Kyrgyzstan’s Independence Day Holiday: Celebrating Nomad Style Holidays are always an awesome time to travel, and Independence Day is a particularly fine festivity. No matter whether Hot Dogs and Fireworks for the 4th of July in the US or Military Parades on Bastille Day in Paris, Independence Day holidays are […]
Tag: Former USSR
On Beautiful Places in Kyrgyzstan: Hiking in Shamsi Gorge
On Beautiful Places in Kyrgyzstan: Hiking in Shamsi Gorge There are countless beautiful places in Kyrgyzstan – I often feel like every new valley and every new gorge offer some new and incredible view – and of course not all of them can make it onto your Central Asia backpacking […]
Hiking Kyrgyzstan’s Chon-Kaindy Valley
Hiking Kyrgyzstan’s Chon-Kaindy Valley No matter the route, no matter the preparation, the simple truth is that not every hike will go as planned. Add into this a rarely-traveled route with a guide who has only visited once before, and its bound to be an adventure. Such was the case […]
To the Kyrgyzstan Military Forces: Happy 22nd Anniversary!
Kyrgyzstan Military Forces 22nd Anniversary It isn’t every day I happen across a bunch of APCs and Mortars just hanging out in the middle of town. Given that it isn’t Victory Day or Defenders of the Fatherland Day and there doesn’t seem to be a revolution on, what could the occasion […]
Buzkashi and Kokpar – The Central Asian Horse Game
Buzkashi and Kokpar – A Traditional Central Asian Horse Game “Central Asian Dead Goat Polo” For many foreigners I think the game of Buzkashi is THE stereotypical ‘Central Asia’ image. As far back as Rambo III’s premiere in 1988, where Sly Stallone joins in a game of Buzkashi deep in […]
RUN the Silk Road – Marathon Running in the Mountains of Heaven
RUN the Silk Road: Marathon Running in the Mountains of Heaven It could be any marathon anywhere, but it isn’t.