Arriving in Istanbul represented the end of my Silk Road adventure and it was an incredibly emotional experience for so many reasons. I first travelled to Istanbul ten years beforehand when it was my first time in the Middle East. That was an overwhelming visit where I was mesmerised by the incredible history and architecture of
A year ago I finally arrived in Iran after three months of travelling across China and Central Asia! As I crossed the border from Turkmenistan I was a jumble of emotions. I couldn’t quite believe I’d made it so far completely overland, I was excited to be back in the Middle East and I was
My Turkmenistan destination guide will hopefully help you plan a visit to one of the most off-the-beaten path destinations in the world. So off the beaten path Turkmenistan is the seventh least visited countries in the world! Turkmenistan is notorious for once being ruled by one of the most eccentric and bizarre dictators the world has ever
Last October I travelled through Turkmenistan and spent a handful of days in the bizarre city of Ashgabat. Turkmenistan is the seventh least visited country in the world and it’s capital, Ashgabat, is a truly strange city. In fact it’s the weirdest city I’ve ever visited in all my travels! So what makes the capital
Ashgabat is far and away the weirdest city I have ever visited in all of my travels. Imagine huge hulking white marble buildings next to more huge white marble buildings lining pristine streets of perfectly manicured gardens and beautiful fountains. The streets are wide, clean and empty of people. Except for the occasional policeman who’s
It was the morning of my border crossing into Turkmenistan, the last ‘stan’ of my Silk Road travels. I was leaving the dazzling blue tiled cities of Uzbekistan behind to head to the land of dictators, bizarre architecture, and one of the strangest countries in the world! My guesthouse in Bukhara had arranged a taxi
Ancient cities where brilliant aqua domes push towards bright blue skies, exotic and colourful markets, shared taxi adventures, cashless ATMs and black market negotiations, a fascinating history and locals who greet you with a gold-tooth smile. This is Uzbekistan and it is one of the most unique and unusual countries in the world. In September
The markets of Central Asia are colourful, fascinating and bursting with life and the markets of Uzbekistan are some of the best in the region. The fresh produce is astounding. From the famous pomegranates and melons to dried apricots, stuffed dates, nougat, halva, dried cheese and bread, bread, bread, and more bread. The markets of
Two days in Khiva is the perfect amount of time to explore what is often described as a museum city. This is my account of how I spent two wonderful days in this charmingly preserved Silk Road City. Travelling to Khiva In the desolate far western deserts of Uzbekistan stands the third and final Silk Road city
Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, is not known as a tourist destination and most people usually spend only a day or two visiting the museums and/or market. So when I started planning what to see in Uzbekistan I’d originally thought I might miss Tashkent all together. It was therefore quite ironic that I ended up