It felt like a palace
After a series of small hotels, guest houses and yurt camps, the final two nights of our Central Asian tour were being spent in a ‘grown up’ hotel, and consequently it was the only check-in where forms had to be filled in and passports provided. There were seven floors, and we were on the fifth […]…
An authentic German bierkeller . . . . in Kazakhstan
You would be forgiven for thinking that the Paulaner Brauhaus was in Germany, but whilst it was a bierkeller, it was in Almaty, Kazakhstan. When abroad I’d normally give a wide berth to bierkellers and Irish pubs, but options were limited, as of the two other nearby places, one had a menu in Russian only, […]…
A gastronomic and cultural adventure for Silver Travellers: Bangkok to Isan
Regardless of whether you have never been to Thailand or are on your umpteenth visit, there is always a sense of excitement and adventure when you land in the country….
A yurt with an ensuite
Our third experience of a yurt camp was at Karkyra Glamping, and as the name suggests, it was more upmarket than the previous two. The camp was located in Kyrgyzstan’s Karkyra Valley, and right on the border with Kazakhstan. As its an area offering winter skiing, the camp is open all year round. It comprised […]…
A quirky guest house
The Aigaikum Guest House, in the tiny village of Basshi, was ideally located for visiting Kazakhstan’s Altyn-Emel National Park. However, it was a slightly strange place, with seemingly no central reception area, and various blocks dotted around the grounds with the 18 rooms. Our block, where shoes had to be removed at the entrance, had […]…
A disappointing National Park in Kazakhstan
Altyn-Emel National Park, one of Kazakhstan’s largest, is known for its mountains, sand deserts, sandstone formations, and steppes. Located between the Ili River and the Aktau mountains, it covers 4,600 square kilometers although drives have to be kept to three tourist routes. We were travelling in a 4WD Lexus but were told we needed a […]…
Exploring the making of Uzbekistan’s traditional ceramics
Rishtan is famous for Uzbekistan’s ubiquitous cobalt and green pottery, with a staggering 90% of the ceramics seen in the country’s souvenir shops having been made in the city. We visited the Ceramic Workshop and Museum of Rustam Usmanov and were told that the reason the pottery is so special is because if uses local […]…
The only guests in the guest house
We stayed in the small Kyrgyz village of Bokonbaevo at the family-run Ulubek Guest House situated on a quiet street behind a set of huge metal gates. In the courtyard were nicely tended colourful flower beds and scenic murals on the walls. Although there were 11 rooms over two floors, along with our guide and […]…
Meeting Ruslan and his golden eagles
Bokonbaevo, a small Kyrgyzstan village, provided what was the highlight of our five-week tour of Central Asia. The ancient tradition of eagle hunting was once widespread amongst nomadic cultures when eagles were trained to kill hares and foxes which provided fur and meat in the cold winter months. As the training and care for the […]…
Eating out in Tajikistan’s capital was not plain sailing
We stayed in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe for two nights at the Taj Palace Hotel and as it had a central location, we took advantage of eating out. Across from the hotel, and tucked down a small side street, an outdoor terrace of Café Central was ideal for a late, light lunch. When the waiter realised […]…
The biggest, best and tallest in Tajikistan’s capital
We stayed two nights in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe, formerly known as Stalinabad. Some of the more central sights were covered on foot and we began in Friendship Square at one of the iconic landmarks of the city, the 13m tall Ismoil Somoni Monument. As King of the Samanid Empire, he is regarded as the founding […]…
A stunning restored fortress
‘Mostly a cultural destination, but it also offers horse riding for children’. This was all Lonely Planet could muster about Hissar Fort, also confusingly known as Hisor and Gissar, and so our expectations weren’t high. We had a pleasant 30-minute drive from Dushanbe through the Hissar Valley noted for its cherries. On arrival, we began […]…
