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Category: Asia

Russia; cities, trains and cold smokehaving a good time in Mamay

Russia; cities, trains and cold smoke

Published by Paul on November 25, 2018

Last year I rode a chairlift in Goderdzi (Georgia) together with Jesper from Denmark and we discussed our skiing plans for the near future. We found out we were both inspired by “Skiing around the world“, a fantastic book written by Jimmy Petterson, and as a result we were skiing as many different places as we possibly could. I like to say I’m seeing the world through skiing since the cultural experiences one gets by skiing in exotic locations are simply invaluable. Jesper and myself had never skied in Russia which made things pretty simple, either Kamchatka or Siberia was on the agenda for the next year!

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Tajikistan; traveling the Pamir highwayPamir highway

Tajikistan; traveling the Pamir highway

Published by Paul on July 11, 2017

A Central Asian country that is still relatively under the radar, is located south of both Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, countries which are currently well-known by travelers. It is the smallest country in the region and more than half of it is over 3.000 meters. This country is of course Tajikistan. One of the main attractions of this destination is the Pamir highway, a road that passes through an autonomous region called Gorno-Badakhshan with a population density of only 3,2 per squared kilometer!

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Kyrgyzstan; a ski expedition to Ak SaiAk Sai glacier
Uzbekistan; the pearl of the Silk RoadKalyan mosque

Uzbekistan; the pearl of the Silk Road

Published by Paul on June 14, 2017

When I think about the Silk Road and Central Asia, Uzbekistan is the country I associate the most with it. The history of the country reaches millennia back, culture is abundant and architecture is simply spectacular with its significant buildings made of marble, richly decorated with mosaic and completed with turquoise domes. But, at the same time bureaucracy is around every corner and the heat can be unbearable this time of year, let alone in the middle of Summer. Nevertheless, welcome to the pearl of the Silk Road!

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Kazakhstan; cities and a lot of steppeTrain Almaty Astana

Kazakhstan; cities and a lot of steppe

Published by Paul on June 3, 2017

The largest country of Central Asia is Kazakhstan. Being more than 60 times as large as the Netherlands, it’s the 9th country of the world in terms of size. However, due to the fact that the vast majority of the country is empty, there is not that much to see and or do. With two potentially interesting cities and a nice train ride, I visited a country that somehow captures the imagination even though it felt more as a transit than a proper visit…

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Kyrgyzstan; exploring the vast wildernessIssyk Kul

Kyrgyzstan; exploring the vast wilderness

Published by Paul on May 24, 2017

Somewhere in Asia is a region I wanted to visit for several years now. It is historically defined by its nomadic people, a region with an extreme continental climate and where few cities have been developed. It’s also a region which has acted as a crossroad for the movement of people, goods, and ideas between Europe and Asia. In my perception it had not yet been discovered by mass tourism and in addition, some very interesting culture, architecture and scenery would tickle my senses. I’m referring here to Central Asia, or “the Stans”. Of course, I couldn’t wait any longer to go explore…

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Sri Lanka; a little bit of everything…
Iran; ancient cities and Persian powder

Iran; ancient cities and Persian powder

Published by Paul on March 16, 2014

After all my travels there is one obvious region I haven’t visited; the Middle East. One country in this region stands out in terms of variety it has to offer. The Silk Road and Islamic buildings offer some impressive architecture. Multiple deserts and mountains identify its landscape and make for interesting excursions. And, finally, the Trans Asia Express train ride offers a great alternative for the much more touristy Trans Siberia Express. This country of course is Iran.

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Turkey; mosques, rock formations and some snow…
Gulmarg; skiing currypowder in the Himalayas