afar magazine.

i just discovered afar magazine, a relatively new magazine (premier issue pictured above) by founders greg sullivan and joe diaz. my dad had the first anniversary (september/october 2010) copy that he let me peruse, and let's just say it tapped into my wanderlust a little. i really love how the concept is to travel "experientially." is that even a word? ;)

there really is something to that idea -- it's so easy to travel very far from home and feel altogether as if you've only driven down the street. the same restaurants pock the corners, the same cars zoom past on the roads. english pervades almost every metropolitan area.

i'll be the first to admit that in my little bit of traveling -- mostly around the states and a couple times to western europe -- i've not gotten much out of the "americanized" western world. the closest i got was a trip to greece. athens was one thing. that was the first time i ever felt like i might be getting out of my element. the point is, that's just the tip of the iceberg. there is sooo much more to see, but it's so easy to get stuck on the well-beaten path. traveling is hard work. it's tempting to want to stick to the tried-and-true.

what i like about afar is that it's travel stories with a twist. the september/october issue includes articles on nigeria's film industry (nollywood!), and istanbul through the architectural lens of royal architect sinan.

it's good stuff. like i said -- wanderlust. :)