Next month marks the 20th anniversary of the first issue of Wanderlust. Two decades. Twenty years. Countries have come and gone. Ideologies have collapsed and new ones risen. And don’t get me started about the impact of the Internet. I mean, how did we get by without seeing real-time pictures of what our friends are about to eat from a food stall in Hanoi?
Having said that, I didn’t really appreciate just how long Wanderlust has been around until I dug out photos from my travels back in 1993. That’s one at the top there. I’m in the middle of nowhere in Tanzania sharing a Wanzuki with some new found friends.
There’s a couple of things you’ve probably noticed about the photo. My friends seem to have had a bit of head start on the Wanzuki. And I’ve got a lot more hair. It’s long and blond and starts a lot further down my forehead. And that shirt seems to be making a something of a statement as well.
As they say, shame enjoys company, so I thought it might be fun if the rest of you dug out photos from your travels 20 years ago and posted them in our Photography section. The more embarrassing the better, of course, with extra points for bad hair cuts and questionable fashion sense.
If you don’t have any suitable photos, either because you were always immaculately turned out or weren’t even born, you can still indulge in nostalgia by popping over to the Forum and telling Daisy Cropper what you think the biggest changes in travel have been over the last 20 years. Or point hmoat01 in the direction of the greatest engineering marvels you’ve seen around the world. Or reveal to ROBJH the international icons that left you cold. (BTW Rob, I like that the Little Mermaid is little. I was surprised by how close she was to the shore and hence exposed to the groping hands of Italian tourists.)
Rachiejm is Just Back From the River Jordan, checking out the baptism site she heard about in primary school. Suzycatpope, on the other hand, has just returned from a restaurant in Akureyri in Iceland where she ate the best fish in her life.
Things are a bit adventurous over at Experiences this week, Jill24 recounts her adventure exploring the Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia, PeteC crosses the Kyzyi Kum desert from Khiva to Bukhara in Uzbekistan. And most adventurous of all, steve48 tucks into the national dish of the Faroe Islands. Tuck in here.
There are lots of great photos over at our photography section this week. I love steve48’s pics from Hutt River Province. And the colours in clairethomas1484’s images from Ghana are stunning. Treacleminer took me back to one of my favourite places in Iran with an amazing set of photos from Esfahan. And gorgatz’s shots from Anawangin Cove in Zambales is worth checking out too.
So that’s it for this week. Don't forget to have a dig around and find some travel photos from 20 years ago and stick ‘em up on myWanderlust.
Don’t leave me hanging, guys!
