• Home
  • About
    • Who We are
    • Affiliates
    • Disclosures & Guidelines
    • FAQs
    • Privacy Notice
  • Funding Your Travels
    • Banking on the Road
    • Credit Cards in Our Wallet
    • Spending
  • Contact
    • Media
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Partnership Opportunities

i should log off

log off and live!

  • Travel & Planning
    • Travel Reflections
      • Good, Bad & Ugly
      • Re-Entry
    • Travel Resources
      • Travel Tips
      • Travel Bloggers
    • Reviews
      • Gear
      • Operators
      • Travel Clothing
    • Travel Gear
      • Cameras
      • Danny’s Clothes
      • Electronics
      • Health & Hygiene
      • Jillian’s Clothes
      • General Gear
  • Destinations
    • Travel Guides
    • Africa
      • Egypt
      • Ethiopia
      • Lesotho
      • Kenya
      • Malawi
      • Morocco
      • Mozambique
      • Namibia
      • South Africa
      • Sudan
      • Swaziland
      • Tanzania
      • Uganda
      • Zimbabwe
    • Asia & Oceania
      • Armenia
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • Georgia
      • India
      • Kazakhstan
      • Laos
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uzbekistan
      • Vietnam
    • Caribbean
      • Antigua
      • Cuba
      • Jamaica
    • Central America
      • Belize
      • Costa Rica
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
    • Europe
      • Armenia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Czech Republic
      • France
      • Georgia
      • Germany
      • Hungary
      • Italy
      • Spain
      • Turkey
    • North America
      • Canada
      • Mexico
      • USA
    • Middle East
      • Egypt
      • Israel
      • Jordan
      • Oman
      • Turkey
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Brazil
      • Bolivia
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
      • Uruguay
  • Weekend Adventures
    • Cycle
      • Pastimes
        • Beer & Wine
        • Books
        • Cooking
        • History & Culture
    • Dive & Snorkel
    • Hike
    • Trek
    • Whitewater
  • Photos
    • Photo of the Day
  • Family Travel
You are here: Home / Archives for cultures

Living History While Traveling in Trabzon Turkey

August 1, 2013 By Danny

It about three  years ago when we found ourselves traveling through Turkey during Ramadan.  Turkey itself is a wonderful place to travel but what we found difficult was that as we headed further east, to the more religious parts of the country, we encountered the Muslim holiday of Ramadan.  During the holiday, Muslims traditionally don’t eat during the day and instead pig out at night.  Trying to be sensitive, and challenged by what food options were available to us, we tried to do the same which left us hungry during the day and awake at night as our busses made frequent food stops.

This past week we read an article in The Economist detailing how a Byzantine Monastary was being used as a Mosque to celebrate Ramadan.  The article took me back to that time on the trip, travlling through that very city during this same very holiday.  Although we didn’t visit this specific site, The Hagia Sophia of Trabzon, we were passing through during Ramadan and did visit another Byzantine Monastery, the Sumela Monastery.  The site was itself quite beautiful and, as a tourist site, made a nice reprieve for us from the restrictions of traveling during Ramadan.  Reading the Economist article I am left to wonder if it may to find a day when its own purpose is changed to another religion.  This is something that happens all the time, especially in the Middle East, but I just can’t help to wonder what the future holds for sites such as this.

I intend to offer no opinion regarding the cultural and religious politics of that region of Turkey, but instead just want to offer a few photos from the Sumela Monastary

IMGP6720

IMGP6688

IMGP6676

IMGP6679

IMGP6653

Filed Under: Headline, photos, Turkey Tagged With: cultures, politics, religion, ruins, sumela monastery, travel, turkey

Photo of the Day: Zulu Danny

March 16, 2011 By Danny

In South Africa there are little tribal villages all over the place to see what tribal life is like. We visited one and part of the treat was getting to dress like a Zulu Warrior. I dedicated myself to the art and other than my footwear am dressed just like a Zulu Warrior. When it was Jill’s turn, she kept her shirt on….lame!

Special thanks to Flickr user beckamcknight for marking this photo as a favorite.

To see a few of our favorite photos from South Africa click here.

Our PHOTO PAGE has links to all of our collections on Flickr. Be sure to mark some of your own favorites so that we can include them on this column. We’ll be highlighting a different photo every day.

