5 Weirdly Cool Facts About Malawi (Africa’s Hidden Gem!)

Posted on November 28, 2019November 28, 2019 by dev

Nestled in the heart of Africa, Malawi offers an exciting explosion of culture, arts, history and beautiful landscapes. These are 5 Weirdly Cool Facts About Malawi!

1. Malawi is a country with an amazingly diverse population

A variety of different ethnic groups reside in this small African country. Some of the most well-know tribes are the Chewa, Lomwe, Ngonde, Ngoni, Nyanja, Sena, Tumbuko and Yao.

2. The capital Lilongwe is something of a child

In my new hand-made Malawian shirt in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi

Lilongwe is younger than Blantyre. Pretty much. While there has been a fishing village on the banks of the Lilongwe River for centuries, the modern city was only officially founded as a trading post in 1906 – and only recognized as a town in 1947. It became the Malawian capital even later, in 1975 – when kingpin status was taken away from Zomba, which had stood as the administrative hub in the colonial era. In truth, Lilongwe is not a place which will detain travelers for too long, but it was still pretty cool and I still remember the dangerous tree bridges in town crossing the Lilongwe Weather and the colorful markets.

Do you like my Malawian shirt?

3. Malawi is Africa’s 2. Largest Tea Producer

Malawi has a variety of fair trade coffee and tea plantations, including ones at renowned Satemwa and Thyolo, which were established almost 100 years ago. The country is the second largest tea producer in Africa after Kenya.

4. Mt. Mulanje is Africa’s Highest Peak south of Mt. Kilimanjaro

Walking around Malawi which can be very mountanious

Malawi can be very mountainous at places. The majestic Mt. Mulanje rises to 3000 metres providing incredible views of the surrounding landscape from its heights. Here with some curious followers in a small Malawian village!

5. Malawi is home to the popular pet fish Cichlid

A lot of different fish in Malawi. This is a pet fish

Cichlid, a very common pet fish, resides in Lake Malawi. The lake is estimated to have close to 3000 species of cichlids, the most of any lake in the world.

These Were 5 Weird Facts About Malawi

These were in fact 5 weirdly cool facts about Malawi, a green and lush country I went all the way through in 2017 and had a pretty epic time in when it didn’t rain. But a little rain won’t stop the guys from posing!

Did you know any of these weird facts about Malawi? Have you been there?

– Gustav

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7 UNDERRATED COUNTRIES (traveler with +130 countries visited)

Posted on November 28, 2019November 28, 2019 by dev

Some countries are very popular and are floating with tourists everywhere, but it’s not the case with these 7 countries. These are 7 UNDERRATED COUNTRIES I enjoyed a lot, and you should maybe consider these as your next travel destination!

These are 7 countries that I find really underrated, and you might consider to visit these in the near future!

7. Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is a very underrated place with a lot of misconceptions. While some may hate it because of its relatively strict rules, there’s a lot of good in it too. These are 20 Things I Like About Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has some unique landscape you won’t see anywhere else. But is it safe to go to Saudi Arabia?

Check my YT-Video here about the safety in the country: Is Saudi Arabia Safe?

6. Bulgaria

A lot of people from my country goes to Sunny Beach or Golden Sands in Bulgaria to get super drunk and party, with some of the cheapest alcohol in Europe. But Bulgaria actually has a lot more to offer. The capital Sofia and the two very beautiful cities Plovdiv and Varna are cool places to visit + the fascinating mountains which exists in Bulgaria and the fact that Bulgaria is a diamond in the spa crown of Europe changed my mind about this country. Yes, you can have a great party in Bulgaria, but Bulgaria is so much else. Bulgaria is rich with natural resources – mineral water, healing springs, pure air (at most places). The mountains and the plains offer different opportunities for rest, relax and heal yourself.

I can recommend to visit the spa Sapareva Banya. Not many towns can say they have their own geyser. Sapareva Banya welcomes its guests by its steaming geyser in the center of the city. The town attracts us with its closeness to Sofia, its friendly locals and its huge amount of pools and thermal delights for resting and getting prettier. It should be named SPApareva Banya. Consider exploring Bulgaria properly!

