Want to know more about North Korea? These are 20 Interesting Facts that you probably didn’t know about the country! I want to challenge you as well.. How many of these 20 facts did you know BEFORE reading this? Count them and let me know!
1: It’s Year 107, Not 2019
Former leader Kim Il-sung
The year isn’t 2019. The North Korean or Juche calendar was adopted in 1997 and begins with the year of Kim Il-sung’s date of birth (1912 – or Juche I to North Koreans.)
2: The Country Holds “Elections” Every 5 Years
Always with a lot of excitement, North Korea hands out ballots with only one option on them, so votes swing, you guessed it, 100% for the Leader.
3: There Are Few Working Traffic Lights
There are not many traffic lights in North Korea and they have been working off and on for at least seven years. The traffic girls are occasionally sidelined when the traffic lights are working.
4: No North Korea Stamp In Foreign Passports
In North Korea you don’t get a stamp in your passport and it actually makes it a lot easier in any Airport immigration afterwards! You get a separate visa that you have to deliver back when you exit the country.
5: North Korea’s Has The Only One-Star Airline In The World
North Korea has ‘The World’s Only One-Star Airline’, Air Koryo, run by the North Korean Government. See for yourself what it’s like to fly on Air Koryo — the worst airline in the world.
6: World’s Largest Stadium
The Rungnado May Day stadium in North Korea has more than 150,000 seats. To comparison Barcelona’s Camp Nou has a seating capacity of 99,354 and is the largest football stadium in Europe. Wow, just wow!
7: Kim Il-Sung is seen as the ‘Eternal Leader’
Statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il
Kim Il-Sung will always be considered North Korea’s Eternal Leader, even though Kim Jong-Un is the Supreme Leader of North Korea now. Kim Il-Sung’s statue is raising the hand in the sky to the left.
8: Pyongyang Is Only For The Elite
Life in Pyongyang, North Korea (@gustavrosted)
The capital Pyongyang, one of North Korea’s only big cities, is home to around three million people, but only the elite. Only trustworthy, healthy, and loyal citizens can live there.
9: Kim Il-Sung Scammed Sweden For 1000 Cars
Kim Il-Sung scammed Sweden out of 1,000 Volvo 144 sedans in 1974, and to this date North Korea has never made the payment. Now I understand why he had this million dollar smile!
10: One Of The Largest Armies in the World
North Korea has one of the largest armies in the world. It is estimated by the U.S. State Department that they have an active-duty military force of up to 1.2 million personnel.
11: ‘Three Generations of Punishment Policy’
With a North Korean family
There is a ‘three generations of punishment policy’ in North Korea. The offender, along with his next two generations, has to bear the consequences of the offense.
12: North Korea has no taxes.
North Korea is one of the few countries in the world whose residents don’t pay any taxes. Taxation was abolished in 1974 as part of the “old world.” Only organizations and individuals who are making money outside the country are not released from it. However, everything might change soon: it is rumored that the government is planning to reintroduce income tax in the near future.
13: Kim Jong-un Is Unique
In North Korea, it’s officially forbidden to give children the name borne by their Leader. If a child had been named like this before his accession, the parents must urgently change the name!
14: They Have Their Own ‘Intranet’
In Kaesong in the southern part of North Korea. No cars, like walking back in time!
North Korea has their own intranet – “Kwangmyong.” It opened in 2000 and includes a browser, email, news and search capabilities. No open internet as it exists in other parts of the world.
15: North Koreans Are Convinced Korea Is One Country
If you take a political map of the world made in any other country, you’ll see both North and South Korea on it. However, North Koreans are certain that there is only one Korea: any school map shows a united country with the capital of Pyongyang.
16: They Only Have Three TV Channels
There are only 3 TV Channels in North Korea. Which leaves me wondering how many families might be in prison for illegally watching soap operas from South Korea..
17: North Korea Has Death Penalty
Death given are sentenced for distributing pornography, watching movies not approved by the governments and possessing Bibles.
North Korea one of the last six countries to still perform public executions after Saudi Arabia, Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, and Yemen.
18: Bill Gates Net Worth Is Three Times Larger Than NK
Bill Gates’ net worth is more than three times larger than North Korea’s annual GDP, as of 2017.
19: Almost Impossible To Walk Freely In North Korea
You need a guide to walk around North Korea as a tourist. I was extremely lucky to go during a special time, so I could walk around freely on several occasions. Watch this video on how it was possible for me.
20: Tourism Is A Very Small Part Of The Country’s Economy
Walking around freely in North Korea
Tourism is a very small part of the country’s economy. Due to government restrictions, only around 5,000 Western travelers per year make the trip. To compare London attracted 20.42 million international visitors in 2018. Big difference? Indeed so!
I was close to die two times in 1 week in Liberia. My first time was a near-death experience, which happened when I just arrived to the capital, Monrovia. Here is what happened exactly!
Me and a Liberian guy arriving too late to the border in the evening from Sierra Leone to Liberia
When I finally made my way to the capital Monrovia, I just wished for a nice, enjoyable week in Liberia. Well, not really! But I will return to this.. There was some good vibes in the shared car I was in on our way to Monrovia, but we went out 6 or 7 times to different police check-points on the drive. I knew Liberia had been in 2 civil wars recently, for a total of 14 years, where more than 250,000 Liberians were killed, so I knew this country had been pretty unstable not too long ago.
Me and “The Black Cristiano,” as he introduced himself, from our shared car towards Monrovia
First Look At The Capital Was Shocking
The guy in the blue t-shirt helped me a lot at the check-points, because the police officers usually liked him. He said I was with him, which meant I wasn’t asked too many of the usual questions, wasn’t asked for money or had all of my baggage checked, as I’ve experienced a few others places. That was pretty great! Local friends are good to have.
Now I was close to the capital and I was honestly excited to relax a bit after 30 extremely hectic hours.
My first sight in Monrovia, Liberia
Monrovia, Where Is The Trash-Service?
My first sight of Monrovia was one of the worst I’ve ever seen in a capital. Trash everywhere on the streets and people walking around in this. Even in the car the smell was so bad that we had to hold our noses. I thought the nature had been pretty beautiful on the way to here, and I never judge an entire country on its capital, but Monrovia didn’t make it to my top 20 of capitals around the World – let’s put it that way!
My original plan was I was going to stay in Monrovia, but I had a bit too much of this place already after a few hours, and a friend of mine had a contact in Paynesville, a 45 min drive outside of Monrovia. I thought why not try this.. It could only be better than here! I was going to Monrovia later in the week anyway to fix a visa, so I knew I would have time to explore the good parts of the city too. It was a win-win! I thought…
Near-Death Experience Incoming
The traffic in Monrovia was terrible. Super crowded, no rules, people driving where they wanted to drive, motor bikes and cars everywhere! I thought that because Liberia only had a small population of 5 million people, the country would be pretty smooth with the traffic! Not.. at.. all!
Liberia’s capital Monrovia from above
What concerned me a lot in Monrovia was seeing plenty of damaged cars and motor bikes, I knew there would be a big chance of a road incident here.. No space for small mistakes or a second of inattention!
I counted 5 serious incidents when I arrived in Monrovia, Liberia
No Way Out Of The City – What To Do?
I was on the search for a taxi or a shared ride to Paynesville and it was close to impossible to find a way.. I waited 10 minutes.. Waited 20. All taxis were full of people. I was almost running out of hope, when a young guy on around 19 years of age came to me on his motorbike and asked me: “Where are you going?”
I told him I was going to Paynesville and asked him: “How much?” He started with an absurd price, and I just laughed as I usually do when people are trying to scam me and I pretended I was about to leave, when he said: “How much do you want?” I ended up paying 20% of the price he started with and we were finally off to Paynesville! I’m normally a big fan of taking motor bikes when traveling.. And I can assure you:
THISride is the ONE I remember the MOST out of +1000 motor bike rides.. Here’s why!
Driving Through Hell
I jumped on the motor bike and the driver started to drive really fast almost immediately.. I didn’t get to think anything, before he was driving around 80km/h in a compact African city traffic (not the traffic we know from Europe!) with tiny space to pass other cars.
My driver zigzagged through the queues anyway with high speed. It would be too dangerous to stop him, because of the insane traffic we were in and because of the way he was driving without using the brakes…
My driver honked 3 times pr. second and he looked back every 3 seconds in order to look cool I think, I’m not sure why he did that to be fair, but it freaked me out!
Driving Against Trafic
My driver was a wrong-way-driver and drove against traffic most of the time, and we we’re constantly centimeters away from hitting other cars.. He gassed up to 100 km/h. After 20 min of being in survival mode on this motor bike, I was sure it was over! It all happened in a few seconds..
