The country of Georgia has been making waves in the travel industry lately, ever since its inclusion on the Lonely Planet ‘Best Places to Travel‘ list for 2018. A small nation nestled between Russia and Iran to the north and south, and the Black and Caspian seas to the east and west, it is a …
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The Great Pacific Northwest Road Trip
I love a good road trip. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of setting off to some distant place, knowing it will take you days to reach it, not knowing what adventures await you along the way. There are many reasons I enjoy living outside of the US, but few places can rival my homeland’s …
Under the Stars in Spitzkoppe
You would’ve loved this place, brother. It was wild, raw, elemental. The type of place that makes you realize how you fit into the universe and be thankful for your capacity to experience just a fraction of what it has to offer. You would’ve loved the rocks, red with iron and worn down by millennia …
Reasons to Visit Anacortes
Traveling from Seattle north along Interstate 5 will take you to Bellingham and eventually Vancouver in beautiful British Columbia. It’s a tempting bit of highway to breeze along, skipping all the drive-through towns in Snohomish and Skagit Counties for more intriguing destinations further north. You certainly could, but it would be a mistake. You’d miss …
Exploring Vardzia Like a Local
When my Georgian friend, Nino, was recommending things for me to do, see, and devour in Georgia, exploring the ancient cave city of Vardzia (ვარძია) was at the top of her list. Primarily constructed in the 12th century and the seat of power of the legendary King (Queen!) Tamar, Vardzia was abandoned during the Ottoman …
Climbing Mount Aragats
There’s too much snow. It’ll be too cold. The weather won’t be good this week. You’ll shoot your eye out… The reasons why I shouldn’t have gone to Kari Lake and Mount Aragats were many. All of the above (save one, can you guess which?) were offered up, and I was so close to scrapping …
Eating All the Things at the Tolma Festival in Dvin
There are few things which can make me so excited I get teary-eyed. Coming upon an epic view while hiking is one. Crushing a huge sale back in the day was another. But food? Food can get me just about every time. So when I saw a meetup on Couchsurfing to go to the Tolma …
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Exploring Tatev with One Way Tour
The south of Armenia is an elongated peninsula of territory sandwiched between Iran, Azerbaijan, and the disputed territory of Artsakh, formerly known as Nagorno-Karabakh. The area is one of the most mountainous in the country, with elevations ranging from 380 to 3,904 meters above sea level. It also contains one of the most iconic sights …
Trekking to the Hidden Monasteries of Garni
Sometimes you don’t plan on visiting a destination. Sometimes you get struck by a flash of inspiration, and your feet wander of their own accord. That’s what happened this week when I trekked through the mountains outside of Yerevan, exploring the hidden monasteries of Garni. It started with a plan to explore Havuts Tar, a …
Hiking to Gelersen Gorersen in Sheki
The town of Sheki has been controlled by many powers in the 2,700 or so years it’s been a major settlement. Persians, Albanians, Georgians, Arabs, Mongols, Russians, Soviets, and Azeris have all had a stake here, and the treasures that Sheki hides bear proof to that diverse heritage. One such remnant, the fortress of Gelersen …