Bald and Bankrupt

If you look at a detailed map of Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia you will see some strange shapes appearing in the very south of the country. These are the Soviet formed exclaves belonging to both Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. They were formed in the 1950s to answer the question of what to do with small regions which were ethnically diverse from the Kyrgyz Republic the people had found themselves living in due to Stalin's map making. These exclaves had always intrigued me and I wondered what life was like in them. However there is zero information online about visiting them. However I am always up for a wasted journey so I hired a car in northern Kyrgyzstan and drove 1000kms to one of these exclaves to see if foreigners were allowed to enter or not. Join me on a wild adventure towards the mysterious mountain exclave of Shohimardon...

A week now seems a lifetime ago in terms of the rapidly changing events in Ukraine. I arrived in the country thinking to myself 'Putin isn't mad enough to invade because the Ukrainian people will fight to the death for their country. It will be like Stalingrad.' And yet I was completely wrong to underestimate his insanity. Now as I write this the people who I met in this video are living under bombs and bullets. Unbelievable how much suffering Ukrain e has gone through in its history. I could write so much but I will leave that until my next video. In the meantime I wish the people of Ukraine well and hope for their safety in this terrible war

With reports that the city of Kyiv was soon to be closed off I decided the best thing to do was to join the crowds and leave for the border before being stuck. Whilst it was a sad to see the people leaving their homes behind and taking their kids and pets with them towards an uncertain future it also showed the best of the people. Spirits were high, nobody panicked, people shared food and drinks with each other. It was humbling to be a part of it. I have made plenty of films in Ukraine and so I will be making a sizeable donation to help some people there.

I always thought the Middle East was just rock and sand and full of fanatical nutters. I mean that's all the media ever show us isn't it. And so to cast off my ignorance and prejudice I travelled down to the country with probably the worst reputation of all, Syria. I was joined by Wales's most famous culinary expert @Simon Wilson ( check out his channel for his videos from the trip ) and our new Syrian mate Rami for a journey that both educated and surprised us. Maybe it will surprise and educate you a little bit too and next time you watch some depressing news report from the country you will be able to better draw your own conclusions. Watch this ( the longest video I have ever made ) and find out for yourselves. Shukran habibis.

Earlier this year myself and Alina tried entering an Uzbek exclave surrounded entirely by Kyrgyzstan. If you saw the video you will know that we were not allowed in. But we don't give up that easy...And so when we discovered that there was a new flight route started up from Uzbekistan to the unknown exclave of Sokh we decided we would have to investigate and try to get in somehow to see what lay there beyond the mountains. Oh and it just happened to mean flying on an old Soviet bi-plane. How could anyone resists such an adventure?! Buckle up for a Soviet adventure in the mysterious land called Sokh.

Having travelled to weird and distant locations over the last four years I thought it was finally time to visit my own nation, Great Britain. A land with a rich history and as you'll see if you watch this video, some absolutely great people who are as funny and friendly as you'll find anywhere else in the world. Join me and my mate @Backpacker Ben as we drive the length of Britain visiting towns unknown to outsiders and where we meet some true characters. Rule Britannia!

Since we began exploring the former USSR we have discovered all kinds of wonderful examples of Soviet art and technology. However this time I went in search of the biggest prize of all…I just didn’t realise it would cause such a fuss as it did. Glory to the Soviet space engineers and cosmonauts! Glory to the Buran! Check out the Instagram @lanasator for some great photos from Buran and other areas of the former USSR. Without her advice and knowledge this video wouldn’t have been possible.

Deep in the heart of Eastern Europe lies the nation of Romania. A mysterious land to many with its own history of villains and heroes. And it was in search of one such polarising figure that I began a journey across this land ( by the world’s greatest train ) in the footsteps of Ceaucescu. Join me on this personal journey which I have long dreamed of making as we trace the leader’s final days in power and his ultimate demise. Shoutout to all the friendly Romanian people I met on the journey. The prequel to this video can be found on the Daily Bald channel.

This journey that started for me aged 17 in Anna’s Russian class has now come to an end. I’m glad that you were there to see a huge part of it. From the villages of the Komi republic to the mountains of Dagestan, we have experienced so many adventures ( and Soviet sinks ). I'll always remember the forays into the hinterland and the people I met with great fondness but it's time to to bring the curtain down. Glory to the USSR! Top B

What do you think of when you hear the word 'Afghanistan'? Probably not very good things and that isn't surprising. Afghanistan seems to have been in a perpetual state of war since recorded history began. But with the new government in place and the country supposedly somewhat safer now than at any time in the last 20 years I decided to go and investigate the mysterious landlocked country for myself to see how life was progressing. It was quite the adventure. Welcome to Taliban Land... Please check out Backpacker Ben's YouTube channel for his Afghan videos.

We are all a bit fascinated by Japan aren't we. So distant and yet so modern and futuristic. I'm no different and have always wondered what the country was like however what really intrigued me was what it had to offer beyond the huge metropolis of Tokyo. Was the whole country wealthy and modern and full of robot restaurants and Harijuku fashionistas? Or were the provinces something else? A place that suffers from the same economic and social problems that much of the rest of the world does? Well to find out I set off across Japan with my mate @BackpackerBen to see for ourselves, choosing a random town called Itaigowa from the map. What we found was not the Japan we knew existed.

It's miraculous that the nation of Vietnam even exists because for over 1000 years mightier neighbours have been trying to invade and subjugate it, be that the Mongols, Chinese, French or USA. Yet the Vietnamese held on and defended their land thanks to leaders like Ho Chi Minh. Well I flew in with two friends to explore this proud nation and to re-visit some of its darker past. Join me in this the first part of the journey. To seer other versions of this journey please visit @BackpackerBen and @TimKyoutube who both recorded this journey for their channels called Backpacker Ben and Tim K.

I've met some interesting characters on my travels but not many like Mr. Suck. But before we get to him and his questionable Google translation skills myself and @BackpackerBen had to cross into a mysterious country called Laos. We entered a world not seen by many and in some ways untouched by modern life. Join us on an adventure where my other mate @TimKyoutube will also be with us on our way south to Saigon. Please check out both ben's and Tim's channels for another side to the trip. Channel names: Tim K Backpacker Ben