Tour Archives - Wandering North

Moldova Romania-Moldova Trip 2024

Transporting to Transnistria

On my second day in Moldova I left Chișinău and took a tour to Transnistria.

The Unrecognized Country

One of the coolest things about visiting Moldova is that it gives you the opportunity to visit the territory most commonly known as Transnistria. When the Soviet Union broke up in 1990 and Moldova became its own country, Transnistria declared itself an independent state and it has remained that way, although it is technically part of Moldova it is not recognized as a sovereign country. So for those of us that are counting UN countries, we can’t include it in our country count, but it’s certainly a place worth visiting and is a bit of a political and geographic curiosity.

Throughout this post I’m going to refer to it as ‘Transnistria’ although its full name is the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic or PMR. About two months before I visited it became illegal to refer to it as Transnistria and the requirement is to refer to it by its full name or as Pridnestrovie, but It is still commonly known as Transnistria so that’s the name I’m going to use. (Although I do really enjoy pronouncing Pridnestrovie with a Russian-sounding accent.)

Getting There

You can absolutely visit on your own from Chișinău driving or on a bus, but I had only one day and I wanted to learn about the region, so I hired a guide for the day. I booked for a company called PMR Tours, and I would highly recommend them. They have a vast array of tours of Transnistria ranging from half a day to multiple days and the tours can focus on micro topics like mosaics or beer or Jewish history. I picked two half day tours and combined them. I did a general history tour and a Soviet tour.

I was picked up at my hostel by a driver, Zhenya, big and stern-looking (but nice) who spoke no English, and we drove across the border into Transnistria. You need to bring your passport with you to cross into Transnistria and they will stamp a piece of paper and put it in your passport. It feels a little bit intimidating crossing the border, as there are armed Russian soldiers and proper checkpoints, but I get the feeling that it’s just for show more than anything. The drive took about an hour and a half, maybe a little less.

Bender

We drove to a city called Bender, where I was joined by my English-speaking guide Valiery. Bender is an old town dating back to at least the beginning of the 15th century and was a great place to start our tour as it is a place of a lot of historical significance. It is home to the medieval fort called Tighina Fortress, which we toured, and I learned a lot of history about the region.

Also enjoyable was that the fort had a small museum of instruments of torture. While I will seldom pay anymore to go into a torture museum, I’m always happy when I get to look at the instruments of torture. I just can’t get over how cruel we are and the lengths to which we spent time and energy coming up with new and innovative ways to be cruel. It’s so awful that I can only find it amusing. There was one other fellow who was there as a tourist, and we were both in the torture museum at the same time. We hadn’t spoken to each other, so finally I just blurted out to him, “So, what’s your favorite form of medieval torture” And it turned out to be a great conversation starter. Since then, I have used it at two separate business networking events to start conversations with strangers when I was bored. Give it a try. People will think that you are a weirdo, but it really does get the conversation going.

*instruments of torture – and conversation starters*

From the fort we drove a little more into the city and made stops to visit tanks and monuments and memorials to battles, fallen soldiers, and Holocaust victims.

sights of Bender

Outside the Cities

The owner of PMR Tours (I think), Andrey, joined us and we drove through Bender to visit some churches outside of the city. On the way we passed and stopped at some excellent Soviet era monuments and a couple of mosaics. I love that in the Soviet times they would do these elaborate mosaics not just for government buildings or art galleries, but to commemorate industry. That was the case on this company that made electrical cables, and still does.

We visited a massive monument to the two World Wars, which also gave a wonderful view of the countryside, misty and green.

We stopped to visit another building, and I can’t recall what the significance of the building was historically, but it had an enormous Lenin head out front, and as some well-preserved Soviet paintings inside.

During the drive and all the stops, I got to ask lots of questions about Transnistria today. Transnistria in most ways does function like a sovereign territory. It has its own border controls and currency. It has its own police and soldiers and ambulances and government. It’s just that it’s under the umbrella of Moldova.

Tiraspol

We got to a river, with a car ferry. It was a very simple operation. We drove onto the ferry which crossed the river using some sort of chain under the surface. A man, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth used a large lever and winch to pull us across the river. He had a friendly dog as his companion.

A short drive later and we were into Tiraspol, the capital of Transnistria. The history continued, but much of the visit to Tiraspol was focused on taking me to Soviet era buildings and statues of Lenin. I thought Minsk had the most statues of Lenin, but Transnistria is a contender for the most Lenins I’ve seen in one country.

Tiraspol is a nice city. It had a beautiful park, lots of public statues, and the sort of broad streets and big buildings that you would expect from the Soviet Union. The public statues were particularly impressive, not only of Lenin, but of people who fought in the wars, of the celebrated cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin who died at 34 in a MIG crash, and of…Harry Potter. Yes, there is a statue of Harry Potter just outside of the local university. The reason for it, allegedly, is that Harry Potter stood up against the prevailing forces and was brave and fought for justice and freedom. I suppose this resonates with the people of Transnistria as they have been oppressed and fought for independence from the Soviet Union and from Moldova and that fight carries on. In 2024 this seems a little bizarre, but I can imagine that 50 or 100 years from now Harry Potter will just be a historical literary figure, and it will be less bizarre that he is depicted in marble.

A lot of accounts of Transnistria describe it as quirky or bizarre, and I think the Harry Potter statue is one example that could warrant that description, but I didn’t find Transnistria to be weird. It is just a small territory striving for independence with a strong connection to its history. There is a lot of pride there and I think it’s a bit demeaning to write it off as just a quirky roadside attraction.

*a monuments to students and faculty who fought in WWII*

We wrapped up the tour with lunch at a local restaurant, and I chatted with my two guides. This was one of my favorite things about the trip because unexpectedly, the conversation took a turn from the history and contemporary politics of Transnistria into semi-professional arm wrestling.

