Worlds worst place to backpack # 13

Myanmar - the golden land...

Burma or Myanmar call it what you will, it's home to one of the worlds most repressive and abusive regimes. Many countries don't recognise the regime that changed the name of the country from Burma to Myanmar but at the end of the day, we all know where we are talking about.

Mountain chains link their way up across the country, which is surprising quite a large land mass, the second largest country in South East Asia.

Some of its valleys are laden with rare gems and exquisite rocks and emeralds. 90% of the worlds rubies actually come from Burma. But you wont get your hands on one. A large proportion of the country is off limits to foreigners. Your movements are generally watched with suspicion, so remember to put the seat back down on the toilet.

Officially known as The Republic Union of Myanmar, the country is a text book example of a police state. You can interact with the locals but they don't usually like to be seen mixing it up merrily with foreigners. It usually means them being dragged behind a wall after you move off.

So basically if you keep your mouth shut your entire journey, chances of you or one of the locals not getting hurt are considerably higher.

If you didn't read between the lines, Freedom of speech is more or less crushed. So if your taxi price is a fixed one. Don't haggle.

During world war 2, Burma was used and abused, sacked and abandoned. famous for all the wrong reasons, over 300,000 Burmese fled the destructing country to the jungles and mountains to India, just under 10% of them made it. Great books have been written about ‘The Trek’, I vividly recall the amazing story told by Colin McPhedran in the book White Butterflies..., I highly recommend the read, it was one of the worst but least documented refugee tragedies of World War II.

The man who architect ed Burmas independence from the British and gave Burma a glimpse of a new future was the father of Aung San Suu Kyi......, Aung San. He got assassinated and things have been pretty grim ever since.

Although its independent, by no means is it a free country. since the coup of ’62, Burma has clenched up its butt cheeks and remained tight lipped. The analogy between arseholes and military rule is no mistake.

Unfortunately they call the shots. The “junta’ will control your travels. Not only do you need a visa but you need permits and government appointed guides to visit a lot of other places. There is a civil war taking place, ethnic minorities who have been persecuted over the years have given birth to various insurgent groups.

No slogging off the 'Military Junta' or disrespect anyone in uniform, or you might find yourself holed up in one of the many jails that are populated throughout the country. The sounds that reportedly come out of those prisons make the 'rustling of a plastic shopping bag at 4am in a packed hostel dormitory' sound like a piece of musical harmony.

The military is notorious for its rampant use of sexual violence as a means of control. So do what your told or you might get uhmm .............. hurt.

Last week, the jammy 'Junta' released Aung San Suu Kyi, she was under house arrest from roughly 1989 until last week. This is what happens if you speak too loudly in Burma.

Burma forms part of the golden triangle of opium production. Conflicting reports as to who enjoys it but there is no surprising who controls it.

There has always been a moral dilemma for travelers heading for Burma. Aung San Suu Kyi pleads with people not to support the ruling government and therefore not travel to Burma. A lot of western governments support her stance.

But on the flip side, some locals do benefit from your presence, that's if you eat at local restaurants and guesthouses.

Its not the Burmese people that will make your stay an unpleasant one, quite the opposite, backpackers who do venture here rave about the Burmese people, the landscapes and the culture.

Make no doubt about it, its the military/police/government/w@nkers that make this the worlds worst place to backpack # 13.

World's worst places to backpack #13

Zimbabwe - House of Stone



Its that nagging moral dilemma that lingers in the minds of potential travellers. If i enter this country am i effectively endorsing the current ruling body, whether that be a shady 'elected' government or a straight out military dictatorship. Am i acknowledging them as a legitimate force? In same way or form, respecting them? The very thought disgusts some travellers. leaves them with a taste of distain in their mouths. So they dont go. Simple.



Other travellers on the flip side may cast these thoughts and reasonings aside and for all god intentions, enter the country believing that their actions will have more or less positive ripple effect on the country and is people. Fair enough. If your a conscious traveller and make attempts to circulate and distribute your money amongst communities and individuals then your intentions for entering that country deserved to be labelled moral in someway.



So there you have it, a traveling moral dilemma. Zimbabwe, where the majority of the nations people have seen living standards drop and where Robert Mugabe resides and rules.



