Miquel 7/28/25 Miquel 7/28/25

48 hours in Riyadh: what to do and what to see

Top thing to do in Riyadh

The bridge at the top of Riyadh’s Kingdom Center

If there’s an iconic building in Riyadh, this is the Kingdom Center, a 302m skyscraper with a very prominent “eye” at the top.

The very top level of the building, which acts as a bridge between the two sides of the opening, can actually be visited. And this is actually something I would recommend doing first if you find yourself with some spare time in Riyadh.

From the top of the Kingdom Center you have the best views of the city, giving you an idea of the extension covered by the urban sprawl. It is even possible to discern exactly where the city ends and the desert starts, without transition.

From here you can also get an excellent view of Riyadh’s central strip, which the Saudi authorities expect to develop, over time, as a sort of Dubai or Manhattan-like skyscraper district.

As of 2025, only a few of the planned high rises are currently standing. One of them is the Al Faisaliah Tower, which is another iconic skyscraper, with a roughly triangular shape and a giant 24-meter diameter ball at its top (you can see it in the picture opening this entry).

One thing that surprised me is that there was almost no one around when I visited, neither in the viewpoint, nor in the luxury mall at the base of the building. I counted about a dozen employees on my way to the top, but only a couple of other visitors in the whole time I spent there.

Nevertheless, the views were magnificent!

Riyadh Season & Boulevard City

One of the symbols of the process of liberalization that Saudi Arabia is undergoing is the Riyadh Season.

This is a festival that runs from October to March, with many cultural and entertainment activities scheduled throughout the city. This is quite a radical development is you think that cinema, music and other forms of entertainment were severely curtailed until only a few years ago!

The Riyadh Season has several venues but one of the epicenters is Boulevard City and the adjacent World (BLVD World), a massive entertainment complex on the western side of Riyadh. Think Disneyworld meets Time Square, but in the desert!

At the time of my visit I was only able to pay an evening visit to Boulevard City, so I will focus on this bit. The area is being developed so fast that it is likely that by the time you read this post, new amusement areas have already sprung up in the vicinity (there is certainly no shortage of land for this!).

You can tell Boulevard World is really new and no effort has been spared in order to create a sort of immersive experience with plenty of sensorial stimuli, be it light, music or water effects.

In some ways, it is not too different from the typical set up of a World Expo (and, yes, after Osaka, the next World Expo will actually be held in Riyadh!)

By the way, to give you an idea of the scale of the place, Boulevard World also hosts a massive man-made lagoon, which is quite a thing considering the Riyadh’s desert environment! (always wondered where do they get the water from to run such a huge city in this very high and dry location).

There are also plenty of places to eat throughout Riyadh’s Boulevard City, although the two suggestions I present further below are actually in other parts of the city.

The Saqer Al-Jazirah Saudi Royal Air Force Museum

I did cover this museum in this post for the Allplane aviation site, however, I thought any post about things to do and to see in Riyadh should include a mention to this excellent museum.

If you are even minimally interested in aviation, you will like it! Even if, truth, be said, it is far from easy to reach. The only way to get there is by taxi/Uber and the entrances are not clearly signalled, so actually my Uber left me at the far end of the perimeter, not at the main entrance.

Likewise, getting back to my hotel was a small odissey, since I Uber drivers kept cancelling rides at the last moment and took me something like one hour or waiting time, plus a not very pleasant walk on the side of the mortorway to a nearby McDonald’s to be able to get a ride back! So make sure you have enough battery and a charger with you and some way to access the internet on your phone if you don’t wish to get stranded!

On the positive side, I must say that the museum staff were super friendly and helpful and helped me with my internet connection and offered me tea and sweets during my wait.

The museum collections are pretty impressive and are split between an indoor and an outdoor part. Pretty much every model of aircraft operated by the Royal Saudi Air Force is in display here and there are also some civilian aircraft that were once operated by flag carrier Saudia, including a rather remarkable Lockheed L-1011 Tristar.

Where to stay in Riyadh

Since I have been at two different hotels in Riyadh, on different occasions, I will outline both here, starting by the one I liked the most.

Radisson Blu Diplomatic Quarters

This is a very nice hotel, located in the diplomatic area of Riyadh, to the west of the city. In fact, the whole area has some sort of special security status, as there are checkpoints to get in an out.

The whole facility is super new and it shows in its design. It is not super central, but you need a car to move anywhere in Riyadh, so I guess this is a rather secondary consideration here.

Also worth of note is the breakfast, which was really tasty and had an interesting mix of international and Arabic specialities.

I was also surprised to find out the room had a small kitchen!

A couple more pics of the room, which was impeccably clean and contemporary in style.

Al Waha Hotel Riyad

This is a more centrally located hotel, belonging to a local chain.

The room was quite spacious, but, to be honest, there were some service glitches and, overall, despite being technicall a four-star, it was not nearly at the same level as the other hotel I previously commented on.

The registration took very long, I understand there is some paperwork to be filled, but it was not done very efficiently to say the least.

Then there were issues with some of the lights in the room, namely the one in the cupboards, which wouldn’t switch off due to some faulty sensor, so I had an ongoing fight throughout the night, since it activated at random several times, waking me up.

Last and not least, my room was not done upon coming back from my day appointments and this, I was told, was due to not having indicated my preferences for room cleaning, since apparently it is a requirement so that female staff can know when they can enter a room. This is apparently by regulation, but I would have appreciated some warning before hand.

Having said that, when I complained about the above points, the staff were apologetic and they made sure the issues were fixed on the second day of the stay.

Where to eat in Riyadh

When it comes to getting the proper Saudi eating experience in Riyadh, the choice is clear.

Najd Village

https://najdvillage.com

This is a bit like an oasis in the middle of central Riyadh. There are no traditional tables, but rather an array of eating areas arranged around a central courtyard with a small garden.

Najd Village restaurant aims to replicate the atmosphere of the desert caravanserais, where desert travelers used to rest and eat. You actually seat on the ground, or rather on carpets, and usually you would share the

Now, beware the portions, because they are really, really huge!

We were three in our group and we each ordered one item from the menu and we could hardly finish it! But it was really good! I’ve been twice to this restaurant and the standards have been pretty consistent.

As per the food, there is a good selection of Arabic cuisine specialities, lots of nicely cooked meat and rice with a diversity of breads to go with, which really adds to the experience!

Restaurant Awani - أواني Tahlia

This more of a Lebanese place offering specialities from the broader Middle East. It is rather central, modern and functional, and the dishes were actually pretty tasty, so I thought it worth including it here, even if it is not really a local Saudi cuisine restaurant. You can get an idea of what it is like with the pictures below.

Day trip from Riyadh: a tour of the Edge of the World

If looking for something to do just outside Riyadh, but without having to venture very far out, the Edge of the World tour is your thing. It can even be done in half a day, since the main sights are less than an hour by car from western Riyadh.

Very important, though: you need to get a guide with a proper 4x4 car. This is not an activity a non-local can really do on its own. There is, however, no shortage of companies offering day tours of the Edge of the World from Riyadh.

In fact two “Edges of the World” are marketed as day excursions from Riyadh by these tour operators.

We chose the one called “Second Edge of the World” by a company called Riyadh Tours, but my understanding is that, whether “first” or “second” Edge of the World, it is pretty much the same experience, with the difference being the access route. One of the routes is only open on certain days, while the other is always open.

Only the “Second Edge of the World” was available when our group was there, but don’t be fooled by the name, it was well worth it!

In fact, I think the actual experience is pretty similar and it involves venturing out into the desert towards a ridge of hills west of Riyadh, contemplate the otherworldly landscape, have lunch on the spot and head back to the city.

Definitely one of the top things to do in Riyadh if you have a spare half-day!

This was quite an interesting experience for me, since I always imagined the Saudi desert as a sort of flat space with sand dunes, but the reality is a lot more diverse. There are, actually, quite a few plateaus and hills in the desert and not all of it is sandy, a big part of it is actually a hard crusty surface!

So, in these tours (I think they more or less follow the same programme), the guide comes pick you up to the hotel in his vehicle and he takes you through a number of panoramic viewpoints in the desert.

The Edge of the World derives its name from the fact that there is a vertical cliffs that falls directly over the vast plain of the Saudi desert. It is pretty spectacular and provides great opportunities for Instagram-like pictures.

Most of the tours include also a lunch on the spot. The guide carries everything that is needed for this in the back of the car. At the time of the visit the temperature was pretty warm, in the high twenties-low thirties celsius, but still pretty bearable. So our guide just spread out some carpets and cooked some simple, but tasty meal on the spot. It was a great convivial moment with the group, an amazing experience.

As an added bonus, on our way to the Edge of the World we passed by some bedouin settlements that had camels and we stopped for a quick look at these amazing animals. As you can see in the picture below, they were quite friendly!

By the way, is planning a trip to Saudi Arabia, you may also like my post about Jeddah, its UNESCO World Heritage historical town and the Red Sea Corniche!

And if you considering traveling with Saudia, the national airline of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, check out my Saudia flight review!

Miquel 7/6/25 Miquel 7/6/25

What to do and to see on a short trip to Seoul

Perhaps South Korea doesn’t get as much attention, as a tourist destination, as its neighbours, Japan and China, but it is truly interesting place and one that I definitely recommend visiting, if you have a chance.

On this trip I had only 3 days, which it seems to me it is the bare minimum to get to see the key highlights of Seoul and squeeze in the customary excursion to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the border with North Korea.

So, most of the spots I cover here are in the I even had to leave out some areas, such as the famous Gangnam district, south of the Han River, but, hey, they say you must always leave something for your next trip!

In any case, I hope this post will provide some guidance if you ever find yourself in Seoul with some time to spare and wondering what to do and to see while in the city.

Getting to the city center from Incheon Airport

After arriving in Seoul from Kazakhstan, and clearing the rather long immigration queue (don’t forget to fill the Korean e-arrival card before your flight!) it was time to head for downtown Seoul, which is some way from Incheon, where the main international airport is located (there’s a smaller airport at Gimpo, which is used mostly by domestic and long-haul flights).

Public transportation in Seoul is excellent and there are different ways to get to the airport. The one I can recommend, because I used it myself and worked pretty well, is the AREX express train that runs from Incheon airport to Seoul’s central station nonstop.

It costs around US$7 / €6, which compares pretty favourably with many airport express trains in Europe, particularly when you factor in what you get in return: a reliably, nonstop service on a spotlessly clean train, fitted with comfortable and spacious seats, fast, free wifi onboard and even a free bottle of water, which the staff distributes during the roughly 45 min ride!

It runs about twice an hour or so. Also it is not really like a metro in which you just step in, you have to select tickets for a specific train (you can do that at the machines at the station) and you get your seats assigned.

The cartoon-stamped tickets that are make for a nice souvenir (as we shall soon see, Koreans really, really, like their anime-type cartoons!).

Some practical things to do when you arrive in Korea

Once you arrive at Seoul’s central station, I recommend you go change some money to get cash (while Korea is not as cash-depedent as Japan, it is still used quite a lot). There are a couple of currency exchnage counters next to the station but already on the street.

Also, importantly, a T-money card, which is a sort of prepaid card which you can use on public transportation, but also to pay at convenience stores and the like. You can buy it at any convenience store for the equivalent of a couple of euros or dollars and then keep refilling it at your convenience.

What to see and what to do in Central Seoul

A walk through Euljiro & Myeongdong

Seoul is a proper megalopolis and it has several districts that could be each be considered a “downtown” on its very own. Perhaps the most central one is the area of the Euljiro district and Myeongdong Street.

This is a buzzing business district with a central pedestrianized area absolutely packed with shops, restaurants and streets vendors. Think Times Square in NYC or Soho in London. This is also the area where you will find plenty of tourists.

The street food part is particularly interesting, since the offerings are quite diverse (more on food later when I detail my Seoul gastronomic experience).

So, I would say, walk around, soak up the atmosphere and the energy of the place.

Also, Euljiro is a place you can visit until in the evening, since everything is open until quite late.

Gyenongbokgung Palace

This is a must-see in Seoul. Gyenongbokgung Palace is one of the historical heritage highlights in the country and you can see why the moment you get there.

Gyenongbokgung Palace is a sprawling complex which served as a residence of the Joseon kings (an earlier form of Korean state that existed prior to the Japanese occupation at the turn of the 20th Century.

By the way, while the main entrance is on the south side, facing Gwanghwamun Square, I approached Gyenongbokgung Palace from its eastern side, where there is also an access point. This allowed me to see also Yeollin Songhyeon Square, which is the park you can see in the image below.

The palace consists of a number of low-lying pavilions built in traditional style and spread over a rather vast area. The entrance fee is 3,000 KRW, which is about $/€ 2-3.

One of the things you will notice immediately upon visiting is the fact that many visitors like to cosplay in traditional dress.

This is something I saw later at some historical sites in Japan as well, and, while it feels a bit weird when you first see it (imagine touring the Roman Forum dressed as a Roman!) it actually adds to the atmosphere of the place and produces some nice pictures.

Unlike European royal palaces, there is not that much to see inside the buildings, which are usually diaphanous and relatively small structures, so, visiting Gyenongbokgung Palace is mostly an outdoors experience.

There are also gardens and even a pond within the palace grounds. So make sure you assign a couple of hours to if you don’t want to be in a rush.

Gwanghwamun Square

If you leave Gyenongbokgung Palace through its southern gate (depicted above) you will find yourself on Gwanghwamun Square, which is not so much a “square” but a broad avenue lined with high rises, cafés, shops and fountains.

At the time of my visit, in early May, the weather was very nice and this area was buzzing with activity, including some sort of street music festival.

This area serves as a nexus between the Gyenongbokgung Palace grounds and Seoul’s central business district and one of the must-visit places in the city, the Cheonggyecheon riverside promenade.

A walk along the Cheonggyecheon river banks

This is perhaps one of the most inspiring stories of positive urban transformation that I have come across.

