Nithin's Freelance Travel Writing

I'm not just a Tripper', but also a Travel Writer. Throughout the World Trip I will be submitting travel articles to various online and print magazines. The ones below are the ones good enough to get published. They contain useful information about their respective destinations, and will be linked from relevant posts. Check back often for updates!

World Trip
Sultans and Censorship: Life in the United Arab Emirates - 2/27/07
A Cordoban History Lesson - 5/13/06
Planning a Trip Around the World - 3/10/06

USA
Best Mexican Restaurants in Los Angeles - 11/17/05
Freer and Sackler Galleries, Smithsonian, Washington, DC - 11/20/05

Europe
Budget Guide to European Hostels - 12/09/05
Enjoy Dublin's Famous Craic on a Budget - 11/15/05
Aix-en-Provence, France - Youth Vibrancy in France - 11/24/05

Press Info

Interviews and photos available upon request with all five of the trippers. For general biographies, please click here.

To schedule an interview or for press information, please contact:

Nithin Coca
+1 913 940-1571
Business: 2008@nithincoca.com
Website: http://www.nithincoca.com

Anything on this site may be reproduced as long as credit is given and the website link (http://worldtrippers.blogspot.com) is provided along with the reproduced information. This only applies to anything hosted directly on a blogspot.com server - articles and information posted externally require permission. Please email us if you have reproduced anything from the Worldtrippers site.

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Nithin's Best Travel Links

Ryan always was amazed at my ability to find information online. Now you can sare my apparent talent (joy). The following are my favorite travel links, in random "when Nithin posted them" order. If you're looking for other travelogues, click here. If you know a cool site I should know about, email me immediately! Also, check the comments for more cool links posted by fellow trippers.

TRAVEL SITES

Sleeping in Airports - A great site by Donna McSherry, with extensive reviews on Airports around the world. Sleeping in airports isn't as bad as it sounds. I lost my "airport" virginity in 2004, at London Stansted, and, after sleeping in a car 3 times the previous week due to short funds, the airport was luxurious. Check out the top ten best and worst airports, and the Airport sleeping tips.

Whats on When - The best website (that I know of) on Festivals, Parties, and events around the world. Easy to use Search engine and rankings.

The Gap Year - British oriented. For those damn Brits who all take gap years, excellent resource for how to take a trip around the world. One of the best sites.

Solo Travel - has excellent sample budgets, a very good booklist, among other good info for the solo/independent traveller.

Changing World - Gap Year Abroad - great resource for you Brits about taking your mandatory gap year.

Bootsnall - Good site with information about destinations, especially obscure places. Used it a lot during early planning.

GoNomad - good "alternative" travel website (ecotravel, travelguides, and good articles). Off the beaten path and socially consious travel sections. Good articles on how to finance a trip.

Attitude Travel - Low Cost Airlines - With so many low cost airlines nowadays, how can you be sure you checked them all? Attitute travel keeps tabs, of where they fly, how cheap, and more! Great resource, especially in Europe and SE Asia (link to Europe section)

Gooflight - Another good source to find cheap air flights around europe.

Pass Plannet - A good source of information about Southeast Asia.

One Bag - Great information about how to pack your bag

Experimental Travel - If you have been in a place for awhile or just want to try something new this site has awesome recommendations for experimental traveling techniques.

BUDGET/MONEY SITES

Dave's ESL Cafe - jobs about teaching abroad, especially ESL (English as second language), includes forums, teaching guides, and "how to" for teaching abroad.

WOOFing - Live on an organic farm and work, get free food and board in return. Interesting, unique way to travel, something Ryan is strongly considering for Spain.

Au-Pair Europe - For you girls (seriously...maybe 1% of listings accept males) - babysit or be a nanny in Europe, get paid and/or get free housing. Another way to travel cheap!


MISC USEFUL SITES

BBC Climate - Want to know the weather for a certain region during a certain time of the year? If not, you should - don't want to be stuck in Bangkok during a monsoon! Best, easiest to use, and up to date site to check on climate all around the world.

Trippers' Best of...

