The hardest thing about visiting Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, is to see how so many locals struggle. They work harder and longer hours than any people I’ve come across anywhere in the world but have very little to show for it. A full time job can pay as little as $200 monthly! Luckily as a foreigner who can earn a lot more than that where I to go back to work, I’m in a position to make someone’s day from time to time.
The Republic of Pridnestrovie or Transnistra, as it's known in English, is an unrecognized country straddling the Dniester river sandwiched between Moldova and Ukraine. The country declared independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union. However Moldova did not take kindly to this and a war ensue. I visited this capital with the communist hammer and sickle in its national flag as it's one of a handful of post-Soviet unresolved land disputes. The country was much less corrupt than I expected and I really enjoyed swimming in the Dniester river, visiting the 14th century fort in Bender, meeting the locals and the general Soviet aura that looms large over the place. See that and more in the film.
Day 2 of my month long tour of Thailand by motorbike. I set out from Nakhon Sawan, drive through Kamphaeng Phet and see some amazing old Buddha ruins before heading for Sukothai. After several pitstops at PTT gas-stations (they're #1), a couple of dead python snakes and a few wrong turns which sent me through Ramkhanheng national park I arrive at Thailand's ancient capital Sukothai. I find a hotel, eat my favorite Thai dish, grab some supplies at 7/11 before I head for the amazing ruins of the old city (or Muang gao as the city is called in Thai). Renting a bicycle is the best way to cover the most amount of ground in the shortest amount for time here. One bicycle costs 30 baht for the whole day! Entrance to the main site with the highest number of ruins cost 100 baht. There's also a second site i highly recommend visiting about 1km from the old city. There entrance also cost 100 baht. I chose to stay at a hotel next to the ruins in Sukothai's old town.
Day 3 of my month long tour of Thailand by motorbike. I head West from Sukothai towards Mae Sot on the Burmese border. From there i head North along the border and encounter a camp with refugees from Myanmar on the road to Mae Sariang. After surviving the ride up and down the mountain in a heavy thunderstorm I go hunting for a gas station. Turns out there are none and I head in to a Thai village to hunt for gasoline. What I find is the coolest gas station ever!
Day 5 of my month long tour of Thailand by motorbike. I head out from Mae Hong Son on the hunt for a hidden village of long neck hilltribe people on the Burmese border. The long neck people are refugees who fled Myanmar in 1992. They're not allowed to work legally in Thailand but survive selling their handicrafts in their own village market. This I had to see. Se what the long neck women are like and the amazing nature that surrounds their village in the mountains of Northern Thailand. Driving through the Thai jungle past picturesque ricefields on a motorbike crossing rivers was an event in and of itself.
Day 6 of my month long tour of Thailand by motorbike. I drive on top of one of Thailand's highest mountains on the outskirt of Pai. As I get caught in the rain once again coming down from the mountain I find a hotel in Pai city. I change my clothes and drive through some amazing Thai villages and rice fields to a waterfall where I 'fall' in love with more than just the river.
Day 7 of my month long tour of Thailand by motorbike. I leave Pai for the outskirts of Chiang Mai where I encounter some very nice ladies selling chicken. They watch my motorbike and I go exploring the Chiang Mai jungle. Chiang Mai's greatest secret is not within the city itself but outside. Find out more in this weeks' episode
Day 8 of my tour of Thailand by motorbike. I drive over the most amazing mountains I've ever crossed between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. The fog is thick, it's freezing cold, I'm wet as hell from being once again assaulted by Thailand's torrential rain. But I'm loving it. I find a village on top of the highest mountain peak and investigate. I then soldier on down the other side towards Chiang Rai. In Chiang Rai I visit the city's number one tourist attraction; the classic White Temple and talk to some local Thais around town. This former capital of the Kingdom of Lanna is a relatively small city but proved rather lively 7 days a week.
The Viking age lasted roughly 300 years. From the first recorded raid on an English monastery on Lindisfarne in 793 A.D. to 1066, when Norway's greatest King Harald III (aged 50!) died in berzerkergang (fighting bare-chested without armor and shield with an axe in each hand) from an arrow to his skull in an attempt to conquer England. A few months later another Viking, today known as William the Conquerer (actually related to Harald III) succeeded in taking England. The Vikings raided and fought all over Europe. Often in the service of Norwegian Kings or as mercenaries for other European rulers. The Roman Emperor had his own Viking army known as the Varangian guard in Constantinople. It was whilst being the leader of the Varangian guard that Harald Hardråde (later called Harald III of Norway and founder of Oslo) eventually amassed such wealth that he was able to successfully court the 2nd oldest daughter of one of contemporary Europe's most powerful rulers: Yaroslav The Wise. They married and returned to Norway where they founded what is today the capital of Norway, Oslo. So who was this last Viking Queen of Norway? That's the story I investigate whilst exploring Kiev, the city she grew up in, before ascending to the Norwegian throne.
Day 10 of my tour of Thailand by motorbike. I leave Nan to trail along the border with Laos, over mountains, waterfalls and through pineapple farms to Loei. I take the longest route possible and spend 9 hours driving until it gets pitch black. I don't arrive at the rubber farm before after sunset.
STALINGRAD, RUSSIA: The city that changed the course of European as well as world history is today known as Volgograd. The Germans had over a Million men here at the peak of the conflict in late 1942. The Soviets poured in considerably more. The dream of a German empire died here at the banks of the Volga river. The same banks instead gave birth to the dream of a Soviet empire. This is where it all turned around for the Soviet Union. The victory here propelled the Red Army forward to re-conquer the territories lost in the the 1941-42 season and eventually all the way to Berlin. The historical significance of Stalingrad was palpable as I touched down at the airport. The rest is not history as they say but in the film above.
