Category: Asia
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Cappadocia, Turkey // Why so unique?
Things started off poorly and ended poorly during my trip to Cappadocia, a large region in the center of Turkey. Everything in between was top notch. We walked up to the check-in counter at the airport. We were departing from Athens. I told the woman behind the counter that we were going to Cap-i-doe-she-a. Where? She wanted…
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Istanbul, Turkey // Why am I so scared of mosques?
Istanbul was a whirlwind. I booked a three day private tour to see as much as possible with my limited time there. It is a beautiful city, but what I loved most was how alive it is. After dinner, we walked along the famous Istiklal Caddesi, adjacent to Taksim square. It was well after midnight,…
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Khirbat en-Nahas, Jordan // Why out in the wadis?
It was the spring semester of my junior year of college at UC San Diego. I was sitting through yet another chemistry lecture located deep inside a dark dusty hall. It had been designed, specifically it seemed, to contrast the outside beauty of the beachside campus. Then, the most unexpected thing happened. An anthropology professor…
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Kyoto, Japan // Why the highlight of all highlights?
We were in rough shape by the time we arrived at the Ryokan style hostel in Kyoto, a traditional Japanese style inn. We had summited Mt. Fuji the very same day we arrived, taking a series of local trains. As any traveler can attest, visiting Japan is like visiting the future. One of the many…
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Tokyo, Japan // Why travel in reverse?
Here for the travel advice and not to read my life story? Jump to Travel Recommendations for the tl;dr [too long; didn’t read] to plan your trip to Tokyo now! Two very brave, intrepid, and slightly wayward young travelers arrived through the front door. Their arrival was my first exposure to Japan. Two university students…
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Honshu, Japan // Why Summit Mt Fuji?
Here for the travel advice and not to read my life story? Jump to Travel Tips // Dos & Don’ts for the tl;dr [too long; didn’t read] on hiking Mt Fuji. This was the result of a slow, circling gravitational pull that I had managed to escape during my initial five-year tenure in Atlanta. I…