In the early 2000s, the banks of the Cheonggyecheon river, a stream that runs through the very center of Seoul, were the object of a comprehensive restoration project that saw an elevated motorway and related concrete structures all removed and the whole area turned into a delightful urban garden. The results are simply spectacular!

In the pictures below you can see how the banks of the Cheonggyecheon river look like nowadays, on a fair weather afternoon. While this picture depicts one of its most central stretches, the stream runs like this for about 3.6 miles!

The restoration project was so successful that you can even see some wildlife around the stream, despite the fact that it is locate in the middle of a huge city.

I was also amazed by the number of people reading books by the river (many of them sitting on the very purposefully placed plastic chairs). It turns out there is even a riverine library you can borrow books from!

You can walk all along the banks and, what’s even more amazing, you can cross the stream at designated places, where lines of stepping stones have been laid out across the stream (without blocking the flow), precisely for this purpose.

The Cheonggyecheon is also full of surprises, like some small “waterfalls” or decorative elements, such as these mosaics dedicated to telling some episodes of Korean history.

Dongdaemun General Market

And, now, time to head east of downtown (still pretty central, though) to explore the Dongdaemun area.

The first stop is Dongdaemun Market. It is located in a modern building with shops structured in several alleys or corridors, a bit reminiscent of the Middle East bazaars.

A large part of the market is dedicated to the textile trade, with dozens of shops selling all sorts of cloth and fabrics. But the area I think would be of most interest to visitors is the food hall. Here you can find a huge eating area with dozens of food stalls offering different Korean and Asian specialities.

In fact, the options are so numerous that they can induce quite a bit of FOMO!

It’s hard to find a seating spot, though, and this acts like a powerful mechanism to narrow down your choices, if you wish to use your lunch time to rest a bit. So, it was really convenient to see a spot at this dumpling place, which you can see in this pictures, being freed and up for the takes. This was, I think, a truly excellent choice!

As you can see, the dumplings were as fresh as they get and filled with kimchi, of course! (there are other possible fillings, though)

Exploring the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) and Seoul city walls

Quite close to Dongdaemun market is the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), a rather futuristic building designed by the very renowned architect, the late Zaha Hadid, and completed in 2014.

Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) is one of the landmarks of Seoul’s contemporary architecture and it fulfills several purposes: it hosts several exhibition spaces as well as a mall and a busy subway station. In fact, the whole area around it is one of the several business districts that dot Seoul.

Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) sits also next to the southeastern corner of the Seoul city walls (“Hanyangdoseong” in Korean).

It is quite remarkable that despite the amount of urban development undergone in the second half of the 20th century and beyond, Seoul has preserved a very significant portion of its ancient city walls, with some parts dating back to the late 14th C.

I guess one of the factors that has helped preserve them is the fact that these walls were built over a chain of hills which encircles the present-day downtown.

There are still around 18km of walls left and there are several trails you can follow along them. I limited myself to the most immediate stretch (again, the time constraint!) next to Heunginjimuin Gate (pictured below).

It is a bit of an uphill walk from Dongdaemun, but, still, good to get some views. Next to this section of the wall you can also visit the Seoul City Wall Museum.

Visiting Hongdae (Hongik University)

Right at the opposite edge of Seoul city center (to the west of it) is another area of note: the very vibrant Hongdae, also known for being located next to Hongik University.

This area is buzzing with commercial activity, street life, cafés and restaurants. During my relatively short walk I counted quite a few street performances, some of them of pretty high level, both solo and by groups dancing coreographies together.

A big part of this area is also pedestrianised so there are crowds moving up and down the street checking the many shops. I would say the area closer to Hongik University station appeared to be more upmarket, with some major brands having shops there, and it gets progressively more tacky as you move along Hongdae street.

In any case, an interesting area, well worth a visit, if only to imbibe the atmosphere.

Visiting the War Memorial of Korea

The Korean War, which is technically still ongoing, plays a massive role in the recent history of the country and its collective psyche. Off-duty soldiers in uniform are a common sight at Seoul’s stations and, as we shall soon see, a visit to the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas is also a much recommended experience.

This is why the impressive War Memorial of Korea, which is located a bit south of downtown, is one of Seoul’s must-see landmarks.

In addition to being a memorial which pays homage to those that fought and lived through the war, including the many allied nations that helped South Korea keep its freedom, the War Memorial of Korea is also a huge museum.

The Korean War (1950-53) is, of course, the central theme, but the museum includes also exhibits about other aspects of Korean history, such as the formation of the country and the different kingdoms that existed in pre-modern times, and the many different foreign interventions and invasions Korea has suffered throughout its history.

Those interested in aircraft, tanks and all sorts of military gear, will enjoy the displays, which include quite a few examples of weaponry from the time of the Korean War.

There are also some other exhibits dedicated to the period after 1953. Since the conflict has been flaring up regularly, as the two Koreas face each other across the heavily fortified border.

The museum also showcases the emergence of South Korea as an industrial power on its very own and has also some interesting displays about the current military programmes and technologies

There is also an impressive outdoor exhibition, with an impressive array of Cold War era aircraft, tanks and other weaponry on display. These include fighters like this F-4 Phantom II aircraft and a B-52 bomber.

One of the highlights of the outdoor exhibition is this patrol boat (below), which in the 1990s was involved in a firefight at sea with North Korean boats in which several South Korean sailors died. You can see the impacts on the side of the boat.

And, even if the museum is all about truly serious matters, you know Koreans like they cartoons!

So, in short, go visit the memorial if you are interested in this type of things! And, of course, if this is the case, then you should also consider a tour of the DMZ.

So continue onto the next section to see how it is like!

How to visit the Korean DMZ

It is hard to imagine when you are in the midst of Seoul’s buzzing streets, but the South Korean capital is barely an hour drive away from the border of a totalitarian, militaristic dictatorship. The border between the two Koreas, which runs roughly, but not exactly, along the 38th Parallel, is just a short bus ride away from Seoul.

A tour of the DMZ is, in my opinion, one of the must-do activities if visiting Seoul.

There are many tours which can be booked online. They offer more or less the same program for similar prices.

Many tours leave early in the morning (around 7am) from next to Myeongdong metro station, in central Seoul. They usually return you to the same spot in the early afternoon, around 2 or 3pm.

So, I guess, the differential factor is the guide. In this regard, I can say I am very happy with the tour I took and our guide, Paul, which proved to be an extremely articulate, fun and knowledgeable guy throughout the whole trip.

At this point, it is important to clarify a few points, since I made myself these very same questions when choosing the tours.

At the time of my visit (May 2025) the Joint Security Area, which is the facility most global audiences are familiar with, right at the border and with soldiers from each side face each other, is off limits to visitors.

It has been possible to visit it at times in the past, but the area was closed to tourists in 2023 after an incident in which an American soldier crossed over to the North. There was been talk about the area reopneinig to visitors at some point in 2025, but, so far as and as I am writing these lines, this hasn’t happened yet.

So, if you want to visit this geopolitical hotspot, you would need to content yourself with a more limited tour, which would typically take you to the following points of interest:

1) The Bridge of Freedom, which is a river crossing where some of the last exchanges of prisoners (and population!) took place right at the end of the active phase of the war. To be clear, both banks of the river are in South Korean territory at this spot, but here are some vestiges of that time, like a badly mauled steam locomotive that was left in place after after it was shot at.

There is also a memorial park with quite a few elements that refer to what happened here in the early 1950s. It is also possible to visit a viewpoint to look across the river. Here there are also bars, cafés and services.

2) Next stop if the Dora Observatory, from where it’s possible to have a peek at the north. This hilltop facility has even an indoor theatre-like hall and glass walls with views of Kaesong, the largest city on the north side of the border in this section of the DMZ.

By the way, if I don’t post more pictures of the excursion here it is, simply, because it is strictly forbidden to take pictures in most of the DMZ.

It is only allowed in some places, like the parking of the Dora Observatory (below) where you can get a glimpse of the mountains of North Korea in the background.

3) The 3rd Invasion Tunnel, which was built by the north to open a potential path into the south in case of invasion. The tunnel was discovered and sealed, but it is possible to visit a section that was left open.

This involves walking some 500 meters underground until you get to a spot that is blocked by a concrete wall. At this point, I guess, you are pretty close to the border, although, of course, you can’t see it.

Some tours offer an extension which includes stopping on the way at a lake where there is suspension bridge that makes for nice instragram pics, but I didn’t do that. These additional places are outside the DMZ anyway.

There are also some interesting sights along the way, like the, now blocked, road which connected South Korea to a joint industrial area that was built in the North during a brief period of thaw in relations. There are also plenty of signs reminding you that you are actually in a war zone under UN supervision.

The final stop of the tour was at one of the few inhabited villages within the DMZ, where there is a souvenir shop and café. Here you can find all sorts of memorabilia and DMZ-themed products, including rice grown by the local villagers (in the few fields that are clear of mines, I guess, because the whole area is heavily mined!)

Where to stay in Seoul

Tong Tong Petit Hotel

91 Yulgok-ro 10-gil

Jongno District, Seoul

I found this little boutique hotel for a good price on Booking.com and, was quite happy with the choice. To start with, its location is great. In a pretty central and commercial neighbourhood and a 5 minute walk away from Jongno metro station, which takes you direct to and from Seoul’s central station in about 15 minutes.

It is located on a quite side street and next to a temple.

I kind of liked the original set up, with a pseudo-bunk bed (in fact, even if it is just a one person bed, its elevated position allows for an optimal use of space, as you can see in the pics below).

The place was impeccably clean and the wifi worked really well.

The one thing I am not a big fan of, though, is the fact that the bathroom is wet room, so there is no separate shower. This was not really clear in the hotel information pre-booking and was a bit of a surprise. However, as I just mentioned, it was super neat and clean, and was not a big inconvenience.

The hotel also provides you a pair of rubber slippers.

The interaction with the hotel staff was also friendly throughout. The reception is not manned 24h, but you get access codes to be able to access your room when they are not there. They also use whatsapp for fast communication. In my case, they offered me to check in early at no cost (I had arrived on a very early flight), which was a great plus!

Casual places to eat in Central Seoul

Seoul could well be one of the world capitals of casual dining. Food stalls are pretty much everywhere. I already spoke about Dongdaemun market and Myeongdong street, but I was also surprised to discover that the area next to my hotel was also becoming a large outdoors food hall pretty much every evening.

The bars and restaurants on and around Donhwamun-ro street set up terraces, which totally fill up with people (lots of groups) eating out. It gets so busy that it is, actually, quite difficult to find a spot (I didn’t manage to do so!). Below are a couple of pictures of the area in the morning, when it empties out.

Recommended place to eat in Seoul

Kkotpineun Sangol

17 Jong-ro 11-gil

Jongno District, Seoul

This was quite a find: cozy, offering tasty food and great value. It is a bit difficult to find, though, since it is located at the end of a very narrow side alley and there are other bars and restaurants adjacent to it.

As you can see here, I had a kimchi-strong dinner, with this kimchi pancake as main, which was huge! And not very expensive. The side dishes were complimentary, btw!

Coming back for sure next time I am in Seoul.

Exploring Ikseon-dong Hanok Village

This was also a sort of random find on my way to the hotel, since it located nearby. Apparently Ikseon-dong Hanok Village is one of the few areas in Seoul that preserve the traditional layout, with one-floor buildings and narrow alleys laid out in a rather labyrinthine way. In fact, it is more of a trendy bar-restaurant area than a proper “neighbourhood” (I would be surprised if anyone lived there), think Camden Town in London, this sort of thing.

I will highlight a couple of places here:

One is the berries ice-cream I had at the Flower Yard Café, which you can see here on the right.

The other is the Jayeondo Sogeumppang Salt Bread bakery.

This latter place was quite interesting. I passed in front of it on my way to the hotel and saw it was quite popular, with people even queuing. So, next morning I came here for breakfast.

It is, in essence, a sort of gourmet bakery which makes only “salt bread”, which is basically a type of croissant.

You can only buy them in batches of three minimum and they are served in this cute packaging.

What can I say? Great marketing. Not for nothing they promote themselves as “the most viral bakery in Seoul”. They were tasty too.

Recommended coffee place in central Seoul (if you need to do some remote work)

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

83 Cheonggyecheon-ro

Jongno District, Seoul

Yes, I know, this is just a branch of The Coffee Bean, a local Starbucks-like chain.

But I found this one branch was a particularly nice place to do some remote work on my laptop.

First, it is very central, right next to the river promenade. Second, it is big, and there was space aplenty. Third, it was very neat and clean and the staff were nice and helpful.

So, I thought worth mentioning, because I guess there are quite a few people out there that may be looking for a place like this while in Seoul.

Recommended Korean barbeque place in Seoul

연남서식당 (which would translate roughly as “Yeonnam-seo Sikdang”, or so I am told)

20-8 Myeongdong 7ga-gil

Jung District, Seoul

Kudos to indefatigable travelers Claudia and Kaan (aka @thelosttwo on Instagram) for suggesting me this place.

It is actually quite amazing to find a place like this right in the middle of Euljiro and next to one of Seoul’s top commercial streets (the Apple store in on the same block).

From outside, the place looks more like a garage than a restaurant, but it is, I think, an excellent and great value choice if you wish to try Korean barbeque

Two particularities of this place: 1) You cook your own meat (this is not that unusual in Korean cuisine and 2) you do so while standing all the time, there is no sitting in this restaurant.

You do get some help from the staff, though! (as you can see in the pictures)

Pretty simple, but efficient and tasty!

Eating Dakgalbi (marinated chicken) in Hongae

By the way, I also went to eat dakgalbi, which is a type of marinated chicken traditional of Korean cuisine. From what I learned, it is a popular and simple dish, of which different variations exist.

So I went to this restaurant to try it out:

Vanga Dakgalbi Hongdae (반가 숯불 닭갈비)

147-1 Eoulmadang-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul

I chose this place out of the many that offer Dakgalbi in this area, because it had very high reviews. However, it fell a bit short of expectations. The high rating, though, may be the product of very pro-actively seeking the reviews and even incentivising them.

