Day 89 - Kenya 🇰🇪

Today we visit Kenya.

What I knew about Kenya before today

When I think of Kenya, I think of Safaris with Land Rovers and tents, people in colourful clothing and the beautiful open savannah. 

What’s Kenya’s top tourist attraction?

Kenya’s wildlife is definitely its top tourist attraction. Most visitors come to Kenya to take in a Safari, and from what I can tell taking an early morning safari by hot air balloon certainly seems to be a Kenyan trademark.

There are two other things I’d really want to do if I get to visit Kenya. The island of Lamu looks like the perfect place to relax. I’d also like to take the train from Nairobi to Mombasa for the views and experience. 

What was the last war or conflict Kenya took part in?

Kenya is currently involved in the War in Somalia fighting as part of the African Union Mission to Somalia.

Was Kenya a former colony?

Yes absolutely, although you probably could have guessed that already. Kenya was first a Portuguese colony, then eventually became British Kenya before gaining independence in 1963. 

Samburu people in Kenya

A Bizarre fact about Kenya

I’m not sure how bizarre any of these are, so have three instead:

First up, Kenya is named after Mt. Kenya, Kenya’s largest mountain and the second largest mountain in Africa topping out at 5,199 metres.

Richard Dawkins, the famous biologist and inventor of the word “meme” was born in Kenya.

Oh and finally, Queen Elizabeth II started her reign as monarch in Kenya. She was visiting Kenya in 1952 when she learned of the death of her father and immediately became the head of state of Kenya. Her reign over Kenya only lasted until 1964 though as shortly after becoming an independent country Kenya became a republic.

What are Kenya’s main exports?

Kenya’s largest export is tea and is the world’s third-largest tea producer. No wonder Kenya was a British colony.

What’s Kenya’s National dish?

Meat is very popular in Kenya with Nyama choma being Kenya's defacto national dish. Nyama choma means barbecued meat in Swahili. Nyama choma is often goat or beef and is often paired with local beer such as Tusker and side dishes like ugali.

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Day 88 - Kazakhstan 🇰🇿

Kazakhstan is the world’s largest landlocked country and the 9th largest country in the world after Argentina.

Despite being in Asia, Kazakhstan is home to Europe’s longest road. The E40 links Kazakstan to France and is more than 8,500 km long.

It’s commonly known that Kazakstan served a Soviet space launch facility. Baikonur Cosmodrome was built in the 1950s and to this day is still one of only four sites around the world that have launched humans into space.

What is less commonly known though is that Kazakhstan was also home to one of the Soviet Union’s other mega projects. Kazakstan was the primary testing site for the Soviet Union’s nuclear weapons development programme. The Semipalatinsk test site, also known as  "The Polygon" was used to test nuclear weapons from 1949 to 1991. 

The Soviets conducted more than 110 above-ground nuclear tests and today the once flat terrain is pitted with craters, unnatural lakes and empty decaying buildings. 

The effects on the residents of the surrounding area are even more pronounced. Kazakh health authorities estimate that up to 1.5 million people were exposed to fallout in the process. More than 100,000 people in the area are still affected by radiation, which has been transmitted down through five generations and spread hundreds of kilometres away from the test site. If this isn’t a reason for nuclear disarmament, I don’t know what is.

Tien Shan Astronomical Observatory Kazakhstan

The Semipalatinsk test site isn’t the only Soviet scar in Kazakhstan. The Aral Sea, once spanning 67,000 sq km across the border of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan has shrunk by 95%. Now you can see rusting shops in the desert where there once used to be sea. The Aral Sea was the victim of aggressive Soviet irrigation projects in the 1950s and will likely never recover.

On a more positive note, Kazakhstan still has a wild population of snow leopards living in the Almatinsky Nature Reserve. Kazakhstan is also the birthplace of the apple. Despite the fact that apples are one, if not the most universally available fruit, DNA analysis indicates that apples originated in the mountains of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is also home to the last remaining wild apple tree groves in the Tian Shan mountains. 

And on that note, for some reason, I suddenly feel like I’ve earned a cider.

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Day 87 - Jordan 🇯🇴

Today we brave the heat of the Middle East as we’re heading to Jordan, a small country nestled in between Syria, Iraq, Israel and Saudi Arabia.

What I knew about Jordan before today

I didn’t know much about Jordan other than it’s in the Middle East, inspired Lawrence of Arabia and is home to the ancient ruins of Petra.

What’s Jordan’s top tourist attraction?

Obviously Petra. This ancient city carved into the sides of a canyon feels like something out of Indiana Jones. Petra is one of those places I very much want to visit, yet at the same time know it will be very busy and not at all like the photos. 