One of my guides is incredibly passionate about arm wrestling. I think it came up because I told him that I was from Canada and there was some arm wrestler from Canada, but I can’t quite recall the origins. But once he started telling me that he was involved in arm wrestling I could not stop asking questions. At first I thought it was just a group of guys that got together to arm wrestle in someone’s garage once a week, but he explained that it’s much more organized than that and that they have arm wrestling equipment and specific exercises, and they have matches, and it’s a whole community of people that are passionate about this activity. I’m not a documentary filmmaker, but I would like someone out there who is to make a documentary about the men of Transnistria and their experiences around semi-professional arm wrestling, because it sounds like a fascinating tale of masculinity, competition, and personal identity in state struggling for recognition. Seriously, somebody please make this movie.

I rejoined with my original driver and was taken back to Chișinău, Moldova. It was such a wonderful day. I really wish that I had spent or could have spent more time there, and I would absolutely consider going back to spend a few days in one of the villages of the countryside.

That evening, I went out for dinner at a surprisingly good Italian restaurant (Little Napoli) for pizza and a glass of local wine and then back to my new favourite Moldovan cocktail lounge, Marlene, and had another cigar and cocktail, shivering in the night air. It had been a great day.

I still had one more day in Moldova before I would return home. On to the next day…

Romania Romania-Moldova Trip 2024

On the Dracula Trail in Romania

There was no question that I was going to do a day trip to visit Bran Castle (popularly known as ‘Dracula’s Castle”) from Bucharest. The question was how best to get there.

Setting Out

It is possible to get there by public transportation, but it seemed like a bit of a tight journey to do in a day. It would have involved taking a train and then a bus or taxi and it would have been a little bit too much to do in one day. So, I found a small tour where they take you to the castle for the day and back again; however, the night before I received an email from the small tour company saying they didn’t have enough people to run the tour, so they had moved me onto one of those big bus tours. I was disappointed. I didn’t want to be in one of those big buses, led around by a person with an umbrella, but at this late hour, I didn’t have a choice. So the next morning I got up early, grabbed a coffee, and went to the bus stop.

It was one of those big buses crammed full of people. I wanted to feel like I was too cool for that sort of tourist transportation, and maybe I am, but it actually turned out to be okay. This tour was little more than transportation. They shuttled us from stop to stop and as we approached they told us a few things about the place we were visiting and then they set us free to wander on our own. So it was fine.

*a couple of pictures i took from the bus window*

Magical Peleș Castle

The first stop was at Peleș Castle, just outside of Sinaia. The castle is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, so we would just be making a stop outside to wander around the grounds. The castle was built in the late 1800s by the then King of Romania, Carol I, in a neo Renaissance Gothic-Revival style. It is beautiful. It has the look of a castle that you might draw when you were a little kid, with tall, pointed turrets in a relatively small footprint but rising high in the mountains. It is surrounded by forests just outside of the town. What made the stop at the castle my favourite thing that I did in Romania though, was that it was snowing. This was in November, so it was chilly, but everywhere else on my trip the temperature stayed above zero and usually closer to 10°. But as we were a little higher in the mountains, the temperature dropped, and the snow began to fall. Even as we reached the town and castle, the trees were dusted with snow and flakes were falling. I was giddy. I love snow. As we walked around the castle, the snow was falling heavily and everything looked magical. I can’t imagine a prettier setting.

Bran Castle

From there we drove to Bran Castle. Dracula’s castle. Bran Castle is about 25 kilometres outside of Brașov, in the town of Bran. This castle was built from the late 1300s by the Saxons, so it has a more medieval kind of look to it. It is dramatic. it’s situated on top of a rocky hill looming over the town. It is famous for its association with Dracula and Vlad the Impaler, although the basis for these connections is tenuous at best. Bram Stoker never visited this castle and there’s nothing to suggest that he even based the castle in Dracula on Bran Castle. Vlad the Impaler is believed to have stayed there occasionally or at least once, but it was never his residence. The whole Dracula thing is largely just myth and marketing – but that doesn’t mean it isn’t cool.

Bran Castle is imposing and impressive, and Vlad the Impaler was a bloody and malicious ruler so, Dracula or not, it’s still a great place to visit. There are lots of Dracula representations around the castle, from the souvenirs sold in the town to the depictions of Dracula and Romanian spooky folklore figures like werewolves and ghosts in the castle. It’s a little bit cheesy, but I loved it I love anything monster and horror related so this was right up my alley. Plus, Vlad the Impaler? What a monster. What a badass. Impaling your enemies on stakes and a warning to others. That’s an impressive level of cruelty and drama.

I walked through the castle and then took a couple of moody selfies wearing my most goth sunglasses next to a gravestone at the bottom of the castle. Maybe I listened to a little Bauhaus on my headphones. I had a goth moment and high school me was proud. Who am I kidding? 48-year-old me was delighted.

Dale Raven North, elder Goth

I had a coffee and a pastry and we were back on the bus headed to Brașov.

Brașov

Brașov is a historical city with its own dark history. The pretty town square was once used to burn witches. Really.

We had an hour or two in Brașov. It was getting dark, and it was cold as a little snowy. I visited the Black Church (paid entrance; it was only ok), enjoyed a coffee at a cute café, wandered around. My favorite things (apart from the witch history) were the narrow alley way that was covered in graffiti and the town’s emblem, which was a crown with the roots of an oak tree.

Back on the bus, we headed back to Bucharest. I had a small cigar and headed back to my hostel for the night. I had an early flight to a new destination: Moldova.

Djibouti Eritrea-Djibouti trip 2024

Overnight at Lake Abbé

I enjoyed two days in Djibouti City, but the real draw for me was the countryside. There are a number of excursions that one can do on a tour in Djibouti. You can do long treks, wildlife encounters on the land, whale sharks in the sea, etc. The thing that I wanted to do though was travel inland to Lake Abbé, so I looked for a tour operator to do an overnight visit to that destination.

