Charyn Canyon Charyn Canyon is a really beautiful place, well worth the trip from Almaty whether as a daytrip or overnight. I even went as part of an organized tour group, something I generally flee from like other folks flee from contagious diseases. Surrounded by a bus load of Kazakh […]
Central Asia
Ashbagat’s Tolkuchka Bazaar
Anybody who has been reading this site for a while will already know that I’m a bit on the obsessed side with bazaars and markets around the world. Not only for the sweet headgear opportunities, but also because they’re just such generally picturesque and atmospheric places that tend to make […]
Hiking in Lahic
As beautiful as the Old Town of Lahic looks, my favorite selling point of the city was the ample opportunity for hiking around the village. Give me a beautiful old village with an interesting local twist to traditional culture surrounded by accessible nature, though, and I’m sold pretty much anywhere […]
Fann Mountains Seven Lakes: Tajikistan Haft Kol
I love Central Asia. I love hiking. I particularly enjoy the people of Tajikistan, whose hospitality and warmth to outsiders I’d rank amongst any other culture in the world. It should be no surprise, then, that many of my favorite experiences of 6 months in Central Asia involved multi-day hikes […]
Sheki Karavansaray
Lonely Planet would have you believe that Sheki is the crown jewel of traveling in Azerbaijan, reason enough in and of itself to visit the country. This is not entirely true, but only because there are cooler places in the nation. Indeed thinking back on Azerbaijan, I think we met […]
Homestays in Afghanistan on the Tajik Frontier
Part of the reason Afghanistan was such a great travel experience was that people were so amazingly helpful and friendly and willing to sort out three random foreigners who showed up for a look around. What could have been a rather disorganized and uncomfortable experience was made amazing through 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.