Part of what makes Turkmenistan feel like such a strange place is that Turkmenbashi is EVERYWHERE. Born Saparmurat Niyazov and orphaned as a young boy by an earthquake that leveled much of Ashgabat, when he took power as leader of Turkmenistan he styled himself Turkmenbashi (“Leader of all Turkmen”) and […]
Tag: Central Asia
First Reflections on Turkmenistan (R)
There’s a reason Turkmenistan is sometimes referred to as the North Korea of Central Asia. The tourist rules are super restrictive, there’s a huge cult of personality built up around the former ruler (Turkmenbashi – literally “Leader of all Turkmen”), the state long controlled most media and nearly all of […]
Photo Slideshow: Turkmenistan (R)
Turkmenistan is amazing, and I may never visit again. Its beautiful, and yet very few people visit because of visa policies that are either expensive or asinine (depending on the visa). The people are mostly friendly and helpful and hospitable, but I also had two cops try to shake me […]
Uzbek Bank Robbers (R)
Seriously, Uzbekistan would be the worst country in the world to rob banks. The US dollars and Uzbek som pictured here are cash equivalents: If $600 comes out to 1.68 million Som, and the largest bill is 1000 Som, can you imagine how many donkey carts it would take […]
Photo Slideshow: Kazakhstan (R)
You know, I still haven’t decided if I enjoy Kazakhstan as much as I do the rest of Central Asia. I’ve met great people there, for sure, especially through CouchSurfing in Almaty a couple of times. There’s good hiking to be done too, of course, in Aksai Gorge and Charyn […]
Travel Budget: Tajikistan (R)
Travel Budget: Tajikistan Tajikistan is an incredible country to travel. Towering mountains to hike through and amazingly hospitable cultures that take one look at travelers and invite them in for tea. It isn’t always the most comfortable place to travel, but the sheer adventure of the experience more than makes […]
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.