Often when I travel, I am drawn to the unexpected surprises of places hidden beneath the non-attentive eye. From the mysterious hutongs of Beijing to the labyrinthine of a souq in Morocco, there is always a surprising hidden place to explore.
Perhaps these hidden places open a window into the unknown about the foreign culture you are visiting. Yet they always seem to leave me questioning, thinking and guessing about what it is really like behind these hidden windows of life.
The secret paths within a souq. Rabat, Morocco.
The whitewashed and baby blue walls in a Moroccan kasbah.
Inside the deep alleyways of the traditional Chinese hutongs. Beijing, China.
Another look at a Chinese Hutong.
Peering deep inside a hutong and wondering who lives there? How many homes are tucked away inside?
A hutong without a name or address.
Inside an ancient Chinese Water Village with numerous mysterious alleyways.
Many Chinese Water villages are threaded in waterways like this one that wind around the village and flow out to sea.
The open-air entryway of a home or cafe in Uruguay.
An open-air room of women making fresh torillas out of a building in Guatemala.
An alleyway in Guatemala where a Mayan women hones her craft.
Peeking inside the reddish brown wooden doors of a teahouse kitchen in rural Nepal.
Looking outside a “hotel” window in Himalayan Nepal at the donkey train passageway where modern day trucking is at its best.
What kinds of hidden places have you seen in your travels? Feel free to share! (P.S. I’m not trying to start a photo challenge yet I would love to see what other travel bloggers/photographers have to say. Feel free to join in or comment).
love it! I love going down alleyways when I am visiting new places, you discover so many secret courtyards, you see how people actually live (and I too like peeping into their houses…) 🙂 great photos!
Thank you! 🙂
Oh, they are all lovely! The red salvia in the water village is really nice, but all of them are really nice!
Thank you! 🙂 I came up with the idea today after seeing a few posts on windows. I thought these hidden places were also somewhat like windows into the world.
they certainly are.. one of my favorite similar places is in san pedro/lake atitlan.. i love those little winding pedestrian paths! z
Oh….I still so dream of going to lake atitlan. The one place I wanted to go so badly and didn’t get to. I’ll be there someday, I’m sure! 🙂
for sure you will visit atitlan! Z
🙂
Oh, the places you have been. I loved all your photos. It is apparent that when you travel you immerse yourself into the culture, which is quite wonderful, isn’t it?
Thank you! Yes I do! I try to remember that “third” eye when I travel. 🙂
You have a couple of photos from Morocco, but I just wanted to add that my favorite part about the architecture is how hidden everything is, especially in the medinas. It’s impossible to know what kind of house is behind any given door until you step through, making every entrance a surprise!
That is so true! I should have put the secret doorway to the riad that I stayed at. It opened up into the most sensational palace and was a stunning surprise.
A fantastic series and I love them all! Was looking at that shot of the water village and thinking you might have been standing on top of the bridge on my header!! Was that Suzhou or Zhujiajiao?
It was Zhuijajiao. Is that where you went? I have a post on my visit somewhere buried in my blog! 🙂
Great selections for the hidden places. Thank you so much, Nicole. a world traveler. 🙂
Glad you enjoyed Amy! I just thought it would be an interesting post so I went with it… 🙂
Theres something special amd unique about ‘hidden places’ … Touches the real heart of a life in another part of the world … Beautiful photos .. I can get lost for hours 🙂
Thanks so much! Getting lost is the best part of all, isn’t it! 🙂
Fantastic photos, Nicole. I also like to get off the tourist route and have a nose around those back streets. This would make a great travel theme. 🙂
Yes, getting off the beaten path is the best part! I love getting lost! So many treasures to be found when you move outside the box. 🙂
I love to wander in the back streets of Florence whenever I go. There is a delight at every turn….and usually no other people. Lately I have been visiting the mountain villages that make up Bagni di Lucca and find hidden treasures in the narrow, winding, and often very steep, lane ways and ancient mule tracks in these places.
I bet it is amazing. I can picture it now in my head. I’ve got to someday make it to that part of Italy. 🙂
Nice travel photos! Which city is the one with water? I had been to Beijing a few times but did not see the Hu Tong. Thanks for posting the hidden places in the world! You have traveled everywhere…mostly interesting places.
Thanks! We went to a water village outside of Shanghai. It was really beautiful. The Hutongs are rather hidden and wound up being my most favorite things to explore in Bejing! We got lost forever! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you. Hm…I need to see the water village next time. Thanks for sharing.
I enjoy going through alleys like this. So many exciting surprises. Magical indeed.
Thanks! 🙂
Was that Zhouzhuang or Zhujiajiao? I found both of those villages lovely. But I hated the huge crowds of tourists there.
It was Zhouzhuang. I wrote a three series post on it as we had quite the trip (our hired car drove over 100 mph and I nearly died!). http://thirdeyemom.com/2012/01/23/our-trip-to-a-chinese-water-village-part-3-the-goods/
It wasn’t touristy when we were there. I also hate tourists!