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Tskaltubo: The Refugees Living In Georgia’s ‘Abandoned’ Soviet Sanatoriums

Tskaltubo: The Refugees Living In Georgia’s ‘Abandoned’ Soviet Sanatoriums

by Richard Collett | Jul 29, 2025 | ABANDONED PLACES, Abkhazia, Georgia, Stories

I travelled to Tskaltubo, a former Soviet spa town, to hear the stories of Georgia’s Abkhazian refugees, who still reside inside ‘abandoned’ sanatoriums intended as temporary homes. “Hope is the last thing to die,” Lasha told me, standing in the...
Inside Saddam Hussein’s Abandoned Babylonian Palace

Inside Saddam Hussein’s Abandoned Babylonian Palace

by Richard Collett | Sep 4, 2024 | Iraq, Stories, Travel Guides

On the banks of the Euphrates River in Iraq, a crumbling palace stands as a forlorn memento to the demise of a dictator. Here’s an inside look at Saddam Hussein’s abandoned Babylonian palace. “My legs were shaking. I was so nervous,” Maki...
Famagusta: How to Explore Cyprus’ War-Torn Holiday Resort

Famagusta: How to Explore Cyprus’ War-Torn Holiday Resort

by Richard Collett | Aug 22, 2023 | ABANDONED PLACES, Borders, Northern Cyprus

The Cypriot holiday resort of Famagusta, abandoned when the Turkish army invaded the island in 1974, is a war-torn ghost town on the golden sands of Northern Cyprus. Here’s how to explore the Varosha ruins. I set foot on the beach and was instantly dazzled by...
Exploring The Abandoned Diplomat Hotel in Baguio

Exploring The Abandoned Diplomat Hotel in Baguio

by Richard Collett | Jun 18, 2019 | ABANDONED PLACES, Philippines

In the rolling hills above the Philippines’ Summer Capital, the Diplomat Hotel Baguio stands crumbling and forlorn. All that’s left is the shell of what was once a high-end hotel, which since the 1980s has lain completely abandoned. The Diplomat Hotel in Baguio City...
Exploring an Abandoned Soviet Young Pioneer Summer Camp in Kyrgyzstan

Exploring an Abandoned Soviet Young Pioneer Summer Camp in Kyrgyzstan

by Richard Collett | Sep 18, 2018 | ABANDONED PLACES, Kyrgyzstan

Exploring an Abandoned Soviet Young Pioneer Summer Camp in Kyrgyzstan The doors were locked, the concrete paths underfoot were heavily overgrown, the windows were boarded up and shattered glass covered the floors. The dilapidated remains of this Soviet Young Pioneer...
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Hello there, traveller!

I'm Richard. Penguin author. World traveller. History lover. Border nerd and travel journalist.

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Along the Borders chronicles my multi-year journey along Britain's borders, boundaries and frontiers. Published by Penguin Random House, and available now!

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