PYRENEES, FRANCE: After driving the length of Italy and the French riviera in just 36 hours I arrived in my favorite region of France; the Pyrenees. This was the site of the Albigensian Crusades there the Catholic church in cahoots with the French king sought to subdue or slaughter the Cathars. The Cathars were a christian sect whom the pope viewed as heretical, quite possibly due to there refusal to pay tithe, or a tenth of ones' earnings to the church. This whole region is littered with a ridiculously high number of epic hilltop castle ruins, many of whom were used by the Cathars to hide from the onslaught of the Frankish crusaders. The biggest of all these structures still standing today is the Castle Peyrepertuse. To get to the castle itself one must first drive up half a mountain, then treck through a forest and up towards the top of the peak. Sounds easy right? Well how about doing all this in utter darkness before the sun is up. Did I succeed? This and more in my night siege of Castle Peyrepertuse.
MUMBAI, INDIA: Dharavi, India's biggest slum, isn't exactly known for being a place where you can mingle with the locals over a couple of cold ones. But I'm not one to shy away from a challenge. I therefore took it upon myself to find a watering hole in Mumbai's roughest neighborhood so I could meet some local residents and hear their stories. Did I succeed or was this one Indian adventure even beyond the scope of this intrepid Northman? Find out in this episode where I go exploring and meeting the people of Dharavi.
INDIA, NEW DELHI: First night out in India and already fell for a scam. Karl Rock never warned me about this one! Is he colluding with these Indian scammers? ???? If any of you do watch Karl Rock's scam videos make sure to inquire as to why he doesn't cover this most sinister of all beer crimes. After failing to find a street stall to drink at we enlisted a rickshaw driver to take us to one. He dropped us off in a surreal area where we spotted a street stall with goats tethered to a railing. The owner waved us in and his customers encouraged us to join them. Awesome we thought and sat down. After a minute however we quickly realized that all wasn’t as it seemed. . . We’d been scammed by the Indian merchant. But how?
INDIA, NEW DELHI: I had mixed feelings about leaving Delhi and heading towards Rajasthan. I was truly excited to discover and explore a new state full of new colors and exotic foods but I wasn’t looking forward to the bus ride there. Indian buses are horrible I’ve been lead to believe and I honestly thought the journey was going to be a true nightmare. Oh boy how wrong I was. What ensued was one of the most entertaining yet comfortable bus journeys I’ve ever been on. So would you dare ride on this Indian bus? And what would you've done with the cookie? Let me hear it in the comment section. Also major props to the nice gentleman who was responsible for bringing the cookies. What a generous man. Since this video was taped I've had many bus journeys throughout India and they haven't all been as fun and comfortable as this one. Still, for anyone considering traveling from one Indian city to another, using the sleeper bus are generally a quite comfortable undertaking.
INDIA, NEW DELHI: I arrived in India with a fairly open mind, hell bent on creating the most entertaining videos YouTube has ever seen from the country. In that process I naturally had to put myself in a lot of uncomfortable situations. The video you're about to see which was shot at a New Delhi festival near the Red Fort was such a situation, In fact it was such a mistake, such a horrible experience that I felt like the Grim Reaper was upon me. So what went down and how did I get into this incredibly uncomfortable situation?
UDAIPUR, INDIA: Traveling in India had been a a pleasure up until this stage. Despite friends who've previously been to the country and you guys in the YouTube comment sections begging us to not travel on private sleep er buses we'd never been on a bad one. Leaving Udaipur for Ahmedabad though that was all about to change....
INDIA, RAJASTHAN: After finding a Royal Enfield to rent for a few days we set out from Udaipur in the direction of Kumbhalgarh fort. The journey began at 5:00 AM in pitch black darkness and in freezing temperatures. We were ill prepared. As the hours went on though it was clear that this was about to become one of the greatest days not only of my India adventure, but in my whole world travel career.
INDIA, UDAIPUR: Not all hotel hunts end well. Case in point, this one. After wandering the streets of Udaipur looking for a hotel that wasn't fully booked we found ourselves down by the lake where one of India's most famous 5 star hotels is located. The Taj Lake Palace of Udaipur is famous as it was featured in the James Bond movie Octopussy. Thinking we could do with a night of reveling in luxury after all the traveling, we decided to break our budget and spend the night at this epic looking island hotel. But the hotel itself had other plans....
INDIA, JAIPUR: This was a journey that kept giving. Scams, liquor store pit-stops, failed approaches and action from start to finish. All I can say is that traveling in India is something else and downtown Jaipur is no exception to this rule.
INDIA, JAIPUR: The bus journey through Hindustan continues. After leaving Jaipur in the direction of Jodhpur I decided to stick my head outside the bus window. There I saw a familiar character. Enjoying the fresh breeze in my long luscious locks I decided to continue hanging out the window and it was then that I noticed to my shock and horror...... the baddest biggest thug in all of Hindustan.
INDIA, JAIPUR: Having ridden motorbikes extensively throughout Asia and Europe I was mighty excited about my first journey in India. But first we had to find one to rent. Then we had to find out where to go. Luckily in Rajasthan there's an epic adventure lurking behind every corner and we didn't have to drive very far before we encountered some things you will never see anywhere else but in India.
INDIA, NEW DELHI: Finding a place to drink can be hard in New Delhi. It's even harder to find a place to do so in the streets of India's capital. So what to do? Find the nearest supermarket, make your own little watering hole and strike up some conversations with the locals.
INDIA, AHMEDABAD: You have to try Gujarati food people have been tellin me ever since I touched down in Ahmedabad. So I thought I would do just that by going to the famous Manekchok Streetfood market which opens at night. What I wasn't anticipating though was that my first dish there would be Punjabi. After a little trouble ordering due to my non-existant Hindi language skills I finally was served a delicious Veg Manchurian.
