Where I’ve been
Point on a country in dark green to know the number of stories I wrote about it, click to see them!
There are 86 countries I have posted something about, out of the 111 I ever visited (now including all countries in Europe and South-East Asia). The ones with no stories are in light green. Because it is impossible to click on micro-countries, I kept my alphabetical list:
ALBANIA
Summer vacation in Albania with my “Thai” friends. Aug 2014
Albania, part 2: getting a lot better as we travel to the old town of Gjirokastër. Aug 2014
Berat, Albania: where for the first time I met a guy actually named Elvis! Aug 2014
Last stop in Albania: the surprisingly cool capital, Tirana. Aug 2014
AUSTRALIA
New Years Eve in Sydney! Dec 2012
On the prisoner’s road and other Tasmanian surprises. Jan 2013
Meeting friends in OZ: Melbourne and The Great Barrier Reef. Jan 2013
AUSTRIA
Weird things about Austria and Vienna pub crawl, extreme edition! Apr 2014
Innsbruck: Palaces, winter sports and beer vending machines. Sept 2014
BAHRAIN
Driving on a F1 circuit and visiting tiny Bahrain’s touristic sites. Nov 2013
BARBADOS
Barbados: “Taxi driver, take us around the whole country!” Feb 2015
BELARUS
Back to the USSR! My surprising visit to Europe’s recluse, Belarus. Aug 2014
BELGIUM
A few Belgium stops: food, more food, and World War I. Mar 2014
Beautiful Bruges and 6 surprising facts about potatoes I bet you didn’t know! Mar 2014
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Mostar: beautiful and welcoming, yet still bearing the scars of war. Sept 2014
Revisiting the 20th century’s bloody history in rainy Sarajevo. Sept 2014
BOTSWANA
Etosha to Maun: accelerating the road trip. Nov 2012
The Makgadikgadi Salt Pans; where the Germans go to make noise. Nov 2012
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM
National Day in Brunei: Partying from early morning until… noon. Feb 2013
How I became a journalist in Brunei! Feb 2013
BULGARIA
Bulgaria: From beautiful medieval towns to “typical communist neighbourhoods”. Apr 2013
BURUNDI
A short visit to a very troubled country. Aug 2013
CANADA
My first video: Flying over Ottawa in a 1939 open cockpit biplane! July 2013
From Spain, France, Canada and America… I’m back! Nov 2014
CHINA
Visiting Beijing – and trying not to get hit by a car. Sept 2013
Hiking the Great Wall and shopping in China. Oct 2013
Tibet, part 1: Monasteries, temples and other boring things. Oct 2013
Tibet, part 2: Incredible mountains, hot guides and weird fireworks. Oct 2013
Quick stopovers in Singapore and Hong Kong. Dec 2013 (with a couple of 2004 pics)
Visiting a friend in the impressive city of Guangzhou. Dec 2013
Shanghai: the biggest city in the world! Dec 2013
CROATIA
Dubrovnik: one of the most beautiful places in the world to buy a fridge magnet. Sept 2014.
A short return to Croatia: popular Split and pleasant Zagreb. Sept 2014.
CYPRUS
My first visit to an un-recognized country: the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Mar 2014
Cyprus: outside party season, me look at culture things. Mar 2014
CZECH REPUBLIC
Prague: to see friends and because the flights to Vienna were too expensive! Apr 2014
DJIBOUTI
Djibouti: big fish and not much else. Dec 2012
DOMINICA
Dominica; once the unlikely Shangri-La of Canadian neo-Nazis and the American Ku Klux Klan! Jan 2014
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Dominican Republic trip, resort-free and beach free: part 1. Feb 2015
Dominican Republic trip, resort-free and beach free: part 2. Feb 2015
EAST TIMOR
My visit to a 12 year old country – and some medical tourism in Bali! Dec 2013
ESTONIA
Estonia: Tallinn’s Old Town and fantastic maritime museum. Aug 2014
A visit to the remote (and very wet) Estonian countryside. Aug 2014
ETHIOPIA
Arriving in Ethiopia: finally no more instant coffee! Nov 2012
The Danakil Depression, Part I: The Lava Lake of the Erta Ale Volcano. Nov 2012
The Danakil Depression, Part II: The Acid Lakes of the Dallol Volcano. Nov 2012
FINLAND
My last Nordic stop: Finland, a country with a very complicated recent history. Aug 2014
FRANCE
So I went to Beauvais. No, not Paris, Beauvais. And I liked it a lot! May 2014
From Spain, France, Canada and America… I’m back! Oct 2014
GERMANY
Freiburg (Elbe), Germany: where most people have travelled more than me! Jul 2014