Another motor bike driver drove from the opposite side of the road and was out of a sudden in the lane we were driving in.. We came with full speed.. My life flashed before my eyes. We were literally as close to a collision as you could possibly get. Millimeters from death! A second of silence and then full speed again!
I’ve taken more than 1000 motor bike rides in my life, but this was by far the worst!
Crazy driver.. Don’t ever jump on a motorbike with this guy in Monrovia, Liberia!
My Body Was Shaking – Shock Mode! I Survived
I was thankful for being alive and my whole body was shaking. I was in totally shock mode! My driver even asked me to double the price and took me to his corrupt friends who pretended to be cops by showing their fake Police ID’s to get money out of me.. I got really aggressive at them and to be fair I wasn’t myself for the rest of that day. I paid the guy the firstly agreed-price and escaped the group. I was just grateful I was still a full piece and alive, and couldn’t really focus on anything – I had a lot of anger inside me!
Seconds after the worst motorbike ride EVER in Liberia
After a few hours I met with my friend’s buddy in Paynesville, Liberia, but my thoughts were somewhere else the rest of this day.. I slowly became myself again the next day.
This is what can happen when you throw yourself into a crazy solo ride through West Africa, without your own car or motorbike, just trying to make a way! I know I probably have to be more careful next time..
I have traveled a lot worldwide for 7 years, been to every country in Europe and most of them +2 times. These are the 5 most beautiful countries in Europe based on ONLY landscapes, according to my point of view. We all have different preferences, but for me these countries blew my mind. This is the Top 5!
The 5 Most Beautiful Countries in Europe (Landscape)
5. Scotland
Edinburgh and Glasgow are very cool cities, but the most fascinating part of Scotland is the dramatic scenery, the lush woodlands, the stunning lochs, rugged coastline and green rolling hills topped with crumbling castles. My personal favourite part is the Scottish Highland. I still remember my travel around Scotland, the fabled Loch Ness and these, misty, magical mountains. If you’re lucky to have no rain the Isle of Skye is an iconic place! I’ve been to Scotland 3 times and I really hope I will come back to see more.
Scotland has some of the most beautiful landscape in Europe
4. The Azores, Portugal
I’ve been to mainland Portugal 3 times and it’s a beautiful country! I like Porto, Lisbon and Sintra very much, but my fascination of mainland Portugal is most of all because of the cozy cities and villages, yet the landscape is nice too. On my 4th time in Portugal I wanted to see a new part of the country and went to The Azores. The Azores was actually recognized as the most beautiful destination in Europe by the European Best Destination, and the blue lakes ringed by forests of laurel and cedar and the peculiar rocks and structures certainly is TOP-CLASS on this volcanic archipelago. Hyacinths are everywhere, nature is so lush and green and breathtaking views from mountain tops when hiking around.. So close to my very top!
Portugal is so much more than only Lisbon.. The Azores has STUNNING landscapes
3. Iceland
Iceland is a country you CAN’T skip on this list. I’ve only been to Iceland one time and I spent 7 days there, but tried to see as much of the island as I could. Iceland’s blue bubbling geysers, rugged lava fields, and spectacular glaciers create a visual spectacle that seems out of this world. Definitely the Land of Fire and Ice, and who honestly wouldn’t love taking a dip in the Blue Lagoon?! Crazy colors, geysers, waterfalls and rock formations everywhere here.. Thumbs up for Iceland!
Visited Iceland is 2015 and I still remember these unique landscapes
2. Norway
I’ve been to Norway 20 TIMES.. Insane!? I went a lot to Norway as a kid and just as much as an adult.. I love the landscapes, there’s always a new adventure waiting in my Danish neighbor country. Deep, striking fjords, rugged coastal mountains and glaciers that take your breath away. Spectacular national parks which protect the nation’s unique scenery and wildlife. Norway is so big and some parts of the country lies within the Arctic Circle. Go north in the country and there’s a good chance of seeing Northern Lights, while reindeers and polar bears roam the staggering ice fields of the Svalbard archipelago most north.
Norway is fascinating, even in the extremely cold winter days with 2 meters snow laying everywhere…
Norway with my dad. As a kid I went mostly to Norway for holidays and a few other countries. Now I’m at 120 countries!
1. Faroe Islands
If you visit Faroe Islands on a big cruise ship for a few days and you only visit the capital Torshavn, then I’m sorry to say that you’ve missed out on some of the most beautiful scenery in the World. Faroe Islands is every photographer’s dream coming true!
I’ve been to Faroe Islands 14 times and been to most of the 18 islands, which are all very unique in their own way. The dramatic, mind-blowing islands landscape is shaped of steep cliffs with sheeps everywhere (Faroe Islands means ‘Sheep Islands), deep fjords and high rising mountains – no matter where you are, you are never more than 5 kilometers away from the ocean!
This natural paradise is Europe’s best kept secret, and while tourists are flocking countries like Iceland and Norway the Faroe Islands still goes under the radar, which makes it even more unique and special!
In a small village called Tjørnuvik in Faroe Islands with 64 people living there
Faroe Islands even has an island with only one family living there! As remote as it gets. Check out The 5 Reasons Why You Need To Go To Faroe Islands, if you’re planning to visit soon. You definitely should!
That was my ‘Top 5 Most Beautiful Countries In Europe (Landscape!) What’s yours?
After visiting 120 countries my travel style has become a lot more simple.. At first I thought expensive things were really cool. Gold watches, Rolex, expensive jeans, expensive clothing, shirts, t-shirts, sneakers. It was all a fascination! It all had to look and be expensive! I played at lot of semi-professional football from 16-19 and the environment I want in was all about which belongings you had and material stuff.
Started Traveling
When I started to travel more my mind started to change slowly. I realized that spending too much money on clothing, meant less money for travel and experiences. Because I had more and more beautiful eye-opening travel experiences, I wanted more of that and therefore I cut down on the expensive clothing.
I took a big world travel for 6 months and it was here I realized that expensive clothing, watches and jewelry only put you in a lot more danger when you’re traveling the world.
With friends in Manila, Philippines where I traveled around 1 month
Luxury Watches Are Not For Traveling
I started to let my hair grow long and wear pretty simple travel clothing and it actually felt really good to change my focus a bit away from this luxury lifestyle. To not have to worry about spilling Ketchup on your expensiveshirt or getting attacked and having your watch stolen. Luxury watches are simply just not for traveling. If you only travel to places like Saint Tropez to drink Crystal champagne for a few weeks or Formentara in Ibiza, you can surely flex with your Rolex, no problem at all mate, but try to go through Africa or South America with a Rolex and see what happens.
My mate Hemal and I on Copacabana Beach, Rio De Janerio
When I went to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, I saw a guy getting his Rolex watch stolen, I saw an old man getting jumped by 5 criminals who snatched off his gold chain right in front of my eyes and I heard gun shots in the street next to me, so I had to run away all I could. That made me realize: Wearing too expensive clothing when traveling is maybe NOT a good idea.
My 3 Favourite Travel Watches
Having had more than +40 watches, this is the list of my 3 favorite travel watches.
1. Michael Kors MK8400 – Jetmaster
ThisMichael Kors brings back amazing memories for me. Can’t count how much mud, rain, dust and all it has been through, but this watch is strong like few. Simple watch that doesn’t attract too much unnecessary attention in Africa, and still looks super awesome. I’m considering buying one again actually! I even scuba dived with it in Maldives, because it’s 10 ATM Water Resistant. It can go down to 100 meters.
I had the Michael Kors MK8400 Jetmaster on me through East Africa
2. Daniel Wellington
Daniel Wellington
This Daniel Wellington Watch has been an essential part of many of my travels. Simple and stylish! You can buy it cheaply through Amazon with quick delivery. Classic watch!
Wearing the Daniel Wellington watch in Pokhara, NepalWearing the Daniel Wellington watch in The Azores, Portugal
3. The Apple Watch
This Apple Watch Series 4 has GPS, heart sensor and when I play football I can answer calls on the Apple Watch, so I don’t need to carry my IPhone in my pocket. So many cool new features. I think it’s really nice to connect to your IPhone, just like your Airpods, GoPro HERO 7 Black, MacBooketc., it just works together very well. I just had the Apple Watch, so I can’t say too much yet, but because it’s not too bling bling, it will be great to travel with in most places. Thieves go for more expensive and flashy watches!
Might try some new watches soon, but these 3 are highly recommend!
With my Michael Kors MK8400 in Mozambique
Have you changed your travel style? What’s your favorite travel watch?
After 7 years of lots of traveling and 120 countries, I want to share with you ‘My 20 Most Essential Travel Items.’
