To travel is to live

07/15/2024

Niagara Falls

12/04/2023

Old picture, new inspiration 📷✨

04/21/2019

Peaceful. This word best describes my trip to Sri Lanka almost ten years ago. Peace expressed on the faces of local people I've spoken to. From young children, through hardworking man, to elderly woman. Today, this country is in a sorrow, questionning its peacefulness. And my sorrow is with all its people.

Travel allows you to look into the eyes of locals.

Imagine you are travelling through some country. You go from place to place, seeking out new experiences. You move from here to there in order to truly see the place, the place you know, from books, from magazines, from movies... yet you are reaching somewhere different from all of this. You plan to stay a couple of hours, and then move on. But something else is happening. This place, and even more, the people who inhabit it, amaze you; you feel the urge to stay longer with them, you change your plans, you meet the local people. You simply talk, look into their eyes, and with every moment you know them better. You smile with them and try to find your own place among them. This is Haputale - a small town in Uva Province in Sri Lanka, and the people living there. There is no other place on earth which stopped me in my tracks to this extent. I am sure that, one day I will return... and, I am sure, I will stay for longer.

02/03/2019

Inspirational quote #1

10/26/2018

Times when Dutch rainy weather stimulates you to think about the summer! :-) Searching for your next travel destination? You are just a click away:

https://www.instagram.com/msoltanifar/

Follow me on Instragam and stay inspired! Than, pack your bags and go!

07/01/2018

. A country like no other.

People. Nature. Cuisine. Architecture. History.

This is the most stunning sunset I've seen so far! 125 km from Kerman: Dasht-e Lut Desert - one of the largest deserts in the world, 480 kilometers long and 320 kilometers wide.

04/28/2018

Searching for next travel destination? You are just a click away:

https://www.instagram.com/msoltanifar/

Pack your bags and go!

03/24/2018

Travel and taste the local cuisine.

Noisy, vibrant, tasty and hospitable. This is how I experience Lebanon. I have just returned from this tiny country, where a mix of at least 18 various religions exists, and where tradition is contrasted with modernity. That this is the country where the refugee route from Syria to Europe begins adds to the eruptiveness of this place. It has a long and rich history, with Arab, Crusader, Egyptian, Greek, Ottoman, Phoenician, Persian, and Roman ruins are scattered around the country. Here can be found Byblos, Sidon and Tyre, among the oldest continuously populated cities in the world. Then there is Beirut, a city of cosmopolitan charms, scarred but not destroyed by the woes of the last five decades. It can surprise you when you are caught off your guard. The busy district of Hamra swirls with Arabic coffee shops and a pleasing vibrancy, while Ramlet al-Baida beach reminds you that Beirut, just like the cities of Barcelona, Cannes and Valencia, is a city on the edge of the Mediterranean. There is lots happening everywhere; the bars and restaurants in the lively districts of Achrafieh and Gemayzeh have a pep and sophistication that you might expect in more celebrated European capitals. Food is served at a speed I have never seen anywhere before, with more than 42 appetizers first. On the other hand, the unemployment rate and poverty are high, and young people are desperate to get away. Finally, this is a place hungry for education and with a willingness to bridge the knowledge gap, full of open, ambitious and entrepreneurial minds.

12/27/2017

Searching for 2018 destinations? See the world through new eyes and let broaden your mind, with my 'To travel is to live' page. Feel free to visit, like and share.

Here are my top 10 destinations in 2018 and the criteria I've used to recommend these places.

1. Iran | Kashan | Hospitality
2. New Zealand | Christchurch | Nature
3. Brazil | Rio de Janeiro | Nature
4. Sri Lanka | Haputale | People
5. Norway | Vik | Nature
6. South Korea | Incheon | Cuisine
7. India | Mandal | Cuisine
8. Australia | Hobart | Nature
9. Russia | Vladivostok | Mix of cultures
10. Poland | Cracow | History

On the picture: Kashan | Iran: Inside The Tabātabāei House built during the late 18th century, consisting of four courtyards, wall paintings with elegant stained glass windows. The house is a beautiful example of Kashan's residential architecture.