1. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself? Where are you from and what do you?
I’m based in Istanbul, but I’ve lived between Los Angeles, New York, and London over the past 15 years — places that have all shaped how I see, create, and move through the world.
I work across photography, interior styling, and creative direction — always guided by a deep curiosity, a love of aesthetics, and a desire to create things that feel both intentional and alive. I suppose I’m driven by the pursuit of a life that feels like my own — refined, evolving, and quietly full.
2. What is your most unforgettable escape? (Could be a recent one, or could be long ago)
Mongolia. After watching Ewan McGregor’s Long Way Round documentary, it quickly rose to the top of my travel list. As an anthropology major, exploring different cultures and ways of life has always been a passion of mine.
3. What was the purpose of your travel?
Photography, cultural exploration, and curiosity. I wanted to experience a completely different way of life — the landscapes and the nomadic traditions.
4. With how many people did you travel?
I travelled with a close friend and a local guide.
5. Where did you stay?
It was a road trip, so we stayed at different campgrounds along the way. One of the highlights was sleeping in traditional Gers — large, circular tent-like structures used by nomadic families. They’re incredibly cozy, and waking up in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but open land, was unforgettable.
6. What did you like most about the trip?
The profound sense of timelessness. Mongolia forces you to slow down — there’s no rush, no notifications, no noise. Days are measured by sunlight, not schedules.
7. Can you share an unforgettable memory from the journey?
Riding a horse in Mongolia was unforgettable.
These horses aren’t wild, but they live wild. In the Gobi Desert, we crossed paths with a group of herders. One offered me a horse. I had never galloped before — but these horses don’t wait for permission; they move with instinct and ancestral memory.
Suddenly, I was flying across endless earth, no roads, no sound but the wind.
It wasn’t just a ride — it was a complete surrender.
8. Your most surprising find during the trip?
How genuinely kind and curious people were. From toddlers to elders, there was a quiet warmth in their eyes — not just hospitality, but true curiosity. Even with no shared language, there was connection. It felt effortless.
9. Favorite restaurants or food discovered?
I’m not usually one to eat much red meat, but in Mongolia, it was exceptional — deeply flavorful and elemental. We were mostly on the road, so I can’t name a specific restaurant, but full credit goes to our campground cook, who somehow turned remote meals into unforgettable moments. Rustic, simple, and soul-warming.
10. What are the must tries in this destination?
- Track wild Takhi horses in Hustai National Park
- Join the Naadam Festival
- Sleep in a traditional Ger (Yurt)
- Meet eagle hunters in Western Mongolia
11. Any hidden gems you could whisper to us?
One that left an imprint on me — quite literally — was the Tsagaan Salaa petroglyph complex in the Altai Mountains. Scattered across remote rock faces, there are more than 10,000 ancient carvings etched into stone, dating back as far as 10,000 years.
12. Would you go back, and why?
In a heartbeat.
Mongolia isn’t the kind of place you “check off.” It stays with you.
Next time, I’d go north — to ride through the taiga and find the Tsaatan, the reindeer herders who live in harmony with animals.
13. Could you list a few of the favorite finds you came back with?
A silver snuff bottle, handed to me during a tea ceremony by a herder — engraved with clouds and mountains.
A carved bone hairpin — delicate and practical.
And the most important find? A better understanding of silence. And of freedom — the kind that doesn’t depend on anything but open space and trust.
14. Any tips that might be useful to know before going there?
First and foremost: Do not attempt the Gobi Desert solo.
There are no signs, no marked roads, and almost no one speaks English once you leave Ulaanbaatar. The steppes are stunning, but also disorienting — vast to the point of surreal. Distances are deceiving, and Google Maps is useless. You need a guide.
There are excellent tour operators that offer everything from rugged, off-grid jeep adventures to luxury ger camps with proper showers and candlelit dinners under the stars. Choose based on your comfort level — but don’t skip it.
Cash is king. Outside the city, credit cards are mostly useless. Bring enough local currency for the whole trip.
Layer, always. You’ll experience all four seasons in a single day — sunburn at noon, frostbite by midnight.
Download everything in advance. Podcasts, playlists, maps, translation apps. Once you’re out there, you’re really out there.
15. Next stop you would like to visit?
Chile —Patagonia and the Atacama Desert.
Two opposites in the same country: one wild with wind and glaciers, the other sun-baked and surreal. In Patagonia, I would love to stay in minimalist eco-lodges like Tierra Patagonia or Awasi, where architecture disappears into the landscape, and days unfold between glacier hikes, horseback rides, and fireside dinners.
In Atacama, it’s all about texture and light, lunar valleys by day, photographing salt flats and flamingo lagoons with my medium format camera, then stargazing from a design-forward desert lodge.
16. What does traveling and escape mean to you?
For me, travel is a chance to reset your senses, reawaken your curiosity, and remember how to be fully present. Escape, when done right, doesn’t disconnect you — it reconnects you.
17. What’s your winter travel soundtrack?
If I’m traveling around Christmas time, I reach for the oldies — Elvis Presley and Rod Stewart’s Christmas albums set the perfect tone.
Outside the holidays, it’s a mix of classic rock’n’roll, blues, folk, old-school jazz, and classical — think The Beatles, Bob Dylan, John Denver, David Bowie, Miles Davis, Son House. It’s all about mood and memory.
And if I have to dip into something newer (which is rare), it’s usually Billie Eilish, Devendra Banhart, or Khruangbin— a little hypnotic, a little offbeat.
18. What about your latest read?
I read two very different books at the same time — The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin, and A Line in the Sand by James Barr. One fed my soul, the other my mind. Rubin’s book is all intuition and presence, while Barr’s is a deep dive into the geopolitical mess that shaped the modern Middle East.
Totally different needs — equally satisfying.
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