March 2017 archive

Things to do in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan – The City of White Marble

As we approached Ashgabat, we could see the mountains that form the border of Turkmenistan and Iran. We are less than 7 miles from Iran here in Ashgabat. Ashgabat is the capital of Turkmenistan. It is infamous for it’s fantastic marble structures and gold statues of the former president. Photography is greatly limited in this …

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Darvaza Gas Crater (Fire in the Hole!)

There is no other place in the world like the Darvaza Gas Crater.  It’s like the gates to hell and it’s nickname is “The Door to Hell”.  Not only is there one gas crater, but there are actually three different Darvaza Gas Craters in Turkmenistan.  Each one has it’s own unique characteristics. Last Morning in Uzbekistan …

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Viva Khiva (Destination: Khiva, Uzbekistan)

Sun, Nov 3, 2013 We had our last breakfast in Bukhara. The breakfast room of the hotel was the library in an old Jewish house – a classic looking room.  Afterwards, we loaded the trip for what would be our longest driving day in Uzbekistan. For most of the day we drove thru the Kyzyl-Kum …

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Things to Do in Bukhara Uzbekistan (Shop Til You Drop!)

By mid-afternoon, we arrived in Bukhara. This town allows you to image how things looked in Silk Road times. Although it is heavily restored, all the towns here are made of the bricks and mud bricks. There are winding back alley ways that are easy to lose yourself in. As you look at the skyline, …

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Crossroads of the Silk Road (Destination: Samarkand, Uzbekistan)

Mon, Oct 28, 2013 I had breakfast in the hotel and then went for a bit of a walk in the Mirabod district, stopping at the bazaar. Today was exciting because 8 people had chosen to take the train to the next city so we would have lots of extra space on the truck and …

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Loving the Local Market Food (Destination: Tashkent, Uzbekistan)

Plov

Sun, Oct 27, 2013 A full day to spend in the capital of Tashkent, but only after we unpack the bags at 9:00 (it was raining last night after our long drive to the city so they decided to keep our big bags on the truck until this morning). The breakfast at the Roshvan hotel …

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“Welcome to Uzbekistan” (Destination: Fergana, Uzbekistan)

Fri, Oct 25, 2013 An early start with 7:00 breakfast and 8:00 departure since the process of getting into Uzbekistan is quite time consuming. We drove for a couple hours, stopping to get diesel since that type of gasoline is not always available in Uzbekistan. We drove through the city of Osh, the oldest city …

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Central Asia City Life (Destination: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan)

Mon, Oct 21, 2013 Today I was back on cook group, meaning I had to get up early to help prepare breakfast. It was stressful with 3 roles to fill – making and cleaning up breakfast, taking down the tent, and having to pack all of the luggage in the truck at the same time. …

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Incredible views (Destination: Western Kyrgyzstan)

Wed, Oct 23, 2013 Another nice breakfast and 8:00 departure from Bishkek. It was a LONG day of driving and I think the extremely long walking in flip flops on cement yesterday meant I felt very achy all day. The views were good but it was cloudy most of the day. The most interesting things …

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North of Lake (Destination: Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan)

Sat, Oct 19, 2013 Today is the official half way point of my Overland tour. It seems hard to believe the heat of Nepal was just 4.5-6 weeks ago as we are fully into autumn now. Despite the cold weather, I am thoroughly enjoying Kyrgyzstan. It was 34 degrees in the room as I woke …

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