What was the last war or conflict Jordan took part in?

Despite its location, right in the centre of the Middle East Jordan has mostly avoided conflicts in recent history. During the Arab Spring reforms in response to widespread protests helped avoid unrest. There were some Al-Qaeda terrorist attacks in 2005 resulting in 60 people dying, but prior to that the last significant conflict was back in 1973 during the Yom Kippur War where Jordan sent troops to support Syrian forces.

A Bizarre fact about Jordan

Firstly Jordan is bigger than I thought, it’s actually larger than Austria. Secondly, Indiana Jones did actually visit Petra! Petra was the filming location for the final scene of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade when Indiana is searching out the resting place of the Holy Grail. Maybe my childhood enjoyment of this movie is why I’m so drawn to visit Petra.

Wadi Rum Protected Area, Wadi Rum Village, Jordan

Was Jordan a former colony?

Yes, Jordan was a British protectorate from 1921-1946 and prior to that was part of the Ottoman Empire for over 400 years.

What are Jordan’s main exports?

Jordan's main exports are clothing, chemicals and chemical products.

What’s Jordan’s National dish?

Jordan’s national dish is widely considered to be mansaf, a dish originating from Bedouin tribes. Mansaf is a dish of lamb, fermented yoghurt (called jammed) and rice pilaf. It looks delicious.

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Day 86 - Japan 🇯🇵

Today we head to Japan.

Japan is a country I feel I should know a lot more about than I do. For example, I had no idea that Japan is made up of 6852 islands, or that only 28 miles of sea separate Japan and Russia. There’s even talk of a bridge spanning Cape Crillion that would connect Russia and Japan. I feel like I vaguely knew KFC was popular in Japan, but I find it utterly bizarre that the Japanese celebrate Christmas with KFC!

Sangenjaya, Setagaya, Japan

There’s only one way to fix my lack of knowledge about Japan. Luckily Japan is one of the countries I most want to visit. The culture seems so distinct compared to any other country I’ve visited. For today’s post, I thought I’d write myself a very quick itinerary for when I do eventually manage to visit Japan.

Things I’d love to do in Japan:

• Cross Shibuya Crossing.

• Stay in a capsule hotel.

• Savour the bard and barbecue in Omoide Yokocho, or Piss Alley as it’s commonly known.

• Relive my childhood by visiting Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan.

• Visit the decaying ruins of Gunkanjima Island.

• Get lost in the Motor Car Museum of Japan.

• Explore Sagano bamboo forest.

• Take in the view of Tokyo from the top of Mt Fuji.

• Visit the world’s only monkey spa at Jigokudani Monkey Park.

• See some of Japan’s dramatic samurai castles starting with Himeji Castle in Hyōgo Prefecture.

• Visit one of Japan’s world-renowned spas, such as Maenohara Onsen Sayano.

• Eat my way around Tsukiji fish market.

• Ride a Shinkansen.

• Get into the local spirit by visiting some of Tokyo’s famed whisky bars.

• Walk the ancient Kumano Kodō pilgrimage routes.

Japan, I cannot wait to visit you!

Shinjuku, Japan

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Day 85 - Jamaica 🇯🇲

Today’s destination is Jamaica. And after the last-minute rush of yesterday’s post about The Ivory Coast, Jamaica is the perfect place to take a more laid-back approach.

Jamaica was originally home to the Taíno people. This was brought to an abrupt end when Jamaica came under Spanish rule following the arrival of the well-known Italian wrecker, Christopher Columbus in 1494.

Jamaica remained a Spanish colony named Santiago until 1655 when England conquered it and renamed it Jamaica. Jamaica eventually achieved independence in 1962 and was the first British Caribbean territory to gain independence.

Jamaica is one of the few Caribbean islands almost everyone knows a little about. Jamaica’s global influence is significant, being the birthplace of Jerk Chicken, the Rastafari religion, reggae music and its more recent descendants such as dub, ska and dancehall.

Treasure Beach, Jamaica

This volume of cultural exports is pretty staggering when you consider that Jamaica isn’t even a particularly large Caribbean island. Jamaica is smaller than the Bahamas, Kuwait and Montenegro. Montenegro is a wonderful place, but I struggle to name even a single famous Montenegrin person, or dish, and it’s a country I’ve actually visited!

Jamaica is also known for its sporting achievements. For example, Jamaica was the first Caribbean nation to enter the Winter Olympics with the Jamaican bobsleigh team making their debut at the 1988 games in Calgary. Jamaica is also known for its lightning-fast runners, the likes of Usain Bolt winning 77 Olympic medals in athletics since entering the games in 1948.

