Day 139 - Peru 🇵🇪

June 10, 2021

Tonight we stay in South America and travel to Peru, a country I have a lot of love for. Joe and I travelled to Peru back in 2016 on our Sabbatical. It was the last country we visited after two months of travelling and it certainly did not disappoint.

After a bizarre border experience crossing into Peru in an old American Taxicab, we had a lot of incredible experiences. Every day was fresh and interesting, from eating in a restaurant that served over twenty different types of potato to driving on some of the most incredible, and dangerous roads I’ve ever driven on. Not to mention eating the absolute best chicken of my life in Cuzco.

Hiking down to the Oasis at the bottom of Colca Canyon and back up again in one day was another unforgettable experience. Even if it was mainly because it was painful and gruelling, and the food we’d hoped to eat at the bottom barely materialised.

Swimming with sea lions off the guano covered islands near Lima was amazing too, and we also wild saw penguins and Andean Condors.

Oh, and this was also the trip where I turned 30 and ate in the Michelin Star opulence of Maido.

Peru really could not have been a better ending to our sabbatical. So tonight, I’m taking the easy route, enjoying a few memories and looking through photos from my trip to Peru.

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Day 138 - Paraguay 🇵🇾

June 9, 2021

Today we head to Paraguay, a landlocked country in South America. Unexpectedly for a landlocked country, Paraguay has a navy and access to the Atlantic Ocean through the Paraguay and Paraná rivers. Actually, if I’m honest, I’m not so surprised by this. Bolivia, Central African Republic and Laos all have navies, although Paraguay’s navy is the largest.

On another water-related topic, Paraguay is home to South America’s second-largest river, the Paraguay River which is 2,695 km long. It’s also home to the world’s second-largest underground aquifer, the Guarani Aquifer. I imagine there have never been hosepipe bans in Paraguay.

Paraguay has an Australian community, started by radical socialist Australians who moved to Paraguay in the late 1800s in search of a master-planned community christened “New Australia”. As well as an Australian community, Paraguay is also home to a large German population. At the end of World War II, many Germans fled to Paraguay fearing the repercussions of their involvement in the war.

This proved to be a good move for these people as by the 1950s Paraguay was a dictatorship led by Alfredo Stroessner who’s regime acted as a safe haven. Stroessner was president of Paraguay until 1989 when he was overthrown in a military coup ushering in a new era of democracy in Paraguay.

Today Paraguay is more democratic, yet still has vast water reserves. Perfect for brewing Cerveza Pilsen.

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Day 137 - Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬

June 8, 2021

Today, our second stop is Papua New Guinea, the third-largest island country in the world. It’s even bigger than Sweden.

Papua New Guinea neighbours Indonesia on the island of New Guinea and Queen Elizabeth II the Head of State. You can probably guess which country colonised Papua New Guinea in the past.

Papua New Guinea’s territory even includes a “New Britain” island, and the capital city is called Port Moresby named after a British Admiral of the Fleet, Sir Fairfax Moresby.

Papua New Guinea is known for its penis-gourds and vibrant sing-sing festivals. One thing you absolutely wouldn’t expect about Papua New Guinea though is that its pigs sometimes have an extremely close relationship to humans. In fact, this relationship is so close that in certain tribes, women sometimes breastfeed suckling pigs. I’m not making this up. Having said that, is a pig drinking human milk really any weirder than a human drinking goat’s milk?

Right, after that bizarre turn of events and writing two posts this evening, I think I’ve earned myself a cold, refreshing, lactose-free SP Lager.

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Day 136 - Panama 🇵🇦

June 8, 2021

Today, or technically yesterday, we visit the Central American nation Panama. That brings me on to a tiny confession. I didn’t actually manage to write a blog yesterday! This is the first time I’ve missed a day so far, and it was sadly my uncle Rob’s funeral yesterday, so I think that’s a fair excuse. So today is a catch-up day where we’ll visit Panama and then later Papua New Guinea.

Either way, normal service must resume. Panama bridges North and South America and is roughly similar in size to the Czech Republic. Panama is most widely known for its hats (which technically originate from Ecuador) and the Panama Canal that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

I visited Panama back in 2016 on my Sabbatical and enjoyed a few days in Panama City in between Costa Rica and Chile. Panama City is good for international connections after all.

Here are three things I enjoyed doing in Panama City.

