- TRAVEL DIARYMoments Together (Friends)Turkey

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...
Daily NotesTurkey

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,...
- TRAVEL DIARYMoments Together (Friends)Turkey

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...
- TRAVEL DIARY7 CaucasusDaily NotesGeorgia

Balcony in Batumi @ Batumi, Georgia, January 11, 2020

For the past 5 weeks, I lived in a rented flat in Batumi, Georgia. The goal was to prepare written proposals and applications for some programs that I consider as my potential next step after travels. The lifestyle was almost completely sedentary and non-social, which made a clear contrast with the one I was having before. In this comfortable modern ‘cave’, my best friend was the balcony. It let me feel the fresh air and helped me keep things in perspective, both physically and figuratively. I...
- TRAVEL DIARY7 CaucasusArmeniaDaily NotesWhat I Had Today (Food)

Khurjin, Tolma, and pomegranate tea @ Lavash Restaurant, Yerevan, Armenia, November 22, 2019

Armenia often fails to attract travelers’ attention due to other popular destinations in the region, such as Georgia and Turkey. But during my 10 days of stay in the country, I was pleasantly surprised by its charm in several aspects. Despite the small land size, Armenia boasts a long history, a strong sense of identity and rich cultural heritage both in tangible and intangible forms, which includes its cuisine. ‘Khurjin’ in the Armenian language means ‘pouch’ or ‘bag knot’. This traditional Armenian dish contains a large...
- TRAVEL DIARY7 CaucasusArmeniaMoments Together (Friends)

Family with love @ Sevan and Yerevan, Armenia, November 19 and 21, 2019

Family with love It was only my second evening in Armenia but it already felt like it had been a lot. The first day I had to drive for hours at night on unpaved roads trying to find a guesthouse that is still open during the off-season, only relying on offline maps. The second day, I realized that the exhaust pipe between two catalytic converters came off, probably due to the shocks taken from the roads. And it took several hours to find a confident mechanic...