If someone had shown me a picture of the Bosphorus strait before I saw it in person, I would have dissed it as photoshopped; how can a water body in the middle of a major city retain such a cobalt blue color? Istanbul is full of surprises that way, and as I walk to the shore of the Bosphorus through a by-lane of Sultanahmet, the old city, I find myself smiling. Turkish women, wearing colorful head scarves, are picnicking in the park overlooking the blue waters. Their men are precariously balancing themselves on the big rocks along the shore, fishing with such enthusiasm as I haven’t seen before. Shivya NathWelcome 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.