Here are some random pictures from all over the world. One from each country/territory. I will add more here and there from new travels and adventures, so check back every now and then. Enjoy!
Albania
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]]>Go to Morocco and you’ll meet a lot of tourists, go to Algeria and you’ll hardly meet any. I didn’t meet 1 tourist on my trip through Algeria, and to be fair the visa was one of the hardest I’ve ever tried to get. It was impossible for me to go on a tourist visa, so I had to go on a business visa. Thanks to my friend Djaber and my own creative skills we made it possible, and Algerians (the Amazigh people) has a sharing mentality and hospitality I’ve rarely seen anywhere else in the World. I was completely blown away by Algeria, the people, the mountains and the beauty. This is one of my favorite countries in Africa.
Coming to Namibia with no plans, splashing out $500 on a rental car last minute, because it was IMPOSSIBLE to get around without a car in Namibia, forgetting my International Driver License which is necessary to have to rent a car, (thinking f*ck,) meeting two Namibian strangers by incident last minute, and David didn’t really have any plans for the next long time, so I asked if he wanted to join my trip for free. He did and so did Susan! Strangers who became friends and joined me on this EPIC trip around Namibia. You can watch the video from our crazy ride around Namibia below!
When my parents got married 10 people attended, to this magnificent, fairy tale alike Indian wedding +400 attended and it gave me goosebumps being a part of. Furthermore the male spouse, my friend Hemal, whom I traveled Brazil with in 2016 gave me a shout-out in his wedding speech. Incredible day!
You can read all the details about this beautiful Indian wedding below in the link.
I have surfed in a few countries before, but no place like Costa Rica or El Salvador. I like to learn things myself and even though I’m good at most sports, surfing has always been slightly difficult for me! I like to challenge myself (one of the reasons why I love to travel,) and I felt like both El Salvador and Costa Rica was a good chance to take some surf lessons and actually improve my technique a bit. I must say I had an amazing time exploring both countries and I still think back on a few perfect days hitting the waves on some super beautiful beaches there. “If you’re having a bad day, catch a wave.” Surfing is really something I want to do a bit more of and get better at, when I feel like having some more time! Amazing feeling!
I have technically visited China 4 times, two times Hong Kong and one time on a 48 hour transit, but this was my first visit to ‘The Great Wall of China’ and walking around here for hours was worth every second!
I went to one of the best preserved parts, called Mutianyu, and it was surprisingly quiet. I couldn’t imagine a better day at the wall with sunshine, a clear sight and almost zero people. One of the greatest sights in the World!
These are my visits to the New 7 Wonders of the World below. There’s only 1 of them I didn’t visit yet, check it out!
I loved it so much that I went to see the sunrise in the morning and then spent all day to see the sunset. The most impressive thing about the Taj is the absolute perfect symmetry that around 20,000 people built in the 17th century. You can notice the perfection and small details, when the sun is low in the sky, and the shadows are perfectly cast on the marble stone. It surely is the one of the most perfect buildings in the World and it deserves its name as the “Monument of Love.”
Iraq became my first place to hold a travel speech. I honestly couldn’t imagine a better destination to do it, breaking all stereotypes! I did it in front of 40 people in Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, and Kurdistan completely blew my mind. Iraqi Kurdistan is NOT at all what you think, super friendly people and it felt really safe in this region everywhere I went. Holding a travel speech in Iraq was a perfect experience and the Iraqi people really enjoyed interacting with me, and asked me several questions about my travels. I can’t wait to come back to Kurdistan, and I’m also really excited to travel around mainland Iraq in the close future!
When Cerro Negro—Nicaragua’s youngest volcano—last erupted in 1999, boulders tumbled down the western slope, creating a rocky, ascendable path. On the opposite side, the wind deposited dark, smooth ash that is perfect for sliding. In 2004, this unique pairing of terrains sparked an outlandish idea: volcano boarding. This is the only place in the world I’ve heard of where you can sit upright on plywood, feet-first, and coast down a cindery flank of a still-active volcano! This is the only place to do Volcano boarding. Rated #2 on CNN’s “Thrill seekers bucket list” Volcano boarding is a must do before you die! So much fun!