The eternal question. "What was the best..." or "What was your favorite..". Questions almost impossible to answer, because, everything is awesome in its own way. When you view the eyes through subjective lens, though, you are bound to find some places, some restaurants, some hotels, some beaches, to be the best. So here you are, the list of the 10 Best things, places, actions, people, that we saw/met/ate/did during our tour. Updated semi-regularly.

Best Sights/Tourist Attractions - NEW 1/18

Festivals - NEW 1/6!

Backpacker Ghettos - NEW 12/22!

Best Temples/Religious Buildings

Friendliest People -

Best Lodging - Are we staying there? YEAH!

Best Food - Oh my! My mouth has never been happier!

Best Bars

Best Sights/Tourist Attractions

Best Beaches

Most Beautiful Scenery

Countries

Biggest Surprises - whoa, completely didn't expect to find something that cool there!

Best Overall Cities/Villages - _____ was so freaking awesome!
















Deciding whats the best is tough. (at the Alhambra, Spain)

Windows on the World

A collection of photos from various windows around the world. An idea stolen from Lonely Planet Experimental Travel, I tried to take a photo from the view of every place that I stayed. Click on the photo, or here, to see my slideshow of the windows on the world, from Rome, Italy to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Pictured - Kathmandu, Nepal from Happy Home.

Nithin's Map of the Trip

Recap of the trip. 28 Countries. Over 100 cities. 390+ days. One hemisphere. Now with a map!

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1) Late March to Mid July - Portion 1. Started in Rome, Italy, explored northern Italy, went to Slovenia, then 2 1/2 months in Spain, with a little bit of Morocco thrown in.

2) Mid July to Late August - Eastern Europe - From Germany, to Prague, to Poland, Hungary (where I split and went solo) to beautiful Romania and electric Bulgaria.

3) Alone in Eurasia - Trekking it solo through Turkey, the Emirates, and Nepal.

4) November to early April - Southeast Asian Adventure - 5 months, no maps, no plans, just a backpack and a road to the wild world of SE Asia. Included Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia.

5) Last two weeks - a quick jaunt visiting Kohei and Varun in Japan.

This is the pre-trip Map. Below is what I wrote as the explanation of the swirls.

On the map, that is the swirl, me on a boat drifting among the south pacific. Probably not what I'll actually do. Ryan and Aaron may go to China (a country, that, if I go, I probably will get arrested in for my political views). Mike and Brandle plan to go to Australia (too far under for me). I may stay in SE Asia, go to Japan, maybe Aussieland or New Zealand. Maybe back home, if I get a chance to work on a political campaign, and maybe South America (though probably too costly). This is 9 months into the trip, who knows that will have happened by then, its hard to make any assumptions at this point.

Trippers Best Of...Backpacker Ghettos

They are unavoidable, and sometimes amazing. Backpacker ghettos, the places in many (mostly eastern) cities where the concentration of hostels and guesthouses as hit a critical mass, and with the surrounding bars and cafes, has become the meeting point for travelers from around the world. It's where you can have breakfast with a Englishman in the morning, go trekking with a Frenchman in the afternoon, and play drinking games with an Australian in the evening.

Some are great, others are cancerous. Here are my favorite 5, and my least favorite 5.

1. Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal - Beautiful streets with incredibly affordable food, lovely boutiques, and transportation by Rickshaw and foot. Also, the nightlife ain't bad, and the drinks are cheap!

2. Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia - Home of the infamous Daniel's Traveler's Lodge, one of the top 10 best lodging. Besides being a refuge of cool, mountain air in a hot, hot country, Tanah Rata has an amazing selection of South Indian, Chinese, and Malay food all at ridiculous prices, and a fantastic, laid back, backpacker atmosphere.

3. Sihanoukeville, Cambodia - One amazing thing about this place? How about FREE ACCOMODATION! Yes, at least at Khin's Shack, another one of the top 10 best lodging. Throw in a really relaxed atmosphere, only two bars on the beach, and plankton in the ocean, and you have yourself an epic time. Unfortunately, it looks like commercialization is going to ruin this place, so go there soon! Imagine Thailand 15 years ago!

4. Goreme, Cappadochia, Turkey - Imagine, rooms carved into caved for less than $3 a night. Fierce competition keeps the prices here low, and in the offseason, when I went, a beautiful, peaceful time. Check out Restaurant Mercan and say hi to Mustafa for me!

5. Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (pictured)- Central location, cheap beds, great food, nice public transportation, and even though there are a lot of guesthouses and hostels here, tourists and far outnumbered by locals, creating a great dynamic with friendly Malaysians.

The WORST

1. Koh Phangang, Thailand - One moment, I was on the boat back from the island, and I walked outside. There I saw people sitting alongside the entire side of the boat, not saying a word to each other. Many gave me weird looks as I walked by. That was Koh Phangang, an antisocial, lazyass island with more white people on the beaches than California.

2. Vang Vieng, Laos - Imagine a city in Laos with no Lao people. Instead, just drunken, high, and drugged up westerners sitting at bars designated by the TV show shown on repeat all day (Simpsons, Friends, Family Guy, Seinfeld), and overpriced bars where everyone speaks English. If I wanted that, I'd have gone to Vegas, where at least I can gamble.

3. Khao Sahn Road, Bangkok Thailand - The most infamous backpacker ghetto (see the Beach) was not the place for a solo male traveler like me. Disgusting guesthouses, loud, loud nights, and bars that play soccer, rugby, cricket, and shitball, but not good old Football, its pretty close to hell.

4. Lake Boeung Kak, Phnom Pehn, Cambodia - Not terrible, but the accommodation by the Royal Palace is cheaper, nicer, and better located. Here, you really are in a city within a city, and its tough to escape and see the real Phnom Pehn. Too much weed, too many movies, and too much inactivity.

5. Sultanahmet, Istanbul, Turkey - My first real backpacker ghetto! Great location, but all the guesthouses and hostels are run like business's, and they mean to rip you off. I recommend staying on the other side of the river, or Couchsurfing, as I did my last two times after staying here and getting ripped off.

*note - Europeans cities tend not to have backpacker ghettos, hence, they are not on this list. Hostels in Europe tend to be more spread apart among the city, and the preponderance of regular tourists rather than budget tourists ruins the ghetto dynamic. Hence so much Asia on my list, though Sultanahmet is technically in Europe!

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Trippers' Best of...Beaches

80% of the world's population lives within 50 miles of the coast. Kansas is not 50 miles from the coast. So here are the best coastal beach areas of the world, from Portugal all the way to Cambodia...and the winner is....!

1. Sihanoukville, Cambodia. Free accomodation, cheap food, and plankton illuminating the night sea. That, and 50 cent mango shakes, what more could you ask for?

2. Middle of Nowhere, Mekong River, Laos. See here for the story behind this magnificent, stat studded, beach on the river. A very close second.

3. Songklha, Thailand. I've never seen so many seashells in my life. A untouristed, authentic, southern Thai beach.

4. Lagos, Portugal. Walking among the cliffs of these beautiful, pristine, algarve beaches, which, may I mention, were topless in many locations?

5. Chigasaki, Japan. The birthplace of surfing in Japan greeted us with this amazing sunset over the perfect hood of Mount Fuji during our mid-spring BBQ.

Dishonorable Mention: Koh Phanang, Thailand. When I first walked onto this disneyland-like neon-lit beach, I looked around. Everyone was white. Even in Southern California, or Southern France, I'd never seen this many pale, white bodies before. Aren't we in Thailand?

Other memorable beaches: Pale English in Malaga, Spain, the beautiful sunsets of Palau Perhenthian, Malaysia, the too-peaceful battlefield beaches of Gallipoli, Turkey, and the tiered cliffs leading down to the small, serene beaches at Cinque Terre, Italy, all just missed the cut.

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Trippers' Best of...Countries

A very rough list...as a matter of fact, its in alphabetical order, not order of greatest. If you ask me this question in person, I will, depending on how I feel at any given time, answer any of the following 5 countries.

1. Bulgaria (pictured) - From the moment I crossed the friendship bridge into Bulgaria, I discovered a country that had a true identity and wasn't scared of the past, but instead looking straight into the future. This is Bulgaria, one of the funnest countries with some of the most delicious food in the world.

2. Nepal - Such wonderful people, and amazing sunsets. Living in the Dhulikel valley. What an experience.

3. Thailand - The land of a thousand smiles, and some of the most warm, open, joyful people I'd ever met in the entire world. Shout out to Isaan and the remote, amazing NE!