The food and the service were ok-ish, but not super amazing, nothing to do with the authenticity of the experience in the other two places I mentioned earlier.

Possibly wouldn’t repeat with this one.

So, that’s all for now. As you can see, even a short visit to Seoul can result in quite a long post! And left with the feeling that when it comes to the South Korean capital, I had just scratched the surface…

Miquel 6/13/25 Miquel 6/13/25

Some of the top things to do and to see around Bodrum

Bodrum is one of the most popular destinations in the Turkish Aegean riviera, and of the whole Mediterranean basin. So, there is no shortage of information out there.

Therefore, what I will try to do here is to share my personal experience visiting some spots in the area which I think can be of interest, particulatly if you are looking for something more than just tanning by the beach (for the record, I did spend a considerable amount of time at the beach or poolside too!).

Before moving ahead, let me clarify that I have used the word “Bodrum” here to refer to the whole peninsula where this city is located. I think this is in line with how most people use this place name, since the points of interest and the related tourist infrastructure is spread out over a rather large area.

Another important point: if you wish to move around the area is best to rent a car. Roads can vary in quality, some are pretty good, like the one to and from the airport, but secondary ones can be a bit more tricky and signage is often lacking. It is overall manageable, though, best to carry a phone with interenet connection to be able to navigate the place.

Staying in Gültürkbükü

As mentioned, the concept “Bodrum” is generally applied to a whole peninsula, which is roughly 15km long and 5km wide. The central part of the peninsula is rather mountainous and, while there are some roads, most movement is along the coastlines, which can take considerable time. Saying all this, because, even if you have a car rental (much recommended, btw), it is important to choose your base well.

In this regard, my choice is clear: Gültürkbükü is a town on the north side of the peninsula, which is large enough to have pretty much all services (including a rather picturesque once-weekly outdoor market) while not being crowded or overbuilt.

A great place to stay in Bodrum

Lavinya Hotel, Gültürkbükü

https://lavinyaotel.com/en

This is a really nice nice boutique hotel located right on the beach, and when I say right on the beach I mean that no more than a couple of meters of sand separate some of the ground floor rooms from the crystalline, warm water of Gültürkbükü Bay.

The whole property is built in Mediterranean style, with open areas like the bar, blending in with the beach (which is actually public). There are also this type of sea platforms (all seafront hotels and restaurants in Gültürkbükü have them), which act as “forward” terraces, allowing people to get more or less “onto” the water without actually getting wet. At night they become restaurants, as we shall soon see.

There is a summery, laid-back vibe that pervades the whole place. You can see how there are also plenty of flowers interspersed among the whitewashed walls.

As per the rooms, since Lavinya Hotel is not a chain hotel, they are not entirely standardised. They all share a common style and tone, though.

Next (below) you can get a glimpse of one of the “villas” on the ground floor. These are the rooms that located right on the beach, with direct access to it.

Let’s move one floor up next, to have a view of one of the rooms upstairs:

And, last but not least, you can see one of the “standard rooms”. These are located a bit further from the beach (but still less than 1min walk from it!) on an adjacent building.

Lavinya Hotel has also quite a nice open sea-facing common area, where breakfast is served in the morning. There is a bar and also some spots, sheltered from the sun but open to the breeze, that are great if, for whatever reason you have to do some remote work during your Turkish holiday.

I also recommend trying the hotel breakfast at least once. This is no buffet brekfast, but you can order sets like this one below. Pretty well balanced!

Gültürkbükü-la-nuit

Gültürkbükü is a relatively calm and family-oriented spot (compared to bigger and more glitzy towns like Yalikavak - more on this soon), it does have quite a lot going for it in the evenings, though.

The beachfront is lined with restaurants, which use the same platforms that during the day serve as tanning stations. From here you can gorge yourself in seafood (beware, though, it is not cheap!) while enjoying the view of the bay. This part of the coast, by the way, has quite a few luxury resorts, including some well known names such as Maxx Royal and Mandarin Orienta. During the season it is also visited by quite a few yachts, which you can be at their moorings.

Where to eat out in Gültürkbükü - Option 1: Lavinya Hotel Restaurant

One of the options to eat out in Gültürkbükü is, again, the Lavinya Hotel, which transforms one of its beach platforms as a venue for outdoor dining. Here below you can find some of the dishes I tried.

Where to eat out in Gültürkbükü - Option 2: Orkide Restaurant

Likewise, just a few meters to the left (facing the sea) of Lavinya is Orkide, which offers also the fish-focused, platform-based dining experience.

You can even see some of the local fish before ordering them.

As mentioned above, it is not cheap, even by standards of some high-price parts of Europe, but it is a nice experience to indulge in at least once if you happen to be holidaying in the area.

Below you can see what a self-curated degustation menu looks like (as is often the case in Turkey, the dessert merits a full two pictures and a mention on its very own!).

Visiting the city of Bodrum

So, let’s say you have got enough of sun and sea and wish to see what’s around. Let’s head to downtown Bodrum for a glimpse of the southern side of the peninsula and a bit of Ancient history!

Bodrum is quite a sprawling city. There is not much flat space between the sea and the mountains and the modern city is spread over quite a long stretch of land. The most interesting part, though, unless you are going to one of its large shopping malls (complete with IKEA, Decathlon and all the big retail names), the part of interest is downtown.

This is quite a buzzing area in the summer, with hordes of tourists roaming the streets and hundreds of shops and other businesses catering to them.

There is a large port and marina along the waterfront, which hosts also the main landmark: Bodrum Castle and its museum collections.

Bodrum Castle is actually what gives its name to the modern Turkish city of Bodrum. The name being a derivation of “Petronium”, or “Castle of St. Peter”.

It was built by the Knights Hospitalier, one of the famous Christian military religious orders that were active in this part of the Eastern Mediterranean in the late middle ages. The castle is located on a narrow isthmus, which made it a very strong defensive position back in its time, and it seems that much of the material that was used to build it comes from the ruins of the nearby Ancient city of Halicarnassus (more on this soon).

Besides offering great views of the city littoral facade, the marina and its surroundings, Bodrum Castle is also a museum hosting several interesting collections.

There are a number of items that are straight out of Antiquity, gathered from the many archaeological sites found in the Bodrum area. This part of the Aegean was at one located right on one of the main trade routes of the Ancient World and there is a significant heritage dating back to thousands of years ago, from the bronze age to the Turkish conquest, pretty much every civilization has left its mark on this area.

One of the most interesting collection you can visit at Bodrum Castle is that of the Museum of Subaquatic Archaeology. Here you can see what has been recovered of several shipwrecks found in shallow waters around Bodrum. As mentioned earlier, this rocky coast was one of the main avenues of trade in early Antiquity, so a number of ships went down with their cargoes in this area. Each of these ships is an absolute trove of material for archaeologists and researchers.

(btw, a bit off topic, but if you are interested in the archaeology old shipwrecks, you should check also my post about Kansas City and its great museum of the Steamboat Arabia!)

Visiting one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: The Maussoleum of Halicarnassus

Can you name the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World? Well, one of them and one of only two still (kind of) visible in some form is here, in Bodrum.

(Btw, in case you were wondering, the “7 Wonders of the Ancient World” were: the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Lighthouse of Alexandria and the he Mausoleum at Halicarnassus).

How the Mausoleum of Halicarnasus looked like in its heyday

Interestingly for the vestiges of something with such a grand title, the ruins of what was once the Mausoleum of Halicarnasus is located at a rather unassuming spot in the middle of one of Bodrum’s residential areas. In fact, the access is through a rather narrow street and it is not even very well indicated.

Parts of the Ancient city were basically used as an impromptu quarry in the middle ages to source stone and buidling materials for Bodrum Castle, so there is little left today above ground of the Ancient city of Halicarnassus.

This mauseloeum was built in the 4th C BC by Masolus, hence its name, which was a Carian king (well, technically he was a satrap or governor of the Persian Empire). The Carians were the people that inhabited this corner of Western Anatolia at the time. They were close to the Greeks, but were not quite Greek and had, apparently, a distinct Anatolian identity. For example, they spoke their own Indo-European language, which is now extinct.

So, basically, Masolus decided to build his tomb in such magnificence that it soon became famous all over the Ancient world and other rulers and powerful people of that era were soon imitating him. Hence the name “mausoleum” became a common word to designate this type of tombs and it has made its way to many modern languages.

As you can see in the pictures, there is little left standing, although it is quite interesting that you can walk through the stones and even around the base of the monument.

The precinct is demarcated and there is an entrance fee to get in. There is also a small museum that explains the story of the site and how it may have looked like at the time of its construction.

Overall a very interesting site and I definitely recommend visiting, but a lot more could be done on the museum and interpretation side of it!

Interesting things to see around Bodrum: Gümüşlük

Driving west from Bodrum you get to the fisherman’s village of Gümüşlük, almost at the very tip of the peninsula.

This is quite a nice spot and a good option for a fish dinner by the sea. Gümüşlük has a rather pleasant seaside promenade, which is buzzing with visitors and lined by quite a few restaurants, each exhibiting the catch of the day.

But perhaps was I found most interesting of all here is the tiny island that encloses the bay of Gümüşlük bay. This island is the site of the Ancient city of Myndos (“Myndos Antik Kenti” in Turkish), where it is said that two of the assassins of Julius Caesar, Cassius and Brutus, sough refuge temporarily after their deed (unsuccessfully, as it turned out). It later became the site of bishopric, in early Christian times.

Well, this tiny island is linked to the mainland by an Ancient stone pathway that is partly submerged, but just enough, so that you can actually walk to and from the island if you are willing to get your feet wet! (as you can see in this picture below). Apparently

There is no shortage of dining options in Gümüşlük, rather the opposite, there are so many restaurants by the seaside, with the staff on each of them inviting you to stay there, that you can develop a bit of choice anxiety! In the picture below you can get an idea of what the views look like from most of the restaurant terraces.

Places to eat in Gümüşlük

Siesta Restaurant

So, we opted for the Siesta Restaurant, and I think it was a rather good choice (although I think the offering and prices are quite similar across the board).

As you can see, fish and octopus are the stars here, although I would also recommend trying one of the great yogurt-type entrants with the spicy peppers as well.

Yalıkavak Marina

Also on the western tip of the Bodrum peninsula is Yalikavak, a rather larger town which has become known for its rather modern and luxurious marina (built with Azerbaijani capital, apparently).

If Gültürkbükü and Gümüşlük are quite laid back, casual places, at Yalikavak is rather the opposite. Here people come to see, be seen and show off.

It is interesting in some ways, but, in my opinion the whole ensemble lacks a bit of authenticity. Many renowned luxury brands, fashion houses and restaurants have opened branches here, to offer their wares next to the super-yacht moorings. But, at the end of the day, what you find here, you may find also in Dubai, Montecarlo or Marbella and you would be hard pressed to tell which one is which.

Good value places for casual eating in Yalikavak

Midye7 Restaurant

Nevertheless, if you are looking for a bit of casual dining in Yalikavak, you can find some options as well in the streets just across the marina’s main access road, on the land side.

We ended up at Midye7, a rather unpretentious place which specializes in serving mossels with French fries, Belgian-style. It has an outdoor terrace where you can spend a good time while relishing the freshly steamed mossels.

Bonus tip: best viewpoint in Bodrum

One last tip about Bodrum: if you are with a car, you may want to check the sunset views from a spot on the road that crosses the peninsula from north to south, from Yalikavk to Bodrum downtown, and that is marked in the maps as “Yel Değirmenleri” (which indicates that apparently there are some windmills, but I didn’t see them).

From here you can get some magnificent views of the sun setting over the Mediterranean and you can also see the Greek islands of Kalimnos and Leros, which are really, really close! (the latter was the setting of a WW2 battle between British and Germans, which later inspired the classic war movie, “The guns of Navarone”).

Just beware, because, to be honest, while the views are great, the place is not well prepared to get visitors. There is some space to park the car on the side of the road, but it is difficult and a bit dangerous to cross (it is located just at a turn of the road and the traffic is constant). There is also quite a lot of garbage around (this is one of the main issues in Bodrum, refuse, particularly plastics and cans, accumulates on the sides of many roads and streets, despite there being places to leave them!). Nevertheless, it seems to be quite a popular spot, with many people, both tourists and locals, spending some time here contemplating the sunset and taking pictures.

And this is the end of this Bodrum story, although, this is a destination that I may return to and where there are still many sights I haven’t visited and many stories to be told. Watch this space!

Miquel 5/25/25 Miquel 5/25/25

Visiting the Osaka 2025 World Expo: which pavilions to visit (II)

This is the second instalment of my Osaka 2025 World Expo chronicle.

While in the first one I shared some practical information and my experience at some major national pavilions, including that of the host Japan, in this post I will continue my walk around the Expo, commenting on several other pavilions, including some of the thematic ones (which do not belong to a specific country).

I would like to reiterate that, while I spent two very intense days at the Expo, this is an awfully short time if you wish to see it all well. I was fortunate that the Expo’s media team helped me get access to some of the most crowded pavilions, but even then it could get stressful at times and FOMO can become very real. So, if you have the chance to spend some more time that that, all the better!

By the way, just as in the previous post, the pavilions are not presented in a particular order here. I have devoted more space to talk about the ones I managed spend more time in or that made a more notable impression on me, but I have no recommendation about the order of visits. I guess a lot depends on crowds and slot management at the time of the visit.

Let’s start this second part of the Osaka Expo tour with the pavilions of the two superpowers of our time, China and the USA, to then move on to other interesting stuff.

The Chinese Pavilion

As expected, China’s is one of the largest pavilions at the Osaka Expo and it is also rather beautiful, with the outer wooden structure mimicking the shape of an ancient scroll and an spacious and tastefully laid out interior.

What I found interesting here is that there is a combination of history and modernity.

The ground floor devoted to the early eras of Chinese civilization, including some interesting archaeological samples and renderings and depictions of ancient Chinese cities, while the upper floors showcase modern technology and projects China is undertaking in fields such as urban planning and development, space or deep sea exploration.

