The SIA Brat Is Inspired

Having just returned from Abu Dhabi, I have lots of emails to clear, work to catch up with, and of course many social media platforms to help me get up to date with the world and people around me.

Scrolling through my Facebook updates, I came across a link my friend posted about Singaporean photographer Mandy Tay. And after reading the article about her visit to Iran and the beautiful video she made after her 2 week visit to Iran, I was inspired to continue traveling and sharing my travels through my blog. In fact, her video made me consider using a new medium to share my travels on this blog as well.

What is the video all about? You really must watch it for yourself. Everyone will take away something unique from this video she created. What’s yours?

Some think the best way to travel is by visiting as many landmarks as possible on a trip. Well, I think landmarks are important. Landmarks and tourist attractions do reveal a country’s culture to us. It is a fragment of it’s past, present, and possibly even it’s future. But I also think a country’s culture is best displayed and experienced through it’s people and their way of life. And that is what Mandy Tay’s video has given us – a slice of life in Iran. Beautifully captured by Tay, the video reveals the beauty Iran has to offer, through it’s people and breathtaking landmarks.

Can 2 minutes change a lifetime of stigma and preconceived notions? I think so. Yes, it is just a short clip, and some might think it isn’t enough, but I think it is enough. Such is the power of social media and the Internet. Travellers need only to see a glimpse of what a place has to offer and they’re hooked. They will want to go explore for themselves, to see if they see the same beauty, or maybe even see something others do not see.

This video has not only inspired me to keep sharing and to try new mediums of sharing, it has also inspired me to venture into territories I never would have considered before.

What do you think?
Is there a country with a “bad rep” that you would love to travel to or think I should travel to as well? After watching Many Tay’s video, are you inspired to travel in a different way? To observe the people? To not just look at the beautiful sights with your eyes, but also to listen carefully to the people and with an open mind and heart?