I usually travel with a 40 liter backpack and I try not to bring too much unnecessary stuff. I want to be flexible and easy moving. However a lot of these 20 travel items are essential for my travels.
I just landed in the Azores after a 2 months trip through West Africa, and I was so happy that I brought my essential travel items on the trip. Everything just got so much easier!
Here in Mali. Essential travel items are important during 2 months in West Africa
20 Most Essential Travel Items (Tips From A Pro-Traveler!)
Every year there are new travel gadgets and gear upgrades coming on the market. If you search “travel” on Amazon you might quickly want to make 10-15 purchases, but not all of these travel items are actually worth packing. I’ve learned to minimize my travel gear, but it doesn’t mean I don’t have a few luxury items in there. There are some things in my packs that you’ve most likely never heard of, and others that are common, but I feel these travels items should be obligatory for long-term travel. Here is the list!
1.Osprey Fairpoint 40 Liter Backpack
I had a lot of Backpacks in my life, some good and some bad. I only had one excellent, which covered all of my needs. This Osprey Fairpoint 40 Liter Backpack is certainly much better than just about every travel backpack. It fits in Carry On on most Airlines, which saves you A LOT OF MONEY and I love its durability, carry, and hideaway harness system. Awesome look, very comfortable to wear. One of my best investment!
2. Zipper Cubes
Mesh packing cubes
I purchased Eagle Creek Zipper Cubesand they’re incredibly durable. I had them since 2017 and sometimes I’ve packed them so tight that I had to kneel on them and pull on the zippers just to do them up. To this day, the zippers are still working like brand new. There are a lot of options on the market today, but I’ve only used Eagle Creek, because I know they last. When you get the Eagle Creek, you’ll ask yourself “why didn’t I buy them years ago?!” Trust me! I had that EXACT feeling! So nice to have!
3. DJI Spark
Back in 2014, drones were mostly reserved for professional videographers, vloggers and bloggers who wanted arial photography. These days, drones have become smaller, more durable and a lot easier to fly.
The DJI Spark is so tiny that it can pretty much fit into any backpack or luggage. It comes with a hard foam case to keep it protected and it takes great videos and photos. If you like to get unique photos while you’re travelling, then this thing is perfect. FINALLY a drone that’s affordable, small and easy to navigate!
Check out the drone footage my friend and I did with the DJI Spark in Lake Assal, Djibouti here!
4. Power Bank
If I had to pick only one thing of these 20 Travel Items where you shouldn’t save money, I would pick the Power bank.
My favourite Power bank is by far ‘The Anker PowerCore’ with 20100mAh. After having had a lot of different Power banks, because I usually forget them somewhere or they burn out, I always go back to this one. ‘The Anker PowerCore’ is fast charging, it doesn’t burn out, and with its high power capacity it can usually charge my phone 4-5 times fully, sometimes 6.
When I traveled in West Africa I went long periods without electricity, and you really want to be able to use your phone in these situations. Therefore you NEED a good, powerful and reliable Power bank, which can charge your phone many times and can resist bad weather conditions.
‘The Anker PowerCore’ is perfect for me.
5. TRTL Pillow
TRTL Pillow
I’ve just passed 400 flights and I’ve slept on 95% of them! It’s both a good and bad habit to sleep on the plane, good because I’m then rested when I reach my destination, but it’s bad because I end up sleeping in awkward position, which usually cause a lot of neck or hand pain the day after. Few weeks ago I bought the TRTL Pillow and I’ve been really satisfied. It gives scientifically proven super soft neck support and the day after a flight now feels a lot better for me with the neck support and comfort if offers whilst you sleep.
There is a manual on how to put it on (SO EASY!) and it literally doesn’t take 2 seconds to do!
6. Good Compact Camera
Every traveller needs to be carrying a good pocket camera. If you really don’t care about what your photos look like and never plan to take pictures in low light, then your iPhone or Android device should do the trick (assuming it’s a newer model with 10+ megapixels). I like to bring a small camera that takes no space.
If you want to take some better photos and great videos while you’re travelling, without packing the size and weight of a full DSLR or mirrorless, then I recommend the Sony A6000 with 24.3 Megapixels. To compare my IPhone X has a 12-megapixel camera. The Sony A6000 camera has some incredible features, takes great photos, and produces some of the best video of any camera in its class. EASY to use and it takes no time to connect it to your phone. I’ve connected it to both my Samsung (android) and to IPhone easily!
The Sony A6000 takes some amazing photos! Here I brought it to Cape Town, South Africa. @gustavrosted
7. Luggage Tracker
Ever lost your luggage? I have, and to be honest I promised myself I would pick up one of these things after Turkish Airlines lost my luggage back in 2016. I “forgot” to buy one and in Oktober of 2017 when Air Astana misplaced my luggage, I thought it was the right time.
On both occasions, I was able to get my luggage back in a week, but it’s an absolutely horrible feeling you have that you’ll never see your backpack again. If I just had the Luggage Tracker in my bag, I would have known exactly what airport they were at and I could’ve even told the airline so that they could retrieve it faster for me. I use the GEGO Luggage Tracker, and I got it after the Trakdot didn’t work properly on 3G network any longer. I’ve been satisfied with it, as it’s generally known that the GEGO is best luggage tracker on the market, tracking very precise and fast. Bluetooth connection is great, where Trakdot was always finicky in every way. Still haven’t found a better product than GEGO and the Map View is great too!
8. Polarized Sunglasses
Kayaking Halong Bay, Vietnam
My secret addiction: Sunglasses and especially for Ray-Bans! Why? Stylish look, 100% UV PROTECTION, (protecting the eyes from the harmful UV rays) and just an iconic look, shape, feel, and style. One thing I don’t save money on for sure, and they’re usually a long-term investment, which will always be modern!
A travel backpack is an ESSENTIAL item. You should invest in a sturdy, comfortable backpack which you can carry all day long. Anti-theft backpack is what I recommend. I use the Affinity USB Backpack as my day backpack to combine with my Osprey Fairpoint 40 Liter Backpack. One of the good things about the Affinity USB Backpack is it can fit in the Osprey Fairpoint 40 Liter, so sometimes I put it in there and bring it in the carry-on, so I don’t need to pay to for check-in baggage – travel like a boss! I know!
This Affinity USB Backpack helps me to store my electronics, travel documents (RFID protection,) powerbank, toilet bag etc, and have comfortable and adjustable straps. I’m a big fan of this anti-theft secured backpack with a USB charging port that fits a 15.6 MacBook.
10: MacBook Pro
I bring my MacBook Pro with me everywhere for travel, and it’s obviously the best computer I’ve ever had! Once you go Mac, you never go back! I have this MacBook Pro (13-inch with a 2.3GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM and with a 256GB SSD in Space Gray.) I bought in on Amazon and its been perfect so far!
The first MacBook I had lasted for 7 years, and it’s always a good investment to get a proper MacBook in my opinion. For me and my Digital Nomad lifestyle it’s an asset I can’t live without, and I need a computer that can go through rough roads and rain season in West Africa, which has been the case with this one!
Of course, always be careful with your computer and don’t do stupid stuff 😉
10. Bluetooth Speakers
Everyone travels with their Bluetooth Speakers. When you’re getting ready to go out for the night or just chilling on your beach hut patio looking out at sunset, having a bit of music playing in the background can really set the mood. If you’re traveling solo like me mostly, it’s usually a very good way to make new friends to bring a Bluetooth Speaker, put on some good music and get the vibes going!
Not just any bluetooth speakers do it for me. Had plenty, but I love a nice mix of durability and excellent sound. I currently have the JBL Splashproof Portable Speaker, and it has amazing sound. Plus, I use it with wet hands at the beach and it hasn’t been damaged yet. The latest model, the JBL Waterproof Flip 3 Speakers are so waterproof that you can even submerge them in water and not ruin them, and they’re lightweight and very durable. You can take them to the beach and not worry about them getting wet or sandy and they sound crystal clear. For just $99.99 on Amazon, they’re also an excellent deal.
11: Dock & Bay Microfiber Towel
A travel towel is key – and I usually recommend a basic microfiber travel towel, cheap and easy in your local shop. But last year, I learned about Dock & Bay Microfiber Towel, which is one of the best Quick Dry Towels and said to be the most original SAND FREE Beach Towel there is. These towels are honestly awesome and more lightweight than other microfiber towels, but are also amazing for the beach. They dry really fast, more than 3 times as fast as a normal towel. I pack mine in the bottom of my personal item backpack and never know it’s taking up space but it’s always there when I need it.
I like this the model in Bondi Blue! Sand free, quick drying, odorless and colorful too!
