Before coming to India I'd heard and read a lot about the culture shock westerners are susceptible to upon their first arrival in the country. I'd also seen my fair share of documentaries and pictures from India, so had a fair idea of what to expect. This coupled with my experience of travelling in other developing countries made me confident that I would smoothly make the transition to life in India. Paharganj is the area of Delhi where most of the budget travellers and backpackers stay. By all accounts it is a filthy, crowded and chaotic place, teeming with aggressive touts, [View Full Entry]

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These are some randomly assorted pictures we like of turkey. thanks to everyone who has posted messages, we have tried to include a few of ourselves in this one. We are both camera shy but are putting some on as a sacrifice to friends and family. We are now in India so preparing exciting reports about it here, it has been incredible so far. It has been so different from turkey where everything was so organized and clean and expensive. please enjoy these last photos form turkey!! [View Full Entry]

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About halfway along Turkeys Mediterranean coast lies Olympos, a favourite beach destination for Turks and backpackers alike. The water here is a clear pale blue, it is warm, and the lack of tide and waves make it an ideal swimming spot, which makes the unbearable heat bearable. Behind the beach the Lycian city of Olympos lies in ruins. İt flourished from the 2nd century BC, when the Olympians worshipped Hephaestus, the god of fire. This probably has something to do with the chimaera on nearby Mt Olympos. There is gas trapped in the base of the mountain which finds its way [View Full Entry]

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Being interested in food makes traveling even more exciting. Not only do İ like to see different types of foods and learn new ways of preparing familiar ingredients, but İ also enjoy photographıng food. In fact İ photograph nearly every meal İ eat. İ especially love photos of street food, markets and vendors. We in the overdeveloped nations miss out on alot of good fun street food, nothing wrong wıth a nice snack from a cart down on the corner. I also like pictures of pictures of food, please enjoy my food section and don,t worry because i will be taking [View Full Entry]

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Cappadocia is a high desert region of central Turkey. It is famous for its astounding landscapes which are decorated with peculiar rock formations. It is an otherworldly place with the strange shapes of the rock towers and pillars rising against the clear desert sky. Canyons of eroded red rock, the valley floor green with scrub, vegetable plots and trees such as olive, walnut, apricot and mulberry can be hiked through easily. The vegetation is sparse enough that losing the trail doesn't cause panic stations. The remains of cave dwellings make the walking even more exciting. For centuries [View Full Entry]

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A great highlight of Istanbul is the cats that surround you. THere are multitudes of cats of the street, they are sometimes dirty and thin, but often they are just as healthy as can be, and you often see them being fed by kindly benefactors. They tend to live in groups in parks, around mosques and markets, and have their own little territories. Children greet them with delight, but often the kitty is not as delighted with the child. They have their own business to attend to, but will usually stop and give a nice pose for a photo. There is [View Full Entry]

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İt starts off in a fairly typical way, "Hello, yes please!" Regardless of whether this induces any kind of reaction from the passer-by it is closely followed by "Where are you from?" The genius of this is its simplicity. While most westerners have no qualms about ignoring propositions of "yes please" they cannot help but respond to personal questions. So now they have you. An arm goes around your shoulder "Ah, Mel Gıbson!" You might mutter something about Mel Gibson being Australian or American but it,s too late, the ball is in motion. "Come with me my friend". You are then [View Full Entry]

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Istanbul is one of the world's most fascinating cities. It boasts a history reaching back thousands of years. Constantine declared it the capital of the eastern Roman Empire, calling Constantinople the "New Rome" in 330AD. For the next thousand years the city was the coveted gem in the crown of what came to be known as the Byzantine Empire. Many ancient remains of Byzantium can still be visited, the wonderful Aya Sofya remains one of the world's most beautiful buildings, as well as being one of the most interesting historically. Completed first in 537AD under Emporer Justinian, converted i [View Full Entry]

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Indeed there are myriad reasons why people visit Scotland; spectacular scenery, rich cultural history, abundant birdlife, hiking opportunities, the local patter. But take a walk up the royal mile and ask any tourist what attracted them to Scotland. Invariably they will smile contentedly, caress their expanding gut, and tell you that they are here for the food. Scotland's reputation as a culinary superpower is steadily growing (at about the same rate as its residents). With recent statistics crowning the wee country as Europe's largest producer of heart disease and the second most obese co [View Full Entry]

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Returning to Scotland after living in the western USA we found ourselves scoffing at the pitifully inadequate size of the mountains... "I have four and a half thousand feet for breakfast!" Emily bragged. So we resolved to hike up Ben Nevis just to show how menial a task it was. The tourist trail sounded quite boring so decided to hike up Carn Mor Dearg and along the ridge up the north side. Starting at sea level we hiked up through the forest and into the moor where we caught sight of the big mountain. We were enjoying walking along the trail [View Full Entry]

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