Arslanbob Walnut Harvest: A Month in the Forests of Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan is full of small stories. A successful microfinance project here, a village with a long history of training fighter pilots there, and any number of interesting back stories to be stumbled across by travelers or locals alike. One of […]
Tag: Hospitality
The Warm Embrace of Tajik Hospitality
Real, honest, open hospitality is a truly amazing thing. This tradition runs deep through the cultures of most of Central Asia, but in my experiences nowhere near as much as Tajikistan. Though there are some really well-run and welcoming homestays in Tajikistan’s Fan Mountains, they don’t quite cover the whole […]
Dinner With a Local Family – My Favorite Istanbul Guided Tour
My Favorite Istanbul Guided Tour – Dinner With a Local Family I know I’ve only recently decried the ‘proper-tourist-trail’ thing, but one experience in Istanbul left me thinking about whether or not a guide can be a good thing on occasion. After all don’t we oftentimes need a translator? Someone […]
Ain’t No Party Like an Uzbek Party
Did you know that circumcision parties are a thing? Nope, me neither. Uzbekistan being what it is, though, even serious religious rites can serve as an excuse to get to together with friends and family a tables full of food and bottles full of vodka. Shortly after we walked by […]
Ratm Fortress in the Tajik Wakhan
Like so many places in the world, much of the joy of the Tajik Wakhan is from the great people I met along the way. At the Ratm Fortress, just beyond the farthest one can go on public transport, I met this awesome family. I think I started interacting with […]
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 […]
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.