About this post: The Trover App – a new travel social network – has grown my travel wishlist exponentially. I’ve shared Maldives hidden gems, a Georgia travel guide, Ethiopia photos and South Africa recommendations on Trover so far. Also check out the monthly Trover Contest and travel scholarship on the Trover App!
Last night, I had a dream. I was sitting in the main square of Amman, the capital of Jordan, listening in fascination to an elderly man playing the oud (a musical instrument commonly used in Persian / Arabic music) to no particular audience. Genetu, a friend from the Simien Mountains of Ethiopia, joined me for a while, then insisted that we go on a short hike near his village (in Ethiopia of course). So we did, and as we huffed up a cliff, I spotted a giraffe in the distance… in what seemed like the bush in South Africa!
By the time I woke up from such a surreal yet vivid dream, I was filled with a yearning for the places of my past.
Places of my past: the Slovenian Alps.
Every time I look at a world map – and I’ve been looking at one pretty often since I discovered Trover, a social network for travellers to share hidden gems from around the globe – there are certain places that jump out at me; places where I see a past version of me. I can almost hear my indigenous Quechua friend explaining how a famous waterfall in Ecuador is actually alive, smell the apple-scented smoke from a shisha in the vastness of the Wadi Rum, and feel the crisp air as I cycle in the Slovenian Alps.
As Pascal Mercier once wrote: We leave something of ourselves behind when we leave a place, we stay there, even though we go away. And there are things in us that we can find again only by going back there.
So this post is dedicated to all the countries I need to go back to and find parts of me I left behind… (see my entire list of Places I’d Love To Go Back To on Trover; it’s geotagged to all my favorite spots in each country). These countries are the ones that, thankfully, make me feel like even though I don’t belong anywhere in particular, I belong everywhere:
South Africa
A giraffe in my backyard in South Africa.
You know that giraffe I dreamt about in the South African bush? It wasn’t entirely a figment of my dreams; I first saw it, most unexpectedly, from the window of my lodge at a game reserve near Johannesburg, munching on leaves right in my backyard. Amazed, I ran out and we gazed into each other’s eyes a while… then I saw his family (presumably) join him for what seemed like their evening snack 😉
South Africa was love at first sight. The impossible beauty of mist-engulfed Table Mountain, wild ostriches and African penguins near Cape Town, unexpected friendships in the township of Mamelodi, road tripping along the stunning Swatberg mountains… there is just so much I need to go back for!
Read: In Photos: Incredible Moments in South Africa
Georgia
Hiking amid the snow-clad Caucasus Mountains <3
Living for a couple of weeks in the last house in one of the last villages (before the border of Russia) in the Caucasus Mountains, I think I lost track of time and the outside world. As temperatures dropped, the leaves turned a delicate yellow, red and orange; the apples in the neighbours’ front yards ripened to a juicy red; and everyone came out of their homes to dig out potatoes from their fields. Then one morning, I woke up to snowflakes falling gently on the vast mountains, and everything around me was enveloped in white – surreal and breathtaking!
If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know I first fell in love with Georgia in 2014; I thought this trip would give me some closure, but as I hiked past mountain villages forgotten by time, felt drawn in by a remote monastery with a priest vowed to silence, and stood longingly at Georgia’s border with South Ossetia, I knew my affair with the Caucasus was far from over.
See: Dreaming of Georgia (my geotagged collection of the country’s best kept secrets on Trover)
Guatemala
A postcard from my abode in Guatemala.
Life as a digital nomad is not always easy. Sometimes payments don’t arrive on time, sometimes words fail me, sometimes I just question my entire lifestyle. On days like that, I close my eyes and transport myself to the shores of Lake Atitlan. That feeling of jumping early morning into the clear blue waters, in the backdrop of three stunning volcanoes, as fishing canoes row along… that feeling reassures me that I’ll be okay. I’ll have to be, because sooner than later, I have to make my way back to what feels like my place on earth.
