I paid an impromptu visit to Sri Lanka to apply for a new tourist visa for India (details below) since the previous one expired after 3 months. Frankly I went to this beautiful island unwillingly by interrupting my stay in Goa however, I was glad I did it since I was super impressed by Sri…
Nepal: Kathmandu and Pokhara
The days in Nepal start with namaste and end with namaste. How can someone not be comfortable surrounded by people who see the divine in each other! I thought the Nepalis were very kind people whose faces lit up when they saw us and tried to have a chit chat in any chance they got. And…
Turkey: Istanbul, Izmir, Bodrum
While being originally from Turkey, in the last few years I’ve extended the duration between my visits to my homeland to explore different parts of the world from my home base in New York. This year, I decided to pay a long visit to Turkey during the Xmas-NYE break and ended up spending close to…
Italia: Amalfi Coast and Tuscany
After having returned to the concrete jungle aka New York City from a three month long backpacking trip into the South American jungles, mountains, and beaches, I started itching within a few months to leave the city and breath easily once again. The invitation from the Umbria Film Festival in Italy for a screening of Peace…
Uruguay: My new love affair!
I won’t hide the fact that I was beyond shocked to find Uruguay as a super modern, progressive, young, and beautiful country while expecting it to be old/historic/authentic such as Peru, Bolovia or Paraguay (oops!). But I was sort of relieved when I heard the same misconception from most of my fellow backpackers. All of…
Argentina: A short visit to Buenos Aires
When I landed in Buenos Aires following the 2 months I’d spent in various mountains and jungles of South America, I felt like I had returned back home to Turkey. Buenos Aires reminded me of Istanbul so much especially during the shuttle trip from the airport to the city center: the people lying on the…
Argentina: Volunteering in an Eco Yoga Farm with Hare Krishnas
After having spent 2.5 mos in the South American jungles and mountains with my giant backpack in my company, my next stop was the most peaceful place on earth in Argentina: Eco Yoga Park, which also happened to be a Hare Krishna ashram. Starting from day one, I found myself in the middle of an…
Peru: Long overdue visit to the Incas: Sacred Valley, Cuzco, Pisac, Machu Picchu
Since Iquitos is connected to the outside world only via boat and plane and we had just gotten off the boat on the Amazon River from Colombia to Peru, we decided to pay $325 for a One-way plane ticket with a connection in Lima to reach Cuczo, our next destination. Once we landed to Cuzco…
My ayahuasca journey in the Amazon and where to find the medicine in South America
The main reason of my trip to the Amazon jungle was to experience the Peruvian ayahuasca plant served according to Peruvian traditions and if possible by a female healer. Up until this trip, I had attended a few ceremonies, all of which were led by Colombian shamans. My ayahuasca journey In the last few years…
Peru, Iquitos: Belen market and the visit to indigenous tribes
On our first day in Iquitos, we wandered the streets of Belen market and explored the stands that sold vegetables and all types of meats including chicken, turtle, alligator, monkey, amazon deer, piranha and many other fish. We made our way to Paquito street that offered a wide range of herbal medicine selection including ayahuasca…
3 days on a cargo boat on the Amazon River (from Colombia to Peru)
Dear readers, I’m so happy to see that this is my most read article in my blog and I hope many people have had a chance to taste this amazing experience after me. The info I give here is probably outdated since I did this trip a few years ago. If you have more updated…
Vision Quest Camp and Leticia, the Colombian Jungle
A Vision Quest is a rite of passage in some Native American cultures. It is usually only undertaken by young males entering adulthood but it is now offered to everyone who is striving to finding the path. It is a commitment that people make for 4, 7, 9, and 13 days in consecutive years. The Quester is planted…
