The Backpack Foodie has won the Fantastic Story Weaver award from Morocco Tours!

It's crowded, happy, polluted, noisy and filled with food smells. No wonder the Backpack Foodie likes Mexico City so much.

Where has the Backpack Foodie been these last few months? In a nutshell: falling in love with the Middle East, raising pigs in rural Canada, and running himself happy.

Down Souq al-Hamadiyya in the Syrian capital of Damascus lies Bakdash: possibly the best ice cream in the world.

Three weeks in Istanbul provide a chance to experience the city as our home in the Turkish metropolis.