Shane Dallas

The Travel Camel

With redundancy payout in hand and with no itinerary and no destination - I wonder where the road will lead.

Current Location: Astana, Kazakhstan

My new website is now launched! thetravelcamel.com

I am passionate about travelling to different cultures and countries. Here is an interview with from ABC radio in Brisbane, Australia on 22 July 2008. To listen, just click on the link below my photo.


Confirmed Travel
May-June 2013: UAE, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan

Proposed Travel - this usually changes ;-)
October 2013: Ireland
Early 2014: Djibouti, Eritrea


My blogs are nearing 200,000 views. Many thanks to everyone who has looked, read, considered or commented on my blogs over the years.

since the Camel commenced travelling


My favourite travel related quotes

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." - St Augustine

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

"Not all those who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but in seeing with new eyes." - Marcel Proust

"A traveller without observation is a bird without wings" - Moslih Eddin Saadi

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

“No man is free who is not master of himself.” - Epictetus

I also travel with my mascots, one is called Polly the Travel Frog and you can read and see the exploits of Polly Seven.

Twitter: @TheTravelCamel
Facebook: Shane Dallas



Travel Blog Posts


A Perilous Journey

Published: June 16th 2013Asia » Tajikistan » Khorog
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The Travel Camel
May 27th 2013

The road journey in Tajikistan from Dushanbe to Ishkashim is largely unknown, but anyone who has traversed it will rank it as one of the great adventures of the world. If Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor are looking for another challenge to broadcast as part of their Long Way Round series, I have found the perfect candidate. The 770 kilometre journey would follow for the most part the Panj River that separates Tajikistan from Afghanistan. The genial Amzi was my driver, and our three day expedition was in a comfortable Toyota Landcruiser. Amzi’s English was basic, but easily understandable. We enjoyed sporadic conversation, often comparing Australia and Tajiksitan, and discussing sights. He carried a collection of Tajik, Pamir and Russian music, and in return I played Australian, African, and American tunes. Though hiring a vehicle for ... read more



On the Wrong Side of the Law

Published: June 10th 2013Asia » Tajikistan » Dushanbe
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The Travel Camel
May 25th 2013

It is impossible to visit Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, and not notice the police presence. There is at least one member of the constabulary on every block, usually busying themselves waving down cars. Those who drove the Hyundai police vehicles never used the siren or lights if they needed an unimpeded passage through the traffic, but instead, strangely pronounced their coming through loudspeakers. The law in Central Asia has a poor reputation for corruption, but I saw nothing untoward in Almaty. However, parts of Tajikistan ensured that this reputation remains strong. Dushanbe's main thoroughfare, Radaki, was a pleasant tree-lined street whose residential buildings, though of weary appearance, were visually appealing in their mostly pastel colours that bore a resemblance to edifices in Eastern Europe. There were some larger public structures and these were palatial in ... read more



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The Travel Camel
May 21st 2013

There is no denying the feeling that regularly visits me prior to travel to a new destination. As I slouch in my couch, I gaze at the fully loaded backpack leaning comfortably against the wall, and that feeling fills me again. Regardless of how many countries my travels have taken me or the combined length of my journeys, I am always beset by apprehension the night before again launching into unknown lands. Not so when returning to a country or visiting a previously travelled region, but always with the first country in a region. No surprise as I prepare once again to travel alone and independently to a place where I understand not the language, nor the culture, and where every face is unfamiliar. Pre-travel concerns are actually a positive for without that anxiety prior to ... read more



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The Travel Camel
March 6th 2013

There are two experiences that compare to the excitement of travel. Researching, budgeting and planning itineraries can be just as exciting as the journey itself, whilst the other recently discovered experience is presenting speeches about travel to an international audience numbering in the hundreds. Last year provided my introduction into the world of speaking at international fora , where I was most impressed by the hospitality and professionalism on display at the Malaysia International Tourism Bloggers Conference & Awards (MITBCA). Not only was I invited to return to MITBCA in 2013, but this invite extended to its sister event, Malaysia Social Media Week (MSMW). I arrived a few days prior to MSMW in order to adjust to the time zone and prepare my presentation, “From Dang... read more



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The Travel Camel
February 20th 2013

