A walk along the Ala Archa Valley Trail.
Central Asia
Ratm Fortress in the Tajik Wakhan
Like so many places in the world, much of the joy of the Tajik Wakhan is from the great people I met along the way. At the Ratm Fortress, just beyond the farthest one can go on public transport, I met this awesome family. I think I started interacting with […]
Ruins of Merv: the 12th Century Mother of the World
Ruins of Merv: The 12th Century Mother of the World Ancient beyond ancient, the ancient of Mary was a known settlement as far back as 500 B.C. as part of a Satrapie under the Persian ruler Darius (yes, of 300 fame). Well beyond that, though, the city was also later […]
Hiking in Xinaliq: Up, Down, and Around Again
Hiking in Xinaliq
Almaty Kazakhstan Travel Guide
Almaty Kazakhstan Travel Guide Central Asia is not typically a place I think of going to enjoy ‘city life’. At worst, places like Tashkent leave negative impressions. At best I walk out with fond memories of Ashgabat or Bishkek less because of the cities themselves and more because of the […]
Qobustan Petroglyphs: Drawings in the Desert
Qobustan Petroglyphs: Drawings in the Desert As disappointed as I was by the Qobustan Mud Volcanoes, I was equally pleasantly surprised by the nearby petroglyphs. After leaving Central Asia a month earlier, I’d been pretty ‘glyphed out. I’d visited so many of the things (and in beautiful setting like the […]
Hey there! I'm Stephen, this is my travel blog, and that's me in the poofy hat.
I'm a photographer / writer traveling since 2008, and I've been doing my best to visit amazing places.
My current focus is Central Asia, because for a hiking and camping enthusiast it's as good as it gets.