Alone Together @ Cappadocia, Turkey, January 18-20, 2020
Alone Together When you are alone, you can be with yourself more closely than ever. The near-complete silence in remote sites is fitting for those reunions. This is one of such memories captured in the vast Cappadocia area. @ Cappadocia, Turkey, January 18-20, 2020
Mercimek koftesi @ Lüleburgaz, Turkey, February 15, 2020
Mercimek koftesi Turkish cuisine is rich and diverse. The Ottoman Empire had allowed the introduction of multiple cultures, and different cuisines co-evolved over time. And I am glad that I had tried at least some of the most iconic dishes during my stay. In Lüleburgaz, a city in western Turkey, I had the pleasure to taste home-made Mercimek Koftesi, or lentil meatball. Its characteristic shape is the result of squeezing it in the palm, and it looks practically the same as Çiğ köfte, or raw meatball,...
with Sibel and Ozlem @ Istanbul, Turkey, February 8th, 2020
with Sibel and Ozlem Last time it was summer and they were travelers, and now it is winter and they are locals. By coincidence, we reunited on a very cold day in Istanbul, and for some time we had to cover our faces as we walked because pieces of snow were getting into our eyes. Although I was a bit unwell that day, I was excited that it felt like a late Christmas for me, with friendly company and snowy streets. Especially when walking across busy...
with Özgür and friends @ Çıtır Balık, Antalya, Turkey, January 26, 2020
Some Turkish friends strongly recommended a fish sandwich place in town. I was happy to learn that the place was only two minutes from where I stay, but from the outside, the popularity seemed overwhelming – the queue for placing orders was long, and there was another queue for the people who wanted to get seated. Trying to figure out how a new place works can be stressful, especially as an illiterate foreigner, but I didn’t hesitate much, anticipating the new experience. By pointing at a...
Arrival @ Antalya, Turkey, January 22, 2020
Arrived in Antalya. From the North East of Turkey, I’ve visited places along a diagonal route to get to Antalya, a city known for its mild climate and beaches. During the past months, I’ve come up with some creative ways to stay relaxed and comfortable in a cold climate, just so that I am still open to new experiences. But, nothing makes me more excited than having to wear a sunblock in the afternoon and not needing a thick coat anymore. @ Antalya, Turkey, January 22,...
Bike riders @ Hopa and Trabzon, Turkey, January 14 and 15, 2020
Bike riders On the first two days in Turkey, I met bike travelers each day. Some of it must have been by coincidence and other could have been due to my desperate energy to meet other people, after a long break in Georgia. The two groups of riders had things in common. They both started in Switzerland, have ridden mostly along the same routes, and they are going eastwards – one group to China, the other to Singapore. They haven’t met each other in person, but...
Listening to Tina @ American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon, January 2019
Although I stayed in Lebanon for a relatively long period of time, I cannot claim that I achieved a good level of understanding of the country. It is a lot to learn about. Lebanon has been shaped by several major civilizations of the world spanning thousands of years, and it is known for being the most religiously diverse in the Middle East. If the country is a book, I only had a few glances at the table of contents. But listening to Tina’s stories helped breathe...
Intellectual Sanctuary @ Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt, February 19, 2019
Intellectual Sanctuary Many visit Egypt with the anticipation of seeing the relics from Ancient Egypt such as mummies of Pharaohs and the Pyramids. But Egypt has been as much Ancient Egypt as it has been Greco-Roman Egypt and Arab Egypt, to name a few. That was why Alexandria came to my attention, and as its name suggests, the city was founded by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. And the Ptolemaic Dynasty constructed the Library of Alexandria, which was one of the largest and most...
This website chronicles Leebong’s journey around the world for 2+ years, for the time being. To find out more, see The Travel & The Why.
To catch me, see Itinerary.
Impressions Series