Read: 6 Months, 6 Countries: Epic Memories from Central America
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sunset in Sarajevo. Photo: Michał Huniewicz (CC)
Bosnia and Herzegovina was never really on my Europe wishlist; to me, it was merely the country with a hard-to-pronounce last name, until I met a Bosnian couple on the Croatian countryside, and spent four straight hours chatting with them about everything from Bosnia’s painful civil war to the similarity between Slavic and Sanskrit languages. Their warmth and generosity convinced me to drop all my plans and travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
And so I did, even if impulsively and short on time. The night I arrived, I was in a somewhat disoriented state of mind as I quietly ate dinner in a small cafe by River Una. A middle-aged man sat next to me, and started telling me about the sad state of employment in the country… then offered to pay for my dinner which I had finished before we got chatting! Despite a language barrier, I struck up many unexpected friendships, heard heartbreaking stories of the war, and discovered magnificent waterfalls, rivers and hiking trails – without a sign or another soul around.
I yearn to go back, before it’s pristine beauty and friendly locals put it prominently on Europe’s tourism map.
Read: Dreamy Airbnbs to Experience Europe Like a Local
Ethiopia
A traditional beyayenetu aka vegan fasting platter in Ethiopia!
My first trip to Ethiopia didn’t quite turn out the way I expected it to. I didn’t budget right, I didn’t do enough travel research, and despite having grown up in India, I wasn’t ready to confront the economic disparities. Yet I have some fond memories of the time I spent there – the local boys I hiked with in the impossibly beautiful Simien Mountains; the lady I broke injera and chugged homemade fermented barley beer with, in her round rammed-earth home; the priest (and part-time guide) I explored the underground churches of Lalibela with… and all the beyayenetus (fasting food platters) I relished.
I like to think I’m a more mature traveller now, and long to go back to spend time learning about the fascinating way of life of the tribes in the south and journey to the Danakil Depression – the hottest place on earth.
Read: My First Impressions of Ethiopia
Maldives
The island dream! Photo: muha… (CC)
I recently set the world record for the shortest stay in the Maldives – 24 hours! It so happened that my flights couldn’t be organized as planned, and I already had an onward one. So I arrived in the late evening, kissed the turquoise waters with my eyes, spoke at the World Travel Writers Conference, and left. I promised to go back someday, but that promise slipped to the back of my mind.
If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you probably know I’m having a tough time deciding where to travel next, somewhere it’s not too cold, somewhere not too far from India. But last week, while browsing travel discoveries on Trover, I stumbled upon a picture of bioluminescent plankton on a beach in the Maldives… and impulsively booked a (super cheap) one-way flight with my partner to Male! My Maldives wishlist has grown since, to include SUPing, ecolodges with conservation programs and snorkeling with whale sharks and manta rays. Hopefully we’ll find an affordable guesthouse or Airbnb and live out the island dream.
See: All my Maldives’ finds (so far) on Trover
Ecuador
A secret swing in Ecuador 😉
I still look back at my month in Ecuador with wonder and awe. Hiking solo amid the breathtaking beauty of the majestic Andes, on little-known trails, without another soul in sight and without a hint of fear for my safety, felt meditative and incredibly liberating. Hearing stories of living waterfalls and extinct creatures from my Quechua host family, while feasting on quinoa and oatmeal soups (I learnt that their diet has traditionally been vegan) transported me to a world I hadn’t traversed before. Then deep in the Amazon rainforest, I had a near life-changing experience that I’m not entirely ready to post about yet… perhaps because I left behind a part of me that I can only find when I go back.
Read: Soul Searching in the Ecuadorian Andes
Win 1500$ to travel!
Heads up: Trover is running a cool contest, giving away a 1500$ Expedia travel prize to one lucky winner. All you have to do is sign up on Trover, and share your favorite desserts / sweet treats from around the world with #SweetSpot – enter now!
Contest ends Nov 27th. See the terms and conditions here. Good luck!
Which places around the world would you love to go back to someday?
Note: I’m collaborating all month with Trover to share cool contests and hidden gems from around the world!
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Welcome to my blog, The Shooting Star. I’ve been called a storyteller, writer, photographer, digital nomad, “sustainability influencer,” social entrepreneur, solo traveller, vegan, sustainable tourism consultant and environmentalist. But in my heart, I’m just a girl who believes that travel – if done right – has the power to change us and the world we live in.
Ahhh, so many places, so little time. For most of us that is. My bucket list is long and growing, thanks to you! 🙂
Haha, if it’s any consolation, I feel that way all the time. But I’ve made peace in knowing that I can’t experience everywhere in this lifetime 😉
Beautiful post as always! 🙂
I have not been to any of these gorgeous places! Eep! There are so so many more mountains and pretty views to see!
Thanks Josypheen! I’m sure you’ve been to your fair share of gorgeous places though!