Jamaica is also the only Caribbean country with a beer brand I can remember without prompting. The sun’s out in Copenhagen this afternoon, it’s time for a cold Red Stripe (or at least something cold and larger-like).

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Day 84 - Ivory Coast 🇨🇮

Today we head to The Ivory Coast or Côte d'Ivoire and we’re in emergency blog writing mode. I have exactly 22 minutes to complete this blog before I miss a day of blog writing.

My first ever memory of the Ivory Coast sticks clearly in my memory. I was around 15 and in an English class at school, and I remember an argument between two of my classmates about whether the Côte d'Ivoire or the Ivory Coast was in fact a country. At the time I was sceptical.

It turns out my scepticism was very misplaced. The Ivory Coast is in fact a country of 26 million people on the South coast of Western Africa. The Ivory Coast is after the prevalent trade of ivory when first coming into contact with European traders.

The Ivory Coast is also the world's largest exporter of cocoa beans, and its flag looks suspiciously like a mirror image of the Irish flag.

I have time for one last fact before the midnight deadline - the Ivory Coast is home to the world’s largest church, the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace. Despite its Renaissance architecture, the church is modern and was only completed in 1989. It was built partly to memorialise the current president of the Ivory Coast, President Houphouët-Boigny. Yes, it was basically a vanity project. The pope (John Paul II) still agreed to open it though. Who can’t resist a monstrously big church?

Anyway, it’s time for bed. Until tomorrow.

I'm writing about every country in the world. One a day for 195 days. Learn more

Day 83 - Italy 🇮🇹

Today we visit one of my favourite places in the world: Italy.

Aperitivo

I’ll start with a little aperitivo of facts about Italy. 

First off, it was also an Italian that kicked off European exploration of the Americas in 1492. Yes, that’s right, Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa and was Italian, not Spanish.

Secondly, there are only three countries in the world completely surrounded by another country, and two of those are within Italy. These encircled countries are The Vatican City and San Marino. The only other enclaved country of this sort is Lesotho in South Africa.

And for today’s final morsel: Italy is also home to all three of Europe’s active volcanoes. Mount Stromboli, Vesuvius and Mount Etna.

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Hiking near Peio in the Italian Alps

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Carolee in Calabria. This place is really special

Il secondo

For today’s secondo I’ll share some lesser-known tips for visiting Italy:

'Nduja (and Calabria)

If you’re visiting Calabria in Southern Italy you need to get into 'Nduja. 'Nduja is a spicy, salty, salami like paste. Try it, eat it, buy some to take home even bathe in it. It’s honestly one of the tastiest foods known to humankind. I also recommend visiting the Callipo tuna factory in Calabria. Not only does this enterprise stand up to and defy the mafia, but they also sell delectable 'Nduja. Oh, and they also have a great gelato and Calabria’s other speciality, Tartufo di Pizzo.

Venice on a budget

Everyone wants to go to Venice. Well, that’s how it seems when you’re actually there. The hotels are cramped and extortionately priced, and despite Italy’s reputation it’s possible to pay a lot of money for really disappointing food. 

So to avoid these problems, head out in search of bàcari bars serving cicchetti. Cicchetti is basically Venetian tapas. It’s cheap, tasty, and goes perfectly with a glass of wine. If you eat and drink standing at the bar you even get a discount.

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Cicchetti in Venice

If you want to save even more money, why not do what I did as a student and stay outside of real Venice in “Venice Mestre”. I stayed at a campsite with a pool and disco for the Italian teenagers. I really was living the good life.

Catania

Spending only one night in Catania may gown down as one of my all-time biggest regrets. It’s a gritty, Sicilian city that at first appears to be a bit rough around the edges. This is what makes it special though. It’s real Sicily.

Catania is filled with those wonderful little coffee bars where you can purchase a tiny espresso, or even caffè corretto and get change for a euro. Catania also has an abundance of scruffy bars serving excellent drinks and the kind of restaurants you can only dream of from outside of Italy. 

What’s more, the entire city lives in the shadow of Mt Etna, and the views are mesmerising, especially from the top of any tall building. I’ll let the view from Basilica Cattedrale Sante’Agata speak for itself.

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The view of Mt. Etna from Catania

Right, time for a digestivo. Tonight I’ll be opting for an Aperol spritz.

Day 82 - Israel 🇮🇱

Shalom! Today we visit Israel, a small country in the Middle East almost everyone has heard of. It goes without saying that there are many perceptions of what Israel is, and should be. 

