Category Archives: Middle East

Some Smoking Experiences from my Travels

When you go backpacking round the world as a smoker, you need to be aware of the cultures you are jaunting through. For example, smoking cannabis may be perfectly acceptable in the coffee houses of Amsterdam as nobody flinches an eyelid. However the entire world is not the same. On my journeys, I’ve highlighted 5 places with different smoking related cultures.
Smoking Travel Adventures - Iran
Smoking Travel Adventures – Iran

1. Iran – Shisha Houses
Iran can be a strict country for the younger backpacker as there is no pork, no alcohol and no way to use visa or mastercard. There is also a no tolerance for illegal drugs, such as marjiuana and cocaine. However Iranians get their cool fix in a different way – these awesome Shisha Tea Houses! Well worth a trip and we loved cities like Kerman and Yazd because of this.

Smoking Shisha in Iran
Smoking Shisha in Iran

2. Bulgaria – Smoky Bars
Bulgaria is still quite an unventured country in parts especially in smaller towns and cities. One big problem can be that bars get smoky. Of course we will smell the scent of marijuana a mile off, but it’s the after smell your clothes get mainly from nicotine that is worse.

3. Colombia – Drug Central
OK so the Colombians may have a reputation for drugs, however you should be aware that some remote towns and villages have fairly laid back lifestyles due to it. Towns like Guasca and Guatavita all have their locals smoking a joint on a Saturday night, but they don’t go crazy and kill people over it. Leave the drug barons to do their ugly work while you relax with a cocktail and a reifer in the farming villages.

Cocktails and joints in rural Colombia
Cocktails and joints in rural Colombia

4. Netherlands – Amsterdam
Well I had to include Amsterdam in this list anyway as it’s the hippest place to be to smoke pot and weed on the streets in relative harmony. Pop into a smoke bar and puff the night away, you can find lots of sensi seeds and all sorts of different strengths of cannabis but don’t try to smuggle them out of the country!

Smoke Weed in Amsterdam.
Smoke Weed in Amsterdam.

5. Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Despite being a Muslim country, Malaysia is fairly stringent on the laws of smoking and drinking. Kota Kinabalu is a spot of loads of bars, some shisha smoking and if you know the right contacts, you can get your fix of weed too.

So there are some smoking related tips for you on your travels. Stay safe and within the laws please!

My Dubai Trip 2013

I’ve actually been to Dubai twice on my travels, back in 2003 and then again last year in 2013. It has changed a lot in that time, and while it’s not my favourite city due to the almost “fakeness” of it, it does allow for luxury and relaxation which is pretty rare for me as a cheap Hong Kong backpacker. We settled for decent accommodation but went cheap on sightseeing to make up for it.
My Dubai Trip 2013 - On the 9th Floor of the Burj Khalifa!
My Dubai Trip 2013 – On the 9th Floor of the Burj Khalifa!

We decided to take out the option of an apartment for our stay and picked the Capitol Residence Hotel Apartments which were spacious, well located and luxurious. We were able to visit the following cool sights in Dubai to keep within our budget:

1. Dubai Creek.
Dubai Creek is the amazing old town part of Dubai down by the water. It serves as proof that this colossal skyscraping metropolis was once a tiny port town – we enjoyed a walk along the promenade at Dubai Creek admiring the old school boats that go across the harbour.

My Dubai Trip in 2013 - down by Dubai Creek.
My Dubai Trip in 2013 – down by Dubai Creek.

2. The Palm Jumeirah.
You can wander about on the famous Palm Jumeirah. It’s free to get here – just a residential area on reclaimed land that looks like a palm tree from the air! You can walk it for free but it gets hot. We visited the swanky hotels at the end – they’re even more posh than where we stayed!

3. Dubai Mall
Despite being a Hong Kong Girl I am not a big shopper but I loved browsing the stylish Dubai Mall, which is free to enter and walk around. It is the biggest shopping mall in the world. As a bonus, The Dubai Mall also has a completely free aquarium and a free fountain out the back.

4. Burj Al-Arab
This is as swanky and posh as it gets!! The Burj Al-Arab is apparently the world’s only 7 Star Hotel!! We knew the deluxe suite for a backpacker would break our budget of a lifetime, but you can get your photo taken at the front for free of course, so we did!

Outside the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, UAE.
Outside the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, UAE.

5. The Burj Khalifa

The Burj Khalifa is currently the highest building in the world. We didn’t want to go to “the top” though as the cost is too much – about $30 US. Instead we sneaked into the Armani Hotel and managed to get up to the 9th Floor for free. The Burj Khalifa is currently the highest building in the world….Not great views but we didn’t have to pay for it! To see these amazing places you can apply for dubai visa.

I look forward to sharing more of my Middle East stories – we also visited Iraq, Iran, Palestine, Jordan and Turkey.

My Iran Trip 2013

I totally loved Iran and we spent a full month there in 2013. After getting an Iran Visa in Trabzon, Turkey we crossed the border into Bazargan and toured as much of the country as we could. I totally loved Iran.