A 2022 Travel Review

Compared to the past few years, the annual travel review this year looks more respectable. The gradual opening of borders meant that travel to places previously unreachable due to COVID-19 closures was now possible. Where restrictions exist, I had to get creative but overall, it was a much more satisfying year in travel. I have to also mention that there is an element of ‘revenge travel’ in going all over the globe (5 continents) for 2022 after the paucity of available travel destinations the past couple years.

Milestones of 2022 include finally completing all the countries in the eastern and Horn regions of Africa, and many firsts, like the first visits to Central America and Australia. Other highlights include doing the most driving ever on various trips throughout 2022.

Here are the stats for 2022:

• Total number of new countries and political territories visited: 12 + 3 (Somalia, South Sudan, DR Congo, Ceuta (Spain), Melilla (Spain), Gibraltar (UK), Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Australia)
• Total number of countries and political territories where I made repeat visits: 5 (Turkey, Burundi, Malaysia, USA, Indonesia)
• Total number of calendar days spent travelling: 79
  • No of days of work travel: 0
  • No of days of solo travel: 65
  • No of days of travel with missus: 0
  • No of days of family travel: 14

In detail and by month, here are 2022’s travels.

 

February:

Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey

The Gallipoli Peninsula faces Europe on one side and Asia on the other. A newly built bridge, the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, officially opened a month after I visited the region. It stands as the longest hanging bridge linking the European and Asian parts of Turkey. The entire peninsula is also well-known for its historical sites and memorials, after the events of the Gallipoli Campaign during World War I.

A first for me was a rental to get around the peninsula, as well as the car ferry crossing to the Asian side, where I drove to the archaeological site of the ancient city of Troy. The rental was the first time I drove a manual, a diesel car, while driving on the wrong side of the road (left-hand drive). Driving on winding, narrow roads and undulating hilly terrain on the peninsula was an exhilarating if slightly terrifying experience.

 

 

Mogadishu, Somalia

I visited the breakaway state of Somaliland in 2010, but yearned to travel to actual de facto Somalia. So in February I joined a short tour of Mogadishu with some elite travelling companions. In the brief tour of the capital, we had armed security escorting us as we drove to the various sites around the city. I never felt unsafe walking through the markets, beaches and historical areas, but of course precautions were necessary.

 

South Sudan

The youngest country, South Sudan only gained independence in 2011. The main reason travellers visit South Sudan right now is to spend time with the local tribes, such as the Mundari. I spent multiple nights visiting the camps of the Dinka and Mundari peoples, and partaking in their hospitality as they indulged us and shared about their local customs and cattle farming culture.

It was a unique experience to sleep beside the cattle camp, and interacting with the members of the tribes as they went about their unique way of life.

 

Burundi

This was my second visit to the nation of Burundi. There was a little apprehension after my bad experience being mugged on the streets of the capital Bujumbura the last time I was here. This time round however, I had an excellent guide throughout as well as fellow travel companions. I also visited more than just the capital, and had excursions to the Karera waterfalls and Rusizi National Parks. A highlight was the Gishora Drum Sanctuary near Gitega where the drum performance showcased a combination of athleticism, enthusiasm and drumming talent.

 

March:

Democratic Republic of the Congo

The extended trip continued in March as I crossed overland into the DR Congo. The main reasons for visiting the Kivu region of DR Congo are the mountain gorillas and the volcano hike up Mount Nyiragongo in Virunga National Park. When I visited however, Virunga NP was closed after a prior eruption on 22 May 2021.

Instead, I was taken to see the mountain gorillas in Kahuzi-Biega National Park. An arduous 6-hour return trek deep into the jungle was well worth it as we saw a silverback male in his national environment, as well as two playful young ones.

Andalusia region, Spain

The southern parts of Spain have always been on my bucket list. This leg of the trip was the result of the COVID restrictions in Singapore back then, requiring that travellers returning from countries classified as a risk, to be quarantined at a hotel for 10 days at the travellers’ own expense. To get round the restrictions, I ended the trip in Spain spending two weeks there to wait out the restriction. The highlights for me were the Mezquita of Cordoba, the grandiose fortress of Alhambra and enjoying the evening atmosphere in Sevilla’s Plaza de España. My route through Andalusian Spain also took me to the coastal cities of Malaga and Algeciras.

Ceuta and Melilla, Spain

Give me a choice, time and cost permitting, and I would definitely make a detour to visit interesting destinations like disputed territories, exclaves and enclaves, and other political anomalies. The allure of two Spanish territories located on the African continent: Ceuta and Melilla, warranted that I made the ferry trips across the Mediterranean. Both are enclaves surrounded by Morocco; and technically they are part of Spain, so the COVID requirements hold, even though the rest of Africa then were still classified as high Covid risk. The cities were small enough, and walking to the edge of Melilla to view where the fenced border separated Spain and Morocco was an fascinating experience. Unfortunately, borders were closed due to COVID, otherwise I would have popped over to Morocco.

Also, in March 2022, Melilla skies were utterly covered in a red sand, as the Saharan winds blew sand over the Mediterranean and landed as far as Northern Europe.

Gibraltar, United Kingdom

Sitting on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, the British Overseas Territory is worth visiting just for the Rock of Gibraltar and its associated sights like the famed Barbary macaques. I stayed over the border in La Línea de la Concepción and made the crossing in the morning, spending a full day in Gibraltar. Highlight of the day? Sitting down for a meal of fish and chips after sweating it out on the hike atop the Rock.

April:

Johor Bahru, Malaysia

This is worth a little mention, because the Causeway border finally reopened after two years of COVID lockdown. To mark the occasion, I made a day trip to cross the border by public bus and shopped for long-missed foods.

