Monday, February 28, 2011

Top 10 travel moments thus far

  1. Bobbing in the warm sea at sunset after a long bus ride in Costa Rica, feeling the grime wash away and my cramped-up body relax.

  2. Padding in my socks around the massive tiled courtyard of the Shrine of Hazrat Ali in Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan, white pigeons swirling over its gleaming turquoise domes.

  3. Running through the cobbled streets of Beirut’s Hamra district, cheered on by students and watched over by soldiers atop tanks as I completed my first 10k.

  4. Dipping my fingers in the Arctic Ocean and watching small icebergs float close to shore after a day interviewing inhabitants of bleak native villages.

  5. Stumbling on a circle of men listening to a Kurdish storyteller sing traditional tales in Diyarbakır, Turkey, and being invited to eavesdrop over tea.

  6. Clambering through a crumbling power plant and sleeping in a jail cell during an overnight photography workshop on Alcatraz.

  7. Scrambling away from a charging camel along with a crowd of local spectators at a camel-wrestling tournament near İzmir, Turkey.

  8. Seeing the way Picasso explored themes and ideas in sketches and ceramic works at the Picasso Museum in Paris and feeling like I had a glimpse into thought processes never revealed by the masterpieces.

  9. Looking down into a bubbling red volcanic crater while making the 18.5-kilometer trek over Mount Tongariro in New Zealand.

  10. Returning to Istanbul after my first trip out of the country since moving there and feeling like I was coming home.
This post has been entered into the Grantourismo HomeAway Holiday-Rentals travel blogging competition.

7 comments:

jeannie said...

#9 sounds awesome!

The Turkish Life said...

It was! There were also these wild fluorescent-blue cold acidic lakes, sweeping views, and amazing variations in terrain and temperature. Highly recommended.

Schaufensterbabe said...

Lovely moments. Thanks for sharing them. :)

The Turkish Life said...

Thank you! It was fun to reminisce a bit, especially since I'm mostly stuck in an office these days. Will have to make an effort to have more adventures in 2011...

Emily said...

I hope I have the same experience as #10 when I come back to Istanbul in 2 weeks. :D Siiigh...

The Turkish Life said...

İnşallah, Emily! And I hope you'll be able to read this blog in Turkey then too :&

lara dunston said...

Thanks for your wonderful entry! Just a note to let you know we're announcing winners today.