12. Baseball Cap
Like here in a small village Senegal and most of the hot places I travel, I like to wear a Baseball Cap to protect my face against the sun. Absolutely convenient and a must-have for me to bring on every travel! They don’t take up any space and are perfect for hiding your hair when it looks absolutely terrible! 🙂
13. Toilet Bag
My toilet bag broke on my long journey through Africa and it really sucks when that happens! To be honest everything was a mess in it, so maybe it was meant to happen for a reason. I just bought this Premium Quality Organized Travel Bag, and it’s an absolute game-changer! Now all of my toilet things are where they should be! Love it!
14. Multi-Port Cables
With all the electronic items that you will be carrying on your travels, keeping them charged and up to date is essential. I swear by this multi port cable. I was given a sample of this cable years ago when and it’s an AMAZING item to keep forever. A charging cable, with multiple ports like for your iphone, Kindle, camera, or a battery back-up.
You might be aware each of these devices listed above use different ports like the micro USB, USB and lightning cable, etc. Using this cable you can charge all of them. Yes – at the same time if you like.
15. Universal Adaptor
As a frequent traveler, a universal adaptor is a MUST. I still remember my first big travel where I didn’t thought of bringing this before it was too late, and had to buy a super expensive universal adaptor for $40 in an Airport. This multi-country adaptor is only $12,99 and has 2 USB ports to plug in and charge the electronic item in over 150 countries. So definitely a good investment. You will be carrying some electronic device (a phone, camera, tablet or laptop) with you on your travels. Universal adaptors will help you to plugin your device in any power outlet across the world to charge its battery for use. So important!
16. Collapible Water-Bottle
Waterbottle is an essential item on your travels. Whether you are hiking or on a full day tour and exploring, you SHOULD stay hydrated and carry a waterbottle. In countries where water is expensive, fill it up from the hotel. I use this LEAK FREE, vacuum insulated Alpha Armur Bottle, because I HATE to get water in my bag where I have my electronics and because I don’t like the concept of buying plastic bottles all the time in countries where they don’t know how to recycle the plastic properly.
This waterbottle is totally a Win-Win! And it definitely saves you money in the long run..
17. Travel Organizer
Travel Organizer for documents are so handy! They are a MUST have to organize and secure your credit cards, printed boarding passes, passport, any quick notes like hotel address, emergency contact information, etc. I know you might think, in the age of technology why bother with printed boarding pass? Trust me, not all airports will accept barcode/digital boarding passes and what if your phone is frozen and cannot be scanned, especially in Africa!
Also, your passports and credit cards are not digital, you will need a wallet with RFID protection (to protect against identity theft) or a travel organizer like this one. I use this travel organizer, to keep all the travel documents in one place. Invest in a piece that is not bulky, yet has enough rooms for passport, credit or ID cards, money, paper, pen and boarding pass, with RFID protection.
18. A Day or Two of Toiletries
I can’t count how many times I’ve had a Sun Lotion, Perfume etc. over 100 ml taken from me in the security control in Airports. It was first after I discovered these small Go Tube Travel Bottlesthis finally ended! Really good to have for personal hygiene. Very durable and don’t leak despite being repacked daily as I stayed in many different hotels and places! I’m a big fan of these! The other travel bottles I had were usually leaking and it sucks to open your toilet bag and find out a shampoo is now all over your toothbrush!
These ones are honestly very good to have!
18. Travel Insurance
No one wants to buy travel insurance. I get it. We all think the incident doesn’t happen to me. But what happens when a monkey bites you in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and you need to get a quick rabies injection or you get malaria in Ivory Coast. Then you’re screwed! Unless you have a good Travel Insurance-
I prefer Worlds Nomads. Honestly, I hate worrying about my stuff while I travel. World Nomads gives me the peace of mind I need when it comes to gear. When my bag got stolen in Argentina, we took the proper steps by filing a police report and submitting our paperwork and they covered our losses. No muss, no fuss. It was great.
Plus, their One-Call 24-Hour Assistance Services offer multilingual pros to help you find a local doctor, dentist, or hospital abroad, and they can even arrange transportation to get you there.
19. First Aid
When it comes to travel first aid, think of anything you might have trouble hunting down in a foreign pharmacy and bring at least one. I’m not a big fan of taking pills, medicine and whenever I can avoid it I do. But I do like to have a little medicine for emergency situations and what I personally bring for my travel is:
1: Imodium (Stomach problems, anti-diarrhea.) After drinking the wrong ice cubes in India these are absolutely life-savers!
2: Systane Eye-Drops. I have dry eyes, and in countries where you deal with a lot of dust etc, I need eye-drops, otherwise I can’t see properly, my eyes get scratchy and sometimes red. Systane eye-drops helped me so much in Africa.
3: Paracetamol Tablets. For me they are the most important. Every time I’m about to get sick, it usually helps taking one of these and drink some water. I use the Danish brand Panodil and like to take one when I feel bad, because they usually better the situation.
4: Zyrtec Allergy Relief.I have allergy for grass, dust and some special perfumes and when it’s worst I use Zyrtec Allergy Relief to recover from sneezing, runny nose, itchy and watery eyes. Also relief from itchy throat or nose.
5: Band Aids. I never travel without these. You never no when you’re going to hurt yourself! 🙂
20: Windproof Travel Umbrella
While other umbrellas get easily flipped in the wind & break, the this Compact Travel Umbrella has a vented Double Canopy that allows the wind to pass through, preventing it from flipping over and breaking in strong winds. That’s one feature I really appreciate. I can’t count how many umbrellas I have watched die in strong winds, but this one is a survivor! And it doesn’t take a lot of space!
A Last Remember
Last but not least remember to bring copy of your passport, proof of vaccinations and maybe some small passport photos! You now have all the Travel Essentials and remember the only IMPOSSIBLE journey is the one you never begin, so pack your bag and go! ✈️
I had 5 lovely days in the beginning of my Liberia stay and I find most Liberian people as warm, friendly and sociable, but what happened in my last 2 days in Liberia is something I will never forget!
Hello Liberia. My country number 116
Is Liberia Dangerous?
Before you read this article and get scared of Liberia, I need to say I enjoyed Liberia mostly. A beautiful country, even though I was there in heavy rain season with up to 16 hours of rain some of my days. I had to be smart with my time in Liberia and took full advantage of the sunny hours, as well as with the rainy ones.
There are some sketchy areas in the capital Monrovia, especially at night, but I felt comfortable most places in Liberia during day and night. So it is a safe country, but there’s one specific time, where it’s NOT!
At the abandoned luxury hotel, Ducor Hotel, at night
My Observations In Liberia
Can’t avoid the spices in Liberia! Even cucumbers have spicy chili inside
The Language
I love the way Liberian speak English, the way they shorten all of the words and mix it with their own local language, makes it so hard to understand, but enjoyable to listen to. Sometimes I had to listen to sentences 3-4 times, in order to fully understand what was being said. So yes, Liberia is a English-speaking country, but not the English you know.
The Food
The food in Liberia is extremely spicy and it’s no matter what you eat. The Liberian people find the food to be completely normal, but in all of the other +115 countries I’ve been to, I only remember a few countries where ALL the food was this spicy. Most of the time I had tears in my eyes when eating in Liberia.
Public Transport Discussion
I took a lot of public transport in Liberia and in all of the cars, mini busses, busses there were discussions.
Usually the one who shouts the loudest wins the argument and when you think people are about to fight, they say “my man, listen,” and the “my man” takes of a lot of the pressure. I’ve seen it so many times here.
Civil Wars
The First Liberian Civil War was an internal conflict in Liberia from 1989 until 1997. The conflict killed about 250,000 people. The Second Liberian Civil War was from 1999 – 2003. After nearly 14 years of Civil War the country is finally safe now, but when the situation get overheated, people can go back in war mode.
Caught In Shootings And Explosions In Liberia
I was caught in shooting and explosions in Liberia. The day before I went on a crazy hunt to find wild, abandoned chimpanzees on an isolated Liberian island, dubbed as ‘The Planet of the Apes.’ Read: The Hunt On Wild Chimpanzees In Liberia,’ but now it was time to go from Liberia to Ivory Coast!
Here’s what happened exactly: I went up 5 am in the morning to find a car from Monrovia to Ivory Coast, because you usually have to wake up early when moving around West Africa to get a car. The car was first full at 9 am though, so it was a long waiting time, but we were now finally ready to go. I was in a Jeep with 7 other African people and off we went!
