Jason Smart
My aim is to visit at least 100 countries before I'm incapable of travel anymore. (Current count is 91!). Unlike a lot of fellow travellers, I tend to only dip my feet into a country, quite often only staying a day or two before heading off somewhere else. Cessna152
Country numbers 54 and 55 were my first trips alone - something I never thought I'd do.
2006
Riga, Latvia
Krakow, Poland
Tallinn, Estonia
Bratislava, Slovakia
Porec, Croatia
Bled, Slovenia
Venice Italy
Vilnius, Lithuania
Dusseldorf, Germany
2007
Budapest, Hungary
Stockholm, Sweden
Moscow, Russia
Amsterdam, Holland
Sofia, Bulgaria
Prague, Czech Republic
Copenhagen, Denmark
Malmo, Sweden
Belgrade, Serbia
Sarajevo, Bosnia
Doha, Qatar
Dubai, UAE
Helsinki, Finland
2008
Marrakech, Morocco
Delhi, India
Beruwala, Sri Lanka
Cork, Ireland
Bordeaux, France
Bangkok, Thailand
Vientiane, Laos
Hanoi, Vietnam
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Phnom Pehn, Cambodia
Phuket, Thailand
Cairo, Egypt
Muscat, Oman
New York, USA
2009
Vienna, Austria
Banul, Gambia
Fathala, Senega
Tirana, Albania
Ohrid, Skopje, Macedonia
Pristina, Kosovo
London, UK
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Hong Kong, China
Macau, China
Kathmandu, Nepal
Pokhara, Nepal
Manama, Bahrain
Colombo/Galle/Kandy, Sri Lanka
2010
Beirut, Lebanon
Kuwait, Kuwait
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Highway, Saudi Arabia
Bucharest, Romania
Chisinau, Moldova
Tiraspol, Transnistria
Kiev, Ukraine
Boston, USA
Toronto, Canada
Los Angeles, USA
San Francisco, USA
Tokyo, Japan
Taipei, Taiwan
Manila, Philippines
Bali, Indonesia
Amman, Petra, Jordan
Istanbul, Turkey
Damascus, Syria
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Zanzibar, Tanzania
Cape Town, South Africa
Mbabane, Swaziland
Sani Top, Lesotho
2011
Yerevan, Armenia
Tbilisi, Georgia
Almaty, Kazakhstan
Tashlent, Uzbekistan
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
Kefalonia, Greece
Rekyjavik, Iceland
Oslo, Norway
Vaduz, Liechtenstein
Zurich, Switzerland
Lisbon, Portugal
Krakow, Poland
Rome, Italy
Doha, Qatar
Livingstone, Zambia
Victoria Falls Town, Zimbabwe
Chobe, Botswana
Frankfurt, Germany
2012
Mahe, Seychelles
Kampala, Uganda
Kigali, Rwanda
Mombasa, Kenya
Moroni, Comoros,
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Baku, Azerbaijan
Travel Blog Posts
April 20th 2012
To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect from Baku, but after my jaunts around Central Asia, the previous year, I was hoping the capital of Azerbaijan would be a heady mixture of Islamic Asia and Western Europe, sprinkled with a dash of Sovietness. I wasn’t disappointed. My hotel was located smack in the centre of the city and I was soon out in search of lunch. Only minutes away was Fountain Square, the pulsing heart of Baku. At one end loomed a McDonalds packed with teenagers but I ignored it and opted for an outdoor café that had a few spare tables. While waiting for my kebabs to arrive, I gazed out at the square and the people passing by. Like I’d expected, the vast majority of Baku’s citizens seemed Turkish or perhaps ... read more
April 16th 2012
Inside Dar es Salaam International Airport I came across the most convoluted visa-on-arrival system I had ever come across. First of all I had to fill in a couple of lengthy forms, repeating information the whole time and while I did this, a young man waited by my side. He looked lost and confused and so I asked him what he wanted but he only nodded. Ignoring him I filled in my forms and after I’d finished he passed me his passport and his forms. And I’d been thinking he only wanted to borrow my pen. Ten minutes later I had filled everything in for him but was then tapped on the shoulder by a woman. She too proffered her passport and forms, but I shook my head and headed towards the Place of Torment. There ... read more
April 14th 2012
In the Comoros, I reached the lowest ebb of my trip around East Africa. Perhaps it was do with the lack of sleep or maybe the simple fact I was sick and tired of the heat and humidity of Africa. Certainly the hassle I encountered at Prince Said Ibrahim Airport hadn’t helped and neither had the rain. Thick clouds had covered the entire country on our approach, and when we’d descended below them the beaches had looked black and angry, pounded mercilessly by ferocious waves. Thirty minutes before landing on Grand Comoros, the flight had taken a scheduled stopover in Mayotte, the French-dependency that had once been part of the four island group making up the Comoros. In 1974 when independence was being mooted, Mayotte had decided it wanted to stay under French control much to ... read more
Prostitutes, motorbike taxis, Tusker Lager: Welcome to Mombasa!
