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 […]
Tag: Central Asia
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 […]
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 […]
Mizdakhan Mausoleum Complex in Nukus
Whats that, you say? A 3rd Century B.C.(E.) fortress? And its across a small valley from a 4th Century Mausoleum Complex? Of course I’m in! I’d not really intended to check out Mizdakhan while I was in Nukus, but I’d agreed to rent a car to visit a bunch of […]
Tajik Pamir Hospitality
How many times does it take being invited in for tea in Central Asia before it gets old? I’ve had a lot of these experiences, so far, and I’m still going strong. We originally met this kid at the neighborhood water pump, hauling home about 8 gallons of water. What […]
Katta Langar Mausoleum in Uzbekistan
After so much time spent in dusty deserts and historic old towns of Uzbekistan, I often feel the pull to get out and find some green spaces. While reading through an old Uzbekistan Airways in-flight mag that someone had stolen and left in my guesthouse in Khiva, I saw an […]
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.