Travel Notes

We share stories and essays that bring places and people closer: through reflections, impressions, and guides rooted in real experiences.

We explore the social and cultural dimensions that shape our world. Our goal is to bridge distances and help create a more tolerant, connected, and loving world.

  1. Read more: California Days: San Francisco’s Slow Coastal Sunday Walk with Trees, Seafood, Coffee, and the Ocean
    Baseball game on a foggy morning in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California, Loud Etudes

    California Days: San Francisco’s Slow Coastal Sunday Walk with Trees, Seafood, Coffee, and the Ocean

    A slow Sunday guide through the Outer Sunset, beginning with a stroll in Golden Gate Park, lunch at Hook Fish, and a coffee stop at Black Bird before reaching Ocean Beach. Warm, unhurried, and perfect for anyone looking to experience a softer side of San Francisco.

    Read
  2. Read more: Three Days in Kathmandu: Routes Through a Vivid Dream
    Two women walking through a sunlit alley in Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal, film photography by Loud Etudes

    Three Days in Kathmandu: Routes Through a Vivid Dream

    Three months of simply living in a place where none of my ancestors had ever been. Although most people come to Nepal for meditation...
    Read
  3. Read more: Notes from Cairo: Ramadan Is Generous
    Tree-lined street in Cairo with parked cars and a man walking in the afternoon light, film photography by Loud Etudes

    Notes from Cairo: Ramadan Is Generous

    My friend Nada and I were taking a taxi to the Al-Azhar Mosque to break the fast with locals at iftar. Cairo was holding...
    Read
  4. Read more: The Art of Belonging is Longing
    Sunlight reflected on a concrete wall beside still water, film photography by Loud Etudes

    The Art of Belonging is Longing

    I often find myself in places and states where I observe what's happening: quietly, attentively, genuinely longing to belong somewhere. I move through countries...
    Read
  5. Read more: Ramadan in Cairo: How the City Changes
    Cairo street lit up with colorful Ramadan garlands and neon lights at night, Egypt, Loud Etudes

    Ramadan in Cairo: How the City Changes

    Cairo in Ramadan rebuilds itself, and you feel it the moment you step outside. Tents go up on street corners. Garlands stretch between buildings....
    Read
  6. Read more: Ramadan in Cairo: You Are More Than Welcomed, Yallah
    Women in hijabs near the entrance of Al-Azhar Mosque during Ramadan, Cairo, Egypt, Loud Etudes

    Ramadan in Cairo: You Are More Than Welcomed, Yallah

    It was the second week of Ramadan. You could feel that people had settled into the rhythm of it, but mornings were still hard....
    Read
  7. Read more: People of the World: Mubakharati مبخراتي
    Close-up of a smoking incense burner held in hands, Cairo street, Egypt, Loud Etudes

    People of the World: Mubakharati مبخراتي

    In Cairo, you may occasionally notice a figure moving slowly through crowded streets, cafés, and markets, surrounded by soft spirals of fragrant smoke. This...
    Read
  8. Read more: Two Days in Tashkent: Magical Shade of Blue
    Chorsu Bazaar market dome and stalls in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, film photography by Loud Etudes

    Two Days in Tashkent: Magical Shade of Blue

    Day No.1 Chorsu Bazaar Approaching Chorsu Bazaar, you can already see those blue halos rising from the streets like mountains. The sun bears down,...
    Read
  9. Read more: Author's Essay: Solo Hike above Pokhara
    Green hillside villages above Pokhara with morning mist and the Himalayas, Nepal, Loud Etudes

    Author's Essay: Solo Hike above Pokhara

    I told my yoga teacher that I was going to the Himalayas for a few days, to Pokhara from Kathmandu. The weather had finally...
    Read
  10. Read more: California Days: Point Reyes National Seashore
    Coastal cliffs at Point Reyes with lighthouse silhouette at sunset, California, film photography by Loud Etudes

    California Days: Point Reyes National Seashore

    A quiet journey to Point Reyes, from the open coastal road to the pelicans overhead and the windswept cliffs by the closed lighthouse. A reflective walk along one of California’s most striking shorelines.

    Read
  11. Read more: Notes from Hanoi: Smells, It-Is-Never-Silent, and Small Gestures
    Train Street with railway tracks between houses and Vietnamese flag, Hanoi, Vietnam, film photography by Loud Etudes

    Notes from Hanoi: Smells, It-Is-Never-Silent, and Small Gestures

    We didn't come to Hanoi, Vietnam, expecting anything. We left with our hearts stitched into its alleyways, its heat, its loudness, and the way...
    Read
  12. Read more: Notes on Samarkand: Warmth in the Meros Paper Mill
    Garden with flower beds and decorative ceramic plates on the wall at Meros Paper Mill, Konigil village, Samarkand, Uzbekistan, film photography by Loud Etudes

    Notes on Samarkand: Warmth in the Meros Paper Mill

    Samarkand was the Central Asian's capital of silk paper production, a legacy that lasted until the 18th century. Samarkand paper was of higher quality:...
    Read