The end of the road is in sight. With another 100 under my belt, a mere handful of days are left ahead to tease me. And as I confront them, I find myself with an outlook significantly different from any other I have had during this trip. The last several […]
There is something about being Turkish and mountains. In our songs, stories, legends and other cultural elements, we live in them, ascend them, go beyond them, pierce through them (“dağlari delmek”), and so on. During a 22 day road trip with my two close Turkish friends, we constantly found ourselves climbing […]
Knowing absolutely nothing about Kotor, I enjoyed the scenic ride as my bus circled the impressive fjord of Montenegro. Rugged, towering dark mountains rose on all sides, covering most of the country and giving credit to the name Monte Negro, or “Black Mountain.” About an hour after crossing the Croatian […]
I arrived in Colombia with no plans. Names of several towns resided in my mind, possible destinations to check out near Cartagena – Baranquilla, Minca, Santa Marta – too many for 10 days in the country. But I was open to any experience, as my knowledge of Colombia was limited. […]
How does it feel to be back? That is the question that keeps coming my way…usually the first one upon encountering a familiar face, along with “So, what was your favorite place?”..or even broader, “How was it?” How does one summarize 14 months of experience and interaction, stretched across 26 […]
“Irasshaimaseeee” reverberated in unison from behind the bar, greeting me as I inched my way past clusters of Japanese businessmen to the only available space I could spot. On this particular night, that happened to be at the end of the standing bar, right under the tiny flat screen that displayed […]
Over the past few weeks, I have been amazed at some of the objects that I have seen strapped onto the back of, as well as the sides, front, and bottom of motorbikes in Vietnam. When something needs to be transported, it is either really large, or there are many […]
Traveling is exhausting. It’s a peculiar fatigue, however, that arises from extended periods of being on the road. It usually creeps up and hits you at once, and at the most unexpected times. And there’s a certain indifference that accompanies that fatigue. At times, it takes hold of you as […]
