NAMRASTAN

Last weekend I took a little trip to London. Alone. Things felt off on my first day in London. I even got a little bit scared, and honestly, I don't know or understand why, because I thought I liked travelling alone, and that solo-trips were "my thing". Also I don't get scared that easily. It was day time for Gods sake! I thought that since I had already travelled alone a few times, that it would be easier. Now I'm realizing that every trip is different, it's a new desitnation, the culture isn't the same as the last place you visited, the people aren't the same, and you kind of start over. I guess I got a bit cocky, thinking that I was a travel queen or something, and then I met reality. But learning by doing, right? After I got over being scared, nervous and a bit misplaced (luckily it didn't last too long), I got on a red bus, and found a spot on the second floor. I got excited like a kid, cause I'm not used to second floor-buse...

I am so glad that I got to visit other cities than Amsterdam on one of my travels to the Netherlands. Of course I love Amsterdam, but there are other parts worth exploring as well, like Utrecht and Zaandam. Here are a few places I really appreciated. 1. KOFFIE LEUTE IN UTRECHT This is perhaps the most charming café ever! I feel like I say that about every little place that I fall in love with, but I can't help it, there are tons of cool gems out there, and I'm an enthusiastic person. This café is run by locals, has a chill atmosphere, and if you want a good cup of coffee, this is the place to be. I spent most of my time here just walking around and taking photos. Tourist much? 2. THE AREA AROUND INNTEL HOTEL IN ZANDAAM The Inntel Hotel located at Provincialeweg in Zandaam is an attraction by itself with its impressive facade. The structure is a stacking of different traditional houses from the Zaan region. The Inntel Hotel is eye-catching for sure, but I real...

Things are quite hectic, so today I'll keep it short & sweet. It seems like (at least according to my parents) the political situation in Pakistan is way more calm now, so I'm hoping my 2019 Pakistan-trip comes through. We'll see. Anyway, I thought I'd share a few a photos from the last time I was in Pakistan. Never thought I'd miss it so much, and I'm realizing that I may have taken my visits to my parents place of birth for granted. At least now I know, and I will not be making that mistake again! XOXO  Instagrammable Pakistan

A place I passed. I wish I had tried the food there, but I was on a burger-mission that day. This stay was actually a bit scattered, as I was in Germany to attend a conference in Storkow about hate-speech (hate-speech sucks!). And so, I got to spend time in Berlin before and after the conference, something I'm really happy about. Even though the conference was very important and I got to meet so many great people who care about a lot of the stuff I care about, it was quite intense. And Berlin let me unwind, especially after the conference was over. I wrote earlier in my solo travelling-post about meeting Mickey in Berlin, the man who offered me a ride even though I didn't know him, and it was a rad moment indeed, but there were also other fantastic moments during my scattered stay in Berlin. Here are some of them. Five to be exact. Damn, do I love lists. 1. MUSEUM OF SILENCE  During the conference we actually had an outing to Berlin, I think we got about 8 hours the...

I am so sad I didn't see this video until AFTER my Los Angeles-trip, cause had I seen this in time, I would have payed the Milk Tavern a sweet little trip. That been said, I love looking around social media for tips, and I think that INSIDER share some pretty cool stuff from their channels. Like this video of 11 colorful desserts in southern California. Definitely checking a few of these out next time I'm in Cali.

Touring can be a great way to visit new places and get a pre-taste. Of course you don't get to see everything you want to, because you're not there on vacation. I used to play in a band called Level & Tyson and we went touring in Portugal twice. On one of these tours we did like 19 gigs in 18 days. Some of the cities we visited were Coimbra, Braga, Porto, Lisbon and Portalegre, just to mention a few. We got to know some really cool people, not to mention check out a bunch of venues. But needless to say, there were a lot of touristy stuff I didn't get to do, and some of the best views were seen on the road, from the window while riding our shabby tour car. On the road, on our way to CAE Portalegre Here comes the pre-taste part. Even though we were always on the go, and it felt as if we saw Portugal in the speed of light - I did see enough to understand that Portugal is a cool destination that I would like to visit again. Next time I go, I want to visit ...

On a rooftop in Pakistan. Every time I travel, I fall in love with the country I'm visiting. I picture myself living there, the people there get me , I feel at home. And when I come back, my post travel-blues hit me hard. My parents came from Pakistan to Norway in the 70s. I was born and raised at Sola , a little town in Rogaland county and I think Sola has a lot to offer. Like, we have sandy beaches, our own airport and because of the wind: windsurfing. These last years however, I've been living in the metropolitan city Oslo, which I think is pretty awesome too. At some point, Sola got too small for me. I love Oslo, and it is my home now. But why do I always feel more at home everywhere else than my actual home? When I was in Los Angeles and talked with strangers about my creative ambitions, they were totally on board with that and shared some of their own as well. I remember one of them saying "You're totally LA". When I was in Japan , on our way to...