Exploring Panama City’s oldest neighbourhood, Casco Viejo

Founded in 1673 Casco Viejo, or San Felipe is a wonderful maze of old colonial-style buildings. We enjoyed spending a whole morning wandering around its streets and taking in the sites. It’s also the perfect place to buy some Panamanian souvenirs, specifically the vividly colourful traditional Mola textiles that tend to be sold at small market stalls.

Climbing Ancon Hill

Ancon Hill is a park offering amazing views of Casco Viejo and the rest of Panama City. It’s also home to the largest Panamanian flag in existence. Walking to the other side of the hill you’ll see planes taking off below you at Albrook Gelabert Airport and the Panama Canal in the distance. It’s pretty hot work climbing to the top in Panama’s warm humid climate, so take lots of water. On the plus side, it’s very shaded, and you’ll hear and see exotic birds and other tropical wildlife.

Visiting the Panama Canal at Miraflores Locks

The canal viewing centre at the Miraflores Locks is breathtaking. A large viewing platform lets you get up close to the enormous Panamax ships passing through the lock. It’s really an awe-inspiring sight, seeing these huge vessels rise and lower in what appears to be a tiny amount of water within the locks. There’s also a very interesting visitor centre explaining the history of the canal and how it functions today.

Watching ships pass through the Miraflores Locks

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Day 135 - Palestine 🇵🇸

June 6, 2021

Today we head to Palestine, a country synonymous with fighting, and being the Holy Land. Therefore my main goal with today’s post is to try to avoid politics (and also religion).

I then realised how impossible it is to avoid talking about politics when writing about countries because countries are defined by their borders and borders are inherently political entities. Palestine is also a country that is mostly defined by the Israel Palestine conflict. Basically, whatever I write about in this post is political.

One slightly unusual thing about Palestine is that it is a “de cure” state. This basically means that, unlike most countries where the area being governed and the territorial claims are the same, in the case of Palestine, much of Palestine’s claimed territory is under the de facto control of Israel.

Talking of territory, Palestine comprises Gaza and the West Bank. These two areas are separated by Israel. One thing I learned recently is that it is not possible for residents of Gaza to travel to the West Bank, and if residents of the West Bank decide to visit Gaza it will be a one-way trip. To me, it’s kind of mind-blowing that Palestinian citizens can’t travel freely from one part of their country to another.

There’s so much I don’t know about Palestine and the ongoing conflict with Israel. All I can do is hope for a peaceful outcome, and in the meantime perhaps cook some Palestinian dishes.

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Day 134 - Palau 🇵🇼

June 5, 2021

Today we return to Micronesia, to the small island nation of Palau. Palau is comprised of more than 500 islands

Palau is in a “free association” with the United States. This essentially means that the US provides defence and certain economic benefits in exchange for Palau being within the US’s sphere of influence and allowing the US to build military bases on its territory.

Palau looks to have an almost perfect climate with temperatures around the mid-twenties every day of the year.

Palau is home to saltwater crocodiles and over 130 species of shark. Great for worry-free swimming.

Palau’s most famous dish is fruit bat soup. Yep, that’s right, soup made with bats. It’s kind of staggering then that Palau only recorded its first case of covid-19 last week!

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Day 133 - Pakistan 🇵🇰

June 4, 2021

Today we head to Pakistan, the gateway to the Indian subcontinent.

What I knew about Pakistan before today

I came very close to visiting Pakistan back in 2008. I was travelling around India and reached the blistering hot city of Amritsar. We took an evening trip to the Wagah border to watch the bizarre Wagah-Attari border ceremony. It can only be summed up as a boisterous explosion of nationalism, pomp and ceremony. It was a spectacle unlike any I’ve ever seen since. It was so tempting to cross the border into the unknown. Probably not a great idea for two gay 22-year-old backpackers.

The chaotic Wagah-Attari border ceremony. At 50 degrees, this was the hottest moment of my entire life.

What’s Pakistan’s top tourist attraction?

According to my very diligent Googling skills, Faisal Masjid, a mosque in Islamabad is Pakistan’s most visited tourist attraction. Dominating the landscape of Islamabad, Faisal Masjid was built in 1976 using the money from a Saudi King who just so happens to have the same name. I have to admit, it is a pretty striking building.

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

Pakistan is widely known for its numerous wars with India, but most recently it’s been fighting an ongoing insurgency against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in North-West Pakistan.

A Bizarre fact about Pakistan

I’m not sure how bizarre this is, but Pakistan is home to the world’s second-highest mountain K2 and is also home to the world’s highest paved road (and border crossing), the China-Pakistan friendship highway which reaches 4800 metres at the Khunjerab Pass.