There were a few offering this service, but the one that I found eventually had the best price and itinerary combination. Africorne Travel, run by a pleasant and professional French guy, Alain, living at least part-time in Djibouti. Sometimes he runs the tours himself and if he is not around then he has a local run it. I was in the latter category.

The Journey

On the day that we left, my guide picked me up in a big 4×4 off road vehicle, driven by a driver whose name I can’t recall. We set out. We stopped at a market to buy some fruit and then drove past some large Chinese infrastructure building roads, and then we were out in the countryside.

The drive was excellent. There are some small towns and villages along the way as you drive to the lake. We stopped at one to have lunch, before continuing on our way. But as we got away from that small town, the land just became barren. Some small rocky hills or sometimes just miles of flat cracked earth. Little to nothing was growing, there was no water to be seen, aside from the odd camel, very little in the way of wildlife. The roads disappeared and we were entirely off road. The temperature was in the mid 40s. It was desolate.

*my crew: stopping for cigarettes and snacks*

What I found amazing, was that in this very inhospitable landscape, there were still small villages. In these small villages people seemed to live of houses that resembled rounded piles of sticks and fabric. There would be one or two shops, that were sort of like cinder block cubes. We stopped at one to pick up some water and cigarettes. But I just kept thinking, why live here? No shade or water, electricity or any conveniences. Surely like would be better in a town or at least somewhere where you cold grow food or fish, but you have to respect the resilience.

I was enjoying the journey, but what was unusual was that we were collecting people along the way. It had started with just three of us, but after our lunch in the small town a man with an orange beard joined us, and for a time another young man joined us. I gather we were giving them rides to other places that we were going. It was fun and I was happy for whatever was going on. I have since then had people ask me if I felt safe as a solo female traveler with all these strange men in the middle of nowhere; and the answer is yes. Without reservation.

The drive should have been about 6 hours not including lunch. So I was counting on it being maybe 7 hours or so. Even as I thought that, I did recognize that things can always go sideways, especially where, as here, there are no roads, but I was keeping my fingers crossed that in about 7 or 8 hours I would be at my destination camping out by the lake.

Unfortunately, things did take a bit of a turn. We got stuck in the mud. It’s funny to say “mud’’ because there was nothing remotely wet or muddy about the ground, but we got stuck in layers of dirt that had formerly been mud I suppose. We all got out of the vehicle and tried to help rocking it back and forth to get us unstuck. That was to no avail. And then we walked out from the vehicle into the landscape looking for large branches that we could use to put under the wheel to make sort of a ramp to drive out on. But the landscape was nothing. It was like the moon. There were no trees, and any bits of wood were just little twigs. Finally, two of the guys decided that they would walk back to the last village that we had passed and ask for help. The last village we passed was a ways back, but I figured that was the only option. (It’s worth mentioning, that in this landscape not only is there no Wi-Fi of course, but also no cell signal. Is the sort of place where you could imagine just dying if you didn’t have the right provisions.)

While we waited for them to return, I sat on the ground in the shadow of the vehicle and smoked cigarillos whilst being bundled up on a long-sleeved hoodie and brimmed cap. It was roasting, but I wanted to stay out of the sun.

I was expecting my travel mates to return with a vehicle with 4-wheel drive and a winch to pull us out of the hole, but what they returned with were three skinny young men in sandals, and with a collective weight of about 300 pounds, and a shovel. How was this going to work?

They got to work, digging a bigger hole and then filling it in with dirt, packing it down and adding more. And then with a bit pushing from all of us, we were out. Two of the guys walked back to the village with the shovel, but one guy joined us for the trip. Now we were six.

The new guy took over for the designated driver and it was clear why; he skills to navigate the terrain far exceeded that of the original driver. We drove in and out of deep crevices in the earth where water once flowed, we scaled hills that seemed to be nothing more than piles of boulders. A couple of times we briefly got stuck again, but he freed us quickly.

Of course, this delay had dramatically extended our journey and by the time we got to Lake Abbé, the sun was setting, but first I got a preliminary view of what I had travelled so far to see.

Lake Abbé

Lake Abbé is salty lake at the border of Ethiopia and Djibouti and is considered to be one of the more inaccessible places on earth. The landscape is flat and then towards the edge of the lake are these craggy natural chimneys and a small, dormant volcano. Because of the late hour I would have to wait until the morning to visit them, but I got some nice views from the camp.

The camp consisted of some igloo-shaped grass huts with cots inside, a covered patio area, cooking area, and toilets that worked if there was water.

I sat on the patio area with my companions. Only two spoke English, but we sat and ate dinner and drank tea, watching the landscape disappear into darkness. I enjoyed a couple cigars.

*On the right, that is me trying to take a selfie and being startled by a flying insect.*

Because there is no electricity and nothing for miles, the sky was spectacular with stars and in the distance there was occasional lightening. I went to bed but quickly realized that the huts were like tiny ovens, so I dragged my cot outside and slept soundly under the stars.

In the morning, before everyone else got up, my guide and I walked to the lake. The ground was crazy. In places it was hard and cracked with dried salt and in other places you would sink into mud past your ankles. There were fissures in the earth in places where hot water boiled up, producing steam. It was so cool; truly like being on another planet.

We could not get right up to the lake as the mud was too thick, but we got to see a lot.

Back at the camp, we had breakfast and then four of us walked to a different part of the lake, where the water appeared pink – because it was covered in flamingos! I had never seen so many. It was incredible. We couldn’t get too close without scaring them off, so my pictures are a bit lacking In quality resolution, but in person it was beautiful.

*Me and the original guide and driver and the substitute driver*

We packed up and started the journey to another lake – Lake Assal. On the way we met lots of camels and a small troupe of curious monkeys.

Our group dwindled as we dropped off our add-on travelers and again, we were three.

