News

Tony and Tatiana riding the unique Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway (8th March 2025)

Tony and Tatiana, his blind Greek partner, are riding the unique Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway on a cool, damp and breezy February day in North Devon, southwest England. This cliff railway, powered by water, is one of only three railways of this type left in the world. Whilst many have been converted to electric power, the Lyndon-Lynmouth cliff Railway still operates by using water power and gravity to move its two coaches between the villages. It was opened on Easter Monday 1890 and has been in continuous use since.

Another InnoSearch Message (21st November 2024)

Hi dear friends and followers :). Some good and interesting news for those of you who like to travel and are blind-visually impaired.
InnoSearch, the US website company that uses AI to help visually impaired people shop more easily online, have  officially launched flights! You can take a look at
https://www.innosearch.ai/flights.
It should be now easier to search and compare flight prices over several sites. Go on, give it a go. I am. Many thanks. Have a great day/ evening.
Thank you, Tony :)

Another Trip Update (14th November 2024)

Tony is now in Guinea-Bissau. He's actually on the island of Bubaque, the main island of the Bijagos Archipelago, off Bissau's coast.

Iron Ore Train, Mauritania! (26th October 2024)

Tony has just return to Nouakchott, Mauritania's dusty capital, after riding the famous Iron Ore train, reputed to be the longest in the world!
18 hours sitting and lying on uncomfortable iron ore! An experience never to be forgotten.
Tony did it with a group of amazing travellers, but he was the only blind person, perhaps the first blind individual to ride the train?!

New Website For Blind Online Shoppers (16th October 2024)

Deer friends and followers,
I’m excited to share an amazing website I recently discovered: Innosearch AI! This platform is designed with blind and visually impaired individuals in mind, making it easier to browse the internet and shop with accessibility at the forefront.
Here are a few highlights:

$10 Free for You: Using my referral code, you’ll get $10 off your first purchase. Plus an additional $10 goes to support my travels as well. It’s a win-win!
Endless Choices: You can search and purchase millions of products across 500,000+ retailers, including big names like Amazon, Walmart, and Target. Whether you’re looking for electronics, groceries, or clothing, there’s something for everyone.
Best Prices Online: Enjoy competitive prices, along with free shipping and free returns on all purchases—no need for Amazon Prime or Walmart Plus!
Innosearch AI truly makes online shopping enjoyable and straightforward for everyone. Try it out now with my referral link: https://innosearch.ai/r/0NFJ6S and experience the ease of accessible shopping!
There is a UK page as well.

Check it out and have fun exploring, shopping, and buying!
Thank you, have a wonderful day
Tony :).

Travel Update (15th October 2024)

Some Exciting news! . 
I'm about to head to Mauritania in northwest Africa for a 7-day group guided tour around the desert. I'm going to ride the famous Iron Ore train, arguably the longest train in the world! What fun! .
I'm also planning to travel overland to Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guinea, again, and visit Sierra Leone and Liberia – two countries I've not visited! 9 weeks of intense heat and exciting adventures! Wish me luck .
Cheers, Tony. .

Travel magazine article (11th October 2024)

I recently did an artilce for a magazine for disabled travellers. Here’s the link below. You can both read and also listen to the article. I hope everyone can access it. I could.

The Adventures of Tony Giles, the blind solo traveller

Tony in Damascus (19th May 2024)

Tony enjoying traditional live music in Damascus, Syria! Tony is on a group tour of Syria with other like-minded travellers. On their first evening in Damascus, Syria’s capital and lively city, Tony and his group heard this traditional dance and music by several local men. The sound and sight was amazing, as you are about to hear and see.

Tony feeding Llamas and Alpacas near Cuzco, Peru (25th October 2023)

Tony feeding a Llama, a four-legged, long-necked, hairy animal, native to Peru. They live in the Andes Mountains and are herbivorous, meaning they eat plant material, as seen in this video. They are related to Alpacas, who live in the same region and are also herbivorous. Tony met and fed these Llamas during his recent adventures near Cuzco, Peru, just before attempting to hike the Inca trail to Machu Picchu, which he partly achieved between 17th-18th October 2023.
Tony having another go at feeding a Llama (or is it an Alpaca?) Llamas are generally taller and larger.

Tony in Sarajevo (18th September 2023)

Tony is on a cable car going up a mountain on the south side of Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on a lovely sunny day. The cable car ride is very peaceful. Tony is alone in the small windowed cabin. The scenery must be fantastic, but Tony can’t see it, so, he’s just enjoying the quiet ride!

Manneken Pis video (11th September 2023)

Tony at the Manneken Pis monument in Brussels, capital of Belgium, on a sunny evening in July. He is with his travel partner, Tatiana. They are enjoying the gentle sound of the little boy pissing!

Flowing water from the boy’s penis! A famous monument and statue in Brussels, it has been in Belgium’s capital from at least the 16th century and, possibly, before. Manneken Pis is so famous, people even make clothes for the little guy. There is now also a ‘Pissing girl’ monument. Mannekin Pis now is, unfortunately, surrounded by metal bars, to prevent him being stolen or damaged.

Go to Brussels and say hello to Mannekin Pis!

Videos in Cameroon (5th March 2023)

Tony admiring Lobé Falls.

Tony in a small wooden motorised boat on the Lobé River admiring Lobé Falls (Les Chutes de La Lobe), a large waterfall just south of Kribi, Cameroon.
Tara Beach, Kribi, Cameroon.

