The spark that sets you off on a journey with abandon changes your life forever. Deep somewhere within every person has a desire to see something or go somewhere they dreamed of. As the paths of life converge that one opportunity can arise from the dark. It is then that inspired one sets off to discover and await the thrill of exploration.

For my teenage years I was aware of my dreams building, of the longing for wanderlust to be lived, walk with the wind and at times against it and as I did it once and then again I knew I could never be the same again. Every time I pick up that backpack of mine I know the person I am will transform, it is only the extent of the transformation that lies to be discovered.

A lone stark returning on the winds from Africa to a little Polish village by the lakes of Mazury, a chance rendezvous with an anaconda shedding its skin on a tree in the Amazon, the fulfillment of walking for days to Macchu Picchu and being the first to enter the gates to be welcomed by llamas prancing from ruin to ruin as the clouds circled below or to stand within the ancient columns of Persepolis, rising into the sky, the experiences are endless and the emotions that run through my veins are filled with ecstasy and a rush of incredibility that until my last breath I will always go on a search for.

Inspiration is the key to step forth and it is the life of the journey from then on. Here I shall post certain pieces that served to be my greatest inspirations before I let the adventures and travels inspire me themselves. The spark needs to come from somewhere, for me, these were those initial spark, the fire was lit and until today it still burns, seemingly eternal.  For now, I will start it off with a poem by Charles Bukowski.

The Laughing Heart

your life is your life
don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.
be on the watch.
there are ways out.
there is light somewhere.
it may not be much light but
it beats the darkness.
be on the watch.
the gods will offer you chances.
know them.
take them.
you can’t beat death but
you can beat death in life, sometimes.
and the more often you learn to do it,
the more light there will be.
your life is your life.
know it while you have it.
you are marvellous
the gods wait to delight
in you.

— by Charles Bukowski

 

*The picture at the top of the page was taken by me in Nevizade in Istanbul. It was a Champions League night for Galatasaray as they took on Manchester United in 2012. The fans wined and dined, danced and sang as flares were lit all around. The atmosphere as intense as it I could have imagined it to be and yet there was a tranquil mix of joy and warmth.