The wildlife is on another level in Indonesia. Here sitting with a Komodo dragon, which can only be found on a few Indonesian islands in the World. There are only around 5,000 komodo dragons left worldwide. Psychical features of a dinosaur, a deadly lethal venom and they can grow up to nearly 4 meter long with a top speed of 20 km/h. One of the craziest animals I’ve ever been close to!
Feeding Hyenas happens in Harar, the oldest Islamic city in all of Africa. I don’t harbor some kind of death wish, although such a desire might explain why I decided to feed a wild hyena from my mouth, placing my face within easy striking distance of one of the fiercest, most dangerous predators on Earth. With its incredibly powerful jaws, a hyena can even crush and digest elephant bones. Read the full story below!
In 2019, a number of Western travel influencers worked with the Saudi government to market inbound tourism due to the new E-Visa, which has now been introduced in Saudi Arabia. This triggered substantial controversy as the authenticity of their posts was questioned. Just to avoid all confusion: My trip to Saudi Arabia was NOT sponsored. My travel here was with my own funds and no state invitation.
I was very satisfied with my stay in Saudi Arabia, a country I’ve heard too much bad stuff about before coming here, and my 100% honest Saudi Arabia video went viral with more than 120,000 views. Check it out by clicking the link below.
North Korea was a VERY SPECIAL experience for me! I was extremely lucky to go during May Celebrations, so I was allowed to walk freely on several occasions, and I’m one of few travelers who had several encounters with the North Korean people. A bizarre and surreal country to be on the inside of! You can check my Youtube Video about my visit to North Korea by clicking the link below.
I traveled Syria when ISIS-Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was still alive, so there were some serious tensions, especially in the north of Syria. The capital Damascus in the south feels even safer than most European capitals. But Syria left a mark on me and is honestly an amazing country! I hope it will soon be completely safe again! You can watch my video about my Syria trip by clicking the link below.
Whenever I talk about Pakistan, I’m close to break down in tears. This country got totally under my skin. AMAZING people, AMAZING hospitality, one of the friendliest countries on earth, with mountain scenery that is beyond anyone’s wildest imagination. To all of my Pakistani friends, a big Pakistan Zindabad from your Danish friend
Check out my 2 videos below about my visit to Pakistan to better understand why I love this country!
Most of the few travelers who went to West Africa, will usually talk a lot of sh*t about the region, because it’s challenging as few others, but it’s a beautiful challenge. If you’re an adventure traveler like me, you’ll love West Africa, the good and the bad days on the road, and it was my most rewarding travel experience traveling from Senegal to Togo over several months solo, just me and my backpack and without taking any flights. I lost 7kg and it was one of my toughest travel ever, but I enjoyed it so much! If you want to read in details about my West Africa trip and how it went, click the link below.
Now you have some inspiration for your future travels. I’m btw going to the most dangerous country of them all (they say) to celebrate Christmas, I’m not sure any travelers have done that before, so if you want to follow my journey, you can follow me on Instagram: @gustavrosted, Subscribe on Youtube: gus1thego or follow me on Facebook: Gustav Rosted.
Feel free to share the article and safe travels everyone!
Gustav
gus1thego.com
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]]>The post 20 Interesting Facts About North Korea (Insanely Weird!) appeared first on gus1thego.
]]>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.)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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..
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.
Bill Gates’ net worth is more than three times larger than North Korea’s annual GDP, as of 2017.
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.
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!
Goodbye North Korea and feel free to check out ‘The 8 Things You Should NEVER Do In North Korea.’
Enjoying the infamous, stone cold Koryo Burger and goodbye to NK. Actually thought the burger was worse!
Take care everybody!
Gustav | gus1thego.com |
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]]>1: Don’t call the country North Korea
Referring to the nation as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Korea or DPRK, will help to keep you out of trouble, while you’re on the inside of the country.
