Two Decades of Curmudgeonly New Year's Eves
We'd thought it'd be fun to put together a list of our last two decades of New Year's Eves, accompanied by a pithy sentence or two. So that's what we did…
Christmas Day Walkabout
We spent almost a week staring at the hill on the opposite side of the lake, wondering what was going on over there. On Christmas afternoon (or technically at 11.48am on Christmas morning) it was finally time to find out…
A Very Somali Christmas
Our very Somali Christmas of 2010 was the absolute gold standard of all Christmases (past, present and future - including the original Bethlehem one)….
Walking to the World Peace Stupa
Not for the first time, and surely not for the last, Uncle Google took us down some unexpected paths, through what turned out to be something of a village on the outskirts of Pokhara proper and then up an ungodly number of steps, on the way to visit the World Peace Stupa.
The British Guy
After we'd exhausted our biographical small talk, he asked me 'Do you know the British guy?' The British Guy? I knew some British guys, but couldn't say I knew the British guy, no. Who is this British Guy? Oh man, you don't know the British Guy? You've got to meet him! Can't argue with that. It's not like I had any other plans that day anyway. So off we went down the alleyways of Marrakech…
Interview with John Bills
In the first of what will hopefully be an ongoing series of interviews with notable real life characters from the world of travel, we had the pleasure of sitting down with one Mr John Bills - a prolific author, ambler and aficionado of all things Slav. If you don't know him from a pub somewhere, then you might recognise him as the man behind An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery.
22 Reasons to Never Leave Riohacha in 2022
What's so great about this dusty desert town in the middle of nowhere? We're glad you asked, because we've got 22 great reasons never to leave Riohacha. From the arriving flight path, friendly locals, food carts, fruit vendors, fresh seafood and fair prices to the fishermen, flying fauna, graffiti, festive atmosphere and fist-bumping police, there's lots to love, and those are just the half we could shoehorn into our unhealthy obsession with alliteration.
Winners & Losers of 2020
So, 2020 was quite a year, wasn't it? Our preferred adjective since at least mid-March of that year was ‘exciting’, which garnered us no small amount of criticism at our day job. That said, when coming up with our annual list of winners and loser from the previous 12 months, it was a bit more difficult than in years past to try and balance out the two sides. As always, we've put in maximum effort, tried our best and not cut any corners or procrastinated in the least.
Bogotá's Aeropuerto El Dorado Is the Best Airport in the World
Yes, you read that correctly. It's official: Bogotá's El Dorado is the world's best airport! And no one was more surprised to discover this than us. Still don't believe us? Well, fasten your seatbelt, stow your carry-on and make sure your seat back and folding tray are in the full upright position, because we've got a little story to tell you…..
First Impressions of Riohacha
Almost every place we travel immediately exceeds our expectations, and we usually already get pangs of future nostalgia on day one, and we had no reason to assume our experience in Riohacha would be any different.
Protecting Your Papaya in Bogotá
Colombia is dangerous. And Bogotá even more so than most places. The colloquial expression most commonly used to warn you about this is 'No dar papaya' or 'Don't give papaya', meaning don't show anything valuable when you're out in public.
Books, Books, Books: Part I
The arbitrary changing of one calendar year to the next seems as good a time as any to start writing up some articles for this site, and since we're big believers in going for the lowest of low hanging fruit, why not start with a list of our favourite books.
Books That Will Inspire You to Visit Africa…If You're a Psychopath
This article is obviously nothing more than an excuse to get some affiliate revenue from Evil Corp, but that's not the worst thing about it.
Keep Your Distance: Helpful Social Distancing PSAs from Around the World
When we saw this homage to Australia's kangaroo-based social distancing PSA, we were amused, but also thought that we could do better (better meaning more offensive, politically incorrect and true). This is the result.
Ultimate Covid Coronavirus Quarantine Guide 2020
Are you a travel fanatic who’s not sure how to make the most of your free-time now that you’ve taken the very responsible decision to self-quarantine, lock down, self-isolate, observe social distancing or whatever other terms the kids are using to describe this brand new, novel concept of ‘staying home’?
Countries Without Any Confirmed Cases of the Coronavirus
In the midst of all the doom, gloom, mass death, imminent collapse of late capitalism and the daily horrorshow that’s taking place in the once proud country known as the United States of America, there are some proverbial silver linings as well.
Why Do Slavs Wear Adidas
There's perhaps nothing more Slavic than wearing an Adidas tracksuit, as it's the perfect look for pretty much any and all occasions - basketball court, clubs, weddings, funerals and of course pandemic quarantines. But the question remains, how did Adidas become the de rigueur attire for Slavs and especially Slavic men?