Lake Assal

Lake Assal is relatively close to the city, but on the other side. (It is easily visitable as a day trip from Djibouti City.) It Is notable for being a hypersaline lake, like the Dead Sea, and also for being the lowest place in Africa. I had had the experience of floating in the Dead Sea and didn’t feel like getting all salt encrusted so I didn’t swim in it, but it was beautiful. Like nothing I had seen before. Blinding white and reflective; like ice. We could walk out quite far on the salt before it turned into a lake, but with the water on top of the sale it became like a mirror.

At the shore were a few young men and boys selling salt and items, like animal skulls, that had been submerged in the lake and were now salt-encrusted artifacts.

*this would have looked so cool in my office*

We drove back to the city, stopping at a massive gorge and a view of the landscape.

It was an excellent experience and while it was not cheap, it was worth the money.

Back at Djibouti City, I would have another day before heading home via London.

For my post about Djibouti City, click here.

Move on to my layover in London here.

*friendly kids in a village in Djibouti*

Eritrea Eritrea-Djibouti trip 2024

Back in Time in Asmara, Eritrea

When I told people I was going to Eritrea, all but the most die-hard travelers had not heard of it. Fair enough. Although Eritrea is famous for a long-standing conflict with Ethiopia, it is not well known to your average person. Eritrea occupies a sliver of land northeast of Ethiopia, just above Djibouti, and along the Red Sea.

Eritrea has been notoriously difficult to visit. You need a visa and someone on the ground to arrange it for you. At the time I went, you had to go as part of a tour, but the tour needn’t occupy all of your time. You needed a permit to leave Asmara (the capital). There is little to no wifi, no ATMs, credit cards are not accepted, and the country tightly controls the information coming in and out. It is often referred to as the “North Korea of Africa.” Not exactly inviting.

But I was so curious to visit this secretive nation that I planned a trip around it.

I booked a day tour and visa support through an Eritrean travel agency called Adulis Travel. They were very helpful. All I had to do was send them my info and agree to pay them in cash and they took care of my visa, hotel, and tour.

I planned to spend a few days in Asmara. One day on the tour and then two days to myself being gloriously offline; relaxing at cafes and taking in the architecture.

I arrived from Cairo (written about in my previous post). I arrived after midnight and my guide, Selihom, was waiting for me and thankfully so. With her help, I was able to get my visa in my passport in about 30 minutes. Others waited for more than an hour. I paid $70US cash for the visa and Selihom dropped me off at my hotel, promising to pick me up in a few hours for my day tour. Sigh. Another night of only a few hours’ sleep.

I stayed at the Crystal Hotel. There are other and cheaper options, but they are located farther from the centre. The Crystal Hotel was not cheap, but central and well staffed. My room was huge and devoid of any character.

My first glimpse of Asmara was that it was completely empty of people and quiet at this time of night. Also, the streets were immaculate. Well-paved and free of trash. It looked quaint and I could not wait to go see it tomorrow.

The next morning, Selihom picked me up with a driver. The tour would be a walking / driving affair. It was a good introduction to the city. Of course, were it not for the need to have a tour to get the visa, I would have visited on my own and that would have been fine, but we did see a lot on that first day and I got a good sense of what the place was like. What was allowed, what people’s lives were like, etc. As much as you can in a day.

We visited Medebar market – always a favourite stop of mine. We went to a local scrap area where people were taking discarded items and making them into new things. Old paint cans, scrap metal, barrels et cetera, all became something new. They told me this is because of their environmental concerns, and I am not saying that is untrue, but it is certainly also because they do not have a lot of money or access to world markets.

Medebar Market and a welder there with a homemade mask

We visited a video store and electronic repair shop. I know, but it was really interesting. Because there is little to no wifi in the country, people are not streaming their media; they are renting it. Ah, nostalgia. The guy fixing the TVs and phones said he could fix everything and did. Again, in a limited economy things must be reused, but it is also a good lesson to those that throw things away and replace them without a second thought.

We walked the streets of the downtown area. This was terrific. Asmara is full of 1940s architecture, and little has been upgraded. It is a UNESCO site for these reasons. Part of what makes it so appealing is that the Italians occupied Eritrea, built terrific theatres and cafes and then left and the country has been more or less frozen in time since then. Those cinemas and cafes are still in use. The coffees and atmospheres are wonderful. All of Asmara has this suspended in time feeling and in a lovely way. No billboards or flashing signs, people are not on their phones constantly (because no wifi), there are old cars, clean streets, and everything is quite well taken care of. It reminded me a little of Havana before they got wifi.

This was the atmosphere I wanted to enjoy for a few days.

The only downside is that Asmara has very strict smoking laws. No smoking indoors or on any patios. Period. And I only found one place (a courtyard at a hotel) that was willing to break the rules. That was a bit of a disappointment. I had imagined myself on patios with tiny Eritrean/Italian coffees, puffing on a Ramon Allones. Oh well. I still was able to smoke outside my hotel in the evening sitting on a chair they let me borrow.

We continue our tour by visiting the thing I was most excited to see: the Fiat Tagliero Building. The building was designed as a petrol station by Giuseppe Pettazzi and was built in 1938. It has an art deco/futurist style and is intended to look like an airplane. It is fabulous. It is no longer in use but is very much intact and you can enter and climb up to the roof for a different perspective. It was this building that first made me want to visit Asmara and it did not disappoint.

But there was more to come!

We visited the tank graveyard; a pretty field littered with piles of tanks, trucks, and other army vehicles. They remain there as a symbol of Eritrean independence and its victorious struggle against Ethiopia in the war of independence (1961 to 1991). The site is just out in the open but there is a cabal of taxi drivers who monitor the comings and goings and charge a small fee. It was super fun to climb on all the old wrecks and play with the tanks.

Amongst the things frozen in time in Asmara is the bowling alley. Built in the early 1950s for American using a base nearby, it exudes vintage charm. Vintage photos of long deceased leagues adorn the walls. Translucent red brick detail on the walls and lanes where the balls are returned and the pins reset by hand. By children. Of course, Selihom and I played a round. There was no one else bowling at the time, but the billiards tables next to the lanes were packed.