INDIA, AHMEDABAD: After finishing only half of my Veg Manchurian which turned out to be just a simple rice dish I still had lots of space left to try the Indian street pizza stall right next to it. So how do they make pizza in India without a pizza oven? Human ingenuity always finds a way....
INDIA, AHMEDABAD: After the Veg Manchurian and a couple of slices of pizza it was time to go all out. This next street food stall was my last stop (or so I had planned). I chose a busy looking one and got down to business. I have no idea what the two dishes I ordered were or what they contained. All I knew was that they intrigued me and I wanted to try both. But the show didn't end there. Walking home I ran into an old favorite of mine....
INDIA, GUJARAT: There are some meals money can't buy and is only available to a select audience. to qualify you must be an Indian primary school student. Luckily, it just so happens to be that I am one! I therefore sat down with the awesome students at Manej Primary school for an epic meal time. So how big were the portions and what was the food like?
INDIA, AHMEDABAD: How cheap can Indian street food get? So low that it's almost free. At least that's what this Gujarati Thali I discovered on the streets of Ahmedabad felt like. But at this cost how large are the portions? How edible and tasty is the food?
INDIA, AHMEDABAD: India's state of Gujarat is often referred to as a 'dry state'. Why? Because people there aren't allowed to drink. Not that that was going to stop me. But before I attempted to go about procuring some magic potion through unofficial channels, I figured it's worth a shot to try.
INDIA, AHMEDABAD: In this new series called Harald Spreads the Wealth or Harald Shares the Rupee (jury still out on the title) I take one month's money donated by my Patreons and give to a deserving self-employed individual or entrepreneur. This month the lucky recipient was a hard working Indian street barber / hairdresser. As I walked by his shop he had a big smile on his face and welcomed me to sit down. So what's his story and the nature of is one man business? What hairstyle did I go for? And was he better than the Delhi hairdresser? Watch me get a hair-cut in the streets of India for the answer :-)
INDIA, AHMEDABAD: After my street hair-cut I need a street beard trim if not outright clean shave. Luckily in India's 5th biggest city by population street barbers are everywhere. And best of all, they seem to charge a uniform 20 rupees for a shave. So once again I sat down on the streets of Ahmedabad not really knowing what to expect. . . .
INDIA, ANAND: My trip to India had one purpose. Visit an Indian school where a subscriber works as a teacher and donate $1000 to him so he could spend it on taking his class on a roadtrip to visit a historical site of great significance like Mehrangar fort in Jodhpur for example if possible. However upon handing over the money his response was highly unexpected..... After the cash scene you can see what it was like to travel from Budapest to Kiev to Delhi then finally to Ahmedabad and Anand where the school is located. I had told no one I was coming and I even posted some photos tagging myself in Budapest on my Instagram to throw off any suspicions the morning before I drove from Ahmedabad to Anand. The whole journey took 36 hours. So why did I initially want to donate just to Paresh and his class? I thought $1000 simply wouldn't be enough to really do anything for 200+ students there so figured why not make one class very happy by sending them on a trip to learn about a proud chapter in India's history? The money has not yet been spent he says but he will send photos and explain what they spent it on in the near future. Stay tuned... In the third scene you can see a little monologue I recorded after reaching my hotel room in Ahmedabad but before I set out on the last motorbike leg of the journey to the school.
INDIA, AHMEDABAD: Ever since I started sampling the Gujarati street food around Ahmedabad people have been telling me their favorite is actually Punjabi dishes. I've therefore long since wanted to put this to the test, but how? I don't know what Punjabi street food even looks like! Luckily today I ran into a stall selling a Punjabi potato dish by pure accident. So was it really better than the Gujarati dishes I've had?
INDIA, AHMEDABAD: In the middle of India's 6th largest city lies a magical city within a city. It's often referred to as the local slum or joked about as the Hollywood Colony. Where or how it got the name no one has been able to tell me. But this is hands down the wildest happiest most lively place I've ever encountered on my India travels. Every time I've driven by, there's been some festival or wedding party going on. The people are dressed in colorful Rajasthani fashion and nearly everyone says hello to me as I pass by. Knowing though that the interweb is full of useless videos of people doing walk through in exotic areas I thought I'd do one better. Why not show people what the inside of this place looks like and how these people live? Thus was born Harald Invades....
INDIA, AHMEDABAD: After breaching the Hollywood Colony's defenses using a policy or relentless attrition, it was time to bond with the locals. And what better way to bond than over dinner? Indian food as I've relayed in countless videos is damn tasty but also much more hygienic than its reputation. When this Indian family offered me to eat with them I was therefore overjoyed at the chance of partaking in this experience. So what dish did they cook? And what does an Indian family dinner even look like?
INDIA, AHMEDABAD: After the epic hospitality this Indian family you see in the thumbnail showed me whilst touring their home in one of Ahmedabad's roughest neighborhoods, there was never really any doubt as to whether I was going to give them a little token of my appreciation. The only question was how much? Whilst eating dinner with them I had roughly $150 on me but decided to not hand over a single dollar. I know how people around the world and especially in Asia feel when it comes to these things. They don't act hospitable because they expect a reward but because of their belief in humanity. Handing over any sum upon my first visit would thus likely be construed as an insult regardless of how sorely it was needed. So I decided to walk out with the intention of coming back with a much larger sum. I had not yet spent February's Patreon money (the money donated to me by Patreons from around the world which is all earmarked for giving to others I run into on my travels). This family was as worthy a candidate as I think I'll ever run into. So after a brief trip back to my hotel room to get my credit card, off I went to the bank....