For a start, to travel anywhere is going to require two backpacks or perhaps 3 smaller flashpacks. Due to the worlds highest hyperinflation figures, carrying cash around is going to be awkward. Lets face it, they issued a 100 trillion dollar note. Looooose.



Guys shouldn't hang around too long, Zim has one of the lowest life expectancy rankings in the world, just a mere 44 for males. Not that you'd want to hang around long. Ok theres Victoria Falls, one of the most fascinating waterfalls in the world.





The Zambezi river of course, a major drawcard, famous for its wild roar. A favourite for any rafting enthusiasit out there. One of the more crazier rivers in the world to raft, unfortunately the majority of the best part lies in neighbouring Zambia.




"Been there, done that, got the t-shirt"

And of course, theres the animals.




This is a stunning country, the topography is classic southern africa. A landlocked nation that borders along two of Africa's famous rivers, the bamboozling Zambezi and the limpid and long Limpopo. But it suffers. Zimbabwe suffers from internal bleeding.



The large swaths of rainforest have virtually disappeared. The rule of law is toyed with like a cat and a half dead mouse. Human rights abuses are as commonplace as the bouts of cholera that break out. The government have drained the coffers of the nations wealth and in the process, abused natural resources and abused the human resources, the Zimbabwean people.

The countries recent history is turbulent. I visited when Mugabe first initated the land reform program. It was loco. Quite tense, almost sent the country back into civil war. Its poo control and lack of vision over the entire process has effectively crippled the economy. Perhaps the aims of fairer land distribution were fair, viewed in an objective manner, but the way about which the government and its bands of war vetrans went about it have been the epicentre of conflict ever since Mugabe and the Rhodesian Bush war.

Mugabe has sort to punish and blame the colinizers for most of his countries problems. By no means was Rhodesia a saint of a country, nor its colonial rulers, but Mugabes 30 year rule begs a lot of questions.

So after weighing up the pros and cons of traveling in Zimbabwe it has made it on my list of worlds worst places to backpack at #11.

World's worst places to backpack #3

A discombobulated country on the horn of Africa. Affectionally known as 'the land of spices'

Somalia. Its certainly hot and spicy.



A backpacking trip through here would guarantee a bit of a rush. The experience would leave you with the hair permanently standing up on the back of your neck. Or just leave you.....

Its a country when pretty much anything goes. The reality of day to day life in Somalia is the stuff hopelessness is made of.

Without a functioning government in this country since 1991, the country has gone through a bit of a turbulent time of late, a bit of a free-for-all. And by that I dont mean freebies or free-dom in any sense.. The large land mass that was once home to the largest army in Africa during the 80's, has now barely enough soldiers to protect the fragmented capital city of Mogadishu.

Corruption and extortion seem to be the very threads that hold together the fiscal policy of the country, the entire economy is based upon these two pillars of power abuse.

From the barely audible or rarely visible government to the dare devil rooky pirates, there's plenty of characters in between who are just as shady.

Al-Shabab fighters control the southern and central parts of the country. Proudly charging round on camels sprouting their religious and political ideologies, they even have the odd crack at taking Mogadishu, the country's capital city, also known as the 'city of death'. The transitional government only controls a few square blocks of the capital city. The rest is controlled by rogue war lords, powerful clans and/or extreme Islamic inspired militias.

Fair to say, you could probably haggle on the price of your hostel room, playing them all off on each other.

'ah come on...willy the warload said he'd do it for a fiver...Al Shabab don't have any mixed dorms available.....and your the government, surely you could offer me a bit more of a 'discount' ..."

Loosely interpreted, the name Al Shabab can mean 'the youth' and as it happens to be there are no girls in the gang, so they are also known as 'the lads', or at least thats what they call themselves.

Standard sharia law applies in the southern and central regions and 'the lads' are known for their no-nonsense responses, you don't really don't want to be cracking out the skimpy bathers down at the beach.

This photo of a dead US solider being dragged through the streets was taken by a journalist whose collagues were only days earlier beaten to death for taking photos.

If your volunteerpacking, be very wary of the stats stacked up against you, in the past two years, 42 relief workers have been merked. gone.

Paul and Rachel Chandler, a couple of greypackers traveling around the world got mixed up in the madness, to say the least. The couple now hold the accolades for the longest held captives by Somali pirates, a cushy 400 days at the hands of these ruthless thugs and criminals of the high seas.