We stopped by a cemetery and walked the tombstones and then we had lunch.

Traditional Eritrean food is similar to Ethiopian and I had a platter of vegetarian treats served on spongy injera bread.

We made a final stop, which was up in the mountains for views of the valley and to try a local cactus fruit that is picked and sold by the local kids. Honestly the fruit was only so-so, but I had several of them.

It was a marvellous day. I learned a lot of about Eritrea, saw ‘the sites’, and enjoyed Selihom’s company. And then I was set free.

I went out for dinner – pizza (hey, it was an Italian colony) – and had a walk and a cigar before bed. I couldn’t wait for the next day of wandering around at my own pace and enjoying the city. Except…that didn’t happen.

Sorry for the cliffhanger, but read on, for the tale of how quickly things can change in Eritrea.

Vietnam Vietnam Laos trip 2024

Hanoi: Vintage Motorcycle Tour

On my second evening in Hanoi, I realized that I had done most of what I wanted to do but that I still had a half a day before I went to the airport the next day. So I looked into what sort of walking tours perhaps I could do. But I found something even better: a tour of Hanoi on a vintage motorbike. This was offered by Hanoi Backstreet Tours and I booked it immediately.

I was picked up at my hotel by a fellow riding a vintage-looking army motorcycle. We were joined by another two guides each with a guest on their motorcycles. A couple from Japan. And off we went. It was terrific. It took us through areas of the city that I had not visited and gave me some small photo opportunities. They also took us through tiny little back streets, that we skilfully wound through on the motorbikes. They took us to some interesting shops including one that made wedding cakes and another that made replica luxury goods out of paper for burning to achieve good luck in the afterlife. We went to a market and saw chickens and fish and other creatures. A lot of interesting historical details were shared.

We even left the city at one point and went across a bridge and saw some of the shantytowns down by the river.

While near the market, we passed a small square where young men were smoking big bamboo pipes. I had seen this already the day before in my walk around but I wasn’t sure what they were smoking in them. The guide explained that they were smoking tobacco, called thuoc lao. It’s not cigarette tobacco. It is closer to the sort of tobacco that you would use to roll a cigar, though it is not fermented in the same way. The pipe, made from bamboo and called a điếu cày, Is kind of like a water pipe. Of course I wanted to try it.

The guide spoke to one of the young men who agreed to let me try his pipe. He lit it for me, got it going, and then handed it to me. I placed my mouth over the end and inhaled deeply, taking in a lungful of the potent smoke. I am a daily cigar smoker but I have never smoked cigarettes, so inhaling is not a natural thing for me. I immediately started coughing and laughing at the same time, much to the amusement of the small crowd of young men that had gathered around to watch the idiot tourist try the giant pipe. Below is a still from a humiliating video of me trying the pipe. Still, it was a fun experience I’m glad that I tried it.

It all wound up with an excellent lunch. It was superb. We covered more ground on the motorcycles, and it was just fun.

Rather than having them drop me off at my hostel, I asked her to drop me off at the La Casa del Habano, that I had passed earlier. I had just enough time for a cigar. I went in and had a Quai d’Orsay in a very civilized environment before catching a Grab back to my hostel and a taxi to the airport. It was a terrific way to wind up my time in Southeast Asia on this trip.

My next trip would be to Eritrea and Djibouti, via Cairo.

Laos Vietnam Laos trip 2024

Weird and Wonderful Buddha Park

Thing I had most looked forward to in visiting Vientiane was Buddha Park, a tourist attraction that is basically exactly what it sounds like, a park full of Buddhas, but it much cooler than it sounds. But first I had to figure out how to get there.

Buddha Park is located about 25 kilometres outside of Vientiane. It is possible to get there by a bus and I consider doing that, but everywhere I went in Vientiane I kept seeing these little signs attached to trees offering a day tour to Buddha Park and a few other sites in a tuk tuk for $10 by a man called Tungchai. It seemed like a good price and exactly what I wanted, but I questioned whether it was a good idea to message a stranger based on a piece of paper nailed to a tree and agree to go anywhere with him. But the more I saw the signs, the more I thought, ‘surely this person can’t be a killer, or they wouldn’t have gone to so much trouble.’ I messaged the fellow on WhatsApp and arranged to be picked up the next day.

*I mean, it’s laminated. That means it’s legit, right?*

It was a great choice. Tungchai arrived the next day on time in his tuk tuk with one other guest. I can’t recall the name of guy who was on the tour with me, but he was a pleasant fellow from Australia with a strong accent who was in Laos on business and had decided to do a bit of sightseeing. I’ll call him Mick. We chatted throughout the day about different places that we had travelled and about where we were from. When I told him I was from Canada he was quite excited because he is a Mormon and had heard about Mormon settlements in British Columbia, Canada where polygamy was allowed or ongoing; he had strong feelings about polygamy and how it should be legal for religious reasons. It was interesting to have that conversation as I’ve not encountered someone who had that belief before in a Mormon context. I took a very open-minded stance and just said that I think that relationships can come in all sorts of configurations and who is anyone to judge, although I had some concerns about the legalities and practical effect. He also told me a story about his son being in prison for homicide. Interesting chat, and he was good company for the half a day that we spent together.

We made a few stops throughout the day. We visited Patuxai (the victory arch commemorating gaining independence from the French), Pha That Luang. the golden temple, and the COPE centre, all of which I had visited the previous day on my walks, but I had no objection to revisiting them. And then it was on to the Buddha Park.

Buddha Park was started in 1958 by a Thai Priest/Sherman named Bunleua Sulilat. His faith was sort of Buddhism influenced by Hinduism as I understand it. He built the park and filled it with statues of Buddhist inspired and deities. Zero set along various paths surrounded by greenery. It was raining when we went, which gave it a magical feel. Even better there were only two other people visiting at the time. The idea of a park full of Buddha statues could sound kind of cheesy, but there’s something about this place that’s just weird and wonderful. The statues are just so odd. You want a giant pumpkin with an angry face that you can walk into and enter a representation of hell? It’s got that. Do you want a guy tugging on the leg of a giant grasshopper? It’s got that. Do you want a statue of various a multi faced Hindu with multiple arms outstretched so that it looks like a carnival ride? It’s got that too. The place is just amazing.