Awesome Berlin: at times great, bad or sad. Now poor, but sexy! Jul 2014
Potsdam: Berlin’s beautiful – but less famous – version of Versailles. Jul 2014
Oktoberfest! Sept 2014
GIBRALTAR (UK)
36 hour trip: Portugal, Spain, the U.K. and Africa! Apr 2013
GREECE
Athens: protests, good food, and a whole lot of marble. Mar 2013
My trip to the Centre of the World: The Oracle of Delphi. Mar 2013
Northern Greece: Thessaloniki and the Great Monasteries of Meteora. Mar 2013
Two quick transits in very different towns: Krakow and Corfu. Aug 2014
GRENADA
Grenada: a beautiful little country to invade… I mean visit! Jan 2014
HAITI
Haiti two ways; a glimpse into the local life and the expat life. Feb 2015
HUNGARY
Stepping back in the past: a communist tour of Budapest. Apr 2014
Budapest: a sad history, some cool “ruin bars” and incredible architecture. Apr 2014
INDONESIA
Diving and cooking in Bali, the island with only four first names! Feb 2013
Java: I’ll stick to the coffee, thank you. Feb 2013
My visit to a 12 year old country – and some medical tourism in Bali! Dec 2013 (mostly about East Timor)
IRELAND
Dublin: the most crack I ever had in a single day. July 2014
ISRAEL
Not interested in visiting Israel? No problem, go to Tel-Aviv! Mar 2014
Hebron: my very small introduction to the big conflict. Mar 2014
My poorly planned visit to Jerusalem and a few stops on the North Coast. Mar 2014
ITALY
A short stop in Rome. Sept 2012
A bunch of random pictures from my numerous transits through Italy. Apr 2013
Venice, The Floating City: no story yet, just a dozen pictures. Sept 2014
In Venice there are no streets. We all know it, but it’s still pretty cool to see. Sept 2014
KENYA
Kenya, my brand new No 1 destination not to go to. Jul-Sep 2013
KOREA (NORTH)
Travelling to North Korea? Yes you can! Sept 2013
Is North Korea such a strange country? Most of the time, not really. Sept 2013
Is North Korea such a strange country? Sometimes, they are absolute FREAKS! Sept 2013
Sightseeing in Pyongyang: marble, marble and more marble. Sept 2013
Outside Pyongyang: driving around North Korea. Sept 2013
The Greatest Show on Earth: Pyongyang’s Mass Games. Sept 2013
KOREA (SOUTH)
South Korea, that nice country where I stayed in my hotel, writing about North Korea. Oct 2013
The United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea, the only UN cemetery in the World. Oct 2013
KUWAIT
A few quiet days in Egypt. Wait… I mean Kuwait! Nov 2013
LATVIA
Latvia: my last stop in the North of Europe… and a pretty big milestone for me! Aug 2014
LAOS
A week in Laos: Good bread, Bad weather and Ugly potions. Feb-Mar 2013
LESOTHO
Hiking in Lesotho. Sept 2012
Pony trekking in Lesotho. Sept 2012
LITHUANIA
Before a travel break in Canada, a few days in Lithuania. May 2014
LUXEMBOURG
Total chaos in Luxembourg: somebody made a graffiti! Apr 2013
MACEDONIA
Southern Macedonia: good food, good beer and bad weather. Mar 2013
Skopje: Brand new old city on the battlefront of the ketchup wars. Mar 2013
MALAWI
My so-called trip to Malawi, and why I will never do a G Adventure overland trip again. Aug 2013
MALI (BLOG PREQUEL)
“Blog Prequel” #2: another nowadays unsafe destination, Mali. 2006
MALAYSIA
Six days in Kuala Lumpur over Christmas: relaxing, shopping and taking a vacation from the blog. Sorry, no post! (but future pictures will use a new lens from KL). Dec 2012
Kuala Lumpur re-visited (brought to you by Air Asia – sort of). Feb 2013
MALTA
Malta, a beautiful country where you can go to… not dive. Apr 2013
MOLDOVA
Moldova, the European country richer than Sudan. Just barely. Apr 2014
So I went to Transnistria, I think. Or is it Moldova? Russia? The Soviet Union? Apr 2014
MONACO
MONTENEGRO
Montenegro: a lot of history for an 8 year old country! Sept 2014
MOZAMBIQUE
A week of chilling on the coast in remote Mozambique. Sept 2013
MYANMAR
Myanmar: Catholic eggs, Nazi bikers and the floating villages of Inle Lake. Mar 2013
NAMIBIA
A ghost town, wild horses and the world sailing speed record! Oct 2012
The incredible sand dunes of the world’s oldest desert. Oct 2012
More sand dunes, salty flamingos and the Skeleton Coast. Oct 2012
Enjoying “traditional” Namibian celebrations… Oct 2012
Camping in Etosha National Park. Oct 2012
NEPAL
Nepal: Hiking amongst the highest mountains in the World. Nov 2013
NEW ZEALAND