They were released a couple of months ago. Needless to say, don't think they'll be going back anytime soon.

So basically, any form of independent backpacking adventure would basically classify as suicidal. The only way you can even think about moving about is with armoured guards, private security or Ethiopian or official Somali troops. It is likely no matter which one of these options you choose, you will engage in some form of street battle.

Pack a bullet proof vest. And your hanky. There might be tears.

Bon Voyage!!!

World's worst places to backpack #14

Nigeria - land of milk and honey....

The most populous country in Africa, with one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

With tropical rainforest in the south, rugged highlands and valleys to the south west, a coastline dominated by the famous Niger Delta and the massive desserts of the mighty Sahara encroaching on the northern borders it shares with countries such as Chad and Niger. This sounds like an Ecopackers traveling oasis.

Amid the lakes and forests, savannahs and plateaus lie one of the worlds largest river deltas, the worlds largest diversity of butterflies and an abundence of that stuff called 'black gold'.

Sadly im not talking about the African people, it is after all the most populous country in the world in which the majority of the population is black. Rather its the vast quantities of oil that lie beneath its surface that throw this country into this list of worlds worst places to backpack.

Nigeria is the largest exporter of oil in the continent, a member of OPEC and high up there on the list of most corrupt countries in the world. Backhanders are common, wink wink nudge nudge and hows your father, may get you through most situations, but if your billy the backpacker, chances are your a bit slim on the swiss bank account department. Keep your money close and your passport closer. Chances are you will be swindled at some stage on your backpacking journey through Nigeria.

Its capital city, Lagos is officially the fastest growing city in Africa.

Flights are cheap and you can score some flashpacker accommodation for around $40US a night for a double by the beach.

You can even hit one of four beaches within 25km of Lagos, Lekki beach is one of the more famous for resort style accommodation.

The nightlife in Lagos comes highly recommended, as does a 9mm pistol under your bulletproof vest. You can hip hop you way around many bars along the beaches and inner city clubs are often set in classy hotels. This is where you will find most foreign partypackers giving it the big one.

Travel outside of Lagos and the odds of you having a close shave with either a lashing, stoning, amputation or just a long prison term are pretty high. Beware when traveling in the north about such commonplace norms such as drinking alcohol, you could find yourself the subject of some public street theatre in the central plaza.

If you plan on some ecopacking around Africa's largest mangroves, a hotbed of biodiversity, dont accidentally pack your BP petrol card. Kidnappings and extortion are some of the tactics used by the MEND, (Movement for the emancipation of the Niger Delta) against anybody foreign who may be connected to the oil industry.

Nigeria's largest armed faction outside that of the corrupt government may have good intentions of protecting the regions' environment and calls for fairer wealth distribution, however $ is always the bottom line and the crux of most evil in this country. Nigeria is a corrupt country. Make no doubt about it.

All in all, Nigeria looks relatively exciting for a backpacking experience if your looking for one out of the ordinary. 


If you dont drink, like lots of people following you around, enjoy pollution, love corrupt officials and layers of back-handed bureaucracy then you may have found your traveling utopia.

Nigeria, worlds worst place to backpack # 14.

Worlds worse places to backpack # 15

Amen, its Yemen.

World's worst place to backpack # 15.

Flights are cheap, cargo seats on UPS courier flights are even cheaper. The Yemeni peninsula with its torquoise waters, coral reefs and empty white sandy beaches are only a flight away. Im sure there will be plenty of tickets going on www.lastminute.com in the coming days.
If that adventurous backpacker blood is boiling within you, that desire to go to far-flung places, exotic getaways, crazy passport stamps, a sense of unparalled adventure and authenticity...... then Yemen maybe calling your name.

Visit Sana'a, one of four UNESCO sites in the country and also one of the worlds oldest cities. 2500 years of life between its city walls.
Theres a sense of complete freedom lingering in the air. A country hanging in the balance of sharia law and no law. A place where poets settle tribal disputes.

For the intrepid, this could be interpreted as a country where anything goes, no rules, no boundaries....for the more wary travelers' it may also mean no return, no mercy....

Contrary to popular belief and occasional FOX News stories you may see, a backpacking experience in Yemen is no walk in the park.

