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A visit to Baku Fountains Square (Parapet) during Novruz
Time to have dinner on my first day in Azerbaijan. I thought of going to a restaurant serving authentic local cuisine. I was curious as to what their food would be like. There were several restaurants near my accommodation such as Chinese, Indian, and some of Middle Eastern origin. There were pizzeria shops and of course KFC in Fountain Square (Parapet). I learned that a branch of KFC near a former train station in Baku is known to be the World’s largest. Actually, it was the largest branch in the World, as it’s already closed now. I noticed the streets were busy, adults and children were heading in a particular…
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Miniature Book Museum in Baku
I enjoy reading books and I would always keep copies of those that I have read. I have been collecting for many years, and so far I have accumulated around 300 books. I could say that I have already read 50% of them and would definitely re-read some of them. Also, I have got a pile of to-be-read pieces. I got most of these books at bargain prices such as from the flea markets and second-hand shops. Although some are new pieces bought from legit bookstores, and some are presents that I received from Richard during my birthdays and at Christmas. Having accumulated hundreds of books seeded the idea of building…
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The Old Baku City guided tour
The tour includes pick-up from the hotel which took a few minutes to drive to the main entrance of the Old City where our walking exploration began. The Old City, or Inner City (Icheri Sheher) is surrounded by walls and is said to date back to at least the 12th century. The Old City is the most ancient part and is considered the historical core of Baku. It includes the Shirvanshah’s Palace and Maiden Tower, which became the first location in Azerbaijan to be classified as a UNESCO World Heritage. Apparently, a lot has changed within the Walled City since the 1800s during the occupation of the…
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My first solo travel in 2022: Baku, Azerbaijan
It was in March 2022 when I traveled to Baku for a short break, which was a convenient option trip for me to take from Dubai, as having a UAE residency visa allowed me to get an Azerbaijani visa upon arrival at the airport. Baku is the capital and the largest city of Azerbaijan. The Republic of Azerbaijan, as it is officially named, is a country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. From Dubai, it takes less than three hours to reach the Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku. My transfer to the hotel had been prebooked, so I did not have to find a taxi or…
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Amman Citadel
The Amman Citadel is a historic site that sits on the highest hill at the centre of downtown Amman in Jordan. It is the site of ancient Rabbath-Ammon that occupied the site since the Bronze Age. Archaeologists have excavated numerous artifacts that prove that the area has been inhabited by different peoples of different cultures; therefore, it is considered important because of its long history of occupation by many great civilisations. It is surrounded by a long wall, which has been rebuilt many times but remarkably still serves its purpose even to this day. The small archaeological museum on the hill features and exhibits some items that date…
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A TASTE OF THE BIG APPLE – NEW YORK
“Start spreading the news I am leaving today I want to be a part of it. New York, New York…” This timeless song “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra kept ringing in my head while on the train from my chosen hostel in Central Park area. It was the beginning of my American exploration that started in New York. The very first thing I did was to go to Times Square which is the heart of the city to collect The New York Pass that I purchased days before my flight from Dubai. I decided to collect it at the Big Bus Information Desk at Madame Tussauds and had…
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Searching for the Lighthouse of Alexandria
It’s been a month now since my book INSPIRED TO TRAVEL; TRAVEL TO INSPIRE – A TRAVEL MEMOIR was published and made available online via Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. I am pleased with the current interest especially to hear comments and suggestions from those who got their copies and have already read the book. One of my friends was so pleased that I had included Egypt as she is interested to visit the country and is considering traveling probably by the end of this summer. Like most of the questions that I have been asked so far, she wanted to know what made me decide to travel to Egypt…
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Salzburg “The Sound of Music” Tour Experience
“The hills are alive with the sound of music . . .” Salzburg is where the movie The Sound of Music was filmed. It may have been released in 1965, almost a decade before I was born but I must admit that I have seen this film several times. It stars the adorable Maria (Julie Andrews), with the Von Trapp family; the father played by Christopher Plummer. When I decided to travel to Austria and naturally Salzburg I made sure to pre-book The Sound of Music tour. I simply had to watch this classic film all over again. Luckily,…
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The Capital Capitol
One of the very important things that I would always want to do when travelling for the first time to a particular country is to visit its capital. Indeed, when I visited the United States of America the number one on my ‘to do’ list was to visit Washington in the District of Columbia and have a stroll along its symbolic National Mall that is said to be where the core identity of America can be found. For once on this visit I was not a solo traveler, rather I joined a group and through a tour company from New York, I was able to reach D.C. and had a…
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My Coffee Table Book
One day I got a call from one of the representatives of a publishing company in Singapore. By the tone of her voice I could tell that she was excited while telling me that my book entitled INSPIRED TO TRAVEL; TRAVEL TO INSPIRE – A TRAVEL MEMOIR has just been published and is now available online via Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble websites. I found out later that actually, to be exact, it was made available online on the 1st July 2019. After that conversation; I felt restless. I could hardly contain myself. I was so eager to receive and see for myself my very own copies of the book…
