Articles from this Category
29 June 2024
Revisiting sights Kim arrives in Istanbul today, coming from Taipei via Hanoi. His flight was scheduled to arrive at 0520 but had landed at 0445. I had set the alarm for 0610 and hit the tram at 0630 for Aksaray Metro. He had already been waiting 10 mins when I got there at 0640. The […]
28 June 2024
Flying to Istanbul I woke to an email from Turkish Airlines advising of a 50 min delay to my 0725 service to Istanbul. From the airport hotel, I walked over to the terminal about 1h25 prior to the new departure time. At the check-in desk, I asked if they would accept a mobile boarding pass […]
26 June 2024
I spent the morning indoors reinstating the bookings I had cancelled two days ago for my alternate scenario in case I cannot be hosted in Normandy later in the trip. I had been expecting to pay megabucks for (re)-booking so late but surprisingly, I saved EUR8 in total across 7 nights in three cities. Not […]
24 June 2024
Today I fly from Shymkent to Astana at a very pleasant time of 1130, meaning that could have a leisurely breakfast before ordering a car. I got to the airport at 1000 to find the counters already free of queues. The staff asked me to get a paper boarding pass even though I noticed people […]
23 June 2024
I woke after 0500 with the early sunrise, despite having drawn the curtains. I hadn’t been given a time for the pick-up for today’s hike. After breakfast, I waited and waited. Finally, after 0900, I messaged the driver Katya who told me it would around 0930. It was a 45 min drive to the Sayram […]
22 June 2024
Horse trek Today I start a two-day excursion to the foothills of mountains about 90 mins out of Shymkent. They day’s program is a horse trek along the Aksu Canyon in the Aksu Zhagbaly National Park. I was picked by Katya for the drive at 0815, a little later than planned. Surprisingly, she’s Muslim despite […]
21 June 2024
Getting to Turkistan I woke at 0515 having retired early and also due to the early sunrise. The hotel breakfast at 0700 was surprisingly good! They served a mix of Russian and Central Asian fare including blinis (pancakes), tomato, cucumber and cakes. Not so appealing were the cold chicken pieces and cold cuts. Today, my […]
20 June 2024
Above: View soon after take-off from Almaty. Leaving Almaty The breakfast lady at the hostel was 20 mins late but fortunately it didn’t affect my plan to check-out at 0900 to head to the airport for my 1130 flight to Shymkent on SCAT Airlines. I was surprised the ride only took 20 mins. I was […]
19 June 2024
First things first I didn’t sleep deeply last night but had dozed from 2330 till 0700 this morning, which is fine for me. After a greasy included breakfast of three fried eggs and sides, I left the hostel in search of ATMs (or bankomats as they’re called in this part of the world). The first […]
17 June 2024
Gwangjang Market I had considered going to the royal tombs, Donggureung, today but they are closed on Mondays. Having been to the other key sights of Seoul, some more than once, I thought I’d swing past Gwangjang Market on the way to Hanok Buchon for lunch at a place I enjoyed on my first visit […]