I was particular taken by Yamidave’s tale over on Experiences this week. He was riding south and heading for Turkey, but decided to take a side trip to Hvar in Croatia. Five days turned into four weeks and Turkey was put on the backburner. It was one of those serendipitous moments that you get in travel – when you make a spontaneous decision and it turns out to be the making of your trip.
I found it was like that on Experiences this week. I dipped in and out of stories, finding myself in places I’d never imagined, constantly changing an itinerary for future journeys with each tale. R Lishman convinced me that I need to get back to Seoul and try the fried eel buffets. Moviegeekjn’s account of a trip to the Star Wars set in Tunisia had me checking flights to that neck of the woods (little known fact: I accidentally visited the film set of The Mummy in Morocco and was unceremoniously bundled off to the nearest town). And Steve48 had me hankering for a time machine so that I could get arrested in the former USSR too.
While you’re over at Experiences, make sure you check out frere’s posts on teaching in Vietnam and a journey of excess through Peru. (And frère, don’t give up – the quirks of myWanderlust take some getting used to. But you do get used to them!)
Ocelus is just back from Liverpool and watching the sun setting over Antony Gormley’s iron men on Crosby Beach. I like it better when the tide comes in and they look like they’re drowning. I guess that says more about me than I should really share. Melissaniemandt is drying off after taking a dip in Belize with assorted sea creatures there but didn’t seem to bump into AlycewithaY, who was having a lovely time in Belize too, albeit over at the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife sanctuary. PeteC has returned from stepping back in time at Shimla and MSJ1981 is back from Rome and throwing coins, eating gelato and sleeping on steps.
Over at the Photography section, R Lishman shares highlights from her trip around South America and Tr4velbunny posts a set of images from Pammukale in Turkey. I wondered where all the people were – when I went you could swim in the pools – but it seems things are more restricted tan they were ‘back in the day’. Makes for better photos though.
Elsewhere, PeterJ2002 has gone all Ansel Adams on us with black and white photos from America’s west. Chandaala posted another set of stunning people shots from India, this time concentrating on mystics and holy men. Helen Bamber takes us to Islay, Donna McDowell leads us through the Balkans and nilanmeg shows us around an impossibly green Sri Lanka.
Finally, make sure you check out vkhaltan’s spooky set on birds. The one he has chosen to illustrate his set will give you nightmares for the rest of the week.
And on that cheery note…
