Arriving into Stepankert—Nagorno-Karabakh’s capital—under the premises of an ongoing armed conflict with Azerbaijan, a dispute that has been going on for decades and has cost the lives of thousands of people, dimmed the light that had been shining in my eyes since the first moment I read about the possibility of a solo-trek across this highly problematic region…. (continue reading)
Fact: Everything is funnier with a mild buzz. This was truer than ever the day I found myself hitchiking my way down from Tbilisi to the David Gareja Monastery, in the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan. The first stop had been in Rustavi, a small city south of Tbilisi with not much to offer but semi-abandoned… (continue reading)
I arrived to Cappadocia on an overnight bus from Antalya and, after having spent several days on the sunny coast, stepping out into the cold streets of Göreme was like entering a dream. The sun was barely rising and as I walked up the slippery cobblestone streets, dozens of hot air balloons floated silently over my head. Unmoving, you could think they have always been there,… (continue reading)
“You are lucky,” said Mehmet, as he parked the car on the curb of the road. “We usually have to stop way before this point.” Gusts of wind hitting the vehicle with an angry force; and right in front of us, the snow covering the rest of the path to Nemrut Dağı implied that we would have to walk under… (continue reading)
As I was dusting off my sweater, after falling from a small mound of loose rocks, I looked up at the closed gate and the big blue sign on top of it, blocking the entrance to Taxiarhis—the “Upper Church” of Kayaköy. “For your own safety, entrance to the building is strictly prohibited.” “Well,” I thought. “What’s the point… (continue reading)
You know that feeling you get when you’re certain you’re about to do something stupid? That beeping sound in your head—your instinct telling you to get the hell out of there, you dumbass. Well, that was me at almost 2,000 meters above sea-level, as we were deciding whether we should continue walking forwards over the Tatra Mountains ridge line… (continue reading)
How long have you been in Israel for?”, they asked as we were going up the first ladder that would take us up to the entrance of the Wadi Tamar canyon, in the Negev Desert. “We arrived at 1am. So around 8 hours, I guess…”—I said, with a worried smile and black under my eyes… (continue reading)
From the moment I realised Tajumulco was the highest volcano in Central America—more than 4200m high—I made it my goal to see the world from the top, an amazing hike through the Guatemalan wilderness, completely different from the hike I had done to El Mirador, but incredibly beautiful nonetheless. On the way to the top The hike… (continue reading)