4. Portugal - I was only there for a week, but from Gustav at the Porto Vinotheque to the beautiful beaches of Lagos, it felt that I only got a small taste and not the huge feast that I wanted.

5. Turkey - The first country where I felt like I really got to know the locals. I was invited to dinner multiple times, got to experience ramadan, including the amazing Ramadan sunset from Cappadochia's mountains, and went into the remote black sea coast. But I still need to go back!

Dishonorable Mention: The UAE, though I had a great time there, because of this.

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Trippers' Best of...Cities

Cities are the center of the human jungle. Chaos, to beauty, cities are where things happen, but not neccesarily where the world lives. But all transportation goes through cities at some point, and these were my favorite. Only cities are included, villages and small towns will be ranked later!


1. Veliko Tornovo, Bulgaria (pictured) - Maybe it was my 8 euro apartment with a view of the entire valley. Or the delicious Italian/Bulgarian restaurant we went to twice. Or all the amazing people I met, or the fact that Bulgaria would come to be one of my funnest countries.

2. Berlin, Germany - Best food, friendly people, amazing nightlife, and best of all, cheap (for european capitols). I want to live here.

3. Luang Prabang, Laos - The former capitol of the land of the thousand elephants has just begun to get hit with mass tourism, but it was the most laid back, easygoing place i went. I would ride my bike down the main highway, and be going as fast as the cars. I never heard anyone honk, and always saw smiles all around me.

4. Kathmandu, Nepal - The capitol of Nepal but with a population of less than a million, delicious food, amazing architecture and some of the most beautiful temples that I have ever seen in my life.

5. Nong Khai, Thailand - Who says border towns suck? Amazing restaurants, people, and the most beautiful guesthouse patio in SE Asia, Mut Mee's, not to mention the towering statues at Sculpture Park.

6. Marrakesh, Morocco (pictured)

7. Sighisoara, Romania

8. Istanbul, Turkey

9. Osaka, Japan

10. Kuala Terrenganu, Malaysia

Dishonorable Mention - Bangkok. They took the Los Angeles blueprint of how not to build a city, and took it a whole new level. You can tell, though, that it was once a beautiful city, the Venice of the East but not anymore.

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Trippers' Most Beautiful Scenery

The best scenery from the world. and the winner is...


1. Dhulikel Sunrise, Nepal. Just look at that. No contest.







2. Cinque Terre, Italy. The five villages along the coast seem to slither down the dramatic coastline.

3. Kota Kinabalu National Park, Sabah (Borneo), Malaysia. The rugged peak of the tallest mountain in SE Asia greeted me in the morning, though I unfortunatly didn't accept its modest challenge.

4. Annapurna Trekking, Nepal. You know you're near the top of the world when you reach 10,000 feet...and its just a "hill."

5. Pyrennes, Andorra and France, This tiny electronic store-driven nation has some beautiful mountain passes.

6. Cappadochia, Turkey. Fairly tale land of rock homes, cave dormitories, and brilliantly carved Christian chapels.

7. Backroads of Isaan, Thailand. Sitting in the back of a truck, the brisk wind blowing my hair, and the sunset just over the horizon.

8. Mekong River, Laos. Slow boat down the beautiful, untouched Mekong valley.

9. Sumo-Udo, Kansai Province, Japan. Probably wouldn't have made the list if it were'nt for the Cherry Blossoms!

Dishonorable Mention: Fes river, Morocco. Most polluted body of water that I have seen.


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Trippers' Best of...Lodging

From guesthouses, to hostel, to hostels, to camping, to staying at people's houses, to sleeping on trains and buses, I did it all. These are the ranking of the best paid places. For sake, anyone who offered me a free place to stay (and there were many of you), consider yourself the true #1!

1. Prince Mekong Villa, Siem Reap, Cambodia - I don't think I ever more at home, or even felt so sad to leave, than during my five days at the wonderful Prince Mekong Villa. A gem in the dirty sea of guesthouses that is Siem Reap, the gateway to Angkor Wat. Free welcome drink, free one time laundry, free unlimited bottled drinking water, free bikes, free hot breakfast, and self serve beer. not to mention the only kitchen in SE Asia. Paradise...did i mention it cost $4 a night for my own fanned room?