INDIA, AHMEDABAD: Artisan restaurant's Executive Chef Awanish Goswami's takes us into the heart of his Indian restaurant to reveal how to make a most sublime butter chicken, India's by far greatest and tastiest dish. So what's in a butter chicken? And how is it prepared? Awanish reveals all in today's episode. If you wish to dine and try the epic Indian food at 'Artisan' go to Regenta Central Antarim Boutique Hotel in Ahmedabad, India.
INDIA, AHMEDABAD: Most people likely don't dream of moving to an Indian slum but let's say for some reason you do. What does a house there cost? How big is the average home and what does a modest Indian house even look like?
PHILIPPINES, LEYTE: Nothing has caused me a bigger headache in the Philippines thus far than SIM cards. Move from one island to the next and your old SIM card stops working. So just buy a new one you say? Well it's not that easy...
PHILIPPINES, LEYTE: Given that the Philippines consists of 7641 islands there are naturally going to be tons of epic beaches in this tropical nation. So which is my favorite thus far? The secret beach of Leyte which only Tim The Great knows how to find.
PHILIPPINES, MINDANAO: Whilst moving from one Filipino island to the next is always an incredibly arduous endeavor, it is also wildly entertaining. Case in point, the boat from Leyte to Mindanao. From crazy diver hunting for coins on the ocean floor to the karaoke at the back of the boat. There was never a dull moment. Then we hit Mindanao and things got even more interesting....
PHILIPPINES, MINDANAO: After a long hard day of traveling it was time for an epic pork chop hunt. This being the Philippines though, I didn’t have to hunt for long. In fact I just crossed the toad and I was in lechon heaven!!! But which stall to choose? There were so many...
PHILIPPINES, SIARGAO: The coolest island in the Philippines right now, or so I've been told, is Siargao. A true surfer's paradise it's also got a lot to offer for pork chop hunters and connoisseurs of exotic swimming locations like c'est moi. Therefore I set out at 6AM with Progressive Shannon to tour the whole island in a single day by motorbike to find the best secluded beaches Sairgao has to offer. First stop, Magpupungko beach, famous for its rock pools...
PHILIPPINES, SIARGAO: After riding for a good 6 hours we were running critically low on fuel. Seeing as we had not yet eaten breakfast either energy was running low. In other words it was already waaaay past pork o'clock! This being the Philippines though a luscious juicy looking pork meal is never too hard to locate.....
HILIPPINES, SIARGAO: Nothing beats seeing how people live. NOTHING! Whilst touring Vietnam I often rode past little communities of houses standing on stilts out in rivers and swamps. I just never got around to visiting one. When I was touring Siargao, an island in the Philippines with Tim Shannon, I once again rode past such a community. Sadly we were on a deserted beach hunt and Shannon had already ridden way ahead. This wasn't the day for a 'Harald Invades'. I thus made a mental note of where these houses were and decided to try and backtrack here another day. The next day I set out in the blazing sun to once again find this incredible looking swamp that for some reason people have decided to turn into a home. After an hour of being roasted in the scorching heat i found it. I parked my bike and started to roll tape. This is what ensued.....
PHILIPPINES, DAKU ISLAND: After an incredibly disappointing island hopping tour we came to what was our final destination: Daku Island. Luckily this fantastic little gem of a beach made up for the lame experience we had at the other two. The claim to fame of this little beach seemed to be the seafood. There were 3-4 little straw huts with 5-6 chefs working frying up your food of choice inside on a wood fired grill. There were pork chops. There were blue marlin. There were squids. And the was beef! Having never eaten squid before I opted for the unknown. But how is squid even prepared? And how do you eat it? The learning curve was steep.....
PHILIPPINES, SIARGAO: Finding a reasonable apartment or hotel room to rent can be a difficult task when traveling to the Philippines. There's one exception. At the high end price range you seem to pay slightly less than you would in other Asian holiday destinations. At the budget level or mid-range however prices in the Philippines can be outrageous. Case in point this tiny little studio I rented fro $50 per day (!) on Siargao island.
PHILIPPINES, SIARGAO: Of all the food I thought I'd find in the Philippines, waffles with banana and Nutella was about the last thing I'd ever expected. But as I've said in countless videos on this country... in the Philippines expect the unexpected. After the Nutella Waffle I embarked on a walk back to my hotel. On the way there I ran into some interesting people and and witnessed the amazing beauty that is Siargao island once the sun has fully come up.
PHILIPPINES, SIARGAO: A lot of the scenes I film don't make it into my videos. Here are some of the scenes that didn't make the cut from my recent Philippines adventure.
SRI LANKA, COLOMBO: Despite traveling my whole adult life I've never stayed in a five star hotel. I thus decided to treat myself before I go touring in the remote areas of Sri Lanka to some five star luxury in the capital city of Colombo. As far as online reviews are to believed, there's no hotel in Colombo better than the Movenpick Resort. So join me as I tour the buffet, the King suite and rooftop swimming pool.
SRI LANKA, COLOMBO: The cheapest market I've ever been to was the old bazaar in New Delhi. And in all honesty I never thought I'd find a market anywhere in the world with lower prices. That was until I discovered Pettah market in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo. So what do you think about the prices? Is Indian markets pricier or cheaper than those in Sri Lanka?
SRI LANKA, COLOMBO: "Be careful he is a bad man", they kept repeating as I wandered around a vegetable market on the outskirts of Colombo. Then 'the accused' told me that the people who told me to avoid him were bad themselves. Who was I to believe? Intent on not making a hasty decision I decided to wait it out and see as this was a unique market experience unlike no other.
