When going overseas on holiday, taking a break from ordinary life and jumping on a plane to escape to another land for a few weeks, there’s always a stark contrast between the two countries. Everything is usually a complete change, which is why you go there. On the other hand, when on a long trip, trekking between nations and losing track of how many borders you’ve crossed, it becomes somewhat easier for each destination to merge into one big mural, as opposed to separate portraits. […]

Warning: Photo overload! As mentioned in my brief post on Kiev, my primary reason for visiting Ukraine was to take a look at the site of Chernobyl, the site of the infamous nuclear accident of April 1986, and the neighbouring towns and villages. If you’re not too familiar with the whole thing, there’s a basic summary here. Following many years of instability and severe radioactive fallout, the place has been opened to tourists since 2002, with the number of visitors increasing steadily each year. There are […]

After I received my new passport in Amsterdam, I booked a flight out to what was going to be my next destination after Russia: Kiev, Ukraine. I actually don’t know anybody from my friends back home that have visited Ukraine. My decision to go here was met with mixed response when my friends heard; a combination of, “Oh, cool!” and, “Wait, isn’t that a war zone?” Whilst the entire country hasn’t been at war for quite some time, there is conflict with the Russians going […]