Istanbul’s City Walls I’m a sucker for ruins, climbing things, and particularly climbing on ruins. It only follows, then, that Istanbul’s City Walls were high on my list of priorities as soon as I caught sight of them. For the budget-conscious backpacker taking public transit into town from the airport, […]
Tag: Middle East
Gold and Spice Souks: The Spicy Side of Dubai
Gold and Spice Souks of Dubai My favorite part of Dubai, just about the only part of town I’ve found that still has a feel of the old and exotic to it, is all the excellent market action. While nowhere near as chaotic as my favorite Central Asian markets, the […]
Istanbul Grand Bazaar – isn’t it grand?
Istanbul: Grand Bazaar I’m a sucker for markets, of every shape size color sound and smell. With a market in Istanbul styling itself the Grand Bazaar, then, how could I not go? In terms of a market, the places honestly wasn’t that great. I swear I only saw 10 different […]
Burj Khalifa by Night
There’s honestly not a whole lot that I like about the flashy new high-rise part of Dubai, but the Burj Khalifa is the one obvious exception. No matter where I see it from at whatever time of day, I always seem to go straight for the camera to try and […]
Chora Church in Istanbul – Not a Chora to Visit!
Chora Church in Istanbul: Magic and Mosaics Ok, so it might not be magic. Though it doesn’t seem to get nearly the acclaim of the Sultanahmet hotspots like the Hagia Sophia or Blue Mosque, the Byzantine-era Chora Church and surrounding area make for an excellent day in Istanbul. The church nearly […]
Istanbul’s Sunday Pigeon Market
Istanbul Sunday Pigeon Market One of the things I really like about lingering in places longer than absolutely necessary to see all the big tourist sites is that I can generally be open to a lot more aimless wandering. Instead of rushing from church to market to church, I also […]
Hey there! I'm Stephen, this is my travel blog, and that's me in the poofy hat.
I'm a photographer / writer traveling since 2008, and I've been doing my best to visit amazing places.
My current focus is Central Asia, because for a hiking and camping enthusiast it's as good as it gets.