Of all the Central Asian Republics, the easiest by far to get a tourist visa for is (surprisingly?) Afghanistan. I’d never planned to visit Afghanistan on this round of Central Asia (and indeed remember assurring several people that I wouldn’t… sorry guys), but after visiting the Wakhan Valley’s border market […]
Tag: Central Asia
Gypjak Mosque
For a man with the stature of Turkmenbashi, no normal tomb will do. It must be a grand marble mausoleum, built to house the whole family. It must be situated just next door to an even grander marble mosque, large enough to hold the whole extended family. And so the […]
Mary the Museum
When I think of Central Asian regional museums, I usually don’t expect a whole lot. I was really pleasantly surprised, then, the with Mary Museum. Though the cost was a bit more than I expected, it was full not only of old cultural artifacts from the nearby ancient city of […]
Turkoman Horse Riding: The Epic Akhal-Teke
The Turkoman tribes of what is now Turkmenistan were long feared as famous raiders and slavers who prowled the black-sand desert plundering caravans and harassing Russian army expeditions. And what good, I ask you, is a nomadic desert raider without an epic-strength horse? While the Turkmen may not be quite so […]
Islamic Art Museum, Istanbul
Islamic Art Museum Istanbul I know it may seem like I wont stop talking about this recently, but I’m really stoked to be heading back to Central Asia. One of the first touristy things I’ve done in Istanbul is the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts. A lot of the […]
Gobi Desert Tourism in Mongolia
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.