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 […]
Recent Posts
Vienna Central Cemetery: Death, Fame, and Beauty
I know this a bit weird, but I really like visiting cemeteries. Something about the monumental aspects of them, the air of quiet contemplation, and the bounteous living greenness of a space devoted to death all appeal to me. In Vienna, then, how could I avoid the two historic cemeteries […]
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 […]
Istanbul Galata Neighborhood Guide
Going to Galata Galata, to most tourists in Istanbul, seems to mean little more than “the place with the tower and the bridge”. And it is both of these things. It also, conveniently, happens to be a GREAT district (perhaps the favorite I’ve found in the city) for street food […]
Ishkashim Market: Almost Afghanistan
I know I may have mentioned this before, but shortly before leaving Tajikistan I took a short trip with a couple of friends through Afghanistan. Despite what several people I’ve spoken seem to think, there was no sense of ‘extreme’ behind the idea. It wasn’t to brag about later, to […]
Qobustan Mud Volcanoes!
See that exclamation point in the title up there? Thats the most excited sentence you’ll see in this entire post. There are tons of tourist sites out there in the world, and while many of them are deservedly popular some of them are over-hyped. I really thought the near-Baku Qobustan […]
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.