Tony is listening to the crashing waves roll in on Tara Beach in the seaside town of Kribi in south Cameroon on a warm evening. The wind is blowing and the sand under Tony’s feet is soft.

Tony and Tatiana at Kents Cavern prehistoric cave system (13th February 2023)

Tony and Tatiana on a paid guided tour of Kents Cavern, a prehistoric cave system near Torquay on the Devon Riviera, in the south-west of England. 7th February 2023.

As people can see and hear, the knowledgeable guide is giving details about the origin of the cavern system’s name as Tony and Tatiana, along with other tourists, wander through this remarkable ancient cave system. This cave system, with its many fascinating chambers, is part of the English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark.

Tony with Flamingos (17th December 2022)

Tony is just outside Walvis Bay on Namibia’s Atlantic coast and is surrounded by thousands of pink flamingos; large birds with long legs and necks. They seem to be eating small fish or insects in the mud of the lagoon. The voice heard on the video is Tony and his local taxi driver and friend, Max, who Tony met previously on his trip to the Cape Cross Seal Colony. Video taken on Thursday, 15 December 2022. A lovely sight of nature.

Quad biking in Namibia (12th December 2022)

Tony is on the back of a quad bike, being driven up and down the sand dunes of the mighty Namib Desert, just outside the small tourist town of Swakopmund, on the mid Atlantic coast of Namibia, Southern Africa. Taken on Saturday, 10th December 2022.

See the awesome sight of sand dunes in the background and sand flying everywhere. Tony is sat on the back, holding on for dear life as he is driven at high speed through these amazing sand hills. What great fun!!!

Go check it out then come to beautiful Namibia, with its diverse landscape and kind, wonderful, friendly people and tasty food. Cheers, Tony the Traveller :).

Tony standing at the Mouth of Hell (24th November 2022)

Tony is standing at the Mouth of Hell (Boca do Inferno) in the south part of São Tomé island. Sea waves enter an underwater cave on the south side of São Tomé island and, with nowhere to go, shoot straight up through a large natural hole in the volcanic rock. The sound and sight is tremendous, as this video clearly shows. One of many reasons to visit beautiful São Tomé.
A second great video of Tony standing at the ‘Mouth of Hell’ on the south-east side of the beautiful island of São Tomé. The sound of crashing, exploding waves under pressure is remarkable and spine-tingling!
Final video of Tony with Boca do Inferno (the mouth of hell)!

Tony in Yerevan (3rd November 2022)

Tony is with his lovely Armenian tour guide and friend, Hasmik Babalaryan, with a beautiful fountain in Republic Square (Hanrapetut′yan hraparak, known locally as Hraparak, “the square”), centre of Yerevan, capital of Armenia. This video was made on afternoon of 24th October 2022 – Tony’s last day in Armenia after he visited to attend and speak at the Extraordinary Travel Festival that occurred in Yerevan between 14th-16th October 2022.

Tony in North Armenia (21st October 2022)

Hi everyone. Hope this finds people well, busy, keeping warm and not struggling too much. I hear times are tough. Especially in the UK, with Prime Ministers and cabinets constantly coming and going like there’s no tomorrow! What a bloody mess! Anyway: I’m in North Armenia, now in the small city of Dilijan in a nice, small guesthouse with kind staff. Not much English however, and I’m not exactly sure where I am!

I’ve spent the past week in wonderful Yerevan at the Extraordinary Travel Festival; a gathering of extreme travellers! Check out the amazing The Blind World Traveler video by Gustav below.

I did some excursions out of Yerevan to many churches and monasteries with a lovely, young, Armenian tour guide named Has, she’s wonderful. Then, with Has’s help, I took a shared taxi to Gyumri, Armenia’s second city, in the north. Had a nice one-day guided tour around Gyumri’s quiet, charming city, spent one night in a very quiet guesthouse and today, made my way to Dilijan by way of two taxies, one shared and one private! Buses only seem to run at certain times or when there are people to fill them. Anyway, I’m settling in, relaxing and waiting to see what tomorrow will bring.
Cheers everyone. Stay safe, be well. Tony the Traveller :).

Blue Mountains video photos (23rd September 2022)

Tony riding the Scenic Cableway with other tourists at Scenic World, a tourist attraction in the picturesque Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. It’s located about a 2-hour drive from Sydney.

Check out Tony’s latest photos here.

Surfing videos, NSW, Australia (15th September 2022)

Tony at his first attempt at surfing: totally blind and severely deaf in both ears. He can’t see or hear anything, as he can’t wear his hearing aids in the sea! What fun!
Tony’s second attempt at surfing in the sea, off a sandy beach near Long Jetty, Central Coast, NSW, Australia on a sunny and windy afternoon. Afternoon of 12th September 2002. Tony’s having a wet time, swallowing half the ocean! The idea of surfing is to lie on a curved shaped surfboard and line yourself up with the waves and follow them into the beach. After feeling the first wave flow over the board, Tony was meant to push up on his arms, get his right knee onto the board and push up on his right leg and move his left leg up onto the board and stand on the board at a sideways angle and surf the waves! Unfortunately, as this video shows, Tony did not quite do this! It was great fun trying though!
This is my last attempt to master surfing! Nearly there, but not quite! A realisation of how hard learning to surf realise is! It took a lot of strength and energy. I went out of my comfort zone, something which is always worth doing!
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