SRI LANKA, COLOMBO: After only 3 hours in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo I stumbled across the country's signature dish; Kottu. Whilst in the process of devouring said dish I also ran into a long term viewer of this channel named Jeremy. As with pretty much everyone I run into wherever I travel, he knows a lot more about food than I ever will. So when Jeremy suggested we do tour of a famous beach front street food area in Colombo I grabbed my camera and hailed the nearest Rickshaw.
SRI LANKA, COLOMBO: My 2nd day in Colombo I ran into a great Tuk-Tuk driver who upon driving me around for a few said he'd be happy to show me his family and home. This was an opportunity I could not miss. His house turned out to be about two hours drive outside of Colombo though. To make the time go faster he suggested I try some local Sri Lankan lemon rum.....
SRI LANKA, NEGOMBO: After a grueling two and a half hour Tuk-Tuk ride we finally arrived at my driver's village home. Before we even entered the house it was quite adamant that this house has huge potential but was still under construction. He still has loans on both the property and the Rickshaw so it is a tedious work on progress. He saves up money, invests then takes time off to build. Once the money runs out he repeats. So what did the house look like as of right now and how long has it been under construction? And how many people are already living here plus how many will move in in the future?
SRI LANKA, NEGOMBO: The sun was about to set and it was looking bleak for my visit to the beach during daylight hours. So Sri Lanka's 2nd greatest rickshaw driver made an executive decision and drove by his daughter's house in a village near Negombo for a surprise visit. The stage was now set for another unique look into the life of a Sri Lankan family. This second house though was somewhat dimly lit but at least I got a feel for what it was like to live there. It looked like a very tight nit community and a happy place to live. After a visit to Negombo beach where it seemed the whole city had decided to go for an evening swim we drove back to Colombo. I was dead tired and couldn't wait to get back to the hotel. Then it dawned on me that all I had done was be a passenger whereas Aurun had been driving all day and still had another 2 hours ahead of him before he'd be back to his house. What a work ethic! This deserved a reward....
SRI LANKA, KANDY: After a 4 hour Uber ride I check-in to a budget hotel in Kandy. A city in the mountains of central Sri Lanka. But first I had to find the place which was easier said than done. Luckily Sri Lankans speak English very well and I ran into some people on the way who were more than happy to help me out.
SRI LANKA, KANDY: Whenever I'm in a new city I like to check out the local markets to see what goods are for sale and how much they cost. I generally don't care much for the price (whether I overpay or not) on these occasions as I'm happy to help out the local vendors who toil there day in and day out. But even I have my limits. After buying some socks at a pretty decent price at at the first market stall I entered I decided to go on a little shopping spree. It was then that I ran into the biggest con artist I've ever meet in any market worldwide!
SRI LANKA, KANDY: After procuring a motorbike I decided to search for a local gym to do some progressive reps. Whilst on my way to one on the outskirts fo Kandy I saw a neon sign blinking which read NOODLES! So after U-turn I sat down for a highly entertaining bowl of Sri Lankan noodles.
SRI LANKA, KANDY: As I drove away from Kandy my motorbike kept breaking down. Not in the mood to be stranded on some rural road in the middle of the jungles of central Sri Lanka I searched for hotels using Google Maps. Turns out just a short one hour drive North of my position there was a hotel with a 9.7 star rating on Booking.com. This I had never seen before! I've also never seen anything in this price range either away from both a beach and a major city. After 2 minutes of going back and forth with myself curiosity got the better of me and I made an executive call. I booked the $250 room at the Sri Lankan resort in the middle of the jungle. Now all I had to do was find it before the bike broke down yet again....
SRI LANKA, KANDY: My whole life I've always hated hotel breakfasts with a passion! Yes, PASSION! Dry crispy flavorless white bread with a bunch of cereals and toppings no man would ever choose were he staring into his own fridge. On top of that they end ridiculously early (so that most people won't be able to make it to this 'free' meal'. So why even bother? Well, seeing as this was the priciest hotel I've ever stayed at, I was kind of obligated to at least see what this Sri Lankan jungle hotel breakfast looked like.. .
SRI LANKA, KANDY: After a brief drive to the nearest town called Ukuwala, I asked around for the nearest store selling entertaining beverages. My plan was to simply film a minute or two of interacting with the shop owners before driving back to my hotel. That was until I ran into Sri Lanka's fine white wine man!
SRI LANKA, MATALE: On my way from Matalel to Dambulla I suddenly spotted a woman selling fresh king coconuts, avocados and others delicacies on the side of the road. I’m always intrigued by little one man operations such as this so decided to go for a little investigation. Turns out this little store was not just a business though but someone’s home.....
SRI LANKA, UDAWELA: Sri Lankan roads are not for the faint hearted. Neither is the process through which Sri Lankan villagers clear their lands of unwanted vegetation. Combine the two and you have a situation that resembles Dante’s Inferno within minutes! So how do the villagers control such situations and is there any help at hand?
SRI LANKA, UDAWELA: One of the greatest things about road trips in Asia are the ubiquitous stalls along the highways selling everything from pork chops to umbrellas. After driving through the fire you saw in the last episode I was mighty thirsty for some refreshments. Enter random fresh water lake with sandy beach and woman selling fresh orange juice. This juice however, although fresh, did come with a twist.....
SRI LANKA, ELLA: Sri Lanka is a land of opportunities. Yet, despite actually doing my utmost to meet local entrepreneurs and established business owners I found it incredibly difficult do just that. But whilst on a long drive though the mountains and tea plantations of Ella I finally stumbled upon one by pure accident. What he told me was a mighty impressive story of how he'd taken the leap to open his own little tea shop at the age of 26. Is this man Sri Lanka's next Ceylon tea millionaire? This called for a full-scale Harald investigates!
