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 […]
Tag: Former USSR
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 […]
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 […]
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.