USA Pavilion

The USA pavilion is designed to be visited in guided groups, which leads to some rather long queues forming outside. Basically, one group comes in, does a circuit inside the pavilion and then another group comes next.

There is at first an enthusiastic welcome address by one of the guides which introduces visitors to this tiny animated star that acts as a “virtual guide” throughout the visit.

Then we went through a series of exhibits which are very focused on highlighting the role the US plays as a major hub for education and attracting highly skilled talent and also the US diversity of landscapes.

Finally, what I think was the most interesting and visually stunning part was devoted to space. The visit ends with a projection that simulates a space launch from the point of view of the ground and, next, as if you were in orbit. This was quite well done and I think it is the most remarkable part of a pavilion that, otherwise is a bit underwhelming considering how many things the US can proudly highlight.

Italy and Vatican Pavilion

This pavilion has some truly interesting stuff, as it tries to link the wonders of the Renaissance with modern Italian technology, although crowd management is unnecessarily (in my opinion) inefficient. There are bottlenecks in the visitors flow that lead to queues inside the pavilion, as they force people to use a relatively small elevator to move within two parts of the exhibit (which could easily be linked by a staircase). Italy shares its pavilion with the Vatican state, which has brought a real Caravaggio painting to Osaka!

Nordic Pavilion

This is a joint pavilion by five Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden). It looks more impressive from the outside than in the inside. Despite a very enthusiastic guide which engages the visitors while queueing, there is not that much to see inside.

The main theme is “trust”, a value that these countries share with Japan, but to be honest, I didn’t find the exhibits very engaging. Interestingly, the pavilion’s shop seems to be quite popular and appeared to be doing good business selling Moomin-themed merchandise and other Nordic-inspired stuff.

The Common Pavilions

These are pavilions that host a myriad of small countries, mostly developing nations, in a trade-show-like lay out in which each country has a small booth rather than a full pavilion.

These common pavilions are a great place to get stamps for your Expo passport, but you can also find some interesting gems. I would highlight the pavilion of Pakistan, which has built its booth entirely of real Himalayan pink salt!

The Netherlands Pavilion

The Netherlands has a surprisingly large pavilion, considering the size of the country. The main theme is how the Dutch managed to tame the water and live in harmony with it.

Visitors are handed a little sphere which changes colour when you put it close to specific beacons throughout the exhibit (a prop similar to the one used by the German pavilion), you can see people holding these little light balls in the picture below.

Architecturally, the main element is a giant sphere at the center of the pavilion which is, actually, a large immersive screen.

Spain Pavilion

Spain’s pavilion is, I think, rather underrated. There were no big crowds or even a queue to get in, but I found it to be quite well done overall.

The entrance is set at the top of a flight of stairs, which offers an interesting perspective regardless of whether you look up or down. From the ground up the pavilion appears like an ascending slope, whereas from the top you have a nice view of the Expo’s ring.

In addition to showcasing some Spanish environmental technology, what I found most interesting is the first part of exhibit, right when you come into the pavilion. Here you can learn about the early contacts between Spain and Japan, which date back to the early 17th C!

In fact, there are several hundred people in southern Spain today with the surname “Japón”, descendants of Japanese people that settled in Spain as a result of those early diplomatic exchanges between the two empires some four centuries ago.

The Thematic Pavilions

In addition to the national pavilions, the Osaka Expo features also a number of other pavilions and areas that are dedicated to specific topics or sponsored by specific companies or organizations.

Despite the limited time I spent at the Expo, I managed to visit some of these.

The Advanced Air Mobility Station

This was one of the pavilions that fell a bit short of the somehow inflated initial expectations it had generated. In fact, we had been even promised there would be eVTOL flight displays at the Expo and this is looking extremely unlikely at the moment.

In fairness, the whole advanced air mobility industry is currently undergoing a cure of realism after over-hyping its progress a bit in the last few years. Some investors and analysts have even published some pretty damning assessments of the eVTOL space, not least of Archer, one of the companies exhibiting in Osaka.

Having said that, the pavilion offers an immersive experience, courtesy of Archer and its local partner, Japan Airlines, which make it well worth the visit and acts as a great introduction to the world of eVTOLs for the general public.

I have written in more detail about the Archer-Japan Airlines experience at the Osaka Expo on this other post on aviation site Allplane, so I encourage you to check it out!

Null^2 Pavillion

This is a pavilion that could be qualified as futuristic or outright weird and it starts in the outside, where its walls visibly vibrate with sound. When inside, the whole point, it seems, is to create some sensorial experience through the use of mirrors, light and sound.

I am not sure I got it, but, in any case, an interesting experience. Go for it if there are no queues.

The Blue Ocean Dome

The Blue Ocean Dome is one of the start thematic pavilions. It is in fact three domes, a large one, which contains an immersive screen experience and two adjacent smaller ones.

Each of the domes is built using a different material, the two small ones are made of bamboo and paper, respectively, and the larger one is made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). The use of these materials aims to recover a tradition in World Expos, which served as a testbank for innovative constructive techniques. These materials in particular were chosen because of their light weight, that lowers the environmental impact of construction.

The Blue Ocean Dome has been built by ZERI Japan, a non-profit environmental organization that focuses on oceanic preservation. The goal of this pavilion is to raise awareness about the issue of plastic pollution in the oceans and the need to for sustainability in the sea.

The bamboo dome (depicted above) illustrates the circulation of water (again the circularity concept that pervades the whole Expo!).

Whereas the main dome (above) is all about the ocean. Visitors get to experience a rather impressive immersive film that illustrates the environmental challenges that oceans and marine life experience as a result of pollution, particularly plastic waste.

The third (paper) dome is an exhibition space to showcase different projects and initiatives that Japanese organizations are taking part in with the aim of preserving and restoring the oceans.

Quite amazing to think that, after the Osaka Expo closes, the Blue Ocean Dome will be dismantled and reassembled in the Maldives!

Shows during the Expo

I wouldn’t want to close this post without a mention to the many shows and activities that you are likely to encounter during your visit to the Expo.

Many of these, like the “Cante Alentejano” that I featured in the first instalment of this Osaka Expo chronicle, are ephemeral and linked to a programme of activities that includes countless national days and other happenings. For example, here are some dances from, I guess, somewhere in the South Pacific, which I came across as I was wrapping up my visit to the Expo.

The one show that is predictably happening every evening is the projection on the “Shinning Hat”, one of the Expo’s iconic buildings, located near the East Gate and right next to the Japanese Pavilion.

And just like that, almost without noticing, my two-day stint at the Osaka 2025 Expo came to an end. I hope these notes are useful to those planning a visit before the Expo closes for good on October 2025.

Enjoy your future visit to the Osaka Expo!

Miquel 5/24/25 Miquel 5/24/25

Visiting the Osaka 2025 World Expo: what to expect (I)

Osaka, Japan’s second largest city, is the site of the 2025 World Expo. And, while I have always take this massive events with a pinch of salt, I think this one is well worth a visit and a perfect excuse to visit Japan and combine it with other interesting sights in the broader Osaka-Kyoto-Nara area (which will be the subject of another blog post soon).

What’s more, I’ve got the impression that Osaka is somehow of an overlooked destination when it comes to Japan. It may not be the capital city or have the historical richness of Kyoto, but it is actually a great metropolis and this Expo rightly puts it in the map.

So, in a two-post series I am going to try distil my impressions of the Osaka 2025 World Expo and I will share, as well, some practical insights about how to get to the Expo and what to do while there, particularly if you have limited time, as it was my case.

Getting tickets for the Expo

First of all, you will need to get tickets. And I suggest you start looking for them well in advance.

The Osaka Expo has a system of shifts, so the ability to visit certain pavilions and the Expo itself is organized by time slots. I booked some three weeks in advance and, while there was broadly good, but not total, availability for the Expo itself, it was hard to find them for some of the top slots.

You can then enter a lottery system that allows you to request access to certain pavilions that have already been sold out.

And this is the point at which I will lay out my strongest criticism of the Osaka Expo: the official website is a mess and, at points, thoroughly unintelligible. I have noticed that Japanese websites (same with the official railway companies websites) are quite different in their approach to processes and flow to what we are used to in the West (and most of the world for that matter), and perhaps his conforms to local practice, but I found the Osaka Expo site to be extremely complicated to navigate from a user perspective.

The processes seem way more complex that they really should be, way too many steps, and the way information is expressed is far from helpful. It takes a while to understand what is going on and where you should be clicking. So arm yourself with some patience if trying to book tickets!

Also, that lottery system I was referring to earlier is sub-divided in different time-windows, so you may apply one week in advance or three days in advance, but all of this is explained in a rather complicated way and the process itself is not very clear. I tried using the system for some pavilions and simply gave up.

This is, I found, one of the paradoxes of Japan, which is super advanced in certain things, but then some processes seem like straight out of the 1990s and the early years of the internet.

Getting to the Expo from downtown Osaka

So, let’s say you have survived the booking site ordeal and made it to Osaka. Congratulations, because despite this initial criticism, the Expo is truly amazing!

The site of the Expo is a small artificial island just off Osaka’s port area (it looks like artificial islands are quite the thing in the Osaka area, since Kansai airport, the city’s international gateway, is also located on one, just as the airport in nearby Kobe, as well!).

The Expo has two public entrances: East and West. Most people come through the East one, which is located next to the Yumeshima (“Island of Dreams”) metro station. This is the end station of the green line, which takes you downtown (Hommachi and Osaka Castle area) in about 20-25min, so it is pretty accessible.

As pretty much everywhere in Japan, I recommend getting a Suica wallet card to move around in public transport.

Interestingly, while the station can get really crowded at peak times, like around 21.00 when the Expo prepares to close, crowd management is really, really good. In the evening we were channeled through a pre-arranged path between the Expo gates and the metro station and while there was a constant and rather significant flow of people, it never felt congested, we even had a decent amount of space inside the metro wagons. So, kudos to the Expo organizers in that regard!

Arriving at the Osaka Expo

Most of the Osaka Expo, including pretty much all the national pavilions, are enclosed within a massive wooden ring.

Yes, you read that right! There is a massive wooden enclosure several storeys high, which doubles also as a view point (more on this soon below!).

The structure itself pays homage to Japanese wood craftmanship. To learn more about the philosophy behind it and its significance, I recommend checking this CNN story out.

Sadly, because it is truly a thing of beauty, the whole ring will be entirely dismantled after the expo and the wood used for other purposes.

This intended re-use of the materials is, actually, pretty consistent with the core theme of the Osaka Expo: circularity and sustainability. You will see how this topic is pervasive throughout the Expo and many national pavilions have structured their content and message around it.

This ring, however, shouldn’t be thought of as a sort of barrier delimiting the inner core of the Expo, but rather like a sort of continuous gate embracing the whole extent of the Expo. In fact, the ring, as you can see above, is a totally porous element that you can walk through at pretty much any point.

There are also some pavilions, mostly the thematic ones, that are located outside of the ring, as are some services, such as shops and service facilities and the whole access area of the Expo. So people cross in and out of the ring all the time.

Here’s one recommendation: as soon as you get into the Expo’s grounds, head to one of the official shops next to the entrance and get yourself one of the “passports”. You will then be able to put a stamp each time that you visit one of the pavilions. It’s big fun, specially if you travel with children!

First thing to do at the Osaka Expo: Walk the Ring

So, I would suggest, first thing to do when you arrive at the Expo and after you’ve got your passport at the shop, is to go up the wooden ring for the magnificent views.

You can walk all around, but I’d say some of the best views are possibly from the east side, where several of the largest national pavilions are located.

The top of the ring is also a thing of beauty and it is structured in two levels, with some gardens in between. There are escalators, stairs and lifts connecting all together. You also get some views of Osaka’s port area from the top.

Here is a view of another section of the Expo, the lake where some water and music shows take place at regular times.

Some practical considerations about the Osaka Expo

Queues:

Yes, there are queues at most of the major pavilions and this is despite some of them having a system of advanced slot booking. So, arm yourself with patience and be strategic with what you wish to see. Also, I found the crowds to be much less towards the evening and some great pavilions, like Saudi Arabia and Spain could be visited with almost no waiting time, but this may just be anecdotal.

Cash:

Unlike the rest of the Japanese economy, the Expo is entirely cashless.

Food and drinks:

There are several eating options at the Expo. Some pavilions have bars, restaurants or food stalls. I had the chance to experience the Swiss and German ones, for example. However, I would say the best option quality-price is to visit one of the several food courts that dot the Expo’s territory. There is a diversity of fairly priced choices there and, while busy, it was not super crowded. Btw, there are also free water dispensers throughout the Expo too, so you may want to bring your own refillable bottle.

The Portuguese Songs

This is not part of the permanent programme of the Expo, but it was one of the first sights I came across, and a rather impressive one at that! As part of the “Alentejo Days” at the Portugal Pavilion in May (a number of activities dedicated to this region of Central Portugal), there were regular performances of “Cante Alentejano” throughout the day. I found it quite aesthetically interesting so posting a couple of pictures here (and may post a video as well when I find time to do the editing!).

Which Pavilions to visit at the Osaka 2025 Expo?

My time at the Expo was rather limited, since I just managed to squeeze in two full days before my return to Tokyo and Europe, but I think I made a rather efficient use of time. So, in this post and the next I am going to show some of the pavilions that I visited and what I found of interest in each of them.

Also, big thanks to the Expo media team that help me arrange some of the pavilion visits!

Japan Pavilion

As a host country, Japan’s pavilion is, of course, one of the hgilights of the Osaka 2025 World Expo. It is also the only national pavilion that is outside of the wooden ring, located just outside of it and close to the Expo’s east entrance.

Note that Japan’s is one of those pavilions that requires advanced booking, since, not unsurprisingly, demand is high!

In fact, the Japanese pavilion is also a wooden ring. Its structure reflects, as well, Japanese aesthetics and materials. Its main topic is…you guessed it…circularity and recycling!

