Boots, Bikes and Border Crossings
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Off-Roading Through Earth’s Most Unreal Landscape
Amazing adventure to Cappadocia! The sun was shining when I arrived, which already felt like a win after hearing about the previous 10 days of rain. Cappadocia is famous for its surreal landscape formed by ancient volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. Over centuries, people carved homes, churches, and entire underground cities into the soft
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Walking Through 10,000 Years of Anatolian Life
A couple of hours disappeared (as museums tend to do) inside the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, which is basically a greatest-hits album of human history — from the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods through the Early Bronze Age, right up to powerful civilizations like the Hittites and Urartians. The museum’s collection shows how writing, trade, religion,
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Family Ties and Unexpected Conversations Over Tea
Over tea, Vildan was sharing stories about her two sisters who still live in the South Eastern Anatolia region where she was born. She was explaining how, especially in more rural parts of Turkey, big families are pretty common and family connections run deep. The conversation then took one of those turns that makes you
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From Physics to Poultry (For Now): Saturday Stories from the English Table
Every Saturday, Vildan teaches two very different students — one just beginning life at five years old, and the other, Dilek, already carrying the weight of real-world disappointments at 28. Dilek is Turkish-Bulgarian and now living in the Netherlands. She studied Physics at university, chasing a future built on knowledge, curiosity, and hard work… but
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Taboo, Teamwork, and a Room Full of New Friends
Last night was an absolute blast — 12 people turned up and Vildan only knew two of them! The mix of backgrounds was incredible: special forces, a PE teacher, a consulate advisor, a tourism consultant, and one very intriguing lady who described herself only as a “public servant” from a department she couldn’t name. English
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From Castle Views to Café Brews: Ankara Wanders
Sightseeing around Ankara is a mix of ancient history and modern city life, with beautiful old streets tucked between busy urban areas. Ankara Castle sits high above the city and has protected it for thousands of years, with parts dating back to ancient times and later rebuilt by several empires. Around the castle is the
Visited Countries
Interactive World Map
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Route Plan (Eastern Europe)
Here’s the planned route PDF. Download below.
Route Map
About Me
Happy, grateful, and full of joy – that’s how I see my life. Growing up in the small country town of Karaka, New Zealand, I was a curious little girl who dreamed of seeing the world. At 14, I took my first trip overseas to Fiji, and since then I’ve explored 66 countries, each adventure filling me with wonder at new cultures, unexpected moments, and the thrill of discovery.
I’ve leapt from planes, dived into unseen depths of the ocean, pedaled across borders, and roared through deserts on motorbikes. From crossing the Gobi Desert on two wheels to cruising down to Antarctica, from riding through roads less traveled to moments that took my breath away, I collect memories, not possessions.
Contact Me
Have a question or want to collaborate? Drop me a line.