I sat next to a guy from Ghana, who spoke a good English I could understand easily. There was also a Liberian guy, who was extremely friendly, but I was happy that the man from Ghana was there to translate what he said, because he spoke extremely fast and the Liberian way. Fast talking combined with the Liberian way of speaking English is not the best combination, at least not for me.
The Road Was Blocked. How Come?!
Police blocking the road. What is going on?!
We had been on the road for only 1,5 hour and now the road was blocked. We talked a bit to some of the other passengers in the cars waiting in line, and from what I could understand from the conversations there had been an incident and two kids had died.
I thought it was a bad road incident, which happens here occasionally, but after 30 min of waiting the Liberian guy and I decided to go and check what the problem. There was a lot of noise up there!
“The President Kills Our Children”
We came up to the chaos and walked a bit around. The police were there, but it seemed pretty quiet after all at first. We saw some people who were furious and my Liberian friend and I went over to them to find out what the problem was. A lady was screaming us in the face: “The President is killing our children.”
One of the furious ladies. Lots of aggression
The ladies wanted the President to come and talk, and I was hoping he would come, because I’m a football fan. The President of Liberia is the old football legend, George Weah. His abilities on the football pitch seemed to be better than his presidential ones! At least people were MAD about him in this situation.
Football legend George Weah is the President of Liberia
I honestly didn’t understand the issue really, but the protesters said they would block the road for at least 2-3 days. This was the ONLY International road from Monrovia, Liberia to the border of Ivory Coast.
At this point I thought either they stopped the demonstration or there would be big problems soon. In a country there has been in a war mode not many years ago. A country that’s not afraid to pull the trigger.
Only white man in the place. Would the President come or not?
At one point it seemed like the President would come to give an excuse to the people, but then the reports from the Government changed. I could see the Ghanaian guy from my car running back towards the car. The Police was still passive at this time, but the alarm bells were ringing now. I had to get back to the car.
Get In The Car! Now!
The Liberian guy ran past me and I turned around and ran also. Our car was only 40 meters away from the protests. When we came to the car we stood outside and talked a bit, and the Liberian guy said there was NO CHANCE we would leave today. Just when he said “no chance,” our driver came running from the opposite site of the demonstration and said the police are sending extra forces: “Get in the car. Now!”
Two of the last guys from our car came running in full sprint to the car and jumped in. Literally 5 seconds after we were all in the car, I looked to the right side and from around 50 meter distance I saw a young man throwing something and I yelled: “Get down!” It was a small home-made bomb. Everybody went down beneath the car seats! We could feel the pressure from the bomb inside the car. The car was shaking and right after I could smell the smoke from a battlefield.
I looked up again and from the other side now three Liberian men threw stones at our car, so we were still hiding under the car seats. The driver screamed: “Open the windows,” because if a stone hits glass, it could leave serious damage on the people inside. We were all with the heads down. The protesters were running away and I made a short video footage, where you can hear the gunshots starting to fire from the police.
The women from the demonstration came running now in full speed with crying kids, absolutely horrible.
Liberian woman running from her life. One of the worst days of my life!
The Police Didn’t Want The Protests To Continue – Shoot!
The President had told the police the situation was unacceptable and had told them to act! I saw this woman on the picture above came running past my car window, I looked back and saw a woman was shot in the back head 10 meters away from me. The second after a young man got shot in the back and went straight to the ground. F*CK! I went back under the car seat and heard 5-7 gunshots more and heard a lot of screaming outside. After 1 minute all the people who were protesting and blocking the road were gone.
Police with truncheon and guns. At least 2 were shot dead, I saw it with my own eyes!
I saw two people were shot with my own eyes, but I’m not sure how many were shot in total. A lot of gunshots.. Time was standing still.
All of the people from the demonstration were gone in less than 1 minute
Time To Get Away From The Gunshots
Now we had to escape. Our driver got up from where he was hiding, starting the engine and drove like he was getting casted for a new ‘Fast & The Furious-Movie.’ He destroyed the rear view mirror on another car, because all people just wanted to get away. We really had to get away in a hurry, and he even went off road, where the car was close to turn around. He honestly drove like Michael Schumacher in his heyday. The situation was hectic and scary, still with a lot of violent, unpredictable police around us.
Our driver driving right after he raced through the demonstration. We made it!
A Day Not To Remember
What a day to finish off Liberia, my country number 116. A day I wouldn’t even wish my worst enemy to experience. A day right in the middle of shootings and explosions a little outside of Monrovia, Liberia.
20 minutes after the shootings. Seeing people get shot is something you don’t want to try.
Goodbye Liberia
As I said earlier I don’t know much about the conflict, but blocking the only International road to another country on the African continent usually have bloody consequences. It had today. These protesters put themselves, the road users and worst of all small children in extreme danger by doing this. Not smart. Seeing kids crying, running for their life. Not fun at all. I can’t figure out who were right or wrong though.
Made it to Ivory Coast. Big relief!
Honestly happy I have arrived to Ivory Coast alive, my country number 117. Can’t wait to see what this country has to offer and now it’s time to move forward!
Dubbed as the Planet of the Apes, I traveled to the secretive “Monkey Island” in the Liberian jungle, but the hunt to find them wasn’t easy!
How To Find This Place?
I had talked a bit to my Dutch friend Bart about this place, but to be honest I had absolutely no clue how to get there at first. I just heard about the “Monkey Island”, and was a bit fascinated by the story of these aggressive laboratory monkeys living it up on the Liberian island.
What is said to be infected apes with a reputation for attacking invaders are apparently on their own private island in Africa. Going there sounds like something from a horror movie, right?! Anyway it sounded too cool for me to resist, and I always prefer to see animals in the wild and not in a circus or in most zoo’s, where they don’t belong.
Win-win situation!
Jumped on a motorbike with a man and his wife
No Tourist Attraction At All
I quickly found out this place wasn’t a tourist attraction and many people didn’t know the place I was asking for, but I took a shared taxi for around 1 hour south of Monrovia to a small city called Marshall and from there I jumped on a motorbike with a man and his wife. The man was complaining that I was moving too much in the 45 min motorbike drive, but I had his wife’s steel plate and fruits in my back, which caused a lot of pain!
Anyway, the pain shouldn’t stop me from making my way to the chimpanzees!
Corrupt police at a security point
Corrupt Police Security Point
It’s incredible how much stuff can be on a small African motorbike, right?! I checked my phone and could see we were now close to the place, where the motorbike driver told me I could find a boat to the chimpanzees and right when I looked up from my phone a guy yelled: “HEY!” loudly.
I could see it was a security point and the 4 cops looked really sketchy.
I was sure they would try to get some money out of me. But I met them with a smile and a positive attitude, because I knew all my documents, vaccinations and visas were in order. After a little talk outside, I was taking into Officer Kanneh’s office and he asked me: “What are you doing here?”
I knew if I said I was going to look for the chimpanzees he would probably mention a fee for entrance, so I just said I was going to see the village here and walk around.
He said: “Ok I see. You didn’t know there were chimpanzees here?” I said: “No, are there really?” and looked very surprised.
Officer Kanneh said: “Yes. I can call a guy named Wacki, he know the chimpanzees and he can take you there for free.” I knew it wasn’t going to be free, but I just agreed and Officer Kanneh and his big security guard took me to the lake.
On which other continent would you see two police officers at an important security point just leave their job?
The Two Police Officers And Me Off On Motorbikes
We arrived to the place and it started to rain like crazy. We tried to call Wacki, but he didn’t take the phone. Out of a sudden someone found Wacki in the village and Wacki was very happy to see me and said he wanted to take me to the chimpanzees. But he said he would just go and change his outfit.
We waited for 20 minutes and Wacki didn’t come back.
Me and the corrupt police officers searching for Wacki
Where Is Wacki?
Now it was finally dry, so one of the guys said that we should go now to the “Monkey Island.”
I was sure the guy had coordinated it with Wacki, but I was a bit surprised, when I asked him 5 times about where Wacki was and I didn’t get any respond.
Officer Kanneh was there with us and said Wacki wasn’t here right now, but I could pay 15 dollars and then go with Mr. Mojo’s old fisher boat, instead of Wacki’s kayak.
I knew time was short, because it was raining heavily (it really does here in rain season), so I said let me talk to Mr. Mojo. First of all I told Mr. Mojo that I wanted Wacki to come with me, because he was the expert in the area. Mr. Mojo said it was impossible, because we couldn’t find Wacki. I could tell Mr. Mojo just wanted to benefit from the situation, instead of Wacki, and to be fair I could see this Mr. Mojo was focusing more on the money, whereas Wacki seemed like a really nice person with a big heart.
