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Adventures of Ben & Victoria: The Ankara Hitch – Part Two

Having successfully conquered the roads of northern Armenia, Victoria and I found ourselves at the tiny border crossing of Armenia and Georgia. It was cold, we on a mountain plateau, and we had to walk the mile or so of no mans land between the frontiers.

That December night, we had no idea where we would sleep, except that it would probably be somewhere in Georgia, in our three-season tent. The…

Adventures of Ben & Victoria: The Ankara Hitch – Part One

Well, it’s December, the temperatures are in the negatives. Ankara is two or three days, and 1,500 kilometres away by hitchhiking. What could possibly go wrong?

This is how mine and Victoria’s thought process went, when we, along with two others, decided to embark on a winter hitchhiking adventure to see a friend in Turkey’s capital.

But, undeterred, we packed our backpacks, and thumbed a ride…

How to #hitchhike from #yerevan #armenia to the #iran border - benallen.ca

As a non-Armenian who has spent far too much time in Armenia for it to be healthy, I’ve come to be asked many questions on life there, sightseeing, prices, taxis, and more. One of the most common questions I get asked – as a regular hitchhiker, and as a person who hosts a lot of Couchsurfers – is: how can I hitchhike to Iran from Yerevan?

Probably 70% of travelers I meet in Armenia are on their…

A tribute to family

It’s amazing how quickly people can feel like family. How throwing a group of people together can create the best of times, fun times, harmonious times, unforgettable times.

This past week, Victoria and I have had an apartment full of travellers. Our place, in the centre of Yerevan, is tiny. It’s just the one bedroom, a small bathroom, and a living room that doubles as the kitchen. But, the…

The magical music monster of Syria

Clearly, the mighty rumble of Beirut’s jam packed highway wasn’t enough. Neither was the regular maelstrom of shelling providing the soundtrack to the dark hours in Damascus. Oh no, nothing could awaken me from my slumber until the morning light. That was, of course, until I came across some guy with a microphone and a terrible case of verbal diarrhea on a beach in Latakia. Then it became…

The valley of my childhood

I flicked the switch on the kettle, gazed out of the kitchen window for a moment, and immediately flicked the kettle back off again. Coffee could wait. This was more important.

Since I left my native Northamptonshire, England, for the distant shores of Canada, I’ve barely been back for more than a few days. “I’ll be back in a year”, is what I told my friends. Next month, six years will have…

A nargile store in Borj Hammoud

Smoking nargile is all the rage in Lebanon. In cafes, restaurants, down on the beach, or in the…

Memories of Syria, five years ago

“Nowhere else on Earth have I so often been physically restrained from leaving the homes of…