Lee Abbamonte
Try to become the youngest person to travel to every country in the world
Kuwait
By Lee | 
1 Comment » I was pretty psyched to leave the terrible weather of Syria behind this morning to head to the 70 degree temperature of Kuwait. Flying into Kuwait was really cool because you are just flying over the Arabian Desert which looks like a huge muddy ocean. There are oil fields dotting the sand in Iraq and Kuwait and again it’s really cool to see it from above; just how vast and huge they really are. Landing in Kuwait was like landing in a really nice fast food laden mall. There are spotless stores, plus immaculate Burger Kings, McDonalds, etc. as far as the eye can see. As I drove into Kuwait City to find my hotel, I couldn’t help but notice how nice the city was.
(more…)
Aleppo, Syria
By Lee | 2 Comments » After a long drive in the pouring rain Assam and I finally arrived in Aleppo in the north of Syria to check out the old and new city of Aleppo. The low cloud cover and torrential rains seriously limited the accessability to the city as the souq was basically flooded and extremely muddy. The little Suzuki trucks and the donkeys didn’t seem to mind as they plowed through the puddles and splashed everyone and everything in their way. To be fair, it reminded me of the souq in Marrakech, Morocco which was amazing to be in but the rain and the freezing cold and wind made it difficult to enjoy. It didn’t take me too long to get fed up with the old city so I headed over to the new city.
(more…)
Damascus, Syria
By Lee | 4 Comments » The name Damascus just sounds cool and it just has an aura of ancient and interesting in the sound of the word. That is exactly how I feel about Damascus, it has proven to be one of the most vibrant and interesting cities I have been to and I have to say that my $8 dinner last night was one of the best I have ever had-anywhere! Global politics the way they are and the location of Syria have scared many people from visiting this ancient land but from what I have seen so far-those people are missing out.
(more…)
Beirut, Lebanon
By Lee | 6 Comments » I arrived in Beirut last night after a weekend in London for my friends 30th birthday. As I stepped off the plane I could sense there was something strange going on. As I collected my bag and headed for the taxi stand, there was a clear military presence at the airport. I got into my cab and the driver who barely spoke any English mentioned there was trouble in Beirut but I couldn’t understand what he was trying to say. The streets were basically empty except for numerous military vehicles and armed checkpoints, it looked as though they had declared martial law-I was a bit unsettled.
(more…)
Follow My Trip
By Lee | 3 Comments » 
I leave tonight for a trip that will take me through London to the Middle East and several new countries including; Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, all 7 Emirates of the UAE, Oman, Yemen, Djibouti, Ethiopia and if I can pull it off maybe Eritrea and the free zone of Kish Island, Iran. My schedule is pretty much set (I hate that) but I have left myself a little wiggle room in those certain strategic areas, so we’ll see what happens with the visa and security situations. Hopefully all planes will leave on time and all will go smoothly. I can’t wait to eat the great food of the region, see the Arabian Nights city of Sana’a and sample the 22nd century in Dubai. I will be keeping a blog on my trip as often as possible and I invite you all to follow along with me on my Arabian adventure.
Trinidad and Tobago
By Lee | 1 Comment » I found out Friday night at around 9:30pm that there was an air traffic controller strike set to begin at midnight last night, when my flight was scheduled for 4am. Needless to say, I was fairly nonplussed about the situation and had to scramble to check out of my hotel and get to the airport to try to get on the last flight of the night at 11:30pm. I paid the cabbie extra to use whatever means necessary to get me there as fast as possible. The airport was supposed to be an hour an fifteen minutes away; we made it in 50 minutes and I was the last person to get on the flight. That flight would be the last flight leaving the airport until the strike was settled which apparently could be weeks. That’ll ruin a lot of peoples holiday and new years plans. Again, I was pretty psyched to be out of Suriname and in T & T a night early.
(more…)
My Adventure to French Guiana
By Lee | 2 Comments » There is no rest for the weary when traveling so I got up this morning again at 3:30am and had my dutch only speaking driver bring me to the border with French Guiana to get the 8am ferry crossing over to Saint-Laurent du Maroni. That didn’t happen exactly how I planned it as the road from Paramaraibo to the the border town of Albina, Suriname was brutal and we didn’t make it to Albina until just after the ferry left. I was kind of annoyed but at the same time I knew I had a second option…sneaking into French Guiana via small dugout canoe, which is exactly what I did.
(more…)
One of Those Days
By Lee | 3 Comments » Today was a day that every traveler has had at some point. It starts out innocently and ends up being the day from hell. I made two rookie mistakes that I normally don’t make and it cost me most of my day but a good story I guess did come out of it. It all started at 3:30am this morning in Georgetown, Guyana…
(more…)
Guyana
By Lee | 5 Comments » I arrived early this morning on Boxing Day in steamy Guyana. My friend Johnny who I met a few years ago in the Philippines is a Canadian Guyanese (I think that’s how it would be said) and he picked me up from the airport and gave me the quick royal tour of the capital of Georgetown-lovely town let me tell you, haha. It has a crumbling Caribbean vibe and a lot of laid back energy but at any second you can sense that something crazy is going to happen. Georgetown is known to be one of the most dangerous cities in South America and a lot of people do carry guns. But as with anywhere else, just stay out of places you shouldn’t be and you’ll be fine.
(more…)
Belfast, Northern Ireland
By Lee | 4 Comments » Nothing tells me that I am on the Emerald Isle quite like having Guinness for breakfast. Granted I’m in Northern Ireland but it’s still as good as it is in Dublin. Even if you don’t like Guinness, you almost have to drink it here-it’s so good. Belfast itself is a really cool city thusfar. I spent my entire day strolling around the city, seeing all the major sites and of course drinking Guinness and buying stupid T-shirts featuring Leprechauns. I mean seriously, is there anyone who is not a sucker for Leprechauns.
(more…)
Pages
- About Lee Abbamonte
- Ask/Contact Lee
- Country List
- Country Qualifications-What makes it Count as a Country
- Mt. Kilimanjaro Journal
- Mt. Kilimanjaro Video Slideshow
- Newsletter
- Press Clips
- Radio Spots
- Sponsorship
- Standards for Visits
- Useful Travel Links
- Why Travel?
Email Updates
Categories
- Africa
- Airlines
- Asia
- Australia/New Zealand
- Caribbean
- Central America
- Europe
- General Travel
- Indian Subcontinent
- Middle East
- New 7 Wonders
- North America
- Oceana
- Picture of the Day
- Random
- South America
- Top 5 Lists
- Travel on TV
- Trip Blog
- Trivia
- World Sport
Monthly Archives
Travel links
- Cheap Air Tickets
- Travel Insurance
- Travel Blogs
- Globetrekker Videos
- Vacation Rentals
- Park and Fly
- Travel Gear Blog
- Youth Hostels
- Travel Gear
- Adventure Travel
My Links
- Travel Sites