ON ROADS UNCHARTED

ON ROADS UNCHARTED

On Roads Uncharted brings you the thrill and joy of travel to the lesser known parts of our planet. It aims to break stereotypes, function as a practical ressource for fellow travellers, and inspire you to explore and discover the obscure and unusual.

Venture to the places beyond, to remote realms and hidden worlds, and meet the people who call these places home.

So, join me on roads uncharted, wherever they may lead!

Want to find out more about me?

Latest from the blog

How to visit Halamata Cave in Dohuk

Nazarki’s Castle | Where the sun never shines

Where gods rest | Everything you need to know about Mount Nemrut

A visit to the magnificent Roman ruins of Dara

Discover Diyarbakir | The beating heart of Kurdistan

What to see in and around Şanlıurfa

Gaziantep | The best things to do in Turkey’s culinary capital

Never miss a post and stay up to date with my travels

WHERE I'VE WANDERED

top destinations

2022 will go down as my biggest travel year, but m

2022 will go down as my biggest travel year, but most importantly, the year where I finally left for an epic journey around the world, mending my mental health and letting me realise my dreams of travelling the world full-time.

There have been ups and downs, crazy adventures, and periods of relaxation and reflection. I met wonderful people along the way and witnessed stunning places, some of them more thoroughly than others.

I feel very grateful to have this opportunity and live this life of wayfaring.

As I write this, I am quite hung over, not remotely ready to party into the new year here in Bahrain (I still have to find a party as well 😂), but excited for the things to come. 2023 should be even better!

Anyway, here are some stats of the past 12 months:

Countries visited: 11 (9 new) 🇧🇭🇸🇦🇰🇼🇮🇶🇬🇪🇹🇷🇬🇷🇦🇱🇲🇪🇷🇸🇭🇺

Most time spent in: Turkey (98 days, overstayed by 8 days and had to pay a fine 🤭)

Mode of transportation: cars, busses, trains, ferniculars, cable cars, trams, subways, mopeds, ferries, a boat, a garbage van, bicycles, a camel, my feet, and a single plane.

Glaciers gazed at: 1

Mosques entered: too many to count

Detours taken: 735228147

Culinary epiphanies: 4 (bougatsa, the best sausage of my life, pine cone lemonade, cow tongue)

Thanks to everyone who made this year so special! See you on roads uncharted 🙂

🇰🇼 20 kilometres of the coast of Kuwait lies

🇰🇼 20 kilometres of the coast of Kuwait lies Failaka Island.

🇰🇼 First settled by the Dilmun civilization in the 4th millennium BCE, it was later used as a naval base by the Seleucids due to its strategic location in the Persian Gulf and named Ikaros.

🇰🇼 During the Second Gulf War, its inhabitants were forced to evacuate their homes and Failaka was entirely abandoned and the town fell into disrepair.

🇰🇼 It wasn't until recently that some people started to return and a small tourism industry popped up on the island.

🇰🇼 Today, Failaka remains fairly untouched and a wonderful place for urban exploring and seaside walks, however, there are plans for massive redevelopment of the entire island.

🇰🇼 So, go there now before it becomes yet another disneyland!
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More travel content over on my blog ON ROADS UNCHARTED (link in BIO).
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#kuwait #kuwaitcity #discoverkuwait #travelkuwait #kuwaittrip #persiangulf #gulfislands #gulfwar #urbexkuwait #urbanexplorations #abandonedtown #abandonedschool #historyofkuwait #travelmiddleeast #discovermiddleeast #solotraveler #aroundtheworldtravel

🇮🇶 The Mesopotamian Marshes were the last pl

🇮🇶 The Mesopotamian Marshes were the last place I visited in Federal Iraq, but probably the most beautiful.

🇮🇶 Darting across the murky water, all you will hear is the wind travelling across these vast expanses and the monotonous hum of the engine leading you ever deeper into this seemingly boundless labyrinth of opening channels and winding waterways.

🇮🇶 Exhalted on arching strands, curious birds will watch your brief journey into their realm, others will soar above, black dots against a drab winter sky.

🇮🇶 You will also pass traces of human presence. Intricate reed houses (mudhif) cradling the banks, small boats appearing from the reeds, whizzing past, then disappearing again. A broken bridge, the failed attempt to tame the marshes.

🇮🇶 Although the marshes have recovered somewhat from the drainage under Saddam Hussein, this fragile ecosystem is still under threat today.

🇮🇶 Thus, if you have the chance, I urge you to experience these ancient lands before they vanish forever.
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For more travel content, hop over to my blog ON ROADS UNCHARTED (link in BIO).
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#traveliraq #discoveriraq #mesopotamia #mesopotamianmarshes #iraqimarshes #marshes #marshland #birdparadise #wetlands #nasiriyah #discovermiddleeast #travelmiddleeast #traveltheglobe #backpackingadventures #backpackingmiddleeast #solobackpacking #iraqphotography #reedhouse #waterbuffalos #iraqtravel

🇮🇶 Lately, I fell a little bit into a hole.

🇮🇶 Lately, I fell a little bit into a hole. I realised I wasn't enjoying travel as much as I used to anymore. But it wasn't necessarily that I got tired of it or didn't savour the many wonderful moments. It was simply too easy. That beautiful feeling of uncertainty and adventure that grips us wanderers when we venture to roads uncharted had vanished, leaving me struggling to find excitement in the nomadic life I had chosen.

🇮🇶 Travel had become a routine. Something I had dreaded, ever since I left home. I had told myself, should the day come, I needed to make a decision. Either stop vagabonding for a while and reevaluate or go home entirely.

🇮🇶 Well, the world is not black and white. There was a third option. All I needed was a destination that would revive my sleeping desire to explore, to truly live in the moment, and let happenstance reign supreme.

🇮🇶 Iraq was that country. That country that re-ignited the fire again.

🇮🇶 Whether it is getting lost in the dusty streets of Baghdad, hitchhiking across Kurdistan, or the wonderful interactions with the Iraqi people, joy has returned to my wandering ways. (And I haven't even talked about bailing from the Iraqi police! 🤭👀)

🇮🇶 Travelling Iraq is not glamorous. It is not comfortable. And it is definitely not easy at times. But damn is it exciting and fun!
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Thanks @alighanim.1 for the shot!
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Check out the blog ON ROADS UNCHARTED for more travel content (Link in BIO).
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#iraq #traveliraq #discoveriraq #backpackingmiddleeast #middleeasttravel #iraqphotography #middleeastphotography #backpackingadventures #backpackingtrip #solobackpacking #solotriparoundtheworld #solotraveler #everycountry #worldtraveller #samarra #travelthoughts #traveltheglobe

onroadsuncharted

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