On the way back to the city, we stopped at a couple of other temples. It was a very fun half day trip with good company and interesting stories from our guide, and I never tire of running around in tuk tuks.

And then I was back to visiting Vientiane on my own. I’ve covered the rest of Vientiane in a different post here. The next day I would take the train to Luang Prabang.

Andorra Andorra-Lithuania trip 2024

Day Trip to Andorra

I was in Barcelona to visit Andorra. Andorra was my last microstate in Europe that I had not visited. It’s easy enough to miss; it’s just a dot on the map in between the borders of Spain and France. It doesn’t even sound real; Andorra sounds like a region in a Tolkien book, not current country.

*Andorra map, right on the border between Spain and France*

Although the area had been inhabited before this, present day Andorra can effectively chase trace its roots back to the 10th century when Charlamagne give a charter to 5000 people living in the area, primarily soldiers. After that, and for centuries, the tiny state seemed to pass hands from one king or protectorate to another and was occupied by France…I was going to try and summarize it in more detail, but honestly it gets too complicated, so just go and read it a book or a Wikipedia page if you’re interested.

In 1993, Andorra got a constitution and became a voting member of the United Nations. Andorra has a Prime Minister, but also has a co-principality, which means it has two princes (Spin Doctors jokes aside); one prince is the Bishop of Urgell and the other is the President of France. So the president of France in Andorra is kind of a Prince. None of this makes any sense to me either but it is interesting.

The whole country is just under 468 square kilometres and has a population of approximately 88,000 people. Andorra is located in the Pyrenees mountains, which makes it a skiing destination, and its capital is Andorra la Vella. Its biggest industry is tourism, and it also earns money from being a tax haven. I’ve never really heard anything great about Andorra aside from beautiful scenery and low cigar prices, but I hadn’t been there and I wanted to go. This is one of those trips that really did feel like I was checking a box, even though I was excited to see what it was like.

The easiest way to visit Andorra is by driving from Barcelona, as there is no airport. If you can drive, I think it would be lovely to rent a car and make the leisurely drive yourself, but as I don’t know how to drive, this meant organizing a bus tour for the day. I never relish doing this but when it’s the only option, what can you do?

The tours that I booked turned out to be quite good. It was a little larger than I would have liked but the timing was good, and they didn’t chat our ears off or make us follow around an umbrella around in a herd.

Bagà, Spain

We left early in the morning from Barcelona and made our first stop, a small medieval town in the north of Spain, Bagà. Bagà is a little pretty town founded in the 9th century and has a population of slightly over 2,000 people today. They gave us about a 20-minute walk around the town showing us some notable sites, and then we were left free to wander for the rest of the hour. It was picturesque and delightful. I didn’t feel like I needed more time there.

Ax-les-Thermes, France

From there, we crossed the border into France, where we had about an hour in Ax-les-Thermes. The town has been settled since about the 1200s. Today it is famous for having sulphurous Hot Springs with apparent additional properties. The town itself was a population of only about 1200 people. It’s impossibly pretty. I felt like Belle from Beauty and the Beast walking around the charming streets; and, like Belle, I was given curious and suspicious looks as I walked around singsongly greeting people with “Bonjour.”

Arrival in Andorra

From there we drove to Andorra. It was May and in Barcelona it had been quite warm, but as we drove high through the mountains Andorra, there was snow and the temperature dropped considerably. The landscapes were stunning. I love mountains and snow so this is right up my alley. I think it would have been lovely to maybe do some hiking or to stay the night there, but we only had a day trip and so we had to make the most of what we had.

We arrived in Andorra and had a couple of hours of time for exploring. The capital of Andorra is…not great. I really struggled to find pretty picturesque things to photograph. Much of it is unremarkable, and a lot of it just feels like a big duty-free store. It’s worth seeing once but that’s about it.

The thing that I had most excited about was picking up some cigars, since I had heard that the cigar prices there are noticeably less than in the rest of Europe, and also they have quite a good selection of Cubans. What I didn’t realize, was that all the cigar stores closed between roughly 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM, precisely the time that we would be there. I walked around to each of the cigar stores and pressed my nose against the glass, looking in at shelves of boxes that would never be mine.

I stopped for a cup of coffee and a small cigar with one of the girls from my tour and walked back, a bit dejected, to meet the rest of the group to get back on the bus. As I waited for the group to join us, I saw a man walk towards and unlock the door to a small and very average-looking cigar store. It was about 10 minutes before they were supposed to reopen, but I frantically persuaded him to let me in. I had a look around. While there were a number of impressive boxes of Cuban cigars, he explained to me that they had already been purchased. At this time the supply of Cuban cigars across Europe was dwindling. There were only two Cuban cigars in the shop that were available for purchase; fortunately they were regional edition San Cristobals, and I snapped them up along with about 15 other random non-Cubans. I can confirm that the prices were excellent.

A bit happier, I boarded the bus, and we headed back to Barcelona.

We got back before nightfall, but just barely. I spent the evening, as I had the previous evening wandering around and having bites to eat and cigars and cocktails at various bars and restaurants near my hostel.

I had all of the next morning in Barcelona as well, and I did more of the same as I had done the previous day, wandering around and taking insights. Fortunately, as I got up quite early, I was able to visit some of the churches and areas before the throngs of tourists overtook them.

At about noon, I headed for the airport, as I had a 3:00 PM ish flight to Vilnius, Lithuania.

