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  • The worst trip of my life, part 1

    The Worst Trip of My Life is a verbatim account of the traveling oddities that happened to me in Cuba. This is the first part because there are so many things to tell and they didn’t all fit in one installment.

    Specifically in this part I recount the preamble up to the misdeed that happened to me and my friend, with whom I tried to visit the Caribbean island in July 2011. I say try because in practice we saw very little.

    WHEREAS, I also don’t blame the country or the people. Where there is so much poverty, it’s okay for people to try to swindle or rob you. The real culprits were us who went clueless and careless. Me because I was in love, which was very serious!

    As for Cuba, in this article we talk about the recent situation, which has gotten worse, but even when we went they were not really doing well.

    Please note the audio is in Italian.

    Click below to listen to the episode.

    If you would like to listen to more episodes of the traveling oddities podcast, this is the page with all the ones published so far.

    The articles from which the podcast episode is taken: the worst trip of my life part 1

    Finally in the following links you can find the articles already written about this article:

    • How to do it without money on a trip to Cuba, real adventure
    • Traveling to poor countries: being wallets with legs
    • Robbed abroad and the Cuban detective
    • ..and wanting on the sequel that I talk about in part 2.

      • How to become famous and ridiculous after a trip to Cuba
      • The photos are not there, the featured one is artificially created, because they also stole my camera.

        The second podcast about the trip to Cuba: The worst trip of my life part 2

        We had the guidebook for the trip to Cuba, but without reading it, we found ourselves out of money

        Trips taken, travel stories divided by continent

        Countries visited in my travel stories

        Anecdotes, divided by type in travel narratives

        The post The worst trip of my life, part 1 first appeared on strangethingstraveling.

        22 min
      • Sympathetic encounters on the trip to Iran – audio

        I made many sympathetic encounters on the trip to Iran, here is the verbatim account. Being on the trip alone perhaps benefited me because of that. I must also say that Iran is a beautiful country with many things to visit.

        Please note the audio is in Italian.

        Click below to listen to the episode.

        If you would like to listen to more episodes of the traveling oddities podcast, this is the page with all the ones published so far.

        The featured photo shows one of the school groups, in this case of adults, who stopped me to chat. They wanted to practice their English, but they were also very curious and friendly.

        Iran is culturally very rich being basically the heir to one of the most important empires in history, the Persian Empire. In this link you can learn more about it. In this podcast I also talk about the ignorance present on social media and which I came across before I left. So many speak without knowledge and only to vent their rancor.

        The articles with photos from which the podcast episode is taken: sympathetic encounters on the trip to Iran

        Finally in the following links you can find the articles (with photos) already written about this trip:

        • Ignorance in social media, especially about Iran
        • Trip to Iran, meaning a real Italian in Tehran
        • While traveling in Iran, I hold press conferences
        • Meetings in Iran, how is Bud Spencer doing?
        • Missing the plane in Shiraz, Iran.
        • One of the bridges in Esfahan is one of the many beauties of the country

          Trips taken, travel stories divided by continent

          Countries visited in my travel stories

          Anecdotes, divided by type in travel narratives

          The post Sympathetic encounters on the trip to Iran – audio first appeared on strangethingstraveling.

          24 min
        • Adventures in Thailand and Cambodia

          Adventures in Thailand and Cambodia is according to the verbatim account of the oddities in travel that happened to me during the trip I took to those countries in July 2015. In particular, here I talk about what happened to me in

          • Chiang Mai
          • Golden Triangle
          • Angkor (Cambodia)
          • Koh Phangan
          • Bangkok
          • In the first podcast where I talk about this journey, I anticipated that there would be two more. Since I have been reprimanded for giving too much space to my female encounters, I have grouped them together.

            In doing so, however, I didn’t have room to tell about the time my French friend and I had to escape from an Angkor monkey mom. Well, go read it!

            Please note the audio is in Italian.

            Click below to listen to the episode.

            If you would like to listen to more episodes of the traveling oddities podcast, this is the page with all the ones published so far.

            Specifically this is the first podcast on this journey: I run away from stray dogs

            I am not at all proud of this picture of me riding an elephant. If I had imagined how they are treated, I would not have done this
            The articles with photos from which the episode of the podcast adventures in Thailand and Cambodia is taken

            Finally in the following links you can find the articles (with photos) already written about this trip:

            • Visiting Chiang Mai and falling off the bamboo bridge
            • Visiting Angkor with Parisian lawyer.
            • What to do in Angkor: run away from the monkeys
            • Visiting an island in Thailand
            • Visiting Bangkok, it is not always true that seawater disinfects
            • Solo trip to Thailand and the solo
            • Plus I attach the link to learn more about the super stinky fruit that they like so much over there, the durian

              Trash or mix of the sacred and profane? At Pitshanulock outdoor temple with the president and a soldier

              Trips taken, travel stories divided by continent

              Countries visited in my travel stories

              Anecdotes, divided by type in travel narratives

              The post Adventures in Thailand and Cambodia first appeared on strangethingstraveling.

