We travel not for trafficking alone, By hotter winds our fiery hearts are fanned. For lust of knowing what should not be known, We take the Golden Road to Samarkand. Ah, the Golden Road to Samarkand. If you have heard of any city on the Silk Road, it is likely Samarkand, and it is probably […]
Samarkand: Not So Golden Anymore? Read More »
While I collected my Tajikistan and Uzbekistan visas in Baku, Azerbaijan, I didn’t get my Kazakhstan visa there because I thought I could do it easily in Tashkent. And because I was in a hurry to get back to Armenia. And because, well, I couldn’t actually find the embassy. The latest edition of Lonely Planet
Kazakhstan, You Better Be Worth It Read More »
The last time I ran the Chicago Marathon, I passed the halfway point and angrily ripped off my timing band and turned off my Garmin watch. I slowed to a fast walk, my knees wobbling as I struggled to convince myself to keep going. I had trained well all summer for my fourth marathon and
Why Traveling Through Central Asia is Like Running a Marathon Read More »
I only spent one day in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan – most of it feeling hot, exhausted and annoyed. But when the sun started to go down, I was treated to this sky full of yellow, orange, pink and purple, providing a beautiful backdrop for the statue of Ismail Samani, the founder of the
Saturday Scenes: Dushanbe, Tajikistan Read More »
I was nearly giddy as my taxi pulled up in front of the Hotel Uzbekistan in Tashkent. After a month of homestays and shabby hotels in Tajikistan, I was staring at a real hotel again. A hotel with a bright, shiny lobby and air conditioning. A hotel with a concierge, 24 hour café and souvenir
Thoughts on 10 Days in Tashkent Read More »
I resisted the urge to turn around and smile. But I couldn’t help smiling to myself as the Uzbek immigration officer moved a metal barrier aside and ushered me past the dozens of Tajik women who had tried so hard to keep me from the front of the immigration line. And I smiled again when
Crossing from Tajikistan to Uzbekistan Read More »
I panicked. It was only my second day teaching English in Tajikistan and I panicked. I sat alone in my room flustered and close to tears because I had no clue how I was going to come up with four hours of English lessons every day. I planned out what I thought would be
Teaching Myself How to Teach English Read More »
One of my favorite things about hiking in the mountains around Mestia in the Svaneti region of Georgia was the number of animals I encountered along the way – especially cows! I found these guys enjoying the view high up on Mount Mestia, just before I reached the top.
Saturday Scenes: Cows in Mestia Read More »
A small tear formed in the corner of my eye as I stood in front of my host family, modeling the brightly colored traditional Tajik dress that Mavzuna and Ganjina spent much of the previous day making for me. “Ochen kraseevaya,” they exclaimed with excitement. “Tajik devushka,” proclaimed my host mother Mouhayo with huge smile
Finding a Family in Shing Read More »
By the time you read this, I will be in Turkmenistan, a country sometimes called the “North Korea of Central Asia.” Indeed, it has been ranked third to last in terms of freedom of the press, just above Burma and – you guessed it – North Korea. Lonely Planet refers to it as “mysterious and
Previewing Turkmenistan (and why I’m going offline for 10 days) Read More »