SRI LANKA, ELLA: As much as enjoy touring a country by motorbike it does come with one major downside. You only meet people for a few minutes every time you stop for food or petrol and then you're on your way. You really do miss out on a more wholesome experience. For that there's nothing better than traveling by train. Preferably in third class. People there are always in a an exalted mood and eager to socialize. I don't know if it's the sound of the railway joints colliding with the steel wheels or the fact that people all know we're gonna be stuck together in this confined space for hours ahead. So that was my plan for the day. Park the bike at my hotel and travel by train, on what has been deemed the best railway journey in the world, starting in Ella. But that was just the beginning...
SRI LANKA, HAPUTALE: After unsuccessfully trying to find something that looked edible and unlikely to make for a troublesome return bus journey to Ella, I opted for the safety of a Snickers and Mars bar. With my newfound sugar high it was time to check out the local Haputale market. Perched high on a cliff side adjacent to the train station, this market offers stunningly high views and correspondingly low prices. A rare combination. So just how cheap is this market and what do they sell here? Why is the Yes Man of Haputale following me? And did I manage to escape the Yes Man of Sri Lanka in the end?
SRI LANKA, BANDARAWELA: After the rock bottom prices at the Haputale market shopping spree I knew it was impossible to find cheaper goods in the city of Bandarawela. But after the street barber rejected me for a shave I had some time to spare before my bus back to Ella. So I decided to go for yet another mega bargain hunt trip at the largest market in this part of Sri Lanka: Bandarawela Market. As usual I met quite a few characters. None as wild as the now legendary 'Yes Man of Haputale', but one did come close: The Bandarawela Market Playah, who proudly (and unapologetically) was parading around with what others described as: NOT his wife!
SRI LANKA, YALA NATIONAL PARK: In Sri Lanka there are five star hotels and then there is the Wild Coast Tented Lodge. An ultra luxurious all inclusive resort located inside the boundaries of Yala's National Park. This one of a kind hotel is unrivaled, not only in terms of scenic beauty but in price. At $900 a night, your hotel room is actually not even a room but a tent. Given this price and Sri Lanka's current tourism 'situation', you may be thinking they're struggling to rent these rooms out. You'd be very wrong. I had to wait two days before I was able to get a room here. But was it a wait worthwhile? Is it worth the money? And what does this ultra luxury hotel room look like? Join me on a luxury version of Harald Investigates as I tour my hotel room, check out all its features in great detail and live through my first ever all inclusive resort experience.
SRI LANKA, YALA NATIONAL PARK: As the sun set on Sri Lanka’s ultra luxury resort in Yala’s national park my day was by no means over. Determined to make the utmost of this incredibly expensive stay I ventured out to my private swimming pool with the flashlight and sat there in silence searching for wildlife. Lucky for men it turns out that the hotel’s staff and the rangers were far more adept at that than me. The next day I go for my second ever five star hotel dining experience before embarking on an elephant safari.
SRI LANKA, SIGIRIYA: After locating the entrance and bypassing the Japanese tour group I was ready for a brief climb to see the famous 1600 year of frescos and scale the summit of the Sigiriya rock. Initially I thought it would be a brisk 10 ascent. I was wrong....
ITALY, VENICE: Sometimes it’s ok to splurge. Or at at least that’s what I told myself before I rented a Venetian Palazzo on Airbnb for myself and 8 friends whilst in Italy for the weekend. Given the outrageously expensive price tag it should come as no surprise that it was also incredibly spacious and lavishly furnished. So just how luxurious was this fabulous one of a kind Italian apartment?
ITALY, FLORENCE: Florence is famous for her beef but the Florentines also love a good pork chop. So do I! So come along as I wander the streets of Tuscany's capital in search of Italy's finest pork sandwich.
You guys have requested a Q&A video for years. So I finally caved. If there are any questions you'd want me to answer in future Q&A's please let me hear it in the comment section.
ITALY, FLORENCE: Ever since I arrived in Florence people have been telling me to please try the famous dish named lampredotto. Often sold as fast food from vans on the streets of Florence this dish have a rather exotic ingredient: the 4th stomach of a cow! Not one to shy away from an Italian street food challenge, THIS was something I had to try!
ITALY, FLORENCE: Of all the great achievements of Renaissance Italy, one reigns supreme. The construction of an epic brick dome by Brunelleschi in the middle of the 15th century. This architectural masterpiece has stood the test of time and you can still walk on top as well as inside it in the year 2019. So that's exactly what I did whilst giving you guys a little tip on how to enjoy history to the max on your travels.
ITALY, FLORENCE: Tuscany's capital is world famous for its Bistecca Alla Fiorentina. A type of beef that isn't necessarily slayed locally but instead derived from a special breed of bull and prepared in a specific manner which dates back to the middle ages. Traditionally they are served extremely rare! As a huge connoisseur of beef, this was naturally something I had to try and film for you guys. I therefore started sampling various restaurants across Florence over two weeks ago in search of the finest T-bone cut in he city. In all honesty I've yet to run into a bad steak anywhere in this city. But there is one restaurant I keep coming back to that offers the best value in terms of price and quality: Trattoria Dall'Oste. Hence why I choose this restaurant to showcase Florence's greatest dish. So did I defeat the mighty 1.6kg T-bone steak put in front of me? And were I able to walk afterwards?