              0 min
            • Tent in the desert and sleep with Bedouin cat on belly

              Sleeping in a tent in the desert was one of the highlights of my trip to Jordan. Watching the starry sky in the desert, a Bedouin cat on my belly was the icing on the cake.

              But the best moment of the trip was when I reached the so-called Monastery in Petra. In front of it I found only two stray dogs playing, as evidenced by the featured photo. This is the second verbatim account of the traveling oddities that happened to me in Jordan.

              Please note the audio is in Italian.

              Click below to listen to the episode.

              Here instead is the first podcast made about that trip: New Friends in Jordan

              If you would like to listen to more episodes of the traveling oddities podcast, this is the page with all the ones published so far.

              They look like beehives
              The articles with photos from which the episode of the podcast tent in the desert is taken

              In this recording I talk about what I experienced in the second part of the trip. First the days in Petra, then the days in the desert of Wadi Rum, and then in Tel Aviv in Israel. Actually I also stayed one night in Aqaba, but I admit I did not like it, it may have been the oppressive heat.

              In the following link you can delve into some of Jordan’s recent history and why it is a safe country in the midst of so many super turbulent neighbors.

              Finally in the following links you can find the articles (with photos) already written about this trip:

              • Welcome to Jordan (and Israel)
              • Middle East trip, war alert
              • On your trip to Jordan, don’t miss Jerash
              • Bathing in the Dead Sea and bidding a Dutchman
              • Visiting Petra with playful stray dogs
              • Sleeping in Wadi Rum, with a Bedouin cat on your belly.
              • What to do in Tel Aviv? The Sabich
              • Of animals I have seen many and not only camels

                Trips taken, travel stories divided by continent

                Countries visited in my travel stories

                Anecdotes, divided by type in travel narratives

                The post Tent in the desert and sleep with Bedouin cat on belly first appeared on strangethingstraveling.

                23 min
              • Experiences in Romania, each time disasters

                Experiences in Romania, each time disasters is a verbatim account of the traveling oddities that happened to me during my time in Romania. I went twice, in November 2011 and September 2024, always for long weekends. The first time I was in pairs, while the second time I was solo.

                Please note the audio is in Italian.

                Click below to listen to the episode.

                If you would like to listen to more episodes of the traveling oddities podcast, this is the page with all the ones published so far.

                Palatul CEC, among my least original experiences in Romania is visiting beautiful palaces. Highlights include the cyclopean parliament building
                The articles with photos from which the podcast episode is taken: Experiences in Romania, every time disasters

                Among my goals was to go to Transylvania, which is easily accessible from Bucharest. In this link it is well explained how the legend of Count Dracula originated.

                Finally in the following links you can find the articles (with photos) already written about this trip:

                • Weekend in Romania; not finding accommodation
                • Weekend in Bucharest; kicked out of restaurant
                • Going to Transylvania and getting robbed by the BnB
                • I also snuck into a church during a baptism. You catch a glimpse of the baby

                  Trips taken, travel stories divided by continent

                  Countries visited in my travel stories

                  Anecdotes, divided by type in travel narratives

                  The post Experiences in Romania, each time disasters first appeared on strangethingstraveling.

                  23 min
                • Meanwhile, in Saharan Africa….

                  Meanwhile, in Saharan Africa….is the verbatim account of travel oddities that happened to me on several trips to North Africa. In particular I recount incidents that happened to me in Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco.

                  Since they were all fairly short and mostly uneventful trips, I put all the oddities together.

                  Please note the audio is in Italian.

                  Click below to listen to the episode.

                  If you would like to listen to more episodes of the traveling oddities podcast, this is the page with all the ones published so far.

                  In Tunisia I was really lucky to meet three such nice girls.
                  The articles with photos from which the podcast episode is taken: meanwhile, in Saharan Africa….

                  Finally in the following links you can find the articles (with photos) already written about these trips:

                  • Life and death in the Medina – things to do in Marrakech
                  • Organized travel, Tunisia, Egypt and visit Abu Simbel
                  • This reproduction has been in my bedroom ever since, depicting the moment when one passes from life to death

                    For those who want to explore it further, how the ancient Egyptians believed the afterlife was is very interesting and basically similar to what the Catholic religion claims.

                    Trips taken, travel stories divided by continent

                    Countries visited in my travel storiesAnecdotes, divided by type in the travel stories

                    Anecdotes, divided by type in travel narratives

                    The post Meanwhile, in Saharan Africa…. first appeared on strangethingstraveling.

