The Handbook to Civilised Sightseeing in Gansu 甘肅
“There is one secret to successful sightseeing in Gansu and most of China. When visiting a relatively famous sight, expect to see a thousand tourists gathered around, that way when there are only two hundred of them before you, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.” – The Handbook to Civilised Sightseeing in Gansu (Unknown Author) Last year, the […]
Xinjiang 新疆 – Our Gateway into China
“Let China sleep, for when she wakes, she will shake the world.” – Napoleon Steaming stacks of bamboo baskets are smoking against the cold morning air. Chestnuts are roasting among scorching black beans, stirred steadily in a blackened wok. White and pink fuzzy flat peaches perch neatly in rows opposite carts mounted high with the […]
Road Trip Gone Wild at the “Roof of The World”
My head hits the roof of the Toyota Land Cruiser waking me up from my early morning “pass out”. The smooth roads leaving the Tajik capital of Dushanbe give us false hope for the journey to the start of the Pamirs. In reality, the roads are perfection until you reach President Rahmon’s hometown of Danghara, […]
Kicking it Up at the Murghab Horse Festival
Metallic horse hooves pound the tundra as dust particles vibrate into the crisp air. Crowds have gathered patiently in a vast plateau surrounded by dramatic lunar peaks. At the edge, electric towers set up a barrier, barely holding up cascading wires; the rods occasionally setting off loud twangs with sparks as a surcharge goes through […]
Conquering the Fann Mountains
“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity…” – John Muir Most people who actually know where to pinpoint Tajikistan on a map have heard of the mountainous wonders of the Pamir Highway, a recurring destination listed on many adventurers’ […]
Uzbekistan…Through The Funnel
Uzbekistan is the third in our series – “…Through the Funnel”. You can read our previous one on Iran here. It is a way for us to share 12 aspects that stood out to us in our experience of the country and its people. Did we miss something that stood out to you in Uzbekistan? * Several aspects we observed in […]
Enchanting Khiva
The barb-wired gate clanged shut as it bounced into its lock and we breathed a sigh of relief. Turning back to look at Turkmenistan one last time we squealed quietly not wanting to draw more attention from the guards, “Yeaaaay we made it out of Turkmenistan in one piece!”. Thank you, thank you and off […]
Iran…Through The Funnel
Iran is the second in our series – “…Through the Funnel”. You can read our first one about Turkey here.It is a way for us to share 12 aspects that stood out to us in our experience of the country and its people. Did we miss something that stood out to you in Iran? #1 And the […]
Nomadic Life with the Bakhtiari
Squinting through my sleepy eyelids, a huge snow-capped mountain range appears out of the corner, glimmering white between the shadow of my dark eyelashes. We have arrived in the Khourang. The previous day in Tehran, our wonderful hosts at Cenesta (Iranian Centre for Sustainable Development) had asked us whether we would like to join another […]
Dispatch from a Foreign Woman Loose in Iran
“Whatever you choose, however many roads you travel, I hope that you choose not to be a lady. I hope you will find some way to break the rules and make a little trouble out there. And I also hope that you will choose to make some of that trouble on behalf of women.” — Nora Ephron […]