Zorbing with Hobbits and glowworms in Northern New Zealand. Jan 2013
Christchurch: where real earthquakes meet fake engineers. Jan 2013
NORWAY
1,318 km from the North Pole: my visit to the northernmost town on Earth! Jul 2014
Barentsburg: A step into the High Arctic past, as the past steps into the future. Jul 2014
Water? Check. Polar bear detecting dog? Check. Rifle? Check. Let’s go climb Trollsteinen! Jul 2014
My expensive Norwegian rebel lifestyle, with my “African” friends from Oslo. Jul 2014
OMAN
Oman: big mosques, long history and a dictator who seems to be a nice guy. Nov 2013
PHILIPPINES
Diving in the Philippines – and narrowly missing typhoon Haiyan. Nov 2013
POLAND
Auschwitz. Aug 2014
The Wielicza Salt Mine, where tour guides say it’s OK to lick the walls! Aug 2014
Two quick transits in very different towns: Krakow and Corfu. Aug 2014
PORTUGAL
Taking a vacation from travelling in lovely Portugal (if that makes any sense). Apr 2013
PUERTO RICO (USA)
Puerto Rico; where you wait for your cruise to start. Jan 2014
QATAR
Qatar: the old, the new, the beautiful and the delightfully fake. Nov 2013
ROMANIA
Balcony speeches in Bucharest: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Mar 2014
The World’s 2nd largest public building: Bucharest’s former “Palace of the People”. Mar 2014
Castles, vampires and the Inquisition: a macabre trip to Transylvania. Mar 2014
Romania redux: from revolutions to crucifixions. Apr 2014
RUSSIA
I went to Russia! Episode 1: Visiting St-Petersburg… in the 19th century. Aug 2014
I went to Russia! Episode 2: how to go without a visa and why I don’t understand Russia. Aug 2014
RWANDA
Kigali, a rapidly changing city and its tragic history. Aug 2013
Volcanoes National Park and the Congolese border. Aug 2013
SAINT LUCIA
Saint Lucia; volcanoes, bananas, tourists and… geniuses? Feb 2015
SAN MARINO
San Marino: tiny post about my super short visit to the mini-country. Apr 2013
SERBIA
Belgrade: when the weather won’t cooperate, go for the food – and the alcohol! Apr 2013
SINGAPORE
Getting Lego-ized with Janis Joplin in Singapore. Feb 2013
Quick stopovers in Singapore and Hong Kong. Dec 2013
SLOVENIA
Rain, swans and waterfalls in picturesque Bled, Slovenia. Sept 2014
Ljubljana, the European capital with the hardest name to spell, and the Slovenian coast. Sept 2014
SLOVAKIA
The land of Chuck Norris: Prague, Slovakia (or so the Germans say). Apr 2014
SOUTH AFRICA
Clarens and the Free State – A lesson in poor planning. Sept 2012
Starting my big South Africa Road Trip. Oct 2012
How I became an illegal immigrant. Nov 2012
The end of the big road trip. Nov 2012
SPAIN
36 hour trip: Portugal, Spain, the U.K. and Africa! Apr 2013
From Spain, France, Canada and America… I’m back! Oct 2014
SRI LANKA
Sri Lanka: a nice country I just didn’t feel like visiting. Nov 2013
ST KITTS AND NEVIS
Flyboarding in St Kiits and Nevis. Jan 2013
SWEDEN
Ikea, meatballs and naked girls: my super stereotypical trip to Sweden. Jul 2014
SYRIA (BLOG PREQUEL)
My first blog “prequel”: visiting Syria during the war of 2006. Summer 2006.
TANZANIA
Game drive in the Serengeti: lions, elephants, giraffes, unicorns and vampires. Aug 2013
Visiting a Masai village and a game drive in the Ngorongoro Crater. Aug 2013
Zanzibar pizza, scuba diving, killer ants, booze cruises and other bits of Tanzania. Aug 2013
THAILAND
A quick stop in Thailand, and some recollections of past visits. Dec 2013 (and a few pictures from 2004 and 2010)
TRISTAN DA CUNHA (UK)
Sailing to the most remote settlement in the World. Sept-Oct 2012
UGANDA
Back in Africa! First stop: Uganda. July 2013
Wildlife and waterfalls of Uganda. July 2013
Game Drive in Murchison Falls National Park. July 2013
Video: Rafting the White Nile. July 2013
UKRAINE
Odessa: how Catherine the Great’s idea turned into a booming city. Apr 2014
Having fun in Lviv, and reliving my recent stay in Odessa, after the May 2 riot. Apr 2014
Kiev’s Maidan Square, still very much occupied in early May 2014. May 2014
Revisiting Kiev’s Maidan Square; the month the barricades fell. Aug 2014
Chernobyl and the ghost town of Prypyat; almost 30 years after the explosion. Aug 2014
Ukrainian non-story: just a few happy pictures, for a change. Aug 2014 (pictures from May)
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Dubai: Boom or Bust? Nov 2013 (with one picture from my trip there in 2004!)
