The overnight bus to Bucharest, Romania wasn’t quite overnight. It dropped me off in the city center long before sunrise and Bucharest is not a 24 hour town that I was finding. I definitely was not rested because the first thing I really remember was being the first customer at coffee shop on an otherwise dark and lonely street. My google…
Kosovo
I heard that Kosovo is still very pro American so I was eager to see what that felt like. I caught the next ride out of Skopje’s bus station and settled in for a few more hours. I arrived just as the evening was falling. There wasn’t much to see so I made use of the bus WiFi and reserved…
Balkans Whirlwind
I really enjoy the Balkans, (AKA the countries formerly known as Yugoslavia and the neighboring countries that also kind of sucked in the middle 20th century). I can.t really put my finger on what the attraction is but I just like walking around their cities. They are a bit rough around the edges for sure but I find a little…
Runnin’ Up That Hill
Aside from the scammy underbelly of Istanbul, I liked it. It is a great walking city, good food and plenty to keep me busy. The fact that I got out of it with out buying a carpet is a bonus. But they tried. There aren’t many ways to get to my next stop, Athens. There is no train for some…
Across The River
After my expensive adventure the night before, I needed to tighten up my budget for a few days. I decided that it was going to be a self guided tour of Asia on the shoe leather express. Luckily, in Istanbul, Asia is just across the strait of Bosporus, a metro train stop away from Europe. I popped up out of the metro…
You’ve Got A Friend
The rains stopped finally and I decided to go out for a stroll. I saw an tiny Irish Pub over in the tourist section of town so I thought I would try and find it again. If I didn’t, at least I would get some exercise in. I was minding my business as I usually do when I am take…
Istanbul
I woke up to a gloomy day but yesterday’s rain had rolled through. The first order of business was the free hot breakfast. And to their credit, it did not include “make your own” waffles common in the US. There were eggs and meat and potatoes and sweets. I could have sat there all day, watching the ferries cross the…
No, He Never Returned
Out of India and already feeling better. A long layover in Abu Dhabi. I was tempted to head into town but didn’t want to deal with Passport control and Security Screening in a Middle East country. It was a nice airport but as I expected for priced towards the Sheik class rather than the $9 a night hostel class. Next…
Train Kept A Rollin
As I have grown to expect, no good hostel is very far from a travel agent. Varanasi was no exception. I walked 12 feet across the alley into a closet of a travel agency. I could tell I was getting tired of the road, I still had a month on my Visa and I was not even tempted by the…
Burnin’ For You
The overnight bus arrived in Varanasi just as the night was giving way to day. As expected, I was not well rested. I was hoping daylight would give me enough energy to get to a hostel to rest up but the grayness of sunrise through the fog had the exact opposite effect. Varanasi is a city of just over a…