Was Pakistan a former colony?

Yes, Pakistan was formerly part of India before partition in 1948 when it was part of the British Empire. You probably already knew this thought.

What are Pakistan’s main exports?

Pakistan’s top two exports are linens and rice.

What’s Pakistan’s National dish?

This is such a hard call. Pakistani food quite rightly has a phenomenal reputation. Punjabi food may be my absolute favourite cuisine. Pakistan’s national dish is widely considered to be nihari, a spiced, slow-cooked lamb or mutton stew. Now I’m hungry.

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Day 132 - Oman 🇴🇲

June 3, 2021

Today we head to Oman. Oman is the oldest independent state in the Arab world and has been ruled by the same family since 1744. They’re now on the 15th generation. Oman is also larger than I imagined, it’s larger than Italy but a smidgen smaller than Poland.

Oman used to be even larger as from the late 17th century, Oman had a powerful empire stretching from Iran in the North to Mozambique in the South.

Unlike its neighbours, Oman prides itself on its traditional architecture and new buildings are required to look traditional in style. Talking of rules, Oman also requires people to get a license before purchasing alcohol.

Oman is home to a surprising amount of biodiversity including Arabian leopards, chameleons and the critically endangered Arabian humpback whale.

Right, I need to prep my cardamon flavoured coffee for the morning. Tomorrow is the day I get vaccinated after all…

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Day 131 - Norway 🇳🇴

June 2, 2021

Today we head to Noway, the wildest, and most dramatic of the Scandinavian nations.

I’ve briefly visited Norway back in 2013 to attend the NDC developer conference. Joe joined afterwards for a long weekend.

Excellent, snacks, sushi and complimentary drinks.

I’m very happy I attended the conferences. For what the conference lacked in daylight, it certainly made up for it in free food and beer. This is particularly important in Norway as it is one of the world’s most expensive countries.

Oslo is clearly a great city. Oslo is most likely the only capital city in the world with a Metro to the top of a mountain you can ski down. The city also has waterfalls and a fjord right on its doorstep, oh and a handful of beautiful, verdant harbour islands.

Visiting in June was probably the best time of the year to visit Oslo, especially given we were just about to buy an apartment and were broke. Walking around we got to enjoy the architecture and great summer vibes and strange statues in Oslo’s Frogner Park. We also got to see Edvard Munch’s excellent Scream at the National Art Museum.

I’ll leave you with a few Noway related facts. Apparently, Skiing originated in Norway around 4000 years ago. It turns out the Norwegians are good at skiing too. Norway has won more medals at the Winter Olympics than any other nation.

Norway also has the second-longest coastline in the world, although it’s impossible to measure due to the coastline paradox. Norway’s coast could be considered anything from 1,650 to 63,000 miles long. All I know is it’s really jagged.

Finally, Norway is home to the world’s most flammable cheese. Brunost, or “brown cheese” is a caramelised goat cheese that is so flammable that it releases toxic fumes and closes tunnels when it catches fire.

It’s kind of shameful that I live in a city with multiple direct ferry connections to Norway yet have only ever visited once. Norway, you’re at the top of my list of places I want to visit once I get vaccinated. Hopefully, see you in September!

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Day 130 - North Macedonia 🇲🇰

June 1, 2021

Welcome to North Macedonia, the former Yugoslavian successor state that took 28 years to settle on its name. Yes, it’s likely that if you’ve heard anything about North Macedonia it’s the drama around its name.

Neighbours often have disputes about seemingly unimportant things, but in the case of Greece and North Macedonia there have been decades of wrangling over who can use the name “Macedonia”. Greek governments were concerned that North Macedonia being referred to simply as Macedonia would spark some kind of territorial dispute. I really don’t understand it. Either way, in 2019, Greece and North Macedonia finally came to an agreement that North Macedonia would be known as North Macedonia. Great compromise.

This meant that North Macedonia was now free to join NATO in 2020 and start thinking about EU accession. Previously Greece had vetoed North Macedonia’s membership of NATO due to the naming dispute.

Despite all of the naming drama, North Macedonia is the only country of the Former Yugoslavia that gained independence without violence. It is also a fantastic place to grow opium. In fact, North Macedonia’s opium quality is considered so high it’s viewed as a potential way of growing the economy. For pharmaceutical, not recreational use though.

I’ll round up today’s visit with a little religion-based trivia. Mother Theresa was born in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia. Skopje is also home to the 5th largest cross in the world Skopje Millenium Cross at 66 metres in height.

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