Europe Iceland

Christmas Eve in Iceland

The day after my magnificent Golden Circle tour, I thought that maybe I would be disappointed with Reykjavik, but I had another excellent day. On my first day I had already seen most of the main sights that were on my list, the second day I saw spectacular snowy vistas, so the third day was an unstructured wander in Reykjavik. I strolled the city having leisurely coffees and stopping to explore new streets. It was still dark most of the day, but I was used to this already and was in the rhythm of Iceland’s short winter days.

Still in the dark, I walked to the National Museum of Iceland. Truthfully, if you aren’t a museum person or if you are lacking time, you could skip this museum, but I really enjoyed it. It had a nice collection of historical artifacts and more modern items from Iceland, including a few creepy items that I enjoyed.

Odds and Ends from the Museum

When I emerged from the museum, the sun was rising and I walked around a little, mostly frozen lake where a congress of waterfowl was floating. The sun, golden and reflecting on the ice, the little row of colorful houses, like exquisitely crafted confections, and the birds. It was magical.

I am aware that I am overusing the word “magical” in my Iceland posts, but it is just a magical place and no other word seems quite right.

It was now Christmas Eve, and most businesses and attractions were closing at noon or 2pm or thereabouts and would have found myself without much to do, had I not booked myself on to a Folklore Walking Tour. Just as it sounds, it is a walking tour that tells the tales of Iceland’s rich history of folklore and ‘hidden creatures’. Iceland has a rich tradition of elves, fairies, ogres, and monsters of various kinds. Most countries do, I suppose, but in Iceland, they traditions seem to have carried on into the present. While it seems that most people do not still believe in such creatures or magic, some still do, and many of the non-believers seem to have adopted a ‘better safe than sorry’ attitude. As we walked Reykjavik on the tour we were told stores of ancient creatures and magic, but also about how certain rocks or trees, believed to house elves or similar folk, have been left intact when road or other construction would otherwise have eradicated them. The result is a perfectly straight road taking a bizarre turn around a collection of rocks so as not to disturb them or those that may live beneath. And there were tales of construction projects being mysteriously interfered with until the enchanted place was spared.

Of course I don’t live my life believing in such things, but I want so much for some fantastical creature to be real that I was as delighted by the stories as the children who were on the tour. It was a lot of fun.

But then the tour was over. It was again dark, and most things were closed. I decided to call it an early night and went back to my hostel to sleep.

The next day was Christmas and the day I would fly home.

Assorted Reykjavik photos from my day

Europe Iceland

Iceland’s Golden Circle

As much as I enjoyed Reykjavik, I wasn’t coming all the way to Iceland and not going to see some of its heralded landscapes. If you can’t drive, it’s very difficult to see these places, and particularly difficult to see many of them in a day. As a non-driver, this left me with the only option of taking a tour. I’m never very excited about taking tours but when I do take a a tour, it usually ends up okay. What I dread is the group tour where even if the activities are acceptable, I never really want to interact with the group. That’s how this tour started, but it ended up being great.

There are countless groups offering identical golden circle tours in Iceland. ‘Golden Circle’ referring to a route of touristy spots and sites coined by the Iceland tourism board I believe. I don’t know how I picked the tour that I picked other than that it was a small number of people. It was a long day. They collected me in the morning at my hostel and dropped me off in the evening at the same place. Given that the days in Iceland at this point contained only about three hours of sunlight, much of the tour was in the dark. This is a consideration if you are going there in the winter; don’t expect to be gazing out the window at the landscapes all throughout the ride. Most of the time you’ll be looking out the window at blackness. In some ways that’s a bit of a disappointment, but I kind of enjoyed it. Once we got out of Reykjavik everything was completely blanketed in snow and snow was falling and blowing and the sky was black. At times, looking out the bus window, all I could see was the brightness of the snow and the blackness of the sky and no discernible shapes. It felt like we were in another realm.

*Picture I took from the bus window. It was originally just black but I increased the brightness to see what was there.*

And it was snowing. Hard and at an angle. I came to learn that even if you can drive, most locals don’t recommend that tourists rent cars in the middle of winter. The roads are too treacherous and the conditions too unpredictable.

Even before the sun came up, the sky began to lighten we could see the places that we were stopping.

Up first was the Kerid Crater, a volcanic crater that, in the summer, is a bright blue lake. In the winter however, it is a large divot in the earth’s crust covered with snow. Of all the sites we saw that day, this was the least impressive. I even posed in front of it for a photo but wondering why. It’s like posing in front of an empty bowl. (I have no doubt that it is better in the summer.)

Despite my ambivalence about seeing the creator, I absolutely loved getting out of the vehicle. This was the first time that we were truly confronted with winter. It was windy and snow was blowing and deep and crunchy and I had the distinct feeling that if I were left outside, I would perish. It felt very exciting. It’s difficult to capture the conditions in a photo, except that many of my attempted selfies ended up looking like this:

Back in the bus, the next stop was the Geyser. (Technically, I understand that it was the smaller geyser that we saw, called Strokkur, as the larger Geyser is no longer active.) We walked from the bus across the snowy landscape to a flat area, which was still snowy, but with crevices in the earth out of which warm water bubbled. We gathered around the geyser and waited for the eruptions. It was actually pretty impressive, as it shot into the air and enveloped us in a cloud of steam.

Strokker in action

From there, we went to the massive Gullfoss Waterfall. This was a pretty site but very unpleasant to visit. The wind was so strong that I had to lean into it and push forward with all my might to stay standing. Ice shards like tiny knives bit into my face. None of us spent much time outside. We got a quick look at the waterfall, snapped some pictures and hurried back to the bus. It was fun to really experience (albeit just for a few moments) the power of winter.

The next stop was my favourite: Thingvellir National Park. We walked from the bus on a path that led us to a corridor of sorts, with natural rock walls and trees. In the middle was hard snowy ledges and a frozen river and waterfall. It was unreal in its beauty. It one of the prettiest things I’ve seen anywhere. It did not seem real and was pure magic.

I asked a woman to take my picture. Me in my 100^th country.