So, the pavilion is organized itself if a circular way: you walk around its structure and find out about different technologies, particularly those reliant on microorganisms such as algae, that are being used to recycle stuff and make stuff while minimizing waste. The pavilion has even its own bio-power plant (which you can see in the picture above).

“Nothing goes to waste” is kind of the message that pervades the whole exhibit.

The role of algae in these waste recycling processes is highlighted throughout the exhibits. This way, we learned, for example, how algae can theoretically produce 50 times more protein per the same amount of water than beef or 36 times more than soybeans, or how they can absorb 14 times more Co2 than a cedar tree.

We were also shown how, through farming (see for example in the picture above how algae are move through tubes or, below, how they can be cultivated in ponds), all these algae and micro-organisms can be put to work to produce a number of advanced materials.

Interestingly, many of these transformation and waste-recycling processes depicted at the pavilion are taking place for real, on-site. So, you have some of them producing energy at the aforementioned biogas plant, but also being transformed into tangible items at a robot-assisted 3D printing facility. In fact, Japan’s Pavilion portrays itself as a “factory”, where waste is transformed and given a new lease of life as useful new things.

The pavilion showcases, as well, some Japanese tech made possible by advanced materials. Here in the pictures, for example, I show two of these: an airless, non-inflatable football ball made of semi-rigid components and an ultra-light mesh that helps space proves soften their ground impact.

The central space of the pavilion is taken by this breathtakingly beautiful, zen-style pond, which is fed by what was formerly waste water, which has been depurated on-site. We were told that after the process it is so clean that you could drink it!

German Pavilion

Germany’s pavilion is also all about sustainability and circularity.

Besides being one of the most interesting from the architectural point of view (like in the case of Japan’s here the circular shape delivers a message!), the star of Germany’s pavilion (and your companion during the visit) is this little cute kawaii-style mascots, called “Circulars”, which you are given at the entrance.

The circulars have sensors that make them change colour and talk to you about the different exhibits throughout the visit.

Besides showcasing multiple initiatives and companies in Germany that are active in the circular economy, developing sustainable solutions in different areas of life, the German pavilion itself is made in a sustainable way. Most of the materials are reusable or organic. For example, a special type of fungus with a wood-like appearance and consistency has been used to make some elements of the structure.

There is also a nice garden terrace, with some of the exhibits located outdoors.

South Korea Pavilion

This was a pavilion strong in visual effects.

A big part of the action is actually outside, with the pavilion’s facade being used as a massive video screen.

Inside, the highlight is a technology-themed futuristic, and also rather touching, video story set in the future. Aviation enthusiasts will notice how eVTOLs play a prominent role!

Pavilion of Saudi Arabia

As the country organizing the next Expo, in Riyadh in 2030, Saudi Arabia was one I couldn’t miss.

The first part consisted in a live music performance combined with a visual show projected onto the walls of the pavilion. A truly beautiful sensorial combination.

The pavilion is yet another channels for Saudi Arabia to showcase some of the massive projects it is investing in in order to turn the kingdom into one of the world’s top tourist destinations.

As it couldn’t be otherwise, there is also a whole section about environmental programs and the restoration work that is being conducted at several ecologically sensitive areas, such as the Red Sea, where, for example, coral is being 3D-printed in an effort to speed up reed regeneration.

France Pavilion

The French pavilion was somehow a hybrid between a museum and fashion boutique.

In great part this is explained by the fact that some major French luxury brands have sponsored it.

The resulting aesthetics are actually pretty cool and there are some exhibits that are quite eye-catching.

I’d say it gives a good sense of what is typically understood by French elegance and style. All in all, a great advertisement for the Japanese market of one of France’s greatest exports (after all, at the time of writing these lines, LVMH is, I think the most valuable publicly-listed French company).

France’s pavilion has also some nicely arranged outdoor space and an interesting scale model collection which merges French and Japanese iconic historical monuments (see below).

Brazil Pavilion

Brazil’s is a relatively small pavilion, with the main exhibit (below) focusing on the topic of environmental preservation. The inflatable, 3D shapes, represent people, animals and plants that come alive with movement.

There is also a video exhibit which highlights the numerous historical links between Japan and Brazil, a country that is home to several million people of Japanese descent.

United Arab Emirates (UAE) Pavilion

As the UAE was the site of the latest Expo, which took place in Dubai in 2022, I was also curious to check this one. As you can see, the exhibit was structured around palm-tree-like structures. The UAE’s fledgling space programme takes a place of honour.

Turkmenistan

This is an interesting one. Turkmenistan has one of the largest and more visually striking pavilions at one of the Expo’s prime locations. Kind of unexpected from a closed country, which gets a negligible number of visitors.

What I can say is that the people reacted with interest, queueing to get a rate glimpse of this little known country, which has been ruled by the same family since the fall of the Soviet Union.

The exhibits are quite a thing, starting by a presentation video that, let’s say, defies a bit the standard aesthetic canons in this genre of production.

There was also an exhibition of pretty much everything that is produced in Turkmenistan, from apples to detergent I guess this is how a Soviet trade show may have looked like sometime in the 1970s.

Interestingly, dogs feature prominently throughout both the presentation video and the exhibit!

Switzerland Pavilion

Besides appealing to a number of Swiss estereotypes (mountains, cows, cheese, etc), this pavilion was centered mostly on showcasing Switzerland’s technical prowess in a number of fields, from medicine to space tech.

The cake shown below, for example, is capable of producing electricity on its own, by combining the right ingredients and inducing a chemical reaction. Will this ever have a practical application? Maybe.

Swiss space tech had also a prominent space (pun intended!) in the exhibit. This is an industry in which Switzerland punches above its weight and one that Swiss institutions have been keen to promote internationally, since it is not that well known to general public.

What’s interesting also is the bar at the uppermost floor, with great views of the central area of the Expo. Prices are more Swiss than Japanese, though!

Stay tuned for the second part of the Osaka Expo walk around…

And this is all for Day One at the Osaka Expo! In the next instalment of this series, we’ll look at some other pavilions that caught my eye at the Osaka Expo, including those of superpowers USA and China as well as some of the thematic ones.

Watch this space!

Miquel 4/18/25 Miquel 4/18/25

48 hours in Jeddah: top things to see and to do

Jeddah is likely one of the most historical cities in the Arabian Peninsula.

Located on the shores of the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia’s second largest city is just a short drive from Mecca, the most sacred place in the Muslim world, something that becomes apparent already at the airport, as you encounter crowds of pilgrims from all over the world.

In fact, this coastal location and its role as a gateway to Mecca has made of Jeddah, for many centuries, a major trading entrepot.

Unlike other cities in the region, which have developed pretty much out of the desert, Jeddah has a faily large historical center, which has gained it a spot in the UNESCO World Heritage list and offers a glimpse (even if extensively restored) into the Arabia of yesteryear.

By the way, my impression of Jeddah are based on a couple of short forays during a recent business trip I made to the city, so this post, by no means intends to be a comprehensive tourist guide.

I am sure there plenty of other blogs that can offer much more detailed insight into some aspects of the city, such as the several museum-houses that are open in the Al Balad area of Jeddah (many of them were not open when I visited), cultural sites and events and places to eat in the city.

I hope, though, that these few lines and pictures can offer you some broad impressions about what to do and what to see if you travel to Jeddah.

Al-Balad neighbourhood, visiting Jeddah’s old town

This is, without a hint of doubt, the most interesting part of Jeddah, Al-Balad is the historical core of the city (in this aerial picture you can see how it looked like as recently as 1938 and compare with a modern picture of the city!). Its roots date back, at least, to the 7th C. and its ensemble has been recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

I would say there is not “one thing” to see in Al-Balad, the main thing to do is to walk around and admire the architectural ensemble built in the traditional style of the Hejaz region of Western Arabia. Many of these houses were built using coral blocks from the Red Sea as building material and framed by “roshan”, the wooden windows which often protrude from the facades.

The Souq Al Alawi is, what I would say, the main gateway to Al-Balad. At the time I visited (in the evening) it was packed by visitors and buzzing with activity. There are many souvenir shops and cafés around. To be honest, it is quite a touristized spot, but it is a good reference point to start the walk, since it opens in a rather broad and lively square.

It is also here that we find one of the singular buildings of note, the Nassif House Museum (picture above), which houses an exhibition about old Jeddah, although I found the information is provided in a not very clear way. Apparently it also has a rooftop which is sometimes accessible to visitors and has great views of the whole historical town, but it was closed when I visited and, again, could not find much info about when they open.

So, what follows are some snaps of my walk through Al-Balad. While the aforementioned square was quite crowded, it gets a bit quieter as you start walking into the maze of small streets, as visitors disperse around.

In the picture below you can find two clear examples of Roshan windows, in the two colour tones that prevail through Al-Balad, the natural wooden, brown one and the pale green one.

You will also find several pieces of street art when walking around Al-Balad. This one, for example, evoking fish is a timely reminder of Jeddah as a seaport. In fact, one of the attractions marketed to tourists is the fish market, which is not too far from Al Balad, but I didn’t have the time to visit it.

Al-Balad: an ongoing restoration project

One thing that becomes apparent is that Al-Balad is currently the object of a major restoration project. This is, like so much going on in Saudia Arabia right now, part of the Vision 2030 tourism drive.

In 2023, the Saudi government, through its sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) even created a special entity, the Al Balad Development Company, to undertake this work. The goal is to make of Jeddah’s Al -Balad one of the top tourist attractions in the Middle East.

Seeing the state of disrepair some of these magnificent buildings are in, one can only wish they succeed, although it would be great if they did not overdo it. A great part of the charm of Al-Balad is that, even if you know that a big part of it has been restored, it has managed to preserved most of its authentic atmosphere,. It would be tragic if it ended up looking like a theme park.

Wherever you go in Saudi Arabia, there is passion for football, as you can see, even in the middle of the historical district. Actually, shortly before my visit, Jeddah had hosted the Spanish Supercup, which was won by FC Barcelona.

Al-Balad can be equally interesting at dusk and at night.

In fact, it is possibly the most lively time, since, like in many places in the Middle East, much social life happens in the evening, to avoid the extreme heat during the day. In Al-Balad, some of the main streets are even decorated with lights, which makes the place more scenic.

I would recommend timing the visit to enjoy it both during daylight and in the evening.

Visiting Al-Balad’s historical museum-houses

Several of the historical houses that dot Al-Balad have been restored and are open as visitors. I had the chance to visit three of them, which I detailed next.

Bear in mind, though, that although some of them have some sort of small exhibit inside, perhaps the word “museum” is a bit of a stretch. I had the chance to visit three of them.

Overall I found much information is missing that could help visitors plan the visit and the itineraries better.

For example, it is not that clear which ones are open and when and once you are at the house in question, there is not much contextual information either. In fact, there is not even a ticket counter or anything like this, entrance was free in all three of them and you just walk in.

Also, several of these houses have rooftop terraces that are open at certain times and on certain days, but this information was also not very clear and staff that were around at different spots didn’t seem to know either.

Anyway, here are the museum-houses I visited in Al-Balad.

1. Nassif House Museum

This one has been mentioned already and it is perhaps the best known and most crowded.

2. Al-Sharbatly House

I visited Al-Sharbatly house, located at the northern edge of Al-Balad, as I was dashing through the area looking for a rooftop terrace to see the sunset. That effort was unsuccessful, but I was rewarded by stumbling upon the opening of an art exhibition.

This house, I learned later, has just been completely restored by a businessman who happens to be a descendant of one of the first owners. Here is an interesting article with more details on this story.

As I mentioned, there was an art exhibition inside by Saudi artist Hams Almureh. Not only that, but I was invited to join a small tour group, but also had the chance to meet the artist at the end of it.

Hams Almureh is from Taif, a region in southwestern Saudi Arabia, near the Yemeni border. She has recovered a traditional technique to paint on palm leaves weaved together to form a 100% organic canvas. Quite interesting.

3. Baeshen House Museum

This was the third house that I visited, in the very center of Al-Balad. It was a short visit since there were two or three ground floor rooms open to the public containing a mix of old (but not ancient) objects and what looked like some type of contemporary art exhibit. I must say I didn’t fully get what this one was about.

Shopping in Jeddah

Let’s start by saying that I really didn’t go shopping while in Jeddah. But, I thought worth mentioning the shopping experience, because there is no shortage of shops in Jeddah, particularly if you are into spices and fragances.

There are several modern malls next to Al-Balad (although just outside of it, in the modern part of the city), as well as many smaller bazaar-style shops (from where the aroma of frankincense emanates constantly) lining the most transited streets in Al Balad and along the commercial axis which connects with the modern commercial area between Al Balad and the sea.

It is also possible to find some street stalls on the eastern edge of Al Balad.

The Jeddah Corniche

The other must see area in Jeddah is the famous “Jeddah Corniche”, the seaside promenade which stretches for quite a long way along the sea shore.

Some consideration, though: the Corniche is really long and it is not (at least at the time of my visit) continuous all the way. I opted to take a cab and head towards its northern side, next to the Al-Rahmah mosque, which you see pictured here.

My intention was to walk south from here as far as I could on my way back to the hotel, which was located not far from the southermost end of the Corniche. At the very least I was hoping to be able to get to the Jeddah Aquarium, which I had read is one of the city’s highlights and take a cab back to the hotel from there.

The first kilometer or so looked quite promising: there is a broad promenade lined with quite a few shops and cafés. The weather was also quite pleasant with a slightly warm breeze, but not too hot. The proximity of the sea means that temperatures can be a bit milder than in other parts of Saudi Arabia.

As you get to the area next to the Formula One circuit, though, the promenade gets truncated. The pedestrian boulevard ends and it becomes a motorway for cars only. At this point the route is also devoid of any amenities and very few people are around, just a few anglers every here and there. Cab prices also happened to be more expensive than where I started my walk, I guess because it is not a very transited spot, so I decided to turn back.