The Oral Agreement
I looked Mr. Mojo deep in the eyes before the ‘Chimpanzee Hunt’ and said: “I don’t want a boat tour. I want to see chimpanzees. When I’ve seen chimpanzees, I’ll pay you 15 dollars. Not before.”
It was a cheap price indeed, but it’s a lot of money for Liberian people and fuel prices are super cheap here.
He said: “Yes, that’s a deal” and we shaked each other hands. Everybody around us saw it.
From my experience when traveling Africa, it’s always super important to make clear agreements before you do something, otherwise there can sometimes be problems afterwards and you will have to cash out!
It turned out there were big problems here too later! Anyway..
I made sure all the other 20 Liberian guys who were circling around me heard it too, in case Mr. Mojo suddenly ran away from our oral agreement. I wanted to see chimpanzees and after I would pay.
The agreement was reached and I was ready to go with 5 Liberian guys in Mr. Mojo’s old fisher boat
We went out in the old fisher boat, which went from side to side. I’m glad I have Faroese fisherman blood, and even one of the Liberian guys went puking after 30 minutes. That boat was absolutely terrible! I thought it was going to tip over at times, but the water luckily got more quiet. But the weather didn’t.
Water got quiet, but then the rain was incoming!
We started to search for the chimpanzees in two nearby islands, but they were hiding. They had food in the morning, so a guy told us we should come back, when they were hungry again and then suddenly a crazy rainstorm hit us! We had to go back! No chimpanzees!
No chimpanzees at our 1st attempt
1.st Attempt – FAIL!
When I came back I could see Mr. Mojo was looking at us and we jumped up of the shaky boat, soaking wet and disappointed and went inside a small stone house. The 5 Liberian guys told Mr. Mojo we didn’t see any chimpanzees and Mr. Mojo then said:
“Ok. But I want my money now.”
I was shocked. 15 dollars is not a problem for me, but to change an agreement is a problem. We made an agreement 1,5 hours before in front of everybody and now Mr. Mojo changed his mind. Waow!
When I’m traveling in Africa I’m a man of principles and I stick to my agreements here, which is one of the reasons I rarely get scammed in Africa.so I reminded Mr. Mojo in a kind way about the agreement we made earlier about the fact that I would pay when I had seen chimpanzees.
Mr. Mojo Got Aggressive
Mr. Mojo went straight to my face and started to yell that he wanted his money now, and he started coming with several racist remark about me, calling me f*cking stupid white man and several other things I don’t want to wrtie, but I kept my calm and didn’t move one step, even though he was right up in my face and I just told him in a polite way.
“How can I be the stupid one? We had a deal?”
I wasn’t scared, because I knew I was right and I knew if he hit me one time, he wouldn’t stand a chance against me. The other guys took him away and told him to calm down, because they all heard the agreement we made. A guy in a yellow shirt came into the circle and that was THEGAME CHANGER!
Wacki And His Friend Were Back!
Wacki came back and he got really pissed off at Mr. Mojo.
Wacki told Mr. Mojo, he shouldn’t take me on his boat, while he was changing his outfit. Wacki apparently lived a little away from the village, and Wacki told Mr. Mojo he knew nothing about finding chimpanzees. Everybody loved Wacki in the little village, and Wacki told me: “Don’t worry my man, my friend will show you chimpanzees.”
After 30 min. of crazy discussions between Mr. Mojo and Wacki, Wacki convinced Mr. Mojo about his plans. I would pay the 15 dollars, when I had seen the chimpanzees and Wacki promised Mr. Mojo I would see them now at the 2. attempt with huge confidence. Wacki told me to go with his friend!
My man!
Everybody in the village had arrived to see our hefty discussions
2. Attempt! Now Or Never
We left the village in the old fisher boat again for a 2. try! Wacki’s friend was really confident, he was actually dancing on the boat and started to say all the names of the monkeys and said he had a great personal relationship with them. I couldn’t help but to smile a bit after some rough hours of discussions.
Our 2. try to find chimpanzees. Wacki’s best friend in the yellow shirt! Top guy
Would We Finally Find The Chimpanzees?
Wacki’s friend was shocked about where the guys had taken me at first, and it turned out Wacki’s friend was right.
Right when we went out to the first place on this boat trip, 3 Chimpanzees came out, when Wacki’s friend started yelling their names. Such a clever animal, no wonder why it’s the most human like animal in the World.
We found them!
The water was shallow at the beach, so we couldn’t really get close, because the chimps could get aggressive with me as a new person they didn’t know, but we went to the other side of the island and got pretty close, where the chimpanzees were in the trees and on the seashore. Wauw, this was it!
CHIMPANZEES! Such an amazing experience getting close to these aggressive, but cute guys
We were all very happy to see the chimpanzees, and even Wacki’s friend’s friend was amazed and was sneaking out his phone and took some nice photos!
Wacki’s friend’s friend was even more hyped than me and took a lot of pics! Awesome chimps!
I couldn’t thank Wacki and Wacki’s friend enough and I gave them a solid well-deserved tip for saving my ‘Chimpanzee Trip’ and then I gave the man his 15 dollars when I came back of course. Even though I was a little mad about his racist remarks and aggressiveness towards me, but I could understand his frustrations too. I just can’t help sticking to the agreements I make. That’s just natural for me.
A hectic, but amazing chimpanzee hunt! Would you do have done the same like me?
After some long travel days and a baby puking on me on the bumpy roads in Guinea, I was honestly a bit tired to say the least and very excited to get out of Guinea’s capital Conakry’s craziness and into Sierra Leone, the country of white beaches and diamonds.
No. 2 Beach, Sierra Leone
The Ebola Outbreak
When I had to go from Guinea down south to Sierra Leone, I a took bus, shared taxi, motor bike, basically every possible vehicle in order to finally reach Sierra Leone, the land of the white beaches, which I heard so much good stuff about. Besides a big Ebola outbreak few years ago which killed +10,000 people. Terrible!
Ebola just found in Congo again. Sierra Leone on alert!
Not Allowed To Enter Sierra Leone?
But I didn’t want to think too much about that. Like always. Just go!
First of all I was told that my vaccination card wasn’t complete to enter Sierra Leone. I told the border police that my doctor gave me all the vaccines which were needed. After a little talk with the Sierra Leonean border police, they told me: “This is not the Official Vaccination Card.” I told them that it was how the Official Vaccination Card we get in Denmark looks like, even though it was just a copy of it, (as I would be afraid to lose my original one,) and they luckily believed in my super convincing explanation.
I then had to go through two offices more for registration and thought okay, now I’m almost in Sierra Leone.. But then the lady at the registration office said: “Now you go into that room, to the ‘Big Boss!’
Border crossings in West Africa can be complicated and tiresome
My Meeting With The Big Boss
The ‘Big Boss’ was a big guy, probably around 50 years old, wearing a suit and with a mad look. He said “sit down” with a brutally dark voice and then started to look at my passport without saying anything for 2 minutes. It felt like a reeeally long time in there, because he looked really critically on every page and visa.
He then looked at me and opened his big mouth. “What are you doing here in Sierra Leone?” I replied “I’m just visiting the country as a tourist.” He didn’t say anything and continued to look at my passport.
It seemed like I was just about to get allowance to enter Sierra Leone, sitting in the ‘Big Boss’ office with him lifting his arm to give me the stamp, but then he put the arm down slowly and asked me:
“Which hotel in Sierra Leone?” Damn…
The Missing Hotel Reservation
SH*T. How could I forget to find a hotel name or to fake a hotel reservation in Sierra Leone.
I told ‘Big Boss’: “Give me one second..”
I was trying to get some internet connection, so I could say a name of a hotel, but there was absolutely zero connection at the border.
‘Big Boss’ looked impatiently at me and raised his voice. “I NEED A HOTEL RESERVATION.”
I replied: “It’s called Freetown Hotel.” Big Boss: “I don’t know that one?” I said: “At the beach?” He said: “There’s no one with that name.” I thought oh no, this is NOT good.
He continued: “We can’t let you in to Sierra Leone without a Hotel Reservation. Impossible.” I realized I had to make a quick move, otherwise entering Sierra Leone wouldn’t be for this time, which would destroy my travel plans completely. I didn’t want ‘Big Boss’ to destroy it for me!
I said: “Let me just call my friend about the hotel name.” He stared at me angrily with his scary mad look.. Of course I couldn’t call my friend with no connection at the border, but while I was pretending to call my friend, I took a quick look in ‘Big Boss’s’ book, which was upside down in front of him, and in 2 seconds I could see a hotel name called ‘YMCA.’ I started to scratch my eyes to distract him a bit..