“If you go to Kirkuk, you will be shot,” came the glum assessment from any Kurdish man who spoke about the infamous city a mere one hundred kilometres south of Erbil. If English was not spoken, then the responder would instead clench their hand in the shape of a gun and pretended to fire imaginary rounds into my chest. The message could not be clearer. Not that I ever intended to visit Kirkuk, but my journey to the cultural centre of the Kurdish Region of Iraq, Sulamaniyah, had two routes. The shorter and more direct path skirts the edge of Kirkuk, a journey dissuaded by all nowadays, whereas the longer and more scenic mountain route was unanimously favoured. To avoid being within shooting range from Kirkuk, I travelled to Koya by bus, prior to changing to ... read more



Killing Me With Kindness

Published: March 4th 2013Middle East » Iraq » North » Arbil
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The Travel Camel
February 16th 2013

In the Middle East, the visitor is seen as a gift from God. But like any gift, the reaction to its receipt is related to its frequency; the more regular the gift, the less enthusiastic the response. The Middle East bestows the most hospitable of welcomes on visitors, and since I never met or saw any other foreign tourist during my ten days in the Kurdish region of Iraq, it meant that all latent hospitality was poured upon me. As is usual with my first day in any location, I approach it through the eyes of someone observing, rather than immersing. Despite this cautious approach, the response was remarkable. On the second day, I removed that last veneer of caution and strode forth; the reaction was extraordinary. Returning to the Qaysari Bazaar I searched for Erbil’s ... read more



The Calm Within an Iraqi Storm

Published: February 23rd 2013Middle East » Iraq » North » Arbil
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The Travel Camel
February 13th 2013

Images of charred remains, bloodied bodies and wailing survivors filled my television screen. BBC World was reporting yet another bombing in Kirkuk. I looked down at my computer screen where the payment page for my flight to Erbil in the Kurdish Region of Iraq was displayed. Erbil is a mere 100 kilometres from Kirkuk. I glanced again at the violent images on the screen, “Damn it,” were the only words to issue from my mouth. The mouse hovered above the payment button and with a slight movement of my finger, the button was clicked. I was going to Iraq. Travelling to Iraq was the intention, but upon arriving at Dubai airport a few days later, I met with an unexpected and frustrating opponent – airline bureaucracy. “Do you have a letter from the Iraq Ministry of ... read more



A Meeting of the Minds

Published: February 16th 2013Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City
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The Travel Camel
January 10th 2013

It was an opportunity too good to refuse. There have plenty of Travelblog meetings for dinners and drinks, and sometimes two bloggers have travelled together, but this was perhaps the first time a group of three or more had met with the specific purpose of travelling. Upon arriving at the airport in Ho Chi Minh City, I quickly passed through immigration and customs and eagerly exited the building. Towering above the crowd was Nick () (the host for this gathering) and beside him I could espy the black hat of Dave () (the instigator of this event). Even though they had only met 15 minutes prior, the two of them were already conversing like old friends. It took a moment or two of disbelief to actually realise that both Dave and Nick, whose blogs I have ... read more



First Steps on an Endless Journey

Published: February 3rd 2013Asia » Malaysia » Melaka
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The Travel Camel
December 28th 2012

Fate is similar to a game of chess; an unseen and unknown opponent makes a move and you decide how to react. And so it was when I was made redundant from my government job of more than 12 years; it was my turn to move a chess piece. Challenges such as these provide opportunities – you can let the situation control you, or you can control the situation. As per usual, I chose the latter, and thought the best response to this challenge was to head overseas – a path that gives me both clarity and knowledge. The only way to realise such extended travel was to become homeless, and with only a few weeks between the confirmation of redundancy and the ability to use my Singapore Airlines Krisflyer points for a free Business Class ... read more



Worshipping an American Deity

Published: October 31st 2012Oceania » Vanuatu » Tanna
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The Travel Camel
September 16th 2012

Tales of unique religious practices have emanated from Tanna Island for decades, a place where seemingly mortal humans are accorded divine status. There is the Prince Philip movement, which worships the Duke of Edinburgh, but far more popular is the John Frum movement, where their figure of veneration is a US Marine. Since I am drawn to observing different religions, it was inevitable that my journey to Tanna would seek out one of these faiths. The village where I stayed possessed an extraordinary sense of community, as evidenced by the story of a husband and wife unable to have children, so when the husband’s brother fathered twins, he gave one to the infertile couple to raise as a child of their own. Another expression of this communal spirit was the Sunday morning church service at the ... read more






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