5. Tajikistan

Tajikstan is very underrated. Its array of cultures, languages, valleys and mountains makes it interesting. The Pamir mountain range, aka the “Roof of the World”, located west, is Tajikistan’s main attraction, with its beautiful mountainous landscape and magnificent trails. Some really nice mountains in general and you have to make time for scenic stops and spontaneous detours by striking moonscapes, glistening lakes, wandering yaks, and the imposingly large, snow-capped Hindu Kush mountains. Tajikistan was a big surprise!

4. Belarus

Belarus is one of those destinations that has most people scratching their heads and reaching for Google maps. But it won’t be long before travellers from around the globe figure out that it’s one of Eastern Europe’s unsung heroes. I traveled around Belarus in 2017, and to be fair it’s maybe the cheapest country in Europe alongside Ukraine. You get a lot of value for your money here and there’s quiet a lot to see.

My only problem here was the language barrier, when I left the capital Minsk and explored the country. If you don’t speak Belarusian or Russian it’s a little hard to communicate, especially with the older generation. Anyway, I found Belarus, the sights and the prices very underrated! Cheapest in Europe!

3. Ghana

I traveled around Ghana in early 2019, and while the visa was a pain in the arse to get, it was such a great country on the inside. One of Africa’s most peaceful countries and a lot of cool cities like Tamale, Kumasi and Accra and a beautiful country side and nice beaches. The best thing about Ghana is the people, the music and the vibes, I loved the atmosphere in Ghana and enjoyed the characteristic way Ghanaian people speak English. Here pictured at a street celebration in Accra, and I must say the people in Ghana certainly knows how to throw a party and dance to a Sarkodie, Stonebwoy and Kweli Artur-Ghana-banger.. You name it! Great times in Ghana! Some would maybe think it’s a dangerous African country.. Not at all, one of the most underrated and awesome African countries!

2. Iran

It’s almost a cliché by now, but Iranians are perhaps some of the friendliest people in the world, and just about anyone that has been will testify enthusiastically to this. Furthermore Iran offers varied and dramatic landscapes, with beautiful mountains, forests and deserts and a lot of Natural Wonders.

Political situation is a little complicated in Iran, but let’s not forget this is truly a remarkable country; super friendly people, inimitably rich in history and natural beauty, and home to some of the oldest civilizations on Earth. All those places that you’ve heard about—Persepolis and Shiraz, the mosques of Esfahan, the Silk Road, the desert city of Yazd, the ski slopes of the Alborz and the otherworldiness of Qeshm island—they’re absolutely worth the hype.

1. Pakistan

The Pakistani people are some of the friendliest and most welcoming people I’ve encountered in my travels. For me Pakistan is the most misunderstood and most underrated country in the World. With mighty mountains, lush green plateaus, golden sand deserts, some of the oldest cities in the World and the emerald colored Arabian sea etc. The list go on! I still have the Hunza Valley in the North of Pakistan stuck in my head. BUT IS PAKISTAN SAFE? Check this video I made there: ‘Is Pakistan Safe?’

Furthermore I received so many gifts and free stuff in Pakistan, which lead me to the BIG question in this travel video: ‘Is Everything Really FREE In Pakistan?’

Pakistan is an experience you don’t want to miss out on and is for me the most underrated country!

These were in fact 7 Underrated Countries that just came to my mind.. Can you name any?

Gustav

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13 Things NOBODY Knew ABOUT ME (honest truths)

Posted on November 12, 2019November 26, 2019 by dev

1: Every Night – To-Do List

In Doha, Qatar. Almost every night I do a to-do list for the next day!

Almost every night I write a to do list on my phone for the next day. It’s not every time I manage to do it all, but it helps me to get an overview of what’s needed to be done and usually I try to do the most important things first. It has helped me a lot to be more productive, even though science says it’s not always good to do a to-do list. For me it is.

2. Silent Sleeper

Baku, Azerbaidjan. Maybe I’m sleeping behind the glasses – who knows?

I sleep very silently (I was told) – and one time I was forgotten on a kindergarten trip, because nobody could hear me sleeping, so they just left without me. Lucky for me they came back 30 minutes later, when they realized they had forgotten the silent sleeper.

3. White Hair, Everywhere

In a little village in the west of Uganda. I have a lot of white hair

I have the most hairy legs and arms, you’ll ever see (tons of white hair.) I’ve only seen one guy with the same amount of white hairs as me, my Danish/American friend Alfred Thomas @partyalf on Instagram. We are in our own blonde, hairy league 🏆

4: Introvert

Having the time of my life at Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany.. But also I’m a big introvert!

