Added: 10/05/2005 |
Tour operators travel to the danger zonesFor many travellers, a place might as well not exist if it isn't listed in the local Lonely Planet. But there is another level of non-existence: a whole swath of regions, conflict areas and breakaway states, off the political map, unrecognised by the international community, where people stubbornly continue to live. Tour operators travel to Transnistria, a self-proclaimed state in a Soviet time-warp on the edge of Moldova; to Somaliland, struggling for independence and international recognition, where a doctor doubles as the foreign minister; to Nagorno-Karabakh, whose borders are lined with Armenian snipers as Azeri refugees vow to reclaim their land.
These destinations feature in the latest series of the BBC's Holidays in the Danger Zone, programmes described as "current-affairs travelogues" where gunmen and poverty are recurring themes. They may not be high on many travel operators, but some of these places can - perhaps should - be visited.
Up until recently, going to Peru and Thailand was exotic, on the edge of exploration - now you go there on your gap year as an 18-year-old, and there's a Boots on Ko Samui. So if you want to push the boundaries a little bit more, where do you go?" Tour operators travel to breakaway republics in the Caucuses and disputed territories in Africa and Asia.
There have been some fabulous traveller's tales and encounters en route - from buying fake passports and drinking snake's blood to finding a field full of abandoned missiles. Having a camera is a double-edged sword: it'll get you incredible access in some places, but also makes others suspicious. Travel operators describe the trips as a bit like going away with a few mates and making a video diary - except few have such surreal moments as suddenly being in the lift chatting with one president, or going fishing with another.
But could anyone, without BBC credentials, really just go there? "Yes, absolutely! Lots of places you can just wander in. You'd have to be the sort of person who doesn't need a Thomson holiday rep to show you around, sure. But you'd also find your money went a lot further."
And the scenery is pretty special. Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, the central highlands of Taiwan - they're stunning, the sort of stuff that makes you go jaw dropping.
Tour operators travel to the remaining outposts of the Soviet empire, the Stalinist empire in Transnistria.You could probably get to Transnistria for a long weekend. From Chisinau, the Moldovan capital, you can just get a bus or a taxi to Transnistria for the price of a bag of chips. If you're on the bus, just sit at the back and keep quiet. But even being stopped by the Transnistria immigration officials is going to be a fun experience; if you're the sort of person who's prepared to go there then you want that sort of thing."
And Somaliland is quite inspirational ... what the locals have achieved there is extraordinary
.In 10 years Somaliland may have international recognition, and people can go and see its fantastic beaches. An acre wide, sand between your toes. "There are decent hotels, and not just by my standard of sleeping in a shithole. They'll arrange a guide and transportation for you. Number-one attraction is the people - I know that sounds corny, but they are inspirational. That aside, there's the rock paintings, the finest Neolithic paintings in the whole of Africa. They've only recently been discovered by a French archaeologist and no tourists go there to see them. So for people who are lucky enough to go, you're seeing a totally untouristy sight. Tour operators travel include driving through the African bush and you get to a village, and you go and see these paintings that are thousands and thousands of years old, and you just look at them in wonder.
Even on the way to them you'll see pre-Islamic burial sites, and you just realise you're travelling through an ancient land which we really know nothing about now. The views are fantastic, and you've got the sea: coral, mangrove, paradise islands just off the coast.
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