Articles from this Category
24 October 2017
After breakfast, I said goodbye to my host(ess) at the Park Hotel and took a mashrutka to Karakol’s bus station. One taxi drivers wanted KGS700 while another KGS600. I stood my ground with KGS500 and eventually one agreed. Unfortunately it was an hour’s wait before we departed, with one empty seat left for an adhoc […]
23 October 2017
I woke early and there was enough time before my 0800 breakfast to commit to my travel plans for June 2018 by making those bookings. It would be Tehran – Istanbul transfer – Bucharest, then land travel down to Istanbul, and then Istanbul – Madrid in order for us to fly to Quito and Galapagos […]
22 October 2017
Breakfast started at 0800. It wasn’t an issue as it doesn’t get light that early here. Soon after my omelette and a huge tomato salad, I took a mashrutka to the once-a-week Mal Bazaar where animals were traded. I got there around 0930 amidst a great deal of activity there. There were lots of cars […]
21 October 2017
Breakfast was served in the restaurant adjoining the Apple hostel and the Western Bus Station starting from 0700. I went down soon after it opened and once done, went to the station to find transport to Karakol. The guidebook said it was a confusing place with some duplication of areas for different routes. I didn’t […]
20 October 2017
Above: View flying from Dushanbe to Almaty. The view was absolutely was gorgeous. It didn’t look any different from flying over the Southern Alps in the South Island of New Zealand but the difference here is the scale: it’s the expanse and reach. The expanse is such that these mountains were in sight the entire […]
19 October 2017
There’s nothing much to see in Dushanbe for a non-museum person. I explored a little of the city which has nice tree-lined avenues along with large government buildings. You can be the judge of the architectural styles; check out the pictures. To be honest, I needed a day of doing very little and spending time […]
18 October 2017
I woke too early around 0500. It ws raining , just as it had been forecasted. After much waiting, I finally got up to use the dreaded toilet. It didn’t turn out too badly. I must have been the first person to use it since it was cleaned yesterday. The seatless rim was clean and […]
17 October 2017
Morning in Khujand. I woke in Khujand around 0530 and lay till 0630 and slowly got ready. I had a heavy but healthy breakfast of banana, oats and kefir washed down with a lightly sweetened cup of black tea. Having explored the Citadel area yesterday, I wanted to explore the bazaar area. It took about […]
16 October 2017
Today I leave Uzbekistan for Tajikistan by crossing the border – that’s the plan anyway and information has been a bit scant on the internet and on the ground here. With uncertainty on how the day might turn out, the huge buffet breakfast provided by the Sakura hostel in the Shirin restaurant downstairs was very […]
15 October 2017
Above: The lady is fumigating for a tip. Breakfast at the Toj Mahal opened a little later than the indicated 0700 start. I chatted with an American Japanese man who was very knowledgeable and well-travelled. He was going to Kumtepa Bazaar after breakfast as well but continuing to Tashkent thereafter, all with a private car […]