I don’t know whether the discontinuity in the pedestrian part of the promenade is permanent or due to construction work, since there is some development going on along the seafront. In any case, since I was short of time and had already got my glimpse of the sea, I decided to get back to the hotel. The southern part of the Corniche will have to wait for another day.

I like the image below because somehow encapsulates how tradition and modernity mix in Saudi Arabia at the moment.

Walking along the Alhamra Corniche

This another seaside promenade, although a bit further south and closer to downtown. It was right next to my hote (more on this below), so I decided to go for a walk.

Despite this being, in theory, a prime seaside spot, I was kind of underwhelmed. There was a stretch of boulevard with some very basic entertainment and food and drink options around. Just a few people walking by (the weather was rather nice, but I guess most people are using to walking out in the evening, not in the morning!)

The water looked pretty nice here, since it is more of less a secluded area protected from the open seas by a a sort of bay and several outlying islets.

However, it doesn’t seem that they are making much use of its recreational possibilities. It is not just the uninviting signage, the boulevard is also interrupted at several points by road works and other infrastructure.

It is still possible to keep walking, although at some spots it is not too pleasant, and get to “Jeddah Beach”, which, to be fair, was a massive disappointment.

Not that I was expecting a pristine beach, but what I came across is just a barren, open space, which is partly used as parking lot and it is not kept particularly clean.

Reminds me a bit of Barcelona’s seaside in the 1980s, before the city decided to successfully open itself up to the sea! Plenty of potential here!

Where to stay in Jeddah

Ritz-Carlton Jeddah

Southern Corniche, District, Al Hamra

Jeddah 21493

https://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/jedrj-the-ritz-carlton-jeddah/overview

This is a grand hotel which acts also as a major conventions center. Palatial style, pretty nice overall.

The hotel is quite high (it is possibly one of the highest structures in this part of the city, and the upper floors have views of Jeddah’s port and part of the city. To be totally honest, while Al-Balad is truly unique, the modern part of Jeddah is nothing to write home about, but seaside views are always welcome!

Here is how the rooms at the Rtiz-Carlton Jeddah look like.

Nice and elegant, as you would expect in a hotel of this category.

Lots of marble in the bathroom and one detail that I liked: this retro-style alarm clock by the bedside!

One great thing of the Ritz-Carlton Jeddah is breakfast at one of the top floors. Amazing views and amazing food!

Last but not least, if you travel to Jeddah, chances are you will do so on Saudia, which is the main carrier at the … airport (JED). If you do so, you may want to check my Saudia flight review.

Miquel 12/22/24 Miquel 12/22/24

24 hours in Astana, what to do and what to see

This is the second instalment of my Kazakhstan series: after a couple of intense days in Almaty, the country’s largest city and former capital, I flew to the northern steppes to visit Astana, the city, which since 1997 has been Kazakhstan’s capital.

Astana was a really interesting place to visit, because while it is not an entirely new settlement, it has been fully transformed since its designation as a capital, with most of it having been built pretty much from scratch as a planned city.

In fact, Astana is still pretty much a work in progress and, was it not for the freezing temperatures, you would be forgiven for thinking you are at some of the fast-growing cities on the shores of the Persian Gulf.

Upon arrival at the airport you get a first taste of the type of architecture that you find throughout the city: essentially newly built structures, but often with a touch of tradition in them, which give them singularity.

Also at the airport, this mural which depicts some of the main landmarks that I visited during my 48 hiours in Astana and that we will soon see as we move further down this post.

Did you know that Astana has changed names thrice in as many decades?

The city was called Akmola in Soviet times. Then in 1997 it changed its name to Astana, which means “capital” in Kazakh languages. Then, again, in 2019 its name was changed to Nur-Sultan, in hounour to the then president Nursultan Nazarbayev. This latest change was shortlived, though, since following a wave of political protests in 2021, the name reverted to Astana once more!

Moving around Astana

Let’s start by saying that Astana is not really a walkable city.

It is not just the fact that it can get really hot in summer and freezing cold (like really, really cold, on the order of -40 C) in winter, but also that the urban design is not designed for pedestrians: there are large, broad avenues and big distances between the different landmarks, even within the city center.

In this regard, it has more in common with Dubai, Riyadh or certain American cities than with Almaty. If you like contemporary architecture and urban planning, though, it can be a really interesting city to visit.

Let’s see what is there to do and to see, where to eat and where to stay in Astana if your schedule is limited to a couple of days only.

Here you can see some sights from the restaurant Vechnoy Nebo (reviewed further below), which is located at the so-called “Moscow Tower”, one of the tallest buildings in downtown Astana.

Astana will soon have the tallest building in Central Asia, the 320m, 78 storey-high Abu Dhabi Plaza (below), the construction of which has been funded by the eponymous UAE Emirate.

When I visited Astana, the city had just held the Nomadic Games, which, as the name implies, is a sort of Olympics, but of sports and other physical activities that were (some still are!) practiced by nomadic peoples, of which Kazakhs used to be one. Think different styles of horse riding, archery and different modalities of fighting, among others.

Astana is also home to the largest mosque in Central Asia, and one of the largest in the world for that matter. Astana’s Grand Mosque is, in fact, so big that it is able to host up to 235,000 people inside! Here you can see it at dusk.

Another iconic building in Astana is the Khan Shatyr mall, which is shaped like a yurt, the traditional tent of Kazakhs and other nomadic peoples of Cental Asia. Inside it is just a normal mall, but it is quite an interesting building to see from outside, particularly in the evening, when it changes colours every few minutes.

Astana is full of contemporary monumental architecture, with long, broad avenues designed to create impressive perspectives.

The Baiterek monument

This egg-shaped 105m-tall structure is, perhaps, the most iconic sights in Astana. It was built to mark the transfer of the capital from Almaty to Astana, in 1997.

It is possible to get to the top of the egg, from where there are 360º views of Astana.

The National Museum of Kazakhstan

This museum covers the whole history of the lands that are now Kazakhstan, from the ancient times all the way to the present.

It is built on a grand, monumental scale and it is way more than an architectural shell, it does have some truly interesting collections inside.

As someone interested in ancient history, I found totally fascinating the rooms dedicated to the Scythians and other ancient nomadic peoples that once roamed the steppes of Kazakhstan and greater Central Asia.

These are cultures that are not very well known in the West despite having been quite influential in shaping settled empires from Europe to China. The clothing, jewellery and other arctifacts they produced were also absolutely stunning!

The museum offers also a glimpse into the life of the traditional way of life of the Kazakh people, which carried on pretty much undisturbed until the relatively late arrival of Russian and later Soviet rule.

And, while Nursultan Nazarbayev, last president of the Kazakh SSR and first president of independent Kazakhstan, fell somehow from grace in 2022 (when he was stripped of many of the official roles he held after resigning as president in 2019), he still has its place of honour at the museum.

Btw, did you notice this pyramid in the background? This is the next Astana landmarks, which we will visit!

Astana’s Palace of Peace and Reconciliation

This pyramid-shaped building is one of the most unique in Astana and definitely a must. Designed by the studio of renowned British architect Norman Foster, the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation is meant to be a sort of ecumenical center that brings together all religions and faiths of Kazakhstan (and, by extension, the whole world)

Like many other contemporary buildings in Astana, the pyramid is full of symbolic elements. Besides its architectural value, the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation is also a conference and event venue. Featuring an auditorium and several spaces designed to hold high level meetings.

It is possible to get to the very top level of the pyramid through a rather unique elevator that follows the outer contour of the building at roughly a 45º angle. At the lower floors you find be able to enjoy, yet, more views of the city (through the painted that highlight the overall peace theme of the building) as well as some rather interesting spaces that have an almost James-bondesque feel.

Where to eat in Astana

Sandyq

Sarayshyq St 34/3, Astana 010000

https://sandyqgroup.com/en

This restaurant, specializing in Kazakh cuisine is named after the wooden box (“sandyq”) in which nomadic Kazakh people used to keep their belongings when moving around the steppe.

It occupies several floors of a modern building in the center of Astana and it is decorated throughout to provide a proper “Kazakh” experience.

Sandyq is a great place to taste a mix of Kazakh specialities, such as the different varieties of cheese (which can be quite pungent and salty), soup (which is mixed also with cheese).

…and, of course, the quintessential Kazakh meat dish: horse meat!

There are also a number of rooms for group meals and, I must highlight that, while Sandiq’s set up and menu will certainly appeal to tourists, there were plenty of locals eating there too, including some birthday parties that at some point started singing Kazakh songs!

This was in addition to the repertoire of Kazakh music courtesy of the restaurant.

Restaurant Vechnoye Nebo

This is a restaurant specializing in the cuisine of the Turkic peoples, as represented by traditional female dresses, from all over Central Asia and all the way to the edges of Europe.

But besides the food and the ambience, one of the highlights of this restaurant (and perhaps its name, which in Russian means “eternal sky (heaven?)” is the 360º views it has over downtown Astana.

This is because it is located on one of the top floors of “Moscow Tower” one of the tallest buildings in Astana.

Restaurant Vechnoye Nebo (“Вечное небо”)

18, Dostyk Street BC “Moscow”, Floor 25, Astana

http://www.vechnoenebo-dostyq.kz

Here you will find a broad array of specialities from the Turkic culinary traditions (together with some international ones as well).

Restaurant Marcello

Turkistan Street 28, Astana 020000

https://www.instagram.com/marcello.restaurant

This is an Italian-style restaurant managed by a local restaurateur offering a cozy atmosphere in downtown Astana.

Besides the large and tasty pizzas it also offers a broad array of other dishes, including some touches of local Kazakh and Central Asian cuisine.

Where to stay in Astana

Sheraton Astana Hotel

Abu Dhabi Plaza Adreça: Syganak St 60/1, Astana 010000

https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/tsesi-sheraton-astana-hotel/overview/

This is a modern hotel operated by the famous international chain. It is located within the grounds of Abu Dhabi Plaza, which includes, adjacent, the aforementioned tallest skyscraper in Astana.

The rooms are rather spacious and the bed is comfortably, although I would suggest caution when opening the cupboard doors: one of the compartments next to where the coffee machine is located opens upwards rather than sideways and activated with a mechanism that makes it bounce unexpectedly, so you can get easily hit in the face if too close to it (don’t ask me how I found about it!).

Tasting Kazakh cheese in Astana

Breakfast at the Sheraton Astana is a good opportunity to try different Kazakh specialities, particularly the cheeses, such as the ubiqutuous “kurt” (the tiny balls of salty cheese) and zhent (which has the look and texture of a sponge). If you like them, there is a supermarket right next to the hote, where you will find many of these traditional cheese types, well packed in an easy to transport way and at a good price!

Last but not least, a word of thanks to Air Astana, Kazakhstan’s national airline, which made this trip to Astana possible.

You can also check my flight reviews of Air Astana’s Economy and Business Class.

Miquel 11/16/24 Miquel 11/16/24

24 hours in Almaty, Kazakhstan, what to do and what to see

Almaty is Kazakhstan’s largest city and it was also its political capital until 1997, when the government moved to more centrally-located Astana (I did visit Astana in the same trip and a post with my impressions is coming up soon, btw!).

Kazakhstan is the size of whole of Western Europe and Almaty is literally at one of its corners, right on the foothills of the Tian Shan mountain range, which limits with Kyrgyzstan and China. The view of the Tian Shan’s snowy peaks is, actually, the first sight greeting visitors arriving at Almaty’s international airport (you can find also my review of Air Astana’s flight from Europe here).

These mountains play, actually, an important role in the life of Almaty’s residents and I had a chance to get a taster of them, but, since we have only 24 hours in the city, let’s go on a quick city tour first!

A walking tour of central Almaty

If you have ever been to any of the capitals of the former Soviet republics, some parts of Almaty will look familiar to you. Although Almaty has been settled for many centuries, it was during the Soviet period that the city grew to become one of Central Asia’s largest cities and that it got most of the landmarks I visited during this tour.

What is interesting about Almaty’s architecture, though, is that, interspersed with the classical Soviet-era styles (like the Opera palace depicted above), there are many elements that draw from local Kazakh culture.

As an example, these intricate motifs (right side picture), inspired in traditional Kazakh art, which decorate the facade of quite a few buildings in central Almaty. Judging by the type of construction, I’d say these are from around the 1970s.

Also remarkable is that most of central Almaty is laid out in a grid-like pattern, with rather wide streets intersecting at right angles. There is also quite a lot of greenery, since the city is not very densely built and there is ample space between buildings.

Our tour took place on a rainy Autumn day, which made for a nice walk in the cool (but not too cold!) air. I hope these pictures capture a little bit of the city atmosphere, like here below, at the head of Panfilov Street, one of the main pedestrianised avenues in Almaty.

A ride in the Almaty metro

Let’s start by saying that the metro (subway) in Almaty is rather limited, in fact it is not, properly speaking, a transport network, because, as of 2024, it has just one line.

What’s interesting here is that, while it was inaugurated in 2011 and part of it has been built even later, the style is unmistakably Soviet. This is not because its engineers suffered from some sort of nostalgia, but because the design and construction of the Almaty metro project actually started in the 1980s.

Apparently, every Soviet city qualified to get a metro system from the moment it reached a population of 1M. Almaty got to that magical figure (after some gerrymandering with the city limits, we were told during the excursion) only as the Soviet Union was starting to crumble. Plans were laid out, but the Soviet collapse and the chaotic years that ensued meant that the project was put on a very slow track, until it was restarted in the early 2000s. So, when it was time to get back to work on the metro, the same blueprints were used (why not?).

It is well worth taking a ride on the Almaty metro just to have a peek at the different mosaics and decor elements you find at several points.

But let’s first have a look at the metro map to get an idea of the extension of the system and, one thing of note: see the line of mountains on a blue background at the top of the map? This shows the Tian Shan mountain range, which Almaty citizens use always as a reference point when navigating their city. The mountains here help with orientation, the same way that the sea or rivers play in other cities as an geographical anchor element.