Burj Khalifa: Because the tallest building in the world gets its own post. Nov 2013
USA
Road Trip! (And the postponement of my round-the-world voyage…). May 2013
Nashville to Huntsville: Tow trucks and big rockets. May 2013
The airline lost your suitcase? I found it… and I bought it! May 2013
Arkansas: unlikely birthplace of the Tycoon, the General and the President. June 2013
Celebrating the Renaissance and visiting submarines in the vast plains of Oklahoma! June 2013
The Badlands of North Dakota, and a few stops on the way there. June 2013
Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse and the end of the road trip. June 2013
I visited Kentucky’s Museum of Creation. Sorry… Feb 2015
US VIRGIN ISLANDS (USA)
The US Virgin Islands: America, Caribbean style. Jan 2014
VATICAN STATE
A quick morning visit to the Vatican. Sept 2012
YEMEN
Three days in Sana’a – Number of tourists met: zero. Dec 2012
Around Sana’a: the villages, my fake identities and the hostage takers. Dec 2012
The lost world of Socotra; vultures, sharks and bleeding trees. Dec 2012
ZAMBIA
Routine days in Livingstone: rafting level 5 rapids, eating bugs and breaking 2 trucks in one day. Nov 2012
Canoeing amongst the animals of the Lower Zambezi National Park. Nov 2012
Revisiting Zambia and the end of my organized road trip. Aug 2013
POSTS NOT RELATED TO A PARTICULAR COUNTRY
7 top travel destinations for “Wow!” factor. Jul 2014
Rare travel complaints: possibly my worst Atlantic crossing ever! July 2014
I did what? Yes, I went on a cruise! Jan 2014
African mishaps and my somewhat random top 10 travel tips. Sep 2013
Countries visited prior to starting the blog. I may write some “blog prequels” about some of them when I get a chance. (2014 edit: I did, twice)
Afghanistan (2004)
Algeria (2006)
Andorra (2011)
Bahamas (2006)
Belize (2010)
Bolivia (2006)
Brazil (2012)
Cambodia (2012)
Costa Rica (2005)
Denmark (2005)
Ghana (2006)
Guatemala (2010)
Iceland (2011)
Jordan (2006)
Liechtenstein (2011)
Mexico (2004, 2008, 2011)
Morocco (2006)
Netherlands (2011)
Panama (2010)
Peru (2006)
Saint-Vincent and the Grenadines (1989)
Switzerland (2011)
Tunisia (2006)
Turkey (2011)
Vietnam (2012)
You are absolutely cool, Colinster. Keep it up all the way!
Toupy’s Dad Viet.
Thanks Mr Tran, even though nobody has called me by that nickname since I was 16! I hope you and Mrs Tran still travel the World the way you used to. By the way, earlier last year, before this big trip, I went to Vietnam and loved it.
Hi Colin, we are not travelling as much overseas nowadays. In ten days, we are going to do a road trip to Houston, New Orleans,Tempa,Myrtle Beach, DC and back to Montreal. Closer to home, but nontheless, it’s time to explore the Obamaland. Upon returning from this land trip, Diep and I may (the contract is not yet signed) go back to Singapore for a project relating to Myanmar for two months. The summer has already been booked for a visit to Toulouse to spend time with Tran’s family. Inshalah! But not many people can cover the globe like you Colin. That’s a great line to include in your resume for the PM job in Ottawa
Why not? You got my vote.
Interesting; I did a triangle road trip in Texas a few years back and loved it (Dallas-Austin-San Antonio-Houston-Dallas). I highly recommend the Houston Space Centre, but of course that’s not everybody’s interest.
A project in Singapore related to Myanmar? I was in Singapore 2 days ago and in about 10 days, I’ll be in Myanmar! I got the visa here in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
I may not know what I want to do when I grow up, but I have been around Ottawa enough to know one thing: I will never work for a Government ever again… let alone form one! But thanks for the vote of confidence 😉
Oh, and if you like mountains, hiking (and shopping) and you are in Toulouse, I also highly recommend visiting Andorra. Outside of the big tax-free shopping outlets, this tiny country is absolutely magnificent.