ITALY, FLORENCE: Upon my first visit to Palazzo Vecchio I realized I was in over my head. It's a fantastic museum to wander around in on your own but as I walked from one magnificent room to the next I started to get increasingly annoyed at not having a guide to explain the art, rooms and history of the place. Well, I wasn't going to make that mistake twice. Enter my Sri Lankan connections. They were able to get me a freelance guide as a favor to tour the palace with me. Always on the lookout for entrepreneurs to interview and feature I therefore decided to take the opportunity to do a little interview about the life of this Florence tour guide for the benefit of you viewers who dream about also starting for yourself. In between the questions I throw in some images from the walk I did through the Palazzo as well as some reasons for why you should hire a local guide when abroad and ESPECIALLY when in Florence. Local private and group guides are available at (or near) most of the attractions throughout the city of Florence and they'll make your visit to the attractions improve exponentially. I've now been to most of Florence's major attractions albeit I have not filmed at them all nor will I. I just wanted to say that the queues are visitors to Palazzo Vecchio are basically non-existant unlike at all other Florentine attractions. This despite it being by far the greatest attraction of the city in my humble opinion.
ITALY, FLORENCE: The most challenging meal I've indulged in thus far in Florence, wasn't the 1.6 kg T-bone steak but Lisa's Lampredotto. It's not that the sandwich wasn't good. It really was quite tasty! It was more about having the knowledge of what I was eating and somehow muster the willpower to keep munching down on it despite my better judgement. Having seen my Lampredotto video, Martina, Florence's greatest tour guide, challenged me to sample some even more exotic ancient meals of Florence. So down to the 130 year old street food market known locally as Mercato di San Lorenzo I went. Objective: devour the most daring meals the city has got to offer. But first I was lured into taking the job as an Italian street food master chef! My first order, Panino con l'arrosto (whatever that is).
ITALY, FLORENCE: In Mercato di San Lorenzo, Florence's 130 year old Italian street food market, not a single part of the cow goes to waste. The cow's stomach are all local delicacies. The tongue is also devoured and so are the cheeks, liver, heart and everything else. One thing I didn't expect to eat though was the very spring of life itself as one food vendor put it.....
CATANIA, SICILY: Arriving in Catania by bus from Palermo, we drove past the railway station on the way to the hotel. It looked like a lively little eating area with lots of Sicilian street food options for the intriguing tongue. The next evening after an unfortunate meal at the hotel during my first evening in the city, I was ready to try the local Sicily street food delicacy: the mighty horse meat sandwich. Having previously devoured this animal at a restaurant in Serbia, and thinking it too dry to consume regularly, I was curious as to whether horse meat in Catania would have the same texture....
CATANIA, SICILY: Europe's most aggressive volcano, Mount Etna, is located on the Italian island of Sicily. You'd think that given her frequent hissy fits, the latest one which was yesterday, this volcano would be off limits to the general public. But that isn't the case. Mount Etna is Catania's biggest tourist attraction and a mighty entertaining one I must add. I didn't know quite what to expect as I jumped into the funicular taking me half way up the mountain but I knew I was in for an adventure. And Mount Etna didn't disappoint.
CEFALU, SICILY: There's some great deals to be had on Airbnb around the world but not in Italy. If you're hunting for bargain accommodations in this country the B&B's are your best option. Most of them can be found on Booking.com or by simply wandering the streets of the city you just arrived in. Airbnb in Italy is great for expensive apartments in prime locations though. Almost always more expensive than a hotel in the same street, the apartments I've found for rent across this country come with only one major advantage: space. Case in point, this 300 Euro 4 story beachfront apartment in Cefalu Sicily.
THAILAND, BANGKOK: As the world plunges ever deeper into climate cris is, I've made a solemn food vow! To stop eating beef, pork, horse, dogs, cobra snakes and humans and get all my protein from one abundant climate neutral source: bugs and insects! Easier said than done though. As i wandered around Bangkok's famous night market in Ratchada I ran into one tasty temptuous Thai street food delicacy after the other. From seafood to juicy pork chops and spare ribs, this market had it all. And to make it extra hard to resist, roughly 80% of the market stalls were staffed by hotties! What's a man to do... As I started asking for directions to the bug street vendors I had a bright idea! But would Greta approve?
THAILAND, BANGKOK: Bugs are highly rich in protein. But there's a catch. They look somewhat unappetizing. They're also quite weird to chew down on. But can our aversion to putting these creepy crawlies in our mouth be over come by seasoning, spices and a crowd cheering you on? I went to find out in Bangkok's famous Ratchada Rot Fai market where I tried every bug, incest and Scorpion on the menu. But did I manage to keep it all down..... ?
HANOI, VIETNAM: Vietnam's capital is fast catching up to the other mega cities of South-East Asia like Bangkok, Manilla and Saigon in when it comes to economic growth. Case in point, the city's skyline is now littered with flashy new hotels sporting roof top terraces giving international tourists a taste of the high-life few of them could afford back home. (Myself included!) Only having been modestly satisfied with the hotel I stayed in the last time I was in Hanoi, I decided to pay a little extra to see what you'd get in the 4 star hotel range. Did O'Gallery Classy hotel & Spa downtown Hanoi live up to her promise? And how well do the locals speak English in Hanoi these days? That and more in this first video from Vietnam.
HANOI, VIETNAM: As I was making a street tea video in the centre of Hanoi I stumbled upon an old temptation of mine which made me reminisce about India: a street barber. Not just that, this barber was female! Something I've never seen this before as this is a heavily male dominated profession. The only problem was I don't want to cut my hair and I also didn't even have a 2 day beard to shave! The only thing the barber could go to work on would be my treasured precious goatee!!!! So what was a straight white male to do?
HANOI, VIETNAM: After having the conversations from the $2 shave video translated by you guys I realized that the awesome woman who was selling those postcards was even more awesome than I'd initially thought. She thus warranted a Harald Investigates! The only problem was she wasn't selling the postcards at the same location next to the barber. Dismayed I decided to cross the road for some of Hanoi's finest Noodles known as Fo (probably not the proper spelling), as I didn't want to have travelled across town for nothing. As soon as I'd crossed, I heard a familiar voice say Hello....
