Anjci All Over | Travel Blog


I have made no secret of the grand jubilee that awaits: I will be turning 30 in a matter of, well, a day. And, unlike last year when I headed to Greenland, I am not making any exotic plans for the day. Since my 30th is, incidentally, a Saturday, I will merely be visiting my home city of Riga for a cosy celebration with my boyfriend and mum, in that order.

The past thirty years in the life of anjči have been busy as far as travel is concerned. I may have only got the travel bug at (what then seemed a very respectable age of) 23, but the catching-up has been impressive. See my fridge – not the smallest of the race to begin with, it is now almost entirely covered in souvenir magnets. From Syria to Greenland, from Cuba to Vietnam, from Brazil to Oman – the list of the places I have visited is diverse and full of surprises even to myself.


And yet when I try to pin these places on the map, I cannot help thinking that, despite my best efforts, I haven’t really been anywhere yet. There is the entire Sub-Saharan Africa waiting to be explored. Or the vast territory of South America outside Rio de Janeiro. Or the seemingly unreachable Australia and New Zealand. Or the whole of Russia west of Vladimir, my mother’s home city. Or Central Asia, where the numerous “-stans” have oh so enticed me over the years. Or, of course, the USA west of DC and Canada east of Calgary. Or bits of India I have so far only seen in my dreams.

In short, there is a very long way before I can start calling myself well-travelled. Luckily, being 30 is, in itself, no reason to end my travels: in the next two years alone, I am hoping to visit China, North Korea, Cambodia, Laos, Namibia, South Africa, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Chile and Bhutan – which should bring me somewhat closer to that title. I will not be able to visit every single country (not that I would want to, either), but, another 30 years down the road, I will hopefully be able to say that I have at least tried.

I will be turning 30 tomorrow. In a humble pursuit to make a sort of recap of all my travels to date, I have selected 30 places that have fallen into my mind so much I would not hesitate to revisit tomorrow (well, subject to visa limitations, of course). The list goes from cities to regions and even entire countries. Figure it out for yourselves – here goes, in an order no other than alphabetical:

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(1) Andalucia, Spain

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(2) Copenhagen, Denmark

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(3) Cyclades, Greece

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(4) Damascus, Syria

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(5) Faroe Islands

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(6) Golden Circle, Iceland

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(7) Havana, Cuba

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(8) Ilulissat, Greenland

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(9) Khiva, Uzbekistan

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(10) Koyasan, Japan

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(11) Kyiv, Ukraine

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(12) Lofoten, Norway

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(13) Malta and Gozo

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(14) Mumbai, India

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(15) Muscat, Oman

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(16) Nafplio, Greece

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(17) Ohrid, FYR Macedonia

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(18) Penang, Malaysia

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(19) Rajasthan, India

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(20) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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(21) Rockies, Canada

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(22) Saigon, Vietnam

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(23) Saint Petersburg, Russia

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(24) Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

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(25) Svalbard, Norway

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(26) Tbilisi, Georgia

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(27) Tulum, Mexico

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(28) Umm Qais, Jordan

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(29) Venice, Italy

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(30) Vukovar, Croatia

It has been a fun 30 years. Hasn’t it? Here’s to another, well, few years of wild long-haul adventures – and to a great many years of relaxed road trips through Europe and the UK in a family van.

Goodbye, my beautiful, exciting 20s. Let’s see what happens now!



Comments

9 responses to “Sweet 30: Best 30 places visited”

  1. anjci says:

    It is, of course. I couldn't decide between Bukhara and Khiva so included both.

  2. Anonymous says:

    Isn't that picture of Khiva really a picture of the Kalon Minaret in Bukhara?

  3. anjci says:

    Thank you all for the kind words! Let's hope this blog comes back to a decent level of activity. I have been busy making my offline life, erm, busy lately! : ) Speak very soon.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Happy belated birthday, anjči! I was looking for Faroe Islands & Svalbard travel info. and I came across your blog. Very nice written, informative and beautiful photos. Wish you all the best to your future adventures 🙂

  5. Smmon those places….wish you travel many more places, we will look through you…

  6. wani says:

    how fantastic – here's to another 30 years of new adventures and friendships 🙂

  7. Anonymous says:

    Each photo is stunning in its own way: the view you've chosen, the colors and shadows. You have a special talent with the lens and a brave heart! Marlene

  8. Bbeautiful – would love to see what it would be like in another 30 year's time!

  9. Hjartaliga tillukku Anjci, tú ert altíð vælkomin aftur til Føroyar.
    Bestu heilsur
    Sámal
    http://www.tora.fo


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Welcome to ANJCI ALL OVER!

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My name is Anna and welcome to my blog! I work full-time in London and spend most of my free time travelling the world and taking pictures, with the aim to see as many of the world's less visited places as possible. My favourite parts of the world include Afghanistan, Chile, Falkland Islands, Greece, Myanmar and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Take a look at my stories and photos!

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