YMCA in Sierra Leone
I took my phone to my ear and faked a call: “Hello Samuel (quickly made up name), what was the name of that hotel.. At the beach in Freetown? Arh, YMCA, okay thanks!” Without talking to any person of course.. When ‘Big Boss’ heard YMCA, he said “good” with his extremely manly voice and continued “Welcome to Sierra Leone.”
I didn’t go to that hotel, but..
Thank you, ‘Big Boss!’
Had to buy a Sierra Leone t-shirt out of pure excitement!
Entering Sierra Leone felt extra good after my meeting with the ‘Big Boss,’ he was indeed one of the biggest bosses I’ve ever met, and to top it off I met a nice lady who brought her rooster in the shared taxi in Makeni, Sierra Leone!
After some relaxing days in Sierra Leone visiting villages, beach hopping and enjoying the capital, Freetown, I thought it was time to make way to by country number 116, Liberia.
No. 2 Beach, Sierra Leone. My favourite beach so far in West Africa!
The Slow Way To Liberia
I prefered to move slowly from Sierra Leone to Liberia in order to see some new places on the way. I wanted to take my time in Sierra Leone and there were several reasons why. First of all because it’s a pretty relaxed English speaking country in this region, which is rare to find. Secondly because when I entered Sierra Leone from the north, I was almost not allowed to enter. I had to be creative and my quick way of thinking saved me in the last second, otherwise it would have been NO Sierra Leone!
Climbing the Lester Peak with a nice view over Freetown, Sierra Leone
After having a fun time in the north of Sierra Leone in Makeni, I went to Freetown and the area around there for some days. After having seen the beaches in Conakry, Guinea, I was stunned to see the difference in the beauty of the beaches in Sierra Leone in such relatively small distance.
Dirty Beach in Conakry, Guinea
Most beaches in Sierra Leone
Tokeh Beach Resort in Sierra Leone.. Different class!
Hard to leave Sierra Leone
It was honestly nice to relax a bit in Sierra Leone, especially to get out of the capital Freetown and enjoy the small villages and lovely beaches. Also enjoyed to eat some of my favourite West African food, the ‘Sierra Leonean attiéké’, with fermented and grated cassava and a blend of various ingredients. Definitely a different supplement to the rice and fish you’ll get most places here, which can get boring in the long run.
Sierra Leonean attiéké is delicious
Too late for Liberia
I wasn’t too far from the border to Liberia and wanted to do some more exploring before crossing the border from Sierra Leone to Liberia. What I didn’t think about was that the border from Sierra Leone to Liberia would close at 6.30 pm. I found out of this randomly mid day and thought it was maybe the right time to head down to the border. I had a strong belief I would make it in time, still with plenty hours to go!
In a southern village Gbongay, Sierra Leone
I found a shared car going to the border and negotiated a fair (cheap) price with the driver. There was just one thing wrong. I quickly found out this could be a big problem in order to reach the border in time. Something was wrong with the driver. Me and the other passengers were in deep sh*t literally!
The Driver’s Diarrhea (Mr. Poo Poo)
I sat next to a very funny guy in the shared taxi, who said he was the black Cristiano Ronaldo!
Me and the black Cristiano Ronaldo and another guy out in nowhere, Sierra Leone
We had several stops on the way there and in the beginning we didn’t understand why we stopped the car all the time, because we were in a bit of a rush. The driver kept running away from the car every time he stopped the car. We quickly found out something wasn’t as it should be with him. After a few stops the driver pointed to his stomach and signaled something was wrong. The black Cristiano Ronaldo said: “We have to drive now Mr. Poo Poo” and every one in the car laughed, including the driver, even though he was in pain. Really a shitty situation for all of us, most of all for the driver!
The clock was 5 pm. Only 1,5 hour to the border would close…
We had to keep on going!
“Mr. Poo Poo” in pain! He insisted to keep on driving.. Would we make the border in time?!
The Liberian Border Would Close Soon
The minutes were counting down. Time was now 6 pm, which meant we only had 30 minutes to go, before the border would close!
I talked to the black Cristiano Ronaldo about the possibility of the border still being open, when we arrived, but I could see on my offline Maps.Me that we had at least 40 minutes to go. Time on a map in West Africa is never correct and that’s a fact. We arrived 7.09 pm. 39 min after the border closed!
Border closed 18.30 sharp. We didn’t make it!
Mr. Poo Poo was off to a little home made African toilet immediately at the border, but it didn’t take away the shit we were all in right now!
Me and a Liberian guy at the closed border! Before we knew the consequences of this situation
It was getting dark and I was there with the black Cristiano Ronaldo, the Liberian guy and Mr. Poo Poo and we discussed where we could sleep and none of us had any clue. We really didn’t want to sleep in the car after an exhausting ride. We were out in nowhere and the heavy rain could come anytime.
Stuck at the border between Sierra Leone and Liberia. Rain hits really hard in the night in rainy season!
The driver called someone and the black Cristiano Ronaldo said we could maybe go on some muddy roads through the forest at night to a village. The roads were really muddy, maybe not as muddy as the driver’s underpants, but indeed muddy!
We drove over 4 small rivers during night to find a place to sleep. Driver wasn’t scared we would get stuck with the car in the dark forest
The Right Track
Mr. Poo Poo drove us the right way. We were now in this village the black Cristiano Ronaldo mentioned to him and me and the Black Cristiano Ronaldo and the Liberian guy went out to search for a place to sleep. It was really hard to find anything and there weren’t many people we could ask during the night, but we found a place with a small ‘Motel’ sign, which looked really creepy. They had two rooms available.
What to do!?
Inside the motel at the border. Straight out of a horror movie
We all agreed that I took the single room. Sounded good to me at first, until I found out the lights went on and off every 1 second, the window was open and couldn’t close (would someone jump in or would the mosquitoes bite me like crazy?!), no mosquito net, no toilet. Anyway it was time to sleep.. We were all too exhausted to thing about anything late at night now!
My $7 motel room at the border to Liberia
Good Morning And Hello Liberia
The border crossing went pretty okay, besides a lot of police check points when we entered Liberia, but I was happy to be with the black Cristiano Ronaldo all the way to Monrovia, Liberia. It went a lot smoother with him, because he small-talked to all the police officers and they seemed to like him.
He is honestly a guy I’ll never forget. He was so excited to go home to his wife in Monrovia, Liberia to have a special dish she would make for him. But he came 1 day too late and I saw his girlfriend was texting angry messages to him about him sleeping with his side chick in Sierra Leone. Ouch!
I can confirm he slept with a Liberian guy and I hope for him he had his favourite dish today in Monrovia, Liberia! Top guy!
Me and the black Cristiano Ronaldo in the morning ready to pass the border to Liberia
You can get scammed anywhere in the World, not only in Africa for sure. These 7 Advices on How To Avoid Travel Scams are great to keep in mind, no matter where you go. Stay safe out there!
Travel Scams Happen To Anyone?
I’ve traveled a lot over the last 7 years, and to be fair a proper travel scam can hit us all, experienced traveler or not. But for me it has become more rare now that it happens and on a much smaller scale, than in the beginning when I started traveling, because I stick to these 7 rules on how to avoid travel scams.
Pretending to be interested in buying carpets in Tunis, Tunisia 2017
Why Scams In Africa And Not Another Place?
After having spent a big part of my adulthood in Africa, this article is mainly about how to avoid some of the 7 most common travel scams in Africa, but similar scams scan be found in any other continent. So if you go Europe, North America, South America, Latin America, Australia or wherever, you can still use these tips, so you don’t get caught off guard so easily, even though a travel scam can happen for us all.
When I started to travel around Africa many years ago I was often blind folded and trusted wrong people too much, which can be an expensive mistake here. I’ve seen famous Travel Vloggers in Africa pay $300 for a simple 1 hour boat trip in Zanzibar. SCAM! I paid $5 for a half day boat trip, swimming with wild dolphins in Zanzibar, because I went to a local fisherman there and asked him instead. It’s easy for tourists to fall in ‘the tourist trap’, especially if you’re new to traveling around Africa. After the boat trip the fisherman and I became friends and enjoyed some fish together. You have to know your psychology in Africa and quickly find out, which people are genuine and which people have hidden interests with you.
Swimming with turtles in Nungwi, Zanzibar, Tanzania
7 Most Common Travel Scams In 2019 (Africa)
1: Broken Taxi Meter
Cab drivers near airports or train stations are known to pull this scam, but it can happen in any place. When you get into a taxi and start to drive, the driver will inform you, (or not inform you,) that the meter is broken and charge you a ridiculous price (to the tune of 100s of dollars if you’re not careful).
My Experience:
This is a pretty common scam in some African countries. I’ve probably had 10 different taxi drivers try to pull this scam on me around the world and half of them were when traveling in Africa.