2. Indigo Youth Hostel, Valencia, Spain - I had just had one of the worst days of my traveling before I came to Indigo. There, the friendly staff, beautiful spacious common areas, and small, intimate atmosphere melted all my worries away. What a fantastic place, I wish I could have stayed longer. You really helped me remember why I love traveling.

3. Nathan's Villa, Sighisoara, Romania (pictured) - Free breakfast...all day long. No check out time, just leave when you have to. A downstairs bar, plenty of booze, great tours, and the most amazing open air market just a few blocks away. That 5pm breakfast was delicious!

4. Hiker's Hostel, Plovdiv, Bulgaria - Hiker's had it all, a great staff, a lovely garden and a perfect location right inside the Plovdiv old town. Free internet, free breakfast, and a full kitchen along with a friendly backpacker atmosphere made it a perfect traveler's stop.

5. Mut Mee Guesthouse. Nong Khai, Thailand - A pleasant surprise in a the pleasant border town of Nong Khai, Thailand. Beautiful rivenside garden lounge, cheap bikes, and a short walk to the central market. Not to mention it cost $2.5 for a comfortable 3 bed dorm room!

6. Traveller's House, Lisbon, Portugal. - a two week old gem (when we were there).

7. Treehouse Hostel, Gruneu, Austria - Gertrude, the owner, sure knows how to have a good time!

8. Mostel Hostel, Sofia, Bulgaria - With three entries in the top 10, Romania and Bulgaria were paid accommodation heaven.

9. Daniel's Lodge, Cameron Highland, Malaysia - Don't mention the Lonely Planet writer who wrote a bad review over the nightly bonfire.

10. Goodbye Lenin Hostel, Krakow, Poland - Free BBQ, two free shots, free internet, and it was named after one of my favorite movies. Woo-hoo!

Dishonorable Mention: Flying Pig Hostel, Amsterdam. Besides being expensice (26 euros a night), no airconditioning amist a heatwave, and horribly overcrowded. Then they charged us a 10% conversion fee on my credit card to make it even worse. HORRIBLE.

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Trippers' Best of...Bars

Bars and social gathering places (cafe's, patios, etc). Where you meet people, whether it be locals, or fellow travelers. These were not secondarily the best bars of the world, but that bars where I had the best time. So, without further ado, the best bars of the world!

1. Musee du Vin, Porto, Portugal (pictured) - Gustav and company made this bar the best deal and best ever Lonely Planet rec ever. Each glass came with a personalized description of history, region, and personal preference. We spent over 2 hours there, learning and soaking in the history of wine, the best bar experience of my life. Be sure to check it out if you make it to Porto!

2. Village Bar (unnamed), Temple village, near Sangaa, Nepal - While traveling, you discover the best places by chance. During a hiking tour of the area around Sangaa, Nepal, our friend, Pasupathi, took us to a small temple village, where there was one little restaurant/bar. In this dirty, lamp lit shack with elderly Nepalis, we ordered some noodles and some homemade rice wine. Then we ordered some more, and more, all in all four rounds, while chatting with the locals in broken Nepali, enjoying the amazing view and chatting amongst ourselves. The total cost for over 20 glasses of rice wine, 5 bowls of noodles, and a bottle of water? 270 ruppes, or, about 4 dollars.

3. King Night Pub, near Kamlai Village, Thailand- I saw this place while zipping back home on the back of a motorcycle. So one evening, while volunteering in a small village in the NE of Thailand me and some fellow volunteers decided that we needed a place to go hang out and get some drinks. So off we went, and walked into the deserted Karaoke bar, woke up the owners, and then spend the next two hours dancing and singing with the family (including their 6 yr old son), all whilst enjoying a good earned beer, to Thai karaoke songs with a few English words in the chorus. Then, the owners gave us all free rides home on their motorbikes. Now that's what I call service.

4. La Alberca (Pueblo Ingles) Hotel Bar, La Alberca, Spain - Drinking cheap beer and rose wine with drunk Spaniards until 2 or 3 AM. Throw in some spontaneous flamenco and you have yourself an unforgettable bar experience.