To keep this light, I’ll stick to some facts and share some of my experiences visiting Israel. Depending on how you measure, Israel is a tiny bit bigger than Slovenia. Actually, scratch that even facts can be contentious today!

Joe and I visited Israel a few years ago to see our friend Paul who was living there. Israeli food is incredible, and the bars have Scandinavian prices.

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Relaxing in Jaffa

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Tel Aviv

The airport security was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before, and their anti-missile system equipped airline El Al does not fly on Saturdays in order to observe Shabbat. Come to think of it, all public transport was shut down for Saturday in Israel until very recently.

The thing that surprised me about Tel Aviv was how relaxed and friendly it seemed. All of my life I’ve always heard about Israel being a country on a knife-edge, but my experience in Tel Aviv couldn’t feel further from this. I think I also saw more pride flags hanging from windows in Tel Aviv than anywhere else I’ve visited.

We went to nice restaurants, explored the old town of Jaffa, and relaxed on the beach. I’d definitely love to visit again one day.

Right, time to sign off with some Israeli Eurovision courtesy of Netta.

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Day 81 - Ireland 🇮🇪

Today we’re visiting The Republic of Ireland. That is to say, the country which occupies the majority of the island of Ireland. The country most people think of when they think of Ireland. 

Ireland is arguably culturally closer to my own (the UK) than any other country. It’s the only other country that knows how to do a pub. Or even what a pub actually is. Not to mention the Irish also serve beer in the correct glass size, and at the correct temperature.

Irish and British humour, (something for which both cultures are known,) are strikingly similar. Irish humour leans heavily on irony, sarcasm, and self-deprecation and a twist of the macabre. If you want to understand what I mean, watch Father Ted, The Guard or almost anything with Dylan Moran.

Our shared histories are so interconnected and intertwined. Not all of this interconnectedness has led to good outcomes. The Irish even drink more tea per-head than the British. (That’s the only interesting fact you’re getting from me today.*)

Temple Bar, Dublin, Ireland

Even though I’ve so far spent all of this post justifying ways in which I think I known Ireland, I have an awkward confession. I’ve never been to Ireland. Yes, that’s correct, I’ve never visited the only country which shares a land border with my own country. 

I have been to the island of Ireland though, on a brief trip to Belfast. Today we celebrate the Republic though, and for all of my claims that I understand Irish culture, beer and comedy, I’ve never actually visited.

I pledge to fix this as soon as travel is permitted, and safe again. 

Right, it’s time for a pint of Guinness 

* Actually I have come up with another (anecdotal) fact. The only people I have ever known who cook potatoes in multiple ways for the same meal are all Irish. 

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Day 80 - Iraq 🇮🇶

Today we don’t travel far at all. We cross the Western Iranian border to the neighbouring country of Iraq.

Iraq was once Mesopotamia, and gave the world the gifts of astronomy, maths and writing.

Iraq has not had such a kind recent history. The dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein, wars with Iran and Kuwait, followed by the Gulf War, eventual US-led invasion in 2003, and then the rise of Isis in the 2010s has left Iraq in a precarious position.

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Iraq has access to a tiny 36 mile stretch of coastline

Today Iraq is now caught in a proxy war between Iran and the US. Both Iraq and the US are desperate to assert their influence on Iraq. Iran is reportedly funding Iraqi paramilitary groups in a bid to undermine the Iraqi government and US influence in Iraq. The geopolitics of this region really is not simple. However, in an unexpected 2020 twist, it seems that the coronavirus pandemic may be leading to Iran sending less money to these paramilitary groups. Could this ultimately lead to a more stable Iraq? 

Despite Iraq’s recent turbulent history, Iraq has many attractions include breathtaking mountains, shimmering deserts and a wealth of ancient archaeological sites.

A ruined home in the town of Shingal

I was shocked to discover that not only do the Hanging Gardens of Babylon exist, but they are located in modern-day Iraq. Iraq is also home to the worlds largest cemetery, Wadi-al-Salaam.

One other bizarre artefact located somewhere in a vault in Iraq is the Blood Qur'an. The Blood Qur'an is a copy of the Qur'an supposedly written entirely with the blood of Saddam Hussein. Saddam commissioned the book for his 60th birthday in 1997. Since the fall of Baghdad, the so-called 'Blood Koran' has stayed locked away, out of sight.

On a less macabre note, I’ll leave you with a recipe for Iraq’s national dish, masgouf, a grilled freshwater fish dish flavoured with spices.

I'm writing about every country in the world. One a day for 195 days. Learn more