years, while […]
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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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Dubrovnik – Still King of the Adriatic Sea
There is no need for a presentation to Dubrovnik, especially since Games of Thrones catapulted the city’s tourism industry out of logical proportions. The city is constantly bombarded with tourism from cruise ships to buses fully loaded of tourists to admire its beautiful old town all year round! Is it still worth a visit? In This Article…1 An Overcrowded Tourist Experience2 Best 2 Days Itinerary in Dubrovnik3 Top 10 Things to do in Dubrovnik4 Top Rated and Recommended Cafes in Dubrovnik5 Top Rated and Recommended Restaurants in Dubrovnik6 Dubrovnik In Pictures7 Pin to Pinterest An Overcrowded Tourist Experience Definitely! Dubrovnik is definitely worth a visit! Even though I wrote an article a few years back detailing “How Games of Thrones Destroyed Dubvrovnik“, I still feel it is a worthwhile city to visit. The problem is that is is a little small to fill that vast amount of tourist that come just to walk through the few streets surrounded by the walls. The result is one of a cramped experience, […]
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