Greetings! My name is Jack Noah Rees and I’m a teacher and travel writer from a small corner of the Welsh countryside and this is my blog; yes, they do still exist. The purpose of Hit The Road Jack is to narrate my travels to places far-flung as I attempt to road trip and backpack around every sovereign state on earth. If that sounds mildly of interest to you, click here to find out why I’m undertaking this unlikely quest…
Almost a year had passed since I celebrated my hundredth country in Malta, an unusually lengthy interruption to my travels brought about by extensive house renovations and the arrival of Frank, our increasingly demanding Cocker Spaniel.
For those unfamiliar with Maltese geography, and we were very much among them, the nation isn’t just one island but a small constellation of seven landmasses, three of which are inhabited. Our destination was Gozo, the second largest, reached by a brisk ferry from Malta’s northern tip.
Nation one hundred arrived at Malta’s International Airport. It’s been a little over a decade since I set foot on Hawaii’s sun-drenched and rum-soaked shore, starting my voyage to all one hundred and ninety-six sovereign states.
After the infamous lead pipe affair on Beirut’s outskirts, my trip around Lebanon took a gentler turn with a drive north to the picturesque coastal town of Batroun. The weather was perfect: a sweltering Mediterranean morning under a sharp blue sky.
