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
My epic overland adventure was about to continue. I’d already travelled from Shanghai across the vastness of China, into the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, onto the dazzling blue tiled Silk Road cities of Uzbekistan, through the strange and bizarre country that is Turkmenistan and I was now in the final stages of my travels in Iran that would see
Visiting Shiraz was a highlight of my three weeks travelling solo through Iran. I remember it as a city of light and gardens. With it’s bustling bazaars, beautiful Persian gardens and home to a place filled with magical and exquisite light. I arrived in Shiraz after a six hour bus trip from the mud-brick city of Yazd. Nearly
It was oh so quiet and still. Mud-brick walls rose high above me on either side to meet as arches high above. It was like the walls were enveloping me and I wondered if these adobe walls were absorbing all sound. In the distance the occasional shaft of pale light would cut through the shadows.
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
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
Turkmenistan is a reclusive type of country once ruled by one of the most bizarre dictator’s in history and obtaining a Turkmenistan visa is notoriously difficult. But it is possible! Here’s my first hand experience of tracking down a Turkmenistan visa. Everyone needs a tourist visa to visit Turkmenistan and in order to obtain one
Have you ever wondered how to get an Iranian visa in Uzbekistan? Perhaps not, which is understandable and not surprising. But for a handful of travellers it might well be exactly what they’ve been trying to find out. I know first hand how difficult it can be to find up to date and relevant information