HANOI, VIETNAM: During my first visit to the famous train street in Vietnam's capitol Hanoi, I thought given the amount of cafes there, that it would be an even livelier area at night. So after a visit to the gym and a well deserved (and mucho mucho needed) shower, I went back to see if I could not only catch a train hurtling by, but some entertaining beverages as well. . . Before I started filing a spent roughly an hour and a half here. It really is the coolest place to meet locals as well as other Asian tourists in possibly the whole city. Elsewhere people can be less talkative and groups of people somewhat hard to break in to. Not here...
HANOI, VIETNAM: One of the most unique hotels I've ever slept in was the newly opened Capsule hotel in Hanoi. When I stayed there back in May I was one of their first customers. Knowing there was nothing about this hotel on Youtube I decided to Vlog the whole check-in process and stay. As I now find myself back in Hanoi one of you guys wrote that the hotel really liked my video and that they're looping it in the reception 24/7. This I had to investigate....
HANOI, VIETNAM: When it's pork o'clock it's important to dress to impress. You don't want to be the odd one out at the pork party. That's why I decided to sport my Hugo Boss blazer and shirt as I sampled some of Hanoi's unique Vietnamese street food. After the pork had been secured, I continued a little tour of this downtown food market before withdrawing to my private quarters to sample the greatest delicacy known to man: pork cake!
HONG HA, VIETNAM: Just because you're traveling in a country where you don't speak the local language doesn't mean you can't stop for a laugh with the locals. Case in point, my current roadtrip through Northern Vietnam. Whenever I see something interesting I stop to investigate. Here's a collection of chance encounters I had with random strangers today in the North of Vietnam.
HONG HA, VIETNAM: After 2 hours of sleep it was time to hit the road for a Vietnamese breakfast. The only problem was, I don't know anything about what people eat in the morning. I was curious to find out though. So after a brief stop at a gas station I scouted out 3 little Mom & Pop roadside restaurants, all preparing for a morning rush of hungry customers. Eager to experiment, I chose the most exotic looking dish on offer.... does anyone know the name of it?
BAO HA, VIETNAM: I felt like I'd been on the road for a week, yet it had barely been a couple of hours. Little did I know the today's journey had just begun. Up until 10AM riding around the villages and hills of Northern Vietnam is a cool leisurely experience. That changes abruptly once the sun truly gets going. Luckily there are a ridiculous amount of things to see and keep your mind off of the heat along the roads. For every time you stop, you must of course indulge in the peace pipe ritual the locals are so fond of with their unquenchable thirst for the strong tobacco known as thuốc lào...
LAO CAI, VIETNAM: After over 13 hours of riding on the most horrific of roads, albeit with countless stops along the way, I'd finally arrived in the Northern Vietnamese city of Lao Cai. From here you can look across a tiny river straight over to China. If you have a visa for china you can also cross over here by foot. Sadly I don't have one. A journey I thought would be merely a time consuming monotonous ride along endless rice fields had actually turned out to be one of the more entertaining rides of my YouTube career due to the many welcoming people i met along the way. But just a few hours short of the border I ran into a guy who turned out to be the friendliest of all....
HAI PHONG, VIETNAM: My main motivation to explore Vietnam's northern most regions, other than mountains with tiered rice fields, was to go shopping in a Hill Tribe market. Now these colorful hill tribe markets are harder to find than you'd think. Many are only once per week, often on Saturday, and are staged in far flung mountainous locations. After a little research I did discover one that was open everyday and only a 90 minute drive from Lao Cai. Seeing as it only required a 60 minute detour from the direction I would otherwise have driven in, I decided to go for it.
LUNG PHIN, VIETNAM: I've always wanted to see the terrace rice fields in the mountains of Vietnam. We've all seen photos of these stunning testaments to mankind's most formidable invention; agriculture, but what are they like in real life? Do they live up to the hype and how easy are they to find? Not knowing what to expect I set out east, trailing along Vietnam's northern most border with China in search of the most stunning mountain range I could find.
NORTHERN VIETNAM: It was a little after 10 o'clock and the sun was starting heat things up. To protect my much coveted albino complexion I stopped to put on some sunscreen. Almost immediately a man started yelling Hello from his window. This happens all over Northern Vietnam as people are incredibly eager to say Hello to tourists. As the man ventured out from his wooden stilt home to come and talk to me he seemed mighty curious about this lotion I was putting in my face. I offered him some which in turn set off a remarkable turn of events.... ■ This won't make any sense unless you've seen the vid but when you have, if you're pondering why would I ask for water and then not dare to drink it? At first I thought maybe they ran a little corner store from the house adjacent to their hut. I thus conjectured they'd have new bottles there. When I finally got a glass though, and saw where it came from, I can assure you I would've drank it if it wasn't for the fact that I was Vlogging. I have so many videos to film and I can't afford to lose 5 days to recover from some stomach illness when my visa is only for 2 weeks.
VIETNAM: After struggling to get out of a mountain city with the most confusing road system I've ever encountered (I drove through the city 3 times) I finally emerged into a valley. Upon closer inspection looked like a beautiful river was running through it. This called for a Harald Investigates! So down into the valley I went until I reached a shoddy looking bridge....
VIETNAM: After a VERY long but extremely successful day riding through mountains of Northern Vietnam, I faced a somewhat serious dilemma. The sun was a bout to set and Google Maps said I was still hours away from my final destination. Not that I truly had one as I was winging it taking random roads this day but I had a tentative goal where I at least knew there were hotels. Reaching that city now seemed impossible. I thus decided to stop at a cafe overlooking some incredible rice fields. This set of a chain reaction of curious events...