All in one Dakar city guide covering transportation, lodging, day trips, and Covid testing.
On the western horn of Africa, Dakar is a massive bustling city which for years served as a melting pot of Portuguese, French, West African, Saharan and Islamic influence. great food, diverse architecture, fascinating people with a unique history, great beaches and sights – Dakar has it all!
Pyongyang Subway Mysteriousness A surprising highlight of our journey was the Pyongyang subway, which was both exciting and mysterious. Only in North Korea is the subway thrilling. At 110 metres (360 ft) it’s one of the deepest in the world, apparently designed to double as a bomb shelter. The station was bustling with people as […]
Brando Cox shares how he visited North Korea as one of the first American allowed into the country following Madeleine Albright’s US State Department visit
First: Don’t do what we did! In retrospect, its insanity! At the Roof of Africa lies the narrow Sani Pass, an infamously steep “4×4 only” winding high mountain pass connecting the eastern edge of Lesotho and South Africa. With names like Devil’s Corner, Hairpin Bend, and Suicide Bend, the route’s treacherous conditions, narrow winding hairpin […]
Stuck in Somalia! (and getting kicked out of Ethiopia for refusing to pay a bribe) The first surprise, prior to visiting Somalia in 2008, was when I collected my tourist visa from the Somaliland consulate in Addis Ababa. You know you are going a bit off the beaten tourist track when your visa number is […]
Getting in. For a long time, Belarus was one of the most difficult countries to visit. Even more so for curious Americans! Once requiring an arduous and expensive visa dance, with a lot of steps, and a high level of rejections. Belarus would complete my visit of every country in Europe! For years, I had […]
When to buy Duty Free?! Rules for saving money: buying Duty Free, and when you should not. You just landed in a foreign airport. Experienced travelers aren’t worried about simple things like getting money- use an ATM (who seriously still uses currency exchanges?!) Transport is generally a no brainer. Go through immigration; grab your bags, […]
North Korea. The most isolated country exists in a world of its own. However, lets back up a bit. In 2003 I took my first solo trip to South Korea and somewhere along the way discovered my passion for conflict resolution. My trip to South Korea was my first time travelling alone….something I never realized until writing this post. […]
2013-4-21 Lebanon: Beirut, Tripoli and ByblosA wave of emotions swept over me as my flight from Saudi Arabia descended into Beirut, Lebanon. Undeniably, there was a lot of excitement. For years I had dreamed of the day I would be able to walk the streets of Beirut and Byblos. I had met many Lebanese in my travels. They inspired […]