Published: April 17th 2012Africa » Kenya » Coast Province » Mombasa
April 12th 2012
The smell of ripe human sweat hit me like a bomb. But this was not the backstreets of downtown Mombasa, or a crowded minibus hurtling towards the frenzy of the ferry terminal; this was on the plane from Kigali. The culprit was a large, middle-aged white man from South Africa. Even the short walk to the aircraft had brought him out in a rich lather of dripping sweat. Once aboard he hefted his luggage into one of the overhead bins and unleashed a torrent of odour so foul that I thought I might collapse. And then he sat beside me, flopping down and wheezing, large patches of sweat visible all over his t-shirt. Our approach into Mombasa was heralded by lightning flashes that lit up the night sky like a scene from a disaster film. Half ... read more
Eighteen Years since the Rwandan Genocide
Published: April 13th 2012Africa » Rwanda » Ville de Kigali
April 10th 2012
Yvonne and Mugisha were sister and brother. In 1994 they had been aged five and three respectively. Their photo showed them smiling without a care in the world. Both had been hacked to death inside their grandmother’s home because they were from the wrong tribe. Another child had been smashed against a wall. He had been two at the time of his murder. When the death squads arrived at Umutoni’s home, they stabbed the four-year-old little girl in the eyes and head, and when they reached another Tutsi household, the final words of twelve-year-old Mami were, Mum? Where can I run? She was shot dead a few seconds later. The Genocide Memorial Museum was all so unbelievably depressing, especially that final room full of children’s ghosts. But what got me most was that it ... read more
Kampala: Hot and Dusty and Full of Ugly Birds!
Published: April 10th 2012Africa » Uganda » Central Region » Kampala
April 8th 2012
Kampala was full of ugly birds. They wandered around parks with their long spindly legs and scrawny necks and sometimes even gathered in trees. As well as being ugly they were also massive. Marabou Storks were the biggest birds I had ever seen in my life. Seven of the hideous things were sat in a tree just near my hotel and a couple more were wandering about below it. They looked like they had been living rough for a month and now needed a damned good wash. Their heads were the worst part, bald and covered in red blotches with a dirty great beak at the front. If ever there was a less glamorous bird to be seen, then I would be interested in seeing it. Suddenly one flapped its gigantic wings and it was like ... read more
Battling with the Tourist Hordes in Prague!