I’m actually a BIG introvert! When I travel I become more extrovert, but I’m an introvert with great pleasure in spending time alone. I need social breaks often. I personally think everyone should spend some more time alone, to better understand themselves and their direction in life, and if you’re an introvert like me, you should see it as a strength and not a weakness, because you’re able to reflect alone, while others need to be social all the time! As long as you don’t become lonely (I rarely have that feeling), being an introvert is super awesome!

5: I’m A Lonely Child

In Seoul, South Korea. +90% of my trips are self-paid! Spoilt? Maybe I am a little, but not that much!

– I’m a lonely child! Maybe it made me more introvert, who knows? I’m used to being alone and I love it. ‘You’re a lonely child, so you’re spoilttttttt!’ Heard that comment a lot, but actually not really! I have some very loving parents, but I come from a normal Danish family and my parents told me from the beginning: “If you want to travel you’ll have to pay yourself,” and hard work and smart thinking has been the key to my traveling. Sometimes I had the money, sometimes I didn’t (then I just saved more and worked harder,) but somehow I always found a way to travel! Lonely child or not, things were never given to me, selective decision making has been the key for me, and I’ve worked hard to be able to travel.

If you’re willing to make the sacrifices it takes, you can do it too!

6: LITTLE TV TIME

Dead Sea, Israel. Rather make some unforgettable moments, than sitting in front of a TV

– I watch very little TV! I only really like watching my favorite team (Real Madrid) play football! I simply need to watch them play wherever I am in the World, weird habit, but it’s a must! It does happen I watch documentaries I can learn something from and I watch the News once in a while if they’re not too sensational! UGH, hate it! I think it’s mostly a waste of time to watch TV and I’m more of an active person than a passive person, so I would rather do something productive. I did watch some episodes of Fresh Prince of Bel Air on a flight trip recently and that was pretty hilarious! All being said, time you enjoy wasting is never wasted, and it happens I have something totally stupid reality TV playing in the background when I’m home, while I work on my computer, but in general I watch way less TV than the average person and I’m not updated on any TV-Series! SO SORRY! But ask me any travel questions and there’s a good chance I know 😉

7: ROUTINE KIND OF GUY, HMMMMMM NO

Badab-e Surt, Iran. Impulsive trip to Iran with nothing planned?! Let’s do it!

– I’m not a routine kind of guy. I honestly wish I was, it would make a lot of stuff easier. But I usually never have 2 similar days in a row. Having a 9-5 job, a house, a girlfriend, a nice car, two kids and a dog would be super nice, but even though I might soon have the age for that (27 now,) I think I will wait a bit. I STILL WANT ADVENTURES! I don’t have 2 of the same days after each other and to be fair I actually like it! If I make a travel video, I usually never produce it the same way as the last one I did. I don’t wake up the exact same time 2 days in a row. Impossible! And 60-70% of my time, I don’t put an alarm for the morning or schedule too much. Maybe I should get better at this! Will improve my routines in 2020…. I promise!

8: A True Night Owl

Enjoying Bahrain at night in 2017. But I work more focused in the night!

I work better in the night than I do in the day. I easily get distracted during day time, but when the night comes and I have the feeling everyone is doing nothing or sleeping, I’m more focused and more motivated to work! It’s a thing I work daily on changing, because it’s better to get a proper night of sleep, wake up a bit early (not too early, right?) and then get something out of the day. Another one for the upcoming year!

9: Family Guy

My father turning 60! BIG DAY! My best friend and idol in being a good person!

I’m a big family guy with my nearest family, and in between my travels, work etc. I always make time to visit my parents and grandparents and spend time with them. Would never make up excuses to not see my family, because they did so much for me as kid and I really like spending time with them. You never know what tomorrow will bring and I don’t want to live my life with any regrets!

I LOVE MY FAMILY AND I’M NOT EMBARRASSED TO SAY SO!

10: Influencer? Wait… What?!