At this point, I wandered off in a different direction from my group. I do not advise this. I was so enamoured with the snow that I began trudging through a deep, untouched trough of snow with the high rock walls on either side. I loved the silence and the beauty of it. …but the path didn’t go anywhere and at some point I realized I had to go back – and fast – as the bus would leave soon. I speed walked (as best I could) through the snow and past the icy river, not even bothering to stop at the place where the European continent meets the North American continent and made it to the bus as the final one to board.

*Me before I realized I was kind of lost*

Our final stop was at a hot spring. It was supposed to be at the Blue Lagoon, but a volcano had erupted nearby in the previous few days and the lagoon was closed on a lava alert. We went instead to Hvammsvik Hot Springs, a newly opened hot spring on the edge of the sea.

When we got there, it was again dark. We entered the small but stylish facility and were given wrist bands. These would open our lockers and allow us to order drinks from the bar whilst in the water. In the change room, we were to change into our swimwear and shower before entering. I am thoroughly uncomfortable with public nudity, but when in Iceland…I showered quickly changed into my swimsuit.

*View from the hot springs (with the brightness enhanced so something would be visible in the photo)*

The short walk from the change room to the pool was bracing. I had the impulse to run, but the good sense not to, as the path was slick with ice. In the water, all discomforts were gone. It was so pleasant. I’m not one for hot tubs or group bathing, but this was lovely. It was dark and warm and, in the distance, the snowy hills and frigid sea created a surreal backdrop. This was the first time on the trip that I really chatted with anyone. It was nice to get to know some of the people; particularly a father and son traveling together after the loss of their wife/mother. After we left the pool and dressed, we shared a meal in the restaurant. It was nice how in the serene environment of the springs we all opened up and shared our stories.

On the long drive back to Reykjavik there was a bit of chatter and then silence as we all gazed out into the night.

I got back to my hostel in the evening, but early enough to go out. I went out to a cocktail bar and got a drink and sat outside and had a cigar. There were a lot of stylish and cool bars open and packed with local people out in groups, dressed smartly, and bar hopping. I sat outside with my cigar and my perpetually icy drink watching the scene and reflecting on the snowy wonderland I had been in.

It was a thoroughly satisfying day. The next day would be Christmas Eve, and I had a bit more of Reykjavik to see and a magical tour of magical creatures.

Africa Zambia Zimbabwe-Zambia 2023

A Dip in the Devil’s Pool

I had arrived in Zambia from Zimbabwe ready for more adventure. My trip to Zimbabwe and Zambia was epic because it contained so many big and exciting experiences in addition to the already great experiences of seeing the cities: Victoria Falls, Chobe National Park, and finally: the Devil’s Pool. There was no way I was going to go to Livingstone, Zambia and not sit atop one of the world’s great waterfalls. Did it sound scary? Yes, but that is part of the fun.

What is the Devil’s Pool? It is a natural rock formation at the top of Victoria Falls on the Zambian side that, during the drier season, you can sit in and look over and down the top of the falls as water rushes by. Try it in the wet season and it will be your final water-slide.

There were a lot of companies offering the experience, but I ended up booking with Livingstone Island.

I had to be at the launch site by 6:50am, which meant taking a taxi from my hotel. There were about 10 of us who quickly got to know each other, partly because we were all a bit trepidatious as we signed our liability waivers in case of death. While I think it is natural to be nervous, the whole experience is quite safe and very professional. We were given a briefing before taking a boat across one part of the river, passing hippos on the way.

We then stopped the boat and got out onto a rocky bit on the middle of the river and ‘swam’ across the next part of the river. I say ‘swam’, because it isn’t really swimming. There is a rope going across the river to help guide you, as the current is rushing perpendicular to you. If you are tall, as I am, your feet can touch the bottom most of the way. So it is sort of half swimming, half walking/pulling yourself across.

The setting is beautiful. If you go in the morning, you are almost guaranteed to see a rainbow created by the spray of the falls.

Then we got out onto another rock and descended into the Devil’s Pool, which really is right at the top and edge of the falls. Everyone goes in and takes turns peering over the edge.

Sitting the pool is lovely and very relaxing, even though there were tiny fish nibbling us and I was convinced that someone would jump over the edge at the shock of it.

Before you get into the Devil’s Pool, you give your phones or cameras to one of the guides and when it is your turn, he will take a series of photos and videos of you peering over the edge of the falls, while another of the guides holds on to your ankles to prevent you from being swept over. If ever a guide deserved a good tip, it’s these guys.

Looking over the edge of the falls is unbelievable. It is loud and dramatic and the drop is so far down. It was exhilarating. I actually did it twice; once at the beginning and once at the end. The second time was better because my photo was not being taken, so I wasn’t thinking about the camera and could just focus on the sheer excitement (or terror) of looking down the falls.

I found the photo part a bit awkward. I wanted a picture, but I wasn’t sure what to do. A lot of people did ‘thumbs up’ or peace signs, but that’s not really me. I wasn’t really comfortable enough for a ‘superman flying’ pose. So I just sat and lay there and tried not to look ridiculous. I think I look silly in most of the photos, but here are two.

And then we headed back where we had a fancy breakfast under a gazebo tent by the river. We all chatted and bonded over the unique experience.

leaving the falls behind

view of a different part of the falls and a plaque for Dr. Livingstone

A few tips:

While not necessary, I was glad I had water shoes with me as the rocks can be slippery and sharp.
Don’t wear a loose t-shirt out of modesty, as the force of the water when you are looking over the falls will push it all up around your neck. Wear a regular bathing suit or other tight-fitting bathing costume.
Sunscreen. Always.
I didn’t have one at the time, but I wished I had had a go pro or similar waterproof device, as it would have been nice to take photos and videos while sitting in the Devil’s Pool as everyone else took their turns.

It is super touristy, but it is also amazing and the guides were so good, there is nothing to worry about. I was returned to my hotel early in the morning to enjoy the rest of the day in Livingstone, which included a terrific zebra and cigar encounter.

Tag: Tour