Flashpackers forget the lattes and wifi. Partypackers beware, Yemen is what you would call a 'dry' country. You cannot drink in public. Fudgepackers forget it, your extra circulum activites are punishable by death.

Accommodation is not measured in star quality. If your flashpacking sleep-needs cant flucuate much lower than a 3 star, you had better re-route that last minute ticket.

Accomodation is ranked on a 'clean sheet' scale. Yup, those crisp white things that cover a sleeping surface. 2 sheets is top of the line, no guess what comes next and then bottom of the quality rating rung, no sheet.

Unless your from Jordan, Egypt, Hong Kong or Syria, you will need a visa. If you dont register yourself at a police station upon arrival, you will get in trouble.

Remember not to drink in public, kiss in public or take photos of public infrastructure, women or policemen/soliders.

Getting around is difficult. You are forbidden to ride on public transport moving from the east to the west. This basically means unless your escaping on the back of a camel under the cover of darkness and/or the cover of a burka; or your forking out lumps of US dollars for a 'private security' posse of government funded police to escort you along in a private taxi, you wont be venturing very far.

And coincidentally if you happen to be into all that Al Qaeda stuff, apparently its the place to be at the moment.

Only ranking 15th last on the formidable list of Worlds' failed states, your ride looks cushy. Theres 14 worse-off places to backpack in the world.

The 10 Very Best Zen Stories For Travelers

The difference between heaven and hell is just a matter of perspective......this line jumped out at me. As its all too common on the road and in life to pass judgements, make big calls and voice your opinion, the very thread of what makes something or someone different lies in the eyes of the beholder.

This way of doing things and that way of living life are often confronted head on in travel experiences....how you get your head around it often shapes not only your journey but your objective perceptions...

Enjoy!!

The 10 Very Best Zen Stories For Travelers

The return of the prodigal son.....

It took a return to my first ever backpacking experience to dust off the cobwebs on this blog.
I make no excuses, ive been consumed by this concrete jungle of London and its quietly closed down my capacity to express my love and excitement for travel. However no matter the mundane existence of scrapping pennies together in one of the worlds most expensive cities, my love for travel will never be extinguished.
This has been the longest time I have ever been in one place and not traveled. A reflection of my absence of blog entries....

It was somewhat a coincidence that I arrived in Ireland, 9 years to the week that I left the Emerald Isle on my first ever sustained trip abroad. It was my virgin backpacking experience. One that has shaped my life. It sounds cheesy, but, it "changed my life". I am today the man that I am because of that first trip overseas.


Against the will of my friends, colleagues, univeristy professors, parents and everyone else that had their 5cents worth, i set off on a year long trip. A one-way ticket to the other side of the world, with a year to travel wherever the wind would take me.
I was the only person I listened to, I knew i needed to go. I felt like I didnt understand myself. I felt like I had to truly test myself and the only way to do that was in a foreign environment. Life was passing me by at the age of 20 and I felt like i wasnt holding on with a real sense of purpose.

I still remember entering Ireland ten years ago. I was one of the first off the ferry during the famous foot and mouth disease outbreak. Cameras and flashes greeted me as I stepped down onto Irish soil. It was a rock stars enterance and I wondered who had tipped them off? Here I was returning to the land of my ancestors, the prodigal son with two generations of life in his backpack and a desire to put the 1848 potato famine to rest with a scoop of deep fried irish potato chups.



It was a year that shaped my life. I was out on my own for the first time in my life. Truly on my own. I had to make friends, create a life, choose paths to walk and deal with the consequences. It was a year i will never forget.

Walking down the streets of the bohemian/university town of Galway I felt waves of nostalgia wash over me.
Maybe it was a combination of the waves of Guinness washing down me but as I stopped by pubs where i used to work and sat down and watched life pass before me, I felt proud. Proud in the sense that I took those inital steps to travel away by myself in the middle of studying for a law degree. I listened to myself, and here i was 9 years later, loving that reaquaintance with myself.


I have never regretted a single moment of travel. In fact, quite the opposite.
Traveling to places where i've traveled before and where the memories are particularly special are one of the most fulfilling aspects of life for me as I get older.
Ive hit the big 30 last week. This is no closure on my travel experiences. As Ireland showed, maybe its time to reacquaint myself with some old travel experiences.....