Filed Under: photos Tagged With: cultures

Photo of the Day: Jumping over Angkor Wat

February 17, 2011 By Jillian

Jumping in front of Angkor Wat, Cambodia. Special thanks to the random Cambodian woman with the curious name of ‘Ponch’ who took the photo for us.

Special thanks to Flickr user Itinerantlondoner for marking this photo as a favorite.

To see a few of our favorite photos from Cambodia clickhere.

Our PHOTO PAGE has links to all of our collections on Flickr. Be sure to mark some of your own favorites so that we can include them on this column. We’ll be highlighting a different photo every day.

Filed Under: photos Tagged With: cultures, jumping, ruins

Toasts around the world

February 4, 2011 By Danny

As most travelers know, many friendships are forged over a drink. Here’s a few toasts that will keep you covered no matter where you go.
IMGP5123

  • Skål – This word comes from the old Norse word for ‘bowl’ and is now used across all Scandinavian countries to toast. Contrary to some beliefs, there is no relation to the word ‘skull’ but rather to the word ‘scale’.Prost – This German toast comes from the Latin word ‘prosit’ which wishes “that it be good!” As always a good focus on the drink at hand just be certain your beer selection is worthy of German culture. Maintain eye-contact from the toast’s start to its finish.
  • Salud – To your health everywhere that Spanish is spoken. To make things nice and easy French, Portuguese and Italian speakers say Santé, Saúde and Salute respectively. All come from the Latin ‘sal?s’ meaning ‘health’.
  • Gan bei – The Chinese will command you to ‘dry the cup’ or ‘drink it all.’ Etiquette is important in China though so expect the host to be the first to toast. (Gan Bei is Mandarin and not all of China uses Mandarin. The Cantonese equivalent, another dialect westerners are likely to encounter, is Gom Bui!).
  • Nostrovia – This Russian toast, also ‘to health’ is actually a misspelling of Na zdorovje. The best part about this toast is that it works not only in Russian but across most of the Slavic world and even in Polish. Wait for the host to offer the first toast before even touching your food!
  • L’chaim – L’chaim, l’chaim, to LIFE. Everything in Judaism is done to life and drinking is no exception. While you’re at it, a big ‘Mazel Tov’ or congratulations may be in order as well!
  • Kampai – Like the Chinese version of cheers, this Japanese version also refers to an empty cup. Rather than a command though think of it as a noun – empty cup. To some this might still be a command but to some ‘zen-like’ individuals it is a toast to all that you have to learn in order to fill your cup of life. Whatever you do, make sure the ‘Kampai’ has finished before you take your first sip!
  • Did you know that we’re Glenfiddich Explorers? You can catch this and many of our other lists on their website!

    Filed Under: Beer & Wine, Headline, History & Culture, Travel & Planning Tagged With: cultures, drinks

    Photo of the Day: Whirling Dervish in Leopard

    February 3, 2011 By Jillian

    A giant ring of people chanting to their god. Onlookers, including ourselves, just beyond them. Inside that circle were the Whirling Dervishes, most wearing only white. This guy had a leopard skin to go with his more traditional outfit. They spin around to become closer to god and to nature. It was a sight to behold….especially given that we were in Khartoum.

    Special thanks to Flickr user Itinerantlondoner for marking this photo as a favorite.

    To see a few of our favorite photos from Sudan click here.

    Our PHOTO PAGE has links to all of our collections on Flickr. Be sure to mark some of your own favorites so that we can include them on this column. We’ll be highlighting a different photo every day.

    Filed Under: photos Tagged With: cultures, people, religion

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • …
    • 5
    • Next Page »

    Connect With Us

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Flickr
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter

    Featured Posts

    Our Bucket List
    How We Travel For Free
    $ Travel Tips

    Recent Comments

    • Barbara on Kayaking Kauai’s Na Pali Coast
    • Lori Hubbard on Review: Eneloop Batteries and Charger
    • TK on The Trouble with Philadelphia

    Banking on the Road

    It can be very hard to keep track of your finances while you're on the road long-term. Be sure to check out how we took care of our finances while traveling and feel free to email us any questions you have.

    Adventure Guides

    Torres Del Paine
    China Adventure
    Uzbekistan Overland
    Egyptian Odyssey
    Malaria
    Argentina Adventure
    DIY African Safari
    South Africa Guide
    Bolivia by Bus
    How-To African Visas

    [footer_backtotop]

    Copyright 2008-2015 · All Rights Reserved · Contact I Should Log Off · RSS · Partner With Us · Privacy