Waking up on the second morning here in Istanbul to the sound of the call to prayer, a stark reminder of where I am, traveling again, exploring the amazing quirkiness of another culture and the inner worlds of other people.

What first met me in Istanbul on this trip was incredibly unrelenting traffic jams, impossibly busy streets, strange smells and sounds, enchanting architecture and local color, but most importantly, HUMANITY.

It’s a great reminder of why I love to travel and why I do what I do. It’s the people. The common thread that binds us all together, we are born here on this planet and find ourselves in this strange, difficult at times and yet irresistible journey of life, finding hope around every corner.

It took coming to a place like this to reignite my wish to write and share these impressions…

From a hotel room overlooking the ferry station in kadikoy, it’s 6 am, still dark and I can hear and see the rain washing this bustling city.