The other interesting element are the mosaics and mural art that you find all over the metro. These depict mostly Kazakh themes. Here above you can see a glass mural dedicated to Aport apple, which is a local apple variety which has become a source of local pride and a sort of symbol of Almaty.

But what I found most interesting are the many mosaics throughout the metro system that allude to local Kazakh culture (again those tile patterns!) as well as the history of Central Asia and the Silk Road.

See for example these depictions of ancient cities at Zhibek Zholy (Жібек Жолы) station. How many monuments and places are you able to recongize in this map of the Silk Road?

The city baths

Bath houses play an important role in Turkic culture (Kazakhs are a people of Turkic origin), so it’s not a surprise that another building of reference in Almaty is the Arasan public bath (today known as the “Arasan Wellness & SPA”).

It was built in the 1980s in response to Tashkent, in neighbouring Uzbekistan (and a rival for urban primacy in Central Asia) having built earlier its own bath complex.

It’s a rather modern interpretation of the traditional public bath concept with plenty of interesting decorative details built in.

Panfilov Park, Ascension Cathedral and Memorial of Glory

This is sort of Almaty’s “central park”. Although it is not huge, it has several of the city’s landmarks in it, such as the Orthodox cathedral of the Ascension, which was built in wood and using a rather innovative (for the time) earthquake-resistant approach that has allowed to survive undamaged several episodes of seismic activity.

The park is named after Panfilov’s “28 Guardsmen”, a mostly-Kazakh unit in the Soviet army that suffered very high losses while defending Moscow in 1941.

Like every city in the former Soviet Union, Almaty has here, as well, its WW2 memorial with its eternal flame. There is also a military history museum next to the park, although there was no time to visit it.

The Green Bazaar

The Green Bazaar is located less than five minutes walk away from Panfilov Park and it is one of the must-see places in Almaty, if only to relish in the broad diversity of flavours and smells here. It is also a good spot to taste and buy traditional Kazakh produce, such as the famous Aport apples or Irimshik, a sort of brownish soft cheese.

The bazaar is very well organized by product category (dried fruit, pickled food, dairy, meat…) and by ethnicity. So, it seems that every national group specializes in one type of produce. For example, we were told dried food vendors are mostly Uzbek, while the dairy section is mostly taken care of by Turkish women.

There is also a Korean section (see below). Many ethnic Koreans were deported to Kazakhstan from the Far Eastern territories of Russia on Stalin’s orders around the time of WW2 and they are now a sizeable minority in Kazakhstan. Because of the lack of the original ingredients in their new homeland, Koreans adapted some of their dishes to the local produce and tastes.

An evening walk through Almaty

Days are short in Autumn, so part of the walking tour took place in the evening, which is something that has its own appeal.

Here is a view of two landmarks of 1970s brutalist architecture in Kazakhstan. On the right is the building that used to house the Ministry of Geology, a pretty important institution in a country that derives much of its wealth from natural resources!

The building with the crown-like top to the left is the Kazakhstan Hotel. Arguably the top hotel in town for many years and, still today, one of the city’s main hospitality establishments.

At just over 100m high, the Kazakhstan Hotel was also, at the time of its construction, the tallest building in the country. It was also built with seismic activity in mind and its structure is said to be able to stand earthquakes of up to 9.0 in the Richter scale. In fact, the structure was successfully tested during its construction with a special machine that shook it up simulating a strong earthquake, with the chief architect and engineers on top (skin in the game!).

During our walk we were also able to see several of the statues scattered around central Almaty, with very different themes. For example, here on top you can see a fountain that represents the Kazakh horoscope (similar to the Chinese one) and, below, a statue dedicated to Soviet-era rock star Victor Tsoi.

Another iconic hotel in town is the Almaty Hotel, which was has a surprisingly modern-looking design despite having been built in the 1960s (the interior has been renovated but the structure remains the same).

Curious historical fact: the first director of the hotel, Rakhimzhan Koshkarbayev, was the Soviet soldier that hoisted the red flag over the Reichstag during the Battle of Berlin, in 1945 (the iconic photo was a later reenactment, though).

The entrance of the Almaty Hotel is also decorated with these beautiful mosaic depicting scenes from Kazakh traditional tales.

More street art, here in an underground passage. Note, again, the Aport apple theme!

And, here, with this picture of the Kazakh Academy of Sciences, that we conclude our tour of the city centre. Before turning to the outdoor experience in the mountains, though, a word about the excellent tour guide, provided by Walking Almaty.

Shymbulak ski resort

Almaty is surrounded by great outdoors, including some world-class natural parks. You don’t even need to go as far as Altyn-Emel or Charyn Canyon (two truly unique national parks which are within driving range of Almaty, but which are, perhaps, best visited with an overnight stay), truly Alpine nature is a short taxi and cable-car ride away from the city center!

Shymbulak, is a suburban ski resort. The base station of the Shymbulak cable car is barely a 15min drive from Almaty city center (provided there is no traffic!).

The cable car will take you in a few minutes to a height of more than 2,200 meters of altitude. In Winter this is where the skiing area starts, but you can visit year round for the mountain sights, trekking (it was rainy and cloudy when we visited though) or to enjoy the restaurants and services (more on this in the food section further down).

These mountains are very popular with Almaty residents, who come here for a bit of outdoors sports and to breathe the fresh mountain air.

It is in this valley, half way up the mountain, that you find the Medeu skating ring, the highest in the world of its type. This sports facility became famous during Soviet times, because local conditions of altitude and prevailing low winds enabled many ice skating world records to be set here!

We arrived just in time to experience the first snow of the season!

Where to stay in Almaty

Intercontinental Hotel Almaty

This is a nice, modern hotel. The rooms (and bathroom) are big. The staff were also very friendly and helpful.

I also enjoyed the breakfast very much, since it include a broad variety of sweet and salty foods as well as international and Kazakh specialities, including different types of local cheese as well as camel and horse milk and dairy!

Where to eat in Almaty

Here are some nice options to eat out in Almaty and Shymbulak. It is mostly international cuisine (Italian and Turkish mostly), so don’t expect super typical Kazakh dishes here (you will have to wait to my upcoming post about Astana for this!), but all of them were pretty good and you can’t go wrong with them.

Monte Bambini, Shymbulak

This is a cozy mountain restaurant next to the base station of the Shymbulak cable car. Here you can find a mix of European and Central Asian specialities.

Big Chefs, Shymbulak

Big Chefs is also in Shymbulak but at the other end of the cable car, up in the mountain.

Turkish cuisine is the main focus here. The mezze, for example, were really good and the portions quite generous. There is also a nice dessert selection.

Aurora Café, Almaty

This is an upmarket Italian restaurant in central Almaty (with a nice aeronautical touch by the entrance!).

It’s got a pretty good selection of dishes, which include also some Central Asian shashlik, of course, besides more international fare.

And last, but not least, big thanks to the team at Air Astana, the main airline of Kazakhstan, which worked hard to make sure we experienced the best of Almaty during our short but intense stay!

Miquel 2/11/24 Miquel 2/11/24

24 Hours in Brunei's capital, Bandar Seri Begawan

Brunei Darussalam is one of the smallest countries in Asia, roughly twice the size of Luxembourg and nested between the territory of Eastern Malaysia in the island of Borneo.

Brunei, however, is a rich country thanks to its oil and gas reserves, or at least its Sultan is (besides being an absolute monarch, he has a fortune estimated in some $30 billion).

At some point before the rise of the internet billionaires and for a number of it was even considered the richest man on the planet.

One thing it isn’t, though, is a tourist hotspot, although it is quite easy to get to from the region’s main hubs, such as Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. It has even a flag carrier, Royal Brunei Airlines, that operates a fleet of Dreamliners to destinations as far away as London.

So, during a recent trip to Malaysia I came across a cheap Air Asia ticket from Kuala Lumpur to Bandar Seri Begawan and, despite the really early wake time (the flight was around 6am!), I decided to give it a go!

Getting to Brunei

As mentioned, I flew to Brunei from Kuala Lumpur (although not on the plane depicted here!), which is a bit less than a two hour flight.

Visitors from a relatively long list of countries, which include most European states and the US and Canada, don’t need to request a visa in advance before traveling to Brunei. Although it is necessary to fill in a form online before passing through customs.

Luckily Brunei airport has good public wifi (although some technical glitch prevented me from completing the customs form at the first attempt), so once you have completed the form you get a message on your screen with a reference number that you must show to the border control officer.

The airport is small and tidy, a bit like the rest of the capital.

One piece of advice is that you print your boarding pass for the return trip, because for some reason they only accept paper boarding passes to access the air side of the airport.

Another important thing to take into account is that public transportation options are very limited. One thing that becomes apparent immediately is that Brunei is a very motorized country and people move everywhere by car, to the point that even downtown the streets are often deserted. To be fair, there is a public bus, but I was told that it doesn’t really have a set schedule, so you may end up with a rather long wait.

Also, if planning to order a taxi, bear in mind that neither Uber nor Grab (its south-east Asian equivalent) are available in Brunei. There are a couple of local alternatives, but since I didn’t feel like starting the whole sign up and ordering process (which involved receiving some sms that never arrived) I ended up messaging the hotel and asking them to arrange a transfer for me (from what I read in online forums, it seems to be, ultimately, what many people staying at hotels do.

Once you have this sorted, it is a pretty short ride to the very center, less than 15min. The roads are really good and tidy, possibly the best in the region (except perhaps Singapore).

Things to see in Bandar Seri Begawan

The capital of Brunei, Bandar Seri Begawan, is really small, or at least the downtown is (from what I could see from the plane when approaching to land, it looks like most people live quite spread out in the suburbs). But when I say “small” I mean very, very small. The downtown proper, which is next to the river front is literally a grid of 4-5 streets.

Since I had barely 24 hours in the country and well aware of the lack of public transportation, I picked up a pretty central hotel (which turned out to be a great choice as you will see further down the text).

Next are the few things I did, I think they are pretty much the top of things to do in Brunei’s capital, but I am sure that more experienced travellers can point towards some additional ones.

City center and Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque

The Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque is THE landmark of the city and its most recognizable sight. It is located downtown by a lake that makes for great picture-taking (well aware of the needs of the Instagram era, local authorities have installed a giant frame at the nearby park, right at the spot that allows you to take the iconic picture).

Next to the mosque there is a park and what looks like the only mall downtown. There are quite a few traditional shops in the adjacent streets, many of them selling jewellery, but most, let’s say, “modern” shops are in this small, which has also a small food court and seems to be one of the major gathering points downtown (although, just like the rest of the city, it was very, very quiet, no matter what time of the day or the evening I passed by).

On the positive side, Bandar Seri Begawan’s downtown is walkable and it feels safe.

I just happened to visit a few days before a major royal wedding and the city streets were all adorned and embellished for the occasion and, presumably, for some sort of parade or motorcade.

I post, here below, a picture of one of the major thoroughfares crossing downtown, not a single pedestrian to be seen. In fact, most of the other people (not many) I came across during my walks were, very visibly, fellow tourists.

Like many capital cities, Bandar Seri Begawan, is located next to a major body of water, in this case the Brunei river, which is also home to a significant share of the city’s population as we will soon see when I describe my visit to the Kampong Ayer floating city.

There is a short promenade along the banks of the Brunei river, with views of the Kampong Ayer floating city on the water side, while there some shops and food joints (I wouldn’t really call them restaurants), land side.

Here below is some street art encapsulating the main sights in Bandar Seri Begawan.

Brunei’s Museum of Royal Regalia

Although, at first, I was not too keen in going to museums, preferring to just walk around and see the sights, I had around 3 hours before the start of my Kampong Ayer river tour, so I decided to go see the Museum of Royal Regalia, which happened to be just around the corner from my hotel. It proved to be a good decision and the museum didn’t disappoint!

The Museum of Royal Regalia exhibits many of the ceremonial elements used by the court of the Sultan of Brunei as well as many of the gifts he has received from dignitaries of other nations.

I must say that the scale and the way in which all these items are exhibited makes for quite an interesting sight. Like in the rest of the city, I was pretty much the only visitor at the time.

The visit is done barefoot (you leave your shoes at some sort of pidgeon-holes set at the entrance for this purpose). There is also a visitor’s book where you can write your name and place of origin when you come in. It offers a glimpse of the number and profile of visitors that are following more or less the same route as you!

The displays of ceremonial gear are quite something and, while they are used very sparsely, it must be quite impressive to see them put to use for real.

As an aviation enthusiast, I couldn’t avoid remarking that aviation was well represented at the museum. This applies, both to the gifts section, like, for example, these two scale models of Antonov planes brought by an Ukrainian delegation, and to another exhibit showing the Sultan’s wide-body, long-range jets.

The museum offers also a glimpse (at small scale) of some aspects of palace life that are usually not in the open, such as the large ceremonial hall with capacity for 5,000 attendees.

The floating city of Kampong Ayer and Brunei river tour

One of the highlights of the trip was the river tour that took me to the Kampong Ayer river city and to see some stretches of jungle near the city.

The tour, which was arranged by the hotel, started in this canal right by the city center. It costs the equivalent of €30 and it takes about 3 hours.

It is pretty much the only way to see Kampong Ayer, which is an interesting part of Bandar Seri Begawan because it lies right in the middle of the river. In fact this so-called “Venice of the East” is home to between 10,000 and 20,000 people living on houses that are built on top of stakes that protrude from the water. It is considered the largest floating city in the World and it was mentioned already by travellers in the 16th C.

So, it turned out this was going to be an individual tour, after all! Here is my guide (Hj.Sofree Hj.Aji, who can be reached on “Padi Boat: +6738788261 or +6738788651 ”). He happens to be a resident of Kampong Ayer himself!

When heading into the river we took a little detour to see the bridge from up close. There are two large bridges in Brunei, this one, built by South Korean engineers across the Brunei river and another longer one (30km), recently completed, which unites Brunei’s mainland with its eastern enclave to the east, providing geographical continuity to the country.

And here are some views of Kampong Ayer, which is a proper city with houses, schools, fire and police station…all built over water.