How To Avoid It:
I usually agree the price before I get in the taxi, but if there’s a taxi meter I make sure it looks legit and works as it should. I usually check in the first 30 seconds how the taxi meter goes, and if it’s looks wrong, I quickly get out of the taxi. Negotiate rates ahead of time, or ensure the meter is in fact working. If the taxi driver refuses to turn on the meter, or tells you it’s cheaper without the meter, get out and opt for another driver. Not all cab drivers are scammers, but I honestly prefer to avoid taxis if possible.
I usually avoid taxis if possible. Here around Bamako, Mali with a much more fun option!
2: Fake Police Officers
These guys look totally legit?!
The fake police officer scam is a popular one in many large cities or capitals. Most often, a person will approach a tourist and offer illicit items, like drugs. While conversing one or two other people will approach, appearing to be police officers and flashing “badges.” They will then insist the unknowing traveler hand over their passport and wallet. However, they are not police officers.
My Experience:
I’ve had similar experiences, mostly in Africa and Latin America. In Maputo, Mozambique I had fake police stopping me all the time, to check my bag for ‘cocaine’ and other stuff, usually just wasting my time to try to get money out of me.
How To Avoid It:
Never hand over your wallet or passport. Request they show you their identification and then inform them you will call the police to confirm they are who they say they are. Or tell them your passport is locked up in the hotel safe, and they’ll need to accompany you to your hotel. If they don’t allow this, simply walk away.
In Mozambique I asked for the fake cops identification and couldn’t stop to laugh about their homemade Police ID. Some of the fake police men would follow me around for 15 min and in the end ask me for any kind of tips. Tips for the police? Really.. How come, for what?
A lovely city, but sooo much fake police in Maputo, Mozambique
3: Friendly ATM Helper
Someone approaches at an ATM cash machine to help you avoid local bank fees. What they really want to do is scan your ATM card with the card skimmer in their pocket and watch you enter your pin number, so they can drain your account later.
My Experience:
I never fell for this scam, but a close friend of mine did in South Africa.
One man was the helpful local, the second pretended to be a fellow customer waiting in line who agreed with what the first was saying. When the first guy cancelled my friend’s transaction and told him to try again, he then scanned the password and the other guy quickly took his card, a car quickly pulled up to the side in literally no seconds and off they were, leaving my friend running after them in tears.
How To Avoid It:
Never let anyone near you while you’re making an ATM transaction, and ALWAYS cover the number pad with your other hand while entering your pin code. If someone approaches, take your card and find another ATM. Always have a look over your shoulder to see if anyone is too near to you.
South Africa is beautiful, but can be brutal with scams at certain places!
4: Injured Or Child Beggars
Usually deaf, blind, or pregnant, sometimes accompanied by a “helper”, beggars will ask you for money. Women with babies are common (they might not even be theirs). Children are also frequently used by begging gangs to collect money. Why? Because it’s difficult for most people to say no to the old, injured, or young. Sometimes an accomplice nearby is just watching to see where you keep your wallet, so they can pickpocket you later.
My Experience:
You’ll see this stuff almost everywhere.
How To Avoid It:
It’s practically impossible to distinguish who is legit and who is not, so my policy is to never give cash to street beggars. I’m a very emphatic person and I want to help everyone suffering, but when traveling in Africa or other places in the World, it’s a big mission impossible to help everyone. However I do buy food, water or giveaway old clothes sometimes. Then your money isn’t going to a gang, alcohol or drugs.
Traveling around mountain villages in Congo
5: Gemstone Or Carpet Deals
A local man casually brings up his lucrative side business of buying jewelry, gemstones, watches or carpets then selling them back in the United States (or some other country) for a fat profit. He offers to share how he does it, and shows you where to find the best deal. The only problem is that these products are fake.
My Experience:
This has never happened to me. For me I don’t believe in the stories that: “Jesus had this earring in his ear or washed his body in this towel,” but I can assure you that some people do and pay A LOT OF MONEY for their stupidity, because they’re actually just getting scammed!
How To Avoid It:
Don’t buy expensive luxury items overseas while on vacation, no matter how good the deal is. Remember, if it’s too good to be true, it’s probably a travel scam.
In North African countries like Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia people will try to sell you some really expensive overpriced stuff in some cases!
6: Flirtatious Local Women
You arrive to a new country only to discover that beautiful local women seem to pay much more attention to you than back home. One of them invites you out to a nightclub or bar. However after a wild night, the woman disappears and you’re forced to pay an overpriced bill. Or worse, drugged and robbed.
My Experience:
This hasn’t happened to me. I can usually see what a woman’s intention is quiet easily. If she gives me the wrong signals, I know I need to be aware and in most cases I stop the conversation before it even gets started. There are much better women to surround yourself with than these types!
How To Avoid It:
Be wary of attractive women who are unusually forward or hitting on you aggressively. I know it is every man’s dream to be propositioned by beautiful women, but if it’s not a normal occurrence for you, then it’s probably a scam and you can end up paying big time for it!
Out clubbing! With an ex-gang member from Mozambique, who came out on the right side and is now employed in my Mozambican friend’s Henry’s company
7: Fake Bus/Train/Plane Tickets
Someone offers to sell you train tickets at a discount, or avoid the line and pay a slightly higher price. Maybe a taxi driver offers to bring you to his friend who’s a local travel agent. However the tickets they are selling aren’t real, and by the time you figure it out, the scammers are gone with your money.
My Experience:
One time when entering Gibraltar a man started to scratch my rental car in the front window and asked for 20 euros for the ticket. I was very confused on what happened, and I was just about to give him the money, when I realized he looked drunk and it was a scam, so I drove away. Ticket scam! Also I bought a fake bus ticket in Zambia for a long drive, but the bus driver was nice to me and let me in the bus anyways! Top guy!
How To Avoid It:
Always buy transportation tickets from the official ticket office or website.
After a nice game of football in a little village in Zambia, where I had a ticket scam right before!
Conclusion
Try to stay avoid these 7 scams, and you’ll enjoy Africa a lot more and it will be relatively cheap. If you do something over the top extraordinary when traveling in Africa, it’s obviously pricey!
Like
1: Climbing Africa’s Highest Mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro
Climbing Kilimanjaro isn’t cheap, but it’s one of the absolute best thing you can do!
2: Paying the gorilla permit to see the mountain gorillas in the rain forest in Bwindi National Park, Uganda
Will never forget my time with the wild mountain gorillas in Uganda in 2015
3: Safaris can be a bit expensive also, but worth it!
Safari in Ngorongoro, Tanzania 2016
But sometimes even for a safari in Africa you can pay very little…
Walking around wild rhinos for free in Zimbabwe, 2013
Africa is cheap (just avoid the scams)
I hear many people saying Africa is so expensive to travel, and yes, it is more expensive than South East Asia, but in most cases what adds up the expenses are the scams. Visas and accommodation can cost you a bit, but public transport, food and a lot of other stuff are in most African countries extremely cheap.
Eating local Kenyan food with my buddy John Kennedy in Nairobi, Kenya 2016
Remember’s
Remember to question everything and make sure you know the price before you’re getting a taxi, a new haircut or buying food. I usually confirm the price on the calculator on my phone to avoid misunderstandings. I had a taxi driver wanting to scam me in Senegal recently by putting an extra 0 on the price, but I already had confirmed the price with the taxa guy on the calculator before we went. In that way I had no problem rejecting his new price. Also remember to have TOTALLY ORDER in your passport, documents, stamps, vaccinations etc., a small mistake in any of these will be super expensive at a corrupt police check-point. Last but not least, don’t wear expensive clothes or jewelry when traveling in Africa, in this way you invite scammers to come to you straight away. I usually wear basic shorts, a normal t-shirt and a dirty cap, when I’m in crowded markets or places to avoid getting too much bad attention.
Africa is the continent where everything is possible, so remember to check out your options before you do something. And remember to try to avoid these 7 Most Common Travel Scams, it’ll help you!
With the National Team of Swaziland in the ‘new country,’ Eswatini 2018
Travel Scammers Suck!
The truth is that no matter how prepared you think you are, you’ll eventually fall for some sort of travel scam. But don’t let this deter you from traveling the world. Think of it as a rite of passage.
Sure, it’s embarrassing to be tricked out of your money, but there are always worse things that could happen. It’s just a learning experience. At least that’s how I look at it! For me Africa is the best continent to travel, both on the good and the bad days and scams can happen anywhere..
A travel backpack is an ESSENTIAL item. You should invest in a sturdy, comfortable backpack which you can carry all day long. Anti-theft backpack is what I recommend. I use the 
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