West Africa – PeaceJoyAustin

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PeaceJoyAustin

Budget traveling around the world for 5 years

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National Parks
World Trip

Category: West Africa

4 Posts

Africa, West Africa, World Trip

São Tomé and Príncipe: Paradise Minus the Tourists

January 28, 2023 — 0 Comments

Africa, West Africa, World Trip

Voodoo is Alive & Well in Bénin

January 18, 2023 — 2 Comments

Africa, West Africa, World Trip

The Lonely, Lovely Islands of Cabo Verde

January 5, 2023 — 1 Comment

Africa, West Africa, World Trip

Strolling the Stimulating Sandy Streets of Senegal

December 19, 2022 — 0 Comments

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Europe’s newest capital city has actually been inhabited since its days as a Roman Empire military camp 🏕️

Kosovo’s outdoor capital (can we say the Denver of Kosovo? 🏔️) sits below the ominously-named Accursed Mountains

I made it to the 50th country on my world tour! 🌍

Macedonian food was so, so delicious—one of my favorite cuisines yet 😋 I devoured 20 new dishes, 12 new desserts, and 5 new drinks in just 10 days. 1) Kacamak (polenta) with the best cream ever 🧴 2) Polneti piperki—stuffed peppers 🌶️ 3) Pleskavica—a Balkan burger 🍔 4) Selsko meso—pork & mushroom stew 🍲 5) Pastrmajlija—Macedonian pizza 🍕 6) Tavce gravce—baked beans 🫘 7) Turli tava stew 🍜 8) Chevapi with ayvar & gjomleze 🌭 9) Palachinki—honey walnut crepes 🥞 10) Ohrid cake—a delish caramel walnut cake found only in the city of Ohrid

Random things that delighted me in Macedonia 🇲🇰 1) This brutalist post office ✉️ 2) A very curvy Orthodox church ⛪️ 3) This 19th-century stone bridge 🌉 4) This green man holding a church in his hand 🖐️ 5) This floor art 😱 6) This very multinational highway sign 🪧 7) The absolutely lovely Macedonian flag 🇲🇰 8) This Yugoslav-era Zastava car 🚙 9) This glamorous white blossom tree 🌸 10) A bustling end-of-day Ramadan dinner in a plaza ☪️

40 years after an earthquake destroyed most of Skopje’s historic buildings, the government decided to rebuild the city center with a bunch of grand monuments that look impressive but have no historical significance. Most locals hate it but I’m here for the weirdness! 💁🏼‍♂️

A road trip to some of the country’s most unique sights 🚙

The highest town in N. Macedonia, Krushevo was home to a fierce independence movement from the Ottoman Empire (it declared itself a separate republic after a successful uprising) and the delightfully bizarre virus-shaped Ilinden Monument commemorates this. Nearby Prilep is surrounded by arresting rocky hills and mountains 🪨 🏔️

In one day, I hitchhiked to a new country, hitchhiked again up a desolate mountain road, hiked to the top of a peak with views on either side of huge lakes, and then hitchhiked again into a lakeside city with an ancient Hellinistic ampitheatre, colorful churches, and a fortress on a hill that dates back to the 4th century BCE 🙏🚙🥾⏳

I tried 28 new dishes, 13 new desserts, & 3 new drinks during my time in Albania 😋 Some highlights: 1) Perime në Zgarë (grilled veggies) 🤤 2) qifqi (rice balls) 🤤 3) Patëllxhan të Mbushur (stuffed eggplant) 🤤 4) Fërgesë (a casserole) 🤤 5) Dolma (stuffed vine leaves) 🤤 6) Speca Te Mbushur Me Oriz (rice-stuffed peppers) 🤤 7) Pispili (veggie corn bread) with kadaif (a nutty pastry) & salep (an orchid drink) 🤤 8) Speca me Gjize (cheese-stuffed peppers) 🤤 9) Trilece (caramel milk cake) 🤤 10) Sultan’s Delight (rice pudding) 🤤 There’s a bit of overlap with Turkish and other Balkan cuisines since they were united under the Ottoman Empire for centuries ⌛️

Random things that delighted me in Albania 🇦🇱 1) One of the most exquisitely-decorated cafes I’ve ever seen 🫖 2) Bow tie chandeliers 🎀 3) A fire emoji bridge 🔥 4) This 19th-century diva 👸🏻 5) This toilet which is so done with flying toilet paper 🚽 6) Goading my friend into ordering a Mickey Mouse pizza from the kids menu 🍕 7) A smiling map 🗺️ 8) A bust of Hillary in this USA-loving land 🇺🇸 9) The worst-named bar ever 🥃 10) An infinity hall on the way to a cafe’s bathroom 🪞

Way out in the middle of nowhere, Korçë is known as the City of Serenades - apparently back in the day there used to be people on balconies singing love ballads all the time but I was not lucky enough to receive one 🎻😛

Thermal waters with a view of snow-capped mountains, pink trees, and a 400-year-old stone bridge are a big highlight in this quiet mountain town known as the City of Roses ⛰️🌹

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