2: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all.”
Don’t speak negatively about the country, its people, or its leaders. This is an major offence and has landed tourists in hot water, such as being sentenced to hard labor.
Don’t zoom in on pictures of ex-leaders or Kim Jong Un. He is the Supreme Leader and is literally like a God in North Korea. You have to respect him at all times, so absolutely no memes or jokes about him.
Even if you’re throwing a newspaper in the trash bin with him on the front page, it can be seen as a big offence! Forget all about folding a newspaper in two with Kim Jong Un getting folded.. In that case you have to fold it in 3, so that the Leader isn’t folded! I’m not joking, this is actually very useful knowledge.
You could get in big trouble by not doing this.
3: Prohibited items
The following items are prohibited in North Korea:
– Religious material
– Pornographic material
– Political material
– Travel guides
You can bring in your laptop, tablet, camera and cell phone. Even though telecommunications are tightly controlled in North Korea and internet is close to non-existing!
Don’t pack a lot of stuff for your trip, because all electronics – not to mention your browsing history – may be inspected by customs officials. A good advice is to play with open cards and take out all electronics from your bag before the screening, it shows the military you have nothing to hide!
4: Photography
North Korean government authorities may view taking unauthorized pictures as espionage, and could confiscate cameras, film and/or detain the photographer. This includes photographs of airports, government buildings, construction sites, military infrastructure, transport hubs or anything which isn’t considered a tourism location.
I took a lot of pictures/video clips, but respected the above mentioned rules, so didn’t have any problems.
Make sure you’re not filming scenes of poverty or other situations that may cause a negative impression of the DPRK. To be fair you won’t see a lot of extreme poverty in DPRK, because they have no taxes and free housing.
Judge the situation before taking photographs in the DPRK, including of officials, soldiers or other people.
Drones are definitely a no-go. You won’t be allowed to bring a drone on the inside.
5: LGBTQ
While same sex relationships aren’t illegal in North Korea, authorities generally don’t accept them. It’s important for LGBTQ travelers to remain discreet at all times.
6: Don’t discuss or practice your religious beliefs.
North Korea is an atheist state that restricts public religion. Participating in unsanctioned religious activities such as publicly praying or toting around a Bible is a sure-fire way to get arrested, detained, or expelled from the state.
7: Don’t break the rules.
Breaking a rule of the tour will not only put your life in danger, but will also put your guide at risk. He or she will face imprisonment and even torture for assisting your attempts at alleged espionage. Follow my 7 rules and do not take the rules lightly. If you want to break the rules, North Korea is probably not the right travel destination for you.
8: Vacations abroad
North Koreans are not allowed to go for vacations abroad. This is a violation of human rights, but the people of North Korea are probably unaware of this fact. So know this before you’re trying to get your North Korean citizenship!
If you happen to be in North Korea during a national day or festival event like me, locals tend to be more at ease. Like in any culture, celebration, good food and beverages always help break the ice.
I was super lucky attending the May Day celebrations, where I could walk totally freely around myself, get in contact with many locals through sports and even joined a local picnic with karaoke out in the woods!
Absolutely special, but extremely rare you’ll have time on your own in North Korea!
Please remember to follow these rules, this is not just any country.. But it surely is a special one.
See you next time, North Korea
Gustav
gus1thego.com
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]]>Here are some random pictures from all over the world. One from each country/territory. I will add more here and there from new travels and adventures, so check back every now and then. Enjoy!
Albania
Algeria
Andorra
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaidjan
Bahrain
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burma / Myanmar
China
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
Egypt
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Faroe Islands
Finland
Gambia
Georgia
Ghana
Gibraltar
Greece
Guernsey
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Honduras
Hong Kong
India
Iran
Iraq
Ivory Coast
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Maldives
Monaco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
North Korea
Oman
Paraguay
Quebec
Russia
Sri Lanka
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Uganda
United Arab Emirates
Uzbekistan
Wales
Zimbabwe
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