Published: March 17th 2012Europe » Czech Republic » Prague » Old Town
March 15th 2012
If ever there was a former Soviet buffer zone country to shake of its communist past, then the Czech Republic was that nation. More or less as soon as it gained a democratic government in 1989 it turned itself around and in the process became the third most peaceful country in Europe (number one and two are Iceland and Denmark respectively). When budget airlines began flying into its capital city the country saw its annual visitor numbers rise to almost four million, making it the sixth-most visited city in Europe. That was the great thing about Prague: not only was it so damned pretty it was also cheap and easy to visit. Just hop on a plane, arrive, see the sights and sample some of its famous beers. The bad thing about the Czech capital was ... read more
She Sells Seashells in the Seychelles
Published: February 23rd 2012Africa » Seychelles » Mahé » Victoria
February 17th 2012
As we wandered along the jungle trail passing exotic fruit trees and herbal leaves we heard a most strange sound. It sounded like a man straining to do hefty work, only not a normal man, a monster man. "Uggghhhhh!" it went before becoming silent for a few seconds. "Uggghhhhh!" it went again, a reverberating sound straight from hell. “What on earth is it..?” I asked as we passed underneath a bread fruit tree. “And where ‘s it coming from? It sounds like a dragon giving birth.” Just then we came to a clearing and could see the source of the terrible sound, and immediately the straining moans made perfect sense. It was a giant tortoise on top of another giant tortoise seemingly engaged in an act of pure reptile coitus. Every time the male heaved forwards, ... read more
Sausage Frenzy in Frankfurt Christmas Market
Published: December 25th 2011Europe » Germany » Hesse » Frankfurt am Main
December 22nd 2011
The rich aroma of mulled wine and sweet cinnamon filled the air as we walked around Frankfurt’s Christmas market. Long strips of candy dangled from one stall and at another, sparkly stars spun in the breeze. A colourful carousel filled with giggling children spun to the sound of Christmas music and further in, beeswax candles, wooden toys and glistening trinkets were for sale on stalls decorated with frosted snowflakes and wooden Christmas trees. “I want sausage!” I announced as we browsed the aisles. “Prime, juicy, German sausage!” “Why aren’t the trains as good as this in England?” said Angela as we sped towards the centre of Frankfurt. Outside, the burgeoning light of an early December morning showed the rain and overcast conditions but inside was warm and snug. I shook my head because I’d wondered the ... read more
Chobe National Park, Botswana - Like Being in a Wildlife Documentary
Published: November 15th 2011Africa » Botswana » North-West » Chobe National Park
November 8th 2011
“We will have to watch those two hippos,” explained the guide, closing the throttle of the small boat we were sitting in. “They are waiting to chase us.” We all looked forward to see the pair of large specimens eying us with what I presumed to be hippo malice. Only their eyes, snouts and comically-shaped ears were protruding above the water and then they went under, invisible. Instead of turning back, our driver told us to hang on tight and pushed the medal to the metal. Before we could yell at him to cease the madness, we were speeding through. Three seconds later, instead of being mashed to death by hippos, or dragged to the depths by huge crocodiles, we were safe and sound, straining our necks to look behind. Sure enough, the hippos had reappeared ... read more
Cessna152
| Joined | April 30th 2006 | Trips | 9 |
| Last Login | May 26th 2012 | Followers | 10 |
| Status | BLOGGER | Follows | 17 |
| Blogs | 102 | Guestbook | 205 |
| Photos | 2,215 | Forum Posts | 52 |
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Maroon 
Trips
Eastern Europe
February 12th 2006 -» June 23rd 2008
South East Asia
August 1st 2008 -» August 18th 2008
Balkan Odyssey Part II
May 24th 2009 -» May 29th 2009
South East Asia II
July 21st 2009 -» August 2nd 2009
Eastern Europe Part 3
July 6th 2010 -» July 13th 2010
Round the World 2010
July 24th 2010 -» August 25th 2010
A Trip through 3 of the 'Stans!
April 9th 2011 -» April 15th 2011
A Trip to some of the countries of Europe I've missed!
July 25th 2011 -» August 1st 2011
A Quickfire trips through East Africa!
April 8th 2012 -» April 17th 2012
February 12th 2006 -» June 23rd 2008
South East Asia
August 1st 2008 -» August 18th 2008
Balkan Odyssey Part II
May 24th 2009 -» May 29th 2009
South East Asia II
July 21st 2009 -» August 2nd 2009
Eastern Europe Part 3
July 6th 2010 -» July 13th 2010
Round the World 2010
July 24th 2010 -» August 25th 2010
A Trip through 3 of the 'Stans!
April 9th 2011 -» April 15th 2011
A Trip to some of the countries of Europe I've missed!
July 25th 2011 -» August 1st 2011
A Quickfire trips through East Africa!
April 8th 2012 -» April 17th 2012
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