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Probably Singapore. I’ve already visited this tiny country eight times, but I’d like to go back one more time.
That’s quite a choice! I think there’s something about that tiny island nation that keeps calling people back.
I love your photos!! 💛
An envious wish list to have.
Your blogs are turning out to be great resources as well as pushing my resources at the same time.
Thanks for posting and thanks for making travel planning more enjoyable.
So glad to hear that Saurabh!
Maldives is definitely one of them. I had spent gorgeous one week years ago, soaking in all the blues, greens, whites of water plus 1000 shades of sunset. Still I yearn to go back there. Another place where I keep going back in Singapore. Though it is a very commercial/touristy country, still it beckons me(imagine, I have been there 4 times already). To add to this list is Switzerland. Those Swiss alps just took my heart away. How can a country be so beautiful, so peaceful, so calm even when its bombarded with tourists. I guess the love affair started since we stayed in little homes at places, where people dont want to spend time in.
That’s quite a list Poonam! I’ve been looking at winter getaways and feel like it’s finally time to explore Switzerland.
To be just a girl who travels requires grit and gumption. Keep going. Love your writing and helps me travel the world via the pictures. Awesome 😀
I agree about Bosnia-I got to see Mostar and part of Srpska, but I need to spend some real time in Sarajevo. I need to go back to everywhere, but if I had to narrow it down, I’d say Albania, Moldova, Ukraine, and Ecuador.
I always admire your guts and the confidence that u showed to yourself . Yes, when I mention “to yourself” , what I meant here is it’s important to believe in ourselves for our capabilities and potential.. kudos, you are my inspiration. Well someday I wish to be walk your path too
Given my way, I will go back to Sundorbon, to the Bhasa (flooded) people…
your descriptions leave me with a maddening urge to flee .
I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move so I guess I am looking forward to new discoveries with my hubby and kids 🙂
The secret swing is just Wow!
Maldives is my favorite country. I will visit in future. Shivya Nath thanks for such a valuable content.
‘Love the inspiration! The country I would like to go back to one day is Singapore! I visited the small island country 18 years ago, and I really didn’t like it! After travelling through Asia, Singapore was my last stop before going to Germany, and it felt like an Asian version of Switzerland!
I love Switzerland, but that wasn’t what I was expecting. Oh, and I kept bumping into so many fellow British expats, that it became quite ridiculous! Perhaps I might feel differently, 18 years later!
Thanks for all the beautiful pictures. I love the pics of the mountains – the Alps and the Caucasus.
Shivya, thanks for being such an inspiration unknowingly. Every time I am chided for not being serious about a job hunt and to stop blogging, I read and re read your posts for inspiration, and it works wonders ☺️
Did you actually get to see the ‘sea of stars’ or the phytoplanktons in Maldives. It definitely tops my travel bucket list and I couldn’t the last time I visited Maldives.
Happy traveling and keep inspiring
I pinned all your photos to my pinterest. Thanks to you. They are tempting and making my wishlist go up. Keep up exploring. Cheers. 😛
Jaisalmer in Rajasthan is a place I have visited twice but still feel like visiting again… There’s so much more to experience n the experiences are different in different seasons.
The lanes of Pondicherry always feel like a welcome home to simply saunter, no matter how many times I go.
The experience of these places root somewhere in the mind making them feel familiar, at the same time exciting.
Very nice blog n kudos for bearing with the hassles that come with the excitement of your life
Awesome Shivya.you have got a wonderful photographic skills.Beautiful posts. Traditional beyayenetu is so yummy 🙂
We went to Guatemala a couple of weeks ago. Visited Antigua, Lake Atitlan and Tikal, and yes… I left my heart behind in Atitlan. Fell in love with the people, the food, weather, textiles… everything. Would love to go back someday. Ecuador is on our list too!
Visiting Morocco in Feb, and I see that it’s a country you haven’t visited yet? Really looking forward to it. My husband and I are vegan, and I am hoping that we should be okay with the food there.
jordan, some day. i am a begnner,
Nice Post and Amazing Pictures. I got New Things to your blog. Such an Awesome website for travel.
I feel how limited my life is after i read your blogs !. Travelling answers all questions of life 🙂 . Savored every bit of this article. Thank you
I’d love to go back to Japan, in fact, I want to live there. But I’m still going thru my travel bucket list. Hayy..so many beautiful places to see