                    23 min
                  • New Year’s Eve party in the desert

                    New Year’s Eve Celebration in the Desert is a verbatim account of the travel oddities that happened to me in Oman. Specifically I went in December 2022 for 9 days, solo and rented a car. Three of those days, however, I spent in the United Arab Emirates, and for those there is already this podcast […]

                    The post New Year’s Eve party in the desert first appeared on strangethingstraveling.

                    24 min
                  • Where cars disappear

                    Where Cars Disappear is a verbatim account of the traveling oddities that happened to me during my trip to theisland of Cyprus. It was a trip of only 8 days, in December 2023, but very rich in anecdotes. In particular there was trouble with cars and encounters both human and animal.

                    Please note the audio is in Italian.

                    Click below to listen to the episode.

                    If you would like to listen to more episodes of the traveling oddities podcast, this is the page with all the ones published so far.

                    One of the donkeys roaming freely on the road to Cape St. Adrea, perhaps would have entered the car
                    The articles with photos from which the podcast episode is taken: where cars disappear

                    The island of Cyprus is still divided because of the 1974 civil war; learn more about it on this page.

                    Finally in the following links you can find the articles (with photos) already written about this trip:

                    • Visiting Cyprus by car and playing hide-and-seek
                    • Traveling to North Cyprus and visiting Nicosia
                    • Getting sick on the road and in a bad hotel
                    • Visiting North Cyprus, Christmas lunch with that Cypriot donkey.
                    • Meeting people on the road in the island of cats
                    • This was the cat from a bar, who came to me, mostly because I occupied his seat, in Nicosia

                      Trips taken, travel stories divided by continent

                      Countries visited in my travel stories

                      Anecdotes, divided by type in travel narratives

                      The post Where cars disappear first appeared on strangethingstraveling.

                      30 min
                    • Toasting marshmallows on a volcano

                      Toasting marshmallows on a volcano is a verbatim account of the travel oddities that happened to me in Guatemala, Honduras and Belize. In particular, it was my first group travel adventure genre. Although truth be told it was more of a Spartan trip.

                      For those not yet familiar with them, you can find out what marshmallows are here.

                      Please note the audio is in Italian.

                      Click below to listen to the episode.

                      If you would like to listen to more episodes of the traveling oddities podcast, this is the page with all the ones published so far.

                      Copan Mayan Temple in Honduras
                      The articles with photos from which the podcast episode is taken: Toasting marshmallows on a volcano

                      Finally in the following links you can find the articles (with photos) already written about this trip:

                      • Travel to Central America: Guatemala, Honduras and Belize
                      • Group travel, misguided insights
                      • Salire su un vulcano e abbrustolire marshmallows
                      • Fellow travelers: selfies, visiting Lake Atitlan
                      • Wrong company, leg of trip to Honduras
                      • Visiting a Mayan site, with the guy always on the prowl
                      • Visiting a Caribbean island, stop in Belize
                      • I paid a dollar to take this picture, on the other hand taking it home would have been challenging

                        Trips taken, travel stories divided by continent

                        Countries visited in my travel stories

                        Anecdotes, divided by type in travel narratives

                        The post Toasting marshmallows on a volcano first appeared on strangethingstraveling.

                        24 min
                      • WE to test girlfriends

                        WE to test girlfriends is a verbatim account of the traveling oddities that happened to me on my many trips and weekends in central Italy.

                        For example, when I stood semi-naked on the street in the winter in Città di Castello; or of one of the times I won a lottery coming back from a long weekend in Le Marche.

                        The featured photo is taken from inside St. Patrick’s Well in Orvieto.

                        Please note the audio is in Italian.

                        Click below to listen to the episode.

                        If you would like to listen to more episodes of the traveling oddities podcast, this is the page with all the ones published so far.

                        Traveling quirks podcast

                        There are 2 constants in central Italy: the remarkable satisfaction that eating and drinking provide and also the many remnants of ancient Rome. I find this article on how the ancient Romans drank extremely interesting.

                        What was a bar for the ancient Romans in ancient Ostia
                        The articles with photos from which the podcast episode is taken: WE to test girlfriends


                        Finally in the following links you can find the articles (with photos) already written about these experiences:

                        • On the road into central Italy, marriage proposal (Italy and Vatican)
                        • Trip to Lazio; the bidonara girlfriend
                        • Weekend in Umbria, fog in the house and naked in the street
                        • Alternative New Year on the road: ditching the spouse
                        • On a weekend in the Marche region, like winning the lottery
                        • Visiting Tuscan islands, umbrella talk
                        • Weekend in Tuscany, also for testing brides and girlfriends
                        • The ‘food and wine is a key aspect in WE to test girlfriends. Here I am during a weekend in Arezzo

                          Trips taken, travel stories divided by continent

                          Countries visited in my travel stories

                          Anecdotes, divided by type in travel narratives

                          The post WE to test girlfriends first appeared on strangethingstraveling.

                          24 min