Maps are for the weak.

Bosnia - the photos

2013-11-14T12:46:00.025-08:00

Sarajevo

Mostar

Sarajevo

All photo credits go to my partner in crime.

195 of 'em

2013-11-14T12:06:00.016-08:00

Visited:
Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Costa Rica, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France (including French Polynesia), Germany,Greece, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland,Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

To go:
Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros, Cote d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Fiji Gabon Gambia Georgia Ghana Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hungary
Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Jamaica Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea Oman Pakistan Palau Papua New Guinea Paraguay Philippines Poland, Qatar Republic of the Congo Romania Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Swaziland Syria Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkmenistan Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe

* Palestine, Vatican City, Taiwan

The mystery of the waffle

2013-09-25T04:56:00.040-07:00

Whenever you travel there is always that one food you miss terribly. Often, it is something you wouldn't necessarily want all that often but now that you can't have it you want it constantly.

My food cravings tend to be breakfast items. I enjoy the odd pancake at home (although, more often than not I like them for dinner instead of breakfast), but once I'm on the road I crave them incessantly. The thick doughy goodness of American breakfasts fills my empty ache for home.

So you can imagine my delight when we walked around my Istanbul neighborhood and I saw several nearby places advertising waffles. Neon signs! Pictures of bright green kiwi toppings! Whipped cream! I filled my head with plans to eat one every day. Every single day until I never wanted a waffle again.

Alas, there is apparently some secret of the waffle I do not understand.

It all started on Monday when I eagerly went into the nearest waffle place (which is quite literally next door) for breakfast.

"ONE WAFFLE PLEASE" I said in my horrible yet functional Turkish.

The man just shook his head. "It is not the time."

My confused expression caused him to offer a long explanation in Turkish, but unfortunately I did not understand any of it.

"No waffle?" I tried again.

"No."

I sadly ordered something else for breakfast. However, I still wanted my breakfast prize and decided on Tuesday to try again. I went to a new restaurant at a new time, and ordered. I got the same response: it was not the time. I then realized I had never actually seen anyone eating a waffle. Did they even exist?

Since then I have attempted many times, but have never got what I seek. I shall try one last time. I will go to yet a new restaurant at dinner time and see if I have any luck - maybe they are a dessert instead of a breakfast. Will it be time?

[EDIT 2021: In 9 months in Turkey, I managed to get a waffle ONCE. I still don't know the secret of the waffle.]

Istanbul - the beginning

2013-09-19T21:37:00.007-07:00

Well, we have landed safely in Istanbul. And all I can say is - WOW. It's absolutely beautiful and hectic and I'm in love.

Hagia Sophia

Blue Mosque

Beyoğlu, Istanbul

View over to the Asian side

View from bridge crossing the Golden Horn

Crossing Golden Horn again

Inside the Hagia Sophia

2011 Pictures from Peru, Round 2

2011-06-02T06:54:00.002-07:00

Jesucristo is always watching

Bay at Ilo

Where all the yummy avocados and cherimoyas grow!

2011 Pictures from Peru

2011-06-01T10:07:00.002-07:00

While I recover from a ridiculously long trip home, I figured I'd give you some pretties to look at. Click on the images to see the big versions.

Boats in bay of Ilo, Peru

Moquegua, Peru

Fields along Rio Moquegua

Santa Catalina Convent

2011-01-28T13:50:00.002-08:00

I've already written about Arequipa's convent, but I figured it deserved a bigger post.

Began in the late 1500's, the convent was originally built to house nuns (and their servants) from the upper-class of Peru. Over the following 4 centuries, the complex eventually became a small city within the center of Arequipa, boasting a maze of rooms, streets, chapels, kitchens and beautiful gardens. However, while a few nuns still live there today, they now occupy only the northern corner. The rest of the convent has been turned into a beautiful public museum. FOR YOU!

The museum is inexpensive (about $10) and laid back. You are free to wander around for as long as you want, but I believe there are guides too. Inside there is also a cafe and gift shop selling religious objects, although I have to admit I haven't really checked these out fully. Oh, and as a bonus: I've even see advertisements for special night-time tours (I can only imagine how breath-taking/romantical it is at night).

It is definitely worth visiting, if only for the incredible photography. The vibrant colors make it really difficult to take a bad photo, and you'll get to feel really good about yourself when you later look at these pictures. Trust me.

But aside from that, the museum has some really cool displays of colonial furniture, art and technology. Plus it is nice to have a quiet area to just enjoy the day and avoid the craziness that is the plaza de armas of Arequipa.

Perfection