5. Bar Vietnam, Luang Prabang, Laos - This underground, illegal, tourist only bar was filled to the brim with us backpackers who couldn't stand Laos' 2AM cutoff. Strange, that's the same time the bars cutoff in Los Angeles...

6. Island Bars, Budapest, Hungary - A group of bars on a small island on the Danube. Lovely and beautiful.

7. Frog Shack, Sihanoukville, Cambodia - For the beachbums in Sihanoukeville, this was the only game in town for the late night crowd. Luckilly, it was a great game, with decent music, a DJ, a lounge, real bathrooms, and the plankton beaches of southern Cambodia.

8. Visitors Bar, Bordeaux, France - Connected to the visitors center was one of the nicest, classiest, yet affordable wine bars that I had ever been to. With modern, yet not overdone furnishings, good service and incredible wine.



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Trippers Best Of...Festivals!

Early in the trip, we decided that we were going to plan our early adventures around several festivals. They are the historic and modern gatherings of people for religious, cultural, social, and even political reasons, and they are the spice that brings alive the culture or history of a city of region. Here are my favorite festivals of the world, ranked in the order that I had fun and memorability!

1. Running of the Bulls, San Fermin, Pamplona, Spain (pictured) - Quite possibly the most famous festival in the world, a week of mind numbing, park sleeping, sangria drinking, and bull running (I did it!). With our great costumes, it was a great and incredibly smelly experience.

2. Daughter's Day, Nepal - This one was a surprise. It was my last day of teaching english in my rural Nepali village when everyone left class early. It was Halloween, but in this village, it was "Daughter's Day," where all the young girls in the village sat lines in on the streets, as the elders gave each of them food and goodies on the their plates, and put colorful "tikka" on their foreheads. A colorful and lovely time!

3. Fete Le Vin, Bordeaux, France - A once in every two year Wine Festival that takes place in Bordeaux, with lots of cheap and free wine, beautiful fireworks, and a sophistication that only come...well, you wouldn't understand anyway ;-).

4. Ramadan, Turkey - Not really a festival, but a unique cultural experience to be in a moderate, secular muslim country for this holy month. My memory of standing on a hill in Cappadochia while hearing the evening prayers echo through the valleys remains endearing, as does the sights and sounds of Ramadan. Ramadan in the UAE, on the other hand, was not such a great experience.

5. Cherry Blossom Festival, Japan - Nightime Hamadi parties, beautiful cherry blossoms in full bloom across Japan, not to mention lots of drinking, karaoke, and more.

Dishonorable Mention: St. Stephen's Day. Not really that bad, until it tried to kill me.

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Trippers Best Of...Tourist Attractions

Tourist attractions. They range from historic buildings, fantastic ruins, to museums and artwork. I excluded religious and sacred sites, which I ranked here and natural wonders, ranked here. Enjoy!

1. The Alhambra, Granada, Spain - Serenity, Peace, and majesty define the greatest remaining monument to Moorish Spain. Whether it was walking through its detailed corridors, or gazing at it from the Mirabor de San Cristobal, awash in golden light above Granada, this is definitely one the great majesties of architecture anywhere in the world.

2. Gallipoli, Turkey - The site of the one of the most famous WWI battlefields, and the only battlefield I visited during my trip. Where Mustafa Kemal Ataturk made his name, a pilgrimage for many Australians and Kiwis, one of the most beautiful places in Turkey.

3. Great Mezquitza of Cordoba, Spain (pictured) - The largest Mosque in Europe, now converted into a Cathedral, where you can see the simplicity of Moorish architecture juxtaposed with the excesses of Catholicism. Absolutely amazing.

4. Ruins of Ayyutthaya, Thailand - The ruins of the former Royal capital of Thailand, scattered around a large area. Wonderful for exploring by bike, and gorgeous by night, especially when they're are too many tourists around!

5. Old Sighisoara, Romania - The birthplace of Vlad the Impaler, better known as Dracula, a wonderful fairy-tale like city built on a small hill, and still undiscovered by tourists. Throw in a great hostel, and you have a gem.

6. Yoyogi Park, Tokyo, Japan

7. Sultanahmet, Istanbul, Turkey (pictured)

8. Rila Monestary, Bulgaria

9. Museum of Jewish History, Berlin, Germany

10. St. Mark's Square, Venice, Italy

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