We cruised along the “streets” without stopping and headed to the jungle a bit further out from the city…

It doesn’t take long to get into the jungle, even if not far from the city center and in a relatively urbanized area, it is possible to spot quite a few animals here.

And, indeed, it didn’t take long to spot a few monkeys. This, to my understanding, are some species of proboscis monkeys, a type of monkey recognizable by its really long nose which is typical of Borneo. We also managed to spot a saltwater crocodile, but it disappeared under the water very quickly!

And here is a glimpse of part of the palatial complex of the Sultan. Brunei’s royal palace is said to be the largest residential building in the world, with 1788 rooms and 257 bathrooms. The palace is not open to tourists, so one of the ways to see some parts of it is from the water.

And here below is the riverfront of downtown Bandar Seri Begawan, it practically fits all in this picture!

Where to stay and where to eat in Bandar Seri Begawan

The Brunei Hotel

https://thebruneihotel.com

I picked this one up online mainly on the basis of its very central location and it turned out to be a very good choice.

It is a four-star hotel, reasonably priced, very clean and with nice service. I think there are some slightly cheaper options downtown, but I am not sure they offer as much value.

The staff were very friendly (in general I found people to be very friendly throughout my stay!) and they gave me an early check in (my flight arrived quite early in the morning), gave me a room with canal views and helped me arrange the airport transfers and river tour.

The wifi connection worked really well. The hotel has also a restaurant, although I didn’t try it (seen the issues I had later finding a place to dine, possibly I should have given it a try!).

I also liked the fact that there are purified water stations in the corridors and you have a bottle in your room that you can refill whenever you want.

Some pics of my cozy room at The Brunei Hotel, complete with views of the canal (this course of water is barely 100m from the main river and it is from here that I would later start my river tour)

When it comes to food. My main piece of advice is: be careful with the schedules! I tried to have dinner at around 20.30 only to find the mall’s food court closing down.

This meant that the only other options at hand were some fast food joints, none of which was particularly appealing, so I ended at Pizza Hut, and a couple of ice-cream parlours (this was very good, I must say!).

Earlier in the day I had lunch at the aforementioned food court. There are 4 or 5 restaurants serving different types of Asian food. I opted for these seafood noodles and it was very tasty and reasonably priced, hence my later attempt to go back to the same place (the city is not exactly bustling with eat-out options!)

And that’s what my 24 hours in Brunei offered…just to close this post, here is one more image of the iconic Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque at night!

Miquel 9/17/19 Miquel 9/17/19

24 hours in Dushanbe, Tajikistan - What to see and what to do

Exploring the capital of the smallest of the Central Asian republics

Tajikistan is not among the World’s top tourist destinations. Even in a context of increasing interest for the countries of Central Asia, this mountainous country, roughly the size of Greece (both in area and population), is often overlooked.

This was a short business trip that, nevertheless, left me with nearly 24h to do a bit of sightseeing in and around the capital city, Dushanbe.

First of all, some practical considerations: you would need to request (and pay for) a visa at least a few days in advance. For most countries (including all EU members and the US) the whole process can be done quite easily through this website. It costs US$50.

Once you have received the email confirming your visa application has been approved (in my case it took 5 days to receive it after applying), it is good to bring a printed copy with you, since you will have to enter the reference number in yet another form that needs to be complimented at customs, upon arrival (and the border guards may request to see the visa approval confirmation)

Arriving into Dushanbe - First impressions

Once you arrive at Dushanbe International Airport, be prepared for some rather chaotic scenes at the queue or customs. In fact, I should say “the absence of queue”, because there is absolutely no semblance of order, and is everyone for himself racing to be the first to go through customs. Luckily the airport is rather small and, even in such circumstance, it doesn’t take long to go through.

Next thing you should be prepared is the hassle to get a taxi. International or Russian ride hailing apps are not available here. When you set your feet on the arrivals hall you are immediately approach by a several taxi drivers as well as by some fixers that distribute work among the drivers. I was later advised by locals to call a couple of serious taxi companies (I was advised to call 3333 next time).

In this occasion I just took a random cab and paid 1,000 Russian rubles (around US$12) to take me to the hotel. This was possibly a bit above the normal price, but it was 4am in the morning, I did not have local money and neither did I have smaller change (it is possibly a good idea to carry hard currency in small denomination notes), in any case, I was too tired to start bargaining around for just a small sum.

The airport is right next to the city center, in fact it is pretty much attached to it, so you should not be paying much more than this in any case.

Things to see in Dushanbe

1. Presidential posters

Tajikistan is a presidential republic and, if you are not acquainted with its president, Emomali Rahmon, who has been in the post since 1992, you soon will right after landing in Dushanbe, since his image is literally on every other wall!

tajikistan president poster dushanbe.JPG

2. The (until recently) largest flagpole in the world

That’s right: until it was surpassed by a Saudi flag in Jeddah, Dushanbe had the honour of having the tallest self-standing flag pole in the world.

The flag, is visible from many points of the capital and is located in the middle of a very central and modernly-designed park area (more on this soon).

Unfortunately I could only visit this area at dusk, and therefore the pictures I could take are not of the best quality, but you get an idea.

3. Mosque of Tajikistan

Tajikistan is a majority-muslim country and this is its largest mosque. It construction is quite recent and, actually, I am not sure it is completed yet, since you could see some building structures and workers around when passing by with the car.

It is located in the outskirts of the city, next to the city’s university.

4. Monuments to the Samanid Empire (plus a bit of history)

Once upon a time, around the 9-10th C. AD, Tajikistan was at the centre of a large empire, that controlled a big chunk of Central Asia, including the present-day country of Tajikistan, plus large swathes of Uzbekistan, Iran, Kirgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan.

The founder and most important ruler of the Samanid dinasty, as this historical period is known, was Ismail Samani. This is the other guy, after the president, that you get to know about when you visit Tajikistan. He has a rather impressive statue in central Dushanbe, plus the local currency (the Somoni) is named after him and his crown is emblazoned in the national flag.

Also, the name of the country, in the local Tajik language means “Land of the crowned”, another reference to this period.

Statue of Samani (above) and right next to it (below), a monumental map that depicts the maximum extent of his empire.

Tajik language is closely related to Persian (in contrast, other Central Asian countries have mostly Turkic languages) and this extends to cultural links as well. Poet Rudaki, who was born and lived in present day Tajikistan, is considered one of the great authors of modern Persian language. One of the most centrally-located parks in Dushanbe and this monument (below) are dedicated to him.

5. Exploring Central Dushanbe

Although I had less time that I would have liked to to roam the streets of Dushanbe, my impression is that of quite an orderly city, at least in the center, with broad avenues shaded by trees. I guess this is in part a vestige of Soviet urban planning (between 1929 and 1961 Dushanbe was known as Stalinabad). There seems to have been quite a lot of new construction going on in recent years as well, with large modern-looking granitic buildings lining some of the city’s mai avenues, particularly on the way to the airport.

Although you wouldn’t be able to tell from its central areas, Tajikistan is a rather poor country, though, and this is most evident in the suburbs, that are mostly made of one-storey very simple constructions.

There is quite a lot of flashy street decor - perhaps not everyone’s cup of tea - all around the Rudaki Park area. Next are some pictures (again image quality is not the best, since I took them with my phone!).

The building below is the National Library of Tajikistan, that is located next to Park Rudaki and not far from the famous flagpole.

national library tajikistan dushanbe.JPG

Below is the entrance to Park Rudaki, a perfectly well kept stretch of the city.

6. Excursion to Hisor Fortress

I am grateful that my hosts in this business trip volunteered to show me a bit of the country outside Dushanbe.

Some 30km West of Dushanbe is the town of Hisor, where we were able to visit the remains of a historical fortress and have a proper Tajik meal

But the first sight we came across when approaching the city of Hissor is this melon-shaped building. This choice of design is, I am being told, an homage to local produce, as melon is one of the most valued local products (it is common to see roadside stalls selling fresh melons and grapes). This building is a sort of community center and it is used to host all sort of events.

The landscape of this part of Tajikistan (the Eastern half of the country, in contrast, is completely mountanious) is that of a series of valleys, irrigated by multiple running streams, and surrounded by very dry mountains and steppe, as you can see in the picture below.

Places to eat near Dushanbe

Tabakai Karayev (near the village of Ittifok)

This is quite an interesting place. Located right on top of a river bank and just a few kilometres west of the town of Hissor, it is an open-air restaurant specializing in Tajik specialities (“tabaka” is in fact one of the dishes we will soon get acquainted with!).

The restaurant is structured around a running stream. In fact, when coming into the restaurant, people wash their hands with running water (and soap) from a tap in the open, something that makes sense if you consider that later some of the dishes require eating with your hands to some degree.

People eat inside these cabins that are suspended on top of the water, seating casually around the central table.

Local cuisine includes lots of meat (although there are also some vegetarian dishes). And some interesting condiments, for example, the white sauce, called “chaka” (чака) is in fact a sort of sour creamy cheese. The red one is called “kemal” (кемаль) and has a tomato base. They are applied to both salad and meat.

Below is a Tajik specilaity, chicken tabaka (табака из курицы), that is served usually with a fresh vegetables salad (in the background) called “shakarob” (шакароб). All of this together with the “lepeshka” flat, round, bread (лепешка) so typical of Central Asia (well, not sure all varieties of bread are technically called lepeshka, but they are of this style)

And we had also some lamb cooked in a tandoor (тандури) oven. Very tasty.

Hisor Fortress

Although highly restored, Hisor fortress is a very ancient structure located on one of the branches of the famous Silk Road. In the middle ages it was for some time an independent khanate and later also a dependency of the Emirate of Bukhara. The current gates are a restoration of the 16th C. ones.

There is little inside, aside from a few souvenir shops, but it is possible to get to the top of the walls and admire the landscape of the surrounding valley and mountains.

Eating in Dushanbe

Restaurant “Lola” («Лола»)

It’s a place with a large outdoor terrace serving “shashlik” (barbecued meat on skews), alongside the Tajik sauces we mentioned earlier and excellent french fries.

We also had a chance to try the local cola drink, that apparently is made under license from an American firm “RC Cola”, as well as local organic vodka, which turned out to be really smooth. I was told that it is the high quality mountain water available locally that makes all the difference!

Where to stay in Dushanbe

My hotel in Dushanbe was the Twins Hotel.

This is a quite central four-star independent boutique hotel located in a sort of small palace. You enter it through a courtyard (below) and the rooms are then immediately in the main corpus of the hotel. No conventional reception or front desk, you just do your check in and check out procedures at the courtyard.

Also, there is no formal eating room (or at least it was not open when I visited), all breakfasts are delivered directly to the room (the previous evening you are handed out a paper with the menu and you make your choices)

The facilities inside where modern and clean, the internet was working well and staff were helpful and spoke both English and Russian.

Always leave something for next time

And it was soon time to get on the road (or on the plane) again. Here is an image of the rather small, but functional, airport at Dushanbe.

I have included also a couple of pictures taken from the plane, since I am told that some of the most interesting sights in Tajikistan are actually in the mountains, something for next time!

Table of contents:

Top thing to do in Riyadh

Riyadh Season & Boulevard City

The Saqer Al-Jazirah Saudi Royal Air Force Museum

Where to stay in Riyadh

Radisson Blu Diplomatic Quarters

Al Waha Hotel Riyad

Where to eat in Riyadh

Najd Village

Restaurant Awani - أواني Tahlia

Day trip from Riyadh: a tour of the Edge of the World

Getting to the city center from Incheon Airport

Some practical things to do when you arrive in Korea

What to see and what to do in Central Seoul

A walk through Euljiro & Myeongdong

Gyenongbokgung Palace

Gwanghwamun Square

A walk along the Cheonggyecheon river banks

Dongdaemun General Market

Exploring the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) and Seoul city walls

Visiting Hongdae (Hongik University)

Visiting the War Memorial of Korea

How to visit the Korean DMZ

Where to stay in Seoul

Casual places to eat in Central Seoul

Recommended place to eat in Seoul

Exploring Ikseon-dong Hanok Village

Recommended coffee place in central Seoul (if you need to do some remote work)

Recommended Korean barbeque place in Seoul

Eating Dakgalbi (marinated chicken) in Hongae

Staying in Gültürkbükü

A great place to stay in Bodrum

Gültürkbükü-la-nuit

Where to eat out in Gültürkbükü - Option 1: Lavinya Hotel Restaurant

Where to eat out in Gültürkbükü - Option 2: Orkide Restaurant

Visiting the city of Bodrum

Visiting one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: The Maussoleum of Halicarnassus

Interesting things to see around Bodrum: Gümüşlük

Places to eat in Gümüşlük

Yalıkavak Marina

Good value places for casual eating in Yalikavak

Bonus tip: best viewpoint in Bodrum

The Chinese Pavilion

USA Pavilion

Italy and Vatican Pavilion

Nordic Pavilion

The Common Pavilions

The Netherlands Pavilion

Spain Pavilion

The Thematic Pavilions

The Advanced Air Mobility Station

Null^2 Pavillion

The Blue Ocean Dome

Shows during the Expo

Getting tickets for the Expo

Getting to the Expo from downtown Osaka

Arriving at the Osaka Expo

First thing to do at the Osaka Expo: Walk the Ring

Some practical considerations about the Osaka Expo

The Portuguese Songs

Which Pavilions to visit at the Osaka 2025 Expo?

Japan Pavilion

German Pavilion

South Korea Pavilion

Pavilion of Saudi Arabia

France Pavilion

Brazil Pavilion

United Arab Emirates (UAE) Pavilion

Turkmenistan

Switzerland Pavilion

Stay tuned for the second part of the Osaka Expo walk around…

Al-Balad neighbourhood, visiting Jeddah’s old town

Al-Balad: an ongoing restoration project

Visiting Al-Balad’s historical museum-houses

Shopping in Jeddah

The Jeddah Corniche

Walking along the Alhamra Corniche

Where to stay in Jeddah

Ritz-Carlton Jeddah

Moving around Astana