Stories
First-person narratives from OG Travelers rooted in the independent travel principles
6 - Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - Turkey – Searching for Something
13 Mar 2002 I can't help but sing that catchy They Might Be Giants song everywhere we go in Istanbul.
Surviving a Night at Quebec’s Ice Hotel – Quebec, Canada
I stood frozen. It wasn’t just the bitter cold of Quebec in February. I was looking at an Eskimo’s wet dream.
Never an Idle Moment – Iceland
Despite a cumulative seven days in Reykjavik over the course of two separate visits, I failed to indulge in two of my main objectives in Iceland.
El Teniente – Chile
While roaming Chile last summer I had the opportunity to visit the El Teniente copper mine, said to be the largest underground mine in the world.
Table Mountain – Cape Town, South Africa
Two ways up Table Mountain: five minutes in the cable car, or three hours up Platteklip Gorge with a grandmother who will not hear of the cable car.
Ice-Blocking – "Your Town" Travel Guide
Night fell, and the sound of the wintry rain created a somber mood.
Guts and Glory: Angola Prison Rodeo (3 of 3) – Angola, Louisiana
No matter what acts these men have committed, few people in the state will call Angola a "country club" prison.
Travels in Cuba – Cigars, Salsa and Hemingway
Our holiday began in Havana, the capital of Cuba. It's a bustling city, full of classic cars, bike couriers and pedestrians.
Joe and the Whale Shark – The Philippines
"Hey Joe!" yelled the darkly tanned men with weathered faces and ragged clothes fishing along the inaccessible riverbank as we floated through the…
The Game of Buzkashi in Afghanistan
Buzkashi is an ancient game of horsemanship played in Afghanistan. OG BootsnaAll Writer Mr Ginger shares his experience
Laos: A Wartime Visit
In 1970, Laos was a much different country to visit that today.
Afghanistan: Part of the OG Overland Trail
Before the Russians invaded, Afghanistan was a part of the overland trail between Europe and India. Not today.
Tall Ships Challenge 2001 (1 of 2) – Kingston, Lake Ontario, Canada
Kingston's St.
Lizards Ran Up My Walls
To achieve any sort of reward in this life you must first sacrifice.
Natal, Brazil
Last time I wrote about Natal (Prohibition Town Blues) I was snowed under with abusive emails about the negative press I gave the place - the local…
Abandoned Mandu
India is a country full of romantic ruins, forts and abandoned cities, and often the most memorable moments of a trip to India are spent exploring…
Krakatau by Night
The eruption of the Indonesian volcano Krakatau, or Krakatoa as most history books refer to it, in 1883 is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as…
Lions in the Serengeti (1 of 3) – Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Siblings change their purpose over time.
Mahakam: Into the Heart of Borneo (1 of 4) – Indonesia
The rain, which poured down ceaselessly in sheets all night and then most of the morning, shouldn't have surprised us.
Pedalling to Nirvana: Mount Kailash by Bicycle (1 of 7)
"The highest road in the world." The words grabbed my attention when I first read them.
Xanadu
It is however, no ordinary embankment, but the remains of the walls and towers that girdled round twice five miles... Yes... this is the place.