May:

Batam, Indonesia

Similarly, a little day trip with MG who dropped by Singapore. Indonesia had also recently reopened borders to Singapore, and the Singapore-Batam ferry had just restarted. This was actually my first time actually sightseeing in Batam, most visits were just to shop and dine.

June:

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

I continued the trend of little trips to familiar places, this time a father-daughter trip with the elder one. Going back to KL after ages is like meeting an old friend. People were still masked up, but just getting to travel and going back to a bit of normalcy was welcomed. The itinerary was kid-centric, with aquariums and discovery science centres, but I loved just being able to freely travel again.

July:

San Franciso, USA

I set off on a longer trip again, this time arriving in San Francisco for a full day layover en route to Mexico. It was also the 4^th of July. I whiled the time at museums, and at the touristy Fisherman’s Wharf and Union Square commercial areas.

Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

My first visit to Mexico and a bit of a taster for the rest of the country, which I plan to return to. I based myself in Tulum, and made day trips to the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza, and coupled that with visits to cenotes, the groundwater caves found throughout the region. The area was still light on tourists, and infrastructure was still not 100%. Straightforward bus routes like Chetumal to Belize City described online, were not fully running, and I had to ask on the ground.

Belize

From Chetumal in Mexico, I overlanded into Belize City. Belize was interesting in that it felt both and Central American. I could also get by with English, and did not need much Spanish. My time in Belize was spent mostly in Caye Caulker, where I did some snorkelling among the sharks and rays.

Guatemala

More Mayan ruins in Tikal, and I preferred these ruins as there were less tourists, being a little more inaccessible than Chichen Itza. It was a whirlwind full day, and I will need to read up a lot more about the archaeological sites of the Mayan civilisation. The Tikal ruins I liked because they were spread out throughout the jungle, and I felt like an explorer wandering and climbing up the ruins.

In addition to ruins, I also visited Antigua, the quaint city with Spanish architecture popular with tourists. I especially loved wondering around from landmark to landmark, and getting my hands on all the street foods that I come across.

Honduras

My time in Honduras was pretty much touch and go. I only visited the Mayan ruins of Copan, which were even more remote than the other archaeological sites I visited in Mexico and Guatemala. The site was located close to the Guatemala border, hence I did not venture beyond Copan deeper into Honduras. The Copan ruins complex for me were interesting because of the intricate stelae, and the abundant colourful wildlife like macaws.

El Salvador

Met up with a friend in San Salvador who generously took me around. We drove up to Sucitoto and spent time in downtown San Salvador, including a visit the El Rosario Church with its to the beautiful rainbow tinted windows. Also needed a little downtime, being the first big city since I arrived, so I spent time at the mall and watching newly released Thor: Love & Thunder, continuing my trend of watching Marvel movies in the most random of places.

 

Nicaragua

I arrived in Leon smack in the middle of a local event. There was a carnival like atmosphere lasting into the evening, with dance performances, a children’s marching band, stalls selling food & trinkets, and even a boxing ring where matches between Leones boxers and the team from Managua. Leon has the perfect charm, and I regret not having stayed there more than a night.

Managua is the capital of Nicaragua. The city is sprawling with the sights scattered all over; the so-called city centre was not very central and so far from the waterfront, where all the interesting stuff was. Once I figured out the collectivos (shared taxis) however, I found that I liked Managua much more than I thought I would. I visited the waterfront plaza as well as the Puerto Salvadore Allende, with its restaurants and family friendly rides.

Costa Rica

Coming from Managua, the long-distance bus arrived late, so I missed the connection that would take me straight to Monteverde. Instead I ended up in Puntarenas, where I was serendipitously introduced to the Costa Rican Casado, or the “married man” meal, consisting of rice, black beans, plantains and chicken. Delicious.

The nature and adventure activities are the highlights of Costa Rica, and tourists thronged there for them. I ziplined over the Monteverde Cloud Forests, went on an early morning hike in the rain. Over in the Arenal Volcano National Park, I did more hikes up to some amazing viewpoints.

Panama City

Panama City is ultramodern, with skyscrapers and nice-looking malls. Walking along the long seafront to get to the old part of town was also a delight. The main highlight though has to be the Panama Canal. Seeing the engineering marvel and experiencing an actual barge doing the crossing through the canal was an experience.

 

September:

Melbourne, Australia

Rented wheels and took the family around the city, with day trips out to the Great Ocean Road, going penguin spotting in Phillip Island, and chug-a-chugging on the Puffing Billy steam engine. Very kid-centric, and too fun. It was the most I have ever driven though, and actually an accomplishment for me.

 

November:

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

To accommodate the younger girl, who did not join the father-elder sister trip back in June, we decided to make another visit to KL. This time though, we would drive up from Singapore. This probably made 2023 the year with the most driving I’ve ever done while travelling (Turkey, Australia, Malaysia).

December:

Bali, Indonesia

Ended the year with a stay in sunny Bali. Based myself in southern Bali and hopped around from place to place, booking Grab bikes. The newest tourist attraction is the massive Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue, of the Hindu deity Lord Vishnu seated on his mount Garuda. The 121 metre statue atop pedestal is higher than the Statue of Liberty by nearly 30 metres. The park leading to the statue itself is worth a wander, though I did find it a little too commercialised.

That wraps up a packed 2022 travel review, visiting many places, meeting up with old and new friends and trying out new foods. As always, these travel reviews are a way for me to document past travels and a way of saying thanks for the opportunity to see the world.

2023 will be another exciting year, and trips are already being lined up. Until the next post (you know it, probably the end of 2023), happy travels!