Ulaan Baatar – Mongolian Capital, Surprise and Charm

I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I visited Ulaan Baatar, or if you prefer, ‘UB’, earlier this year. Would it be this large, over bearing Soviet megastructure, would it be more Chinese in style? What I found was neither. Yes, you will see remnants of Soviet times. Mongolia may have remained on the …

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Travel Video – The Colours of Kyrgzstan

Hi all and welcome to a new week. This Monday's video reflects my time in 2011 when I visited the gorgeous country of Kyrgyzstan. From the capital Bishkek to Lake Issk-Kul and Karakol into the mountains and a special little place called Altyn Arashan. Here's a video I compiled. Thanks for stopping by, May the …

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Sunday Spotlight – Semey (Kazakhstan)

Today's Spotlight is shone on the northern city in Kazakhstan of Semey. I ventured there a few years ago now (really I can't believe it's been SIX years! Time is going too fast I tells ya!) as the first city I went to bar Almaty. I took the overnight train, which was quite a cool …

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City Rumble – Bishkek versus Tashkent

You know I concentrate the bulk of my city rumbles on well-known places, but I thought it was time to write a bit more about Central Asia so I hit upon the plan to pit the capital of Kyrgyzstan against the capital of its neighbour, Uzbekistan. Bishkek is the pleasant, leafy capital of Kyrgyzstan, a …

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My Top Ten Countries [Part Two]

Or if you prefer, my top five as I started the top ten last week with numbers 10 to 6. You can find that post HERE. But here are, or should I say were, my top five when I listed them a couple of years back. I would (and plan to) revisit the list at …

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Travel Video – Kazakhstan

Come with me on this little (well, 17 minutes) video of my time in Kazakhstan, entitled ‘Curious Kazakhstan’. It’s been a while since I posted on Central Asia, but I still look at it very fondly. It’s one of the most rewarding places a solo backpacker can head in my opinion. In this city you’ll …

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Value Destinations – Uzbekistan

Hi everyone! In the new year I am searching for some new ideas for posts, and this is one I’ve come up with ‘Value Destinations’ – that’s places that I reckon represent a decent bang for your buck. Some places can be quite frustrating because money disappears at a rate if knots, your accommodation is …

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Foto Friday – Broken Heart in Kyrgyzstan

Here's one of my favourite travel pics. In the background is Jeti-Oguz, or the 'Broken Heart', a large reddish rock that split in two and looks like a, well, broken heart. I was taking photos of it and this local family asked to be in the photo. Slightly odd, yes, but with such a hat, …

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