West Baray, Cambodia! Just a normal Danish guy who loves to travel

– I don’t consider myself as an influencer, and I think most people calling themselves influencers are quiet annoying and usually not very inspiring! I’m just Gustav, a Danish guy who loves to travel and loves to inspire others to see the World 🌍

11. Irritated Eyes

In Tbilisi, Georgia! Sunglasses are always good to hide your irritated eyes

I have irritated eyes a lot of the time, maybe it’s because of my perfume, grass and dust allergy, but sometimes my eyes get red and sometimes I can’t look too long on people, because my vision gets blurred and my eyes get dry. It’s annoying when you want to take a good selfie or make a good video somewhere, but you look like someone who drank all night yesterday, yet the reality is just different. My eyes are just irritated sometimes!

12. Looong Hair

I started getting long hair in the early 2015, and remember getting many comments in Australia that I look liked Kurt Cobain! I honestly prefer my short hair, but it was a fun time and I think everybody should try some new styles out and do whatever they want and try stuff out, without thinking about what other people say or think!

Live your life, take chances, be crazy. We only have this one life to live, so why worry about what others think? Let’s make some funny memories and enjoy this life while we’re here!

13. Not Perfect

Rainy day on a motorbike through Ivory Coast.. Perfect life? Not at all, but some good stories to tell in the end

Sometimes I seem to have the most perfect life, because I travel a lot, but I’m not perfect and my life isn’t either. I struggle with a lot of the same problems as you might do. What makes me ‘different’ from others is I’m an optimistic person, and if I fail in one thing, it doesn’t mean I have to fail in the next thing. More smiling, less worrying. Keep going! I’ve failed plenty of times, but your hardest times often lead to the greatest moments of our lives. Tough situations build strong people in the end! You don’t have to have it all figured out to move forward, take it step my step, we all have our own clock! Maybe you find your passion at 25, maybe you find it at 80, just never give up and always be grateful for the small things in life!

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam. Keep going, even in the hard times!

Now you maybe know me a bit better.. Did you enjoy reading my honest truths?

Gustav

20 Things I Like About Saudi Arabia (Pro-Traveler!)

Posted on November 1, 2019November 1, 2019 by dev

Currently traveling around Saudi Arabia, a country I’ve heard a lot of bad stuff about in the media. But is it all true? Hanging out with local friends, doing more research and observing things in the daily life here in Saudi Arabia has made me write these: “20 Things I Like About Saudi Arabia.”

These are the 20 things I like about Saudi Arabia (Edge of the World, Saudi Arabia)

1. They have high employment rate.

2. Free health care for all residents.

3. Free education for all (attending Universities for most Expats’ children is complicated).

4. Tax-free salary for all.

5. Mostly modern infrastructure.

Museum of Athayibat and Home Art, Jeddah

6. One can literally walk around anywhere at any given time feeling safe.

7. “Ladies first” is a reality there. In public, if men and women are walking towards each other the man would move aside while the women keeps on walking. They respect women in that matter.

8. For the most part, law and order situation is pretty decent. Murder rate is pretty low.

9. Food is very cheap (and good!) with countless restaurants everywhere.

10. Every Friday families would go to the beaches, parks, restaurants etc.

With Saudi friends in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

11. Very rarely you’ll hear about war/terrorism here, only small problems with Yemen.

12. 33+% of its population are foreigners. Very diverse.

13. There are plenty of luxury malls.

14. I was never afraid that someone would steal from me, no matter where I was here.

15. In a 10-year period things has changed positively in KSA.

The 302.3 m skyscraper, Kingdom Centre, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

16. As far as I can tell, Saudis don’t dislike their government and King Salman

17. Most Saudis have a good heart and are generous people. They don’t lose their
temper fast!

18. Overall people seem happy and live a simple life

19. A lot of the Saudi people are very welcoming and helpful from my experience

20. Some of the most fascinating desert landscapes I’ve ever seen (Edge of the World)

Al Masmak Fortress, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Is Saudi Arabia A Dangerous Country?

Both Saudi women and men can be very conservative, especially in Riyadh, where Jeddah is more liberal and open-minded. The questioner have a very exaggerated picture of Saudi Arabia. In my opinion, the scariest thing in Saudi Arabia is probably the road traffic, certain people tend to drive recklessly.

Of course there are things that can improve here, but these are the 20 things I like about Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia has an interesting cultural influence from all over the Middle East, which is super cool

Saudi Arabia. An underrated country.

Gustav

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Follow me on Instagram @gustavrosted