I have never missed watching the Olympics. When I was a kid, I was glued to the TV during the opening ceremonies, trying to count every single country that walked into the stadium. I cheered on Mary Lou Retton and Kerri Strug; Kristi Yamaguchi and Michelle Kwan; Carl Lewis, Greg Louganis, Apolo Ohno and Shani …
What I Learned Watching the Olympics in Turkmenistan Read More »
Over the last month, I’ve read quite a few lists of the so-called best places to visit in 2013. These lists come out every year and every year there seem to be a couple destinations that show up on list after list: Jordan has been a big one in the past; Myanmar seems to be …
The Pros & Cons of Booking a Private Tour in Turkmenistan Read More »
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Central Asia was supposed to be cheap. I was supposed to stay in yurts and with local families and eat cheap street food. The money I saved in the ‘Stans was supposed to make up for the expense of Russia and my splurges in adding Italy and Turkey …
By the time I boarded my flight out of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on September 16, I was ready to say goodbye to Central Asia. My three months in the region left me physically and mentally exhausted and all I could think about was getting back home. I struggled through difficult border crossings. I endured hot, sweaty …
Turkmenistan isn’t exactly what you would call touristy. Okay, that might the understatement of the century. Turkmenistan is not touristy at all. I went nine days without seeing another tourist anywhere – at least not a Western tourist who stood out like I did. Then I arrived at this burning gas crater in the middle …
I lay on my back, gazing up at a sky full of stars, watching the full moon rising in the distance. A light breeze swirled around me, occasionally breaking the silence as it rustled the flaps of my tent. Aside from my guide, Oleg, a few feet away, I was completely alone. I wondered who …
The Yangykala Canyon: As Far Off the Beaten Path as it Gets Read More »
I stepped carefully over the faded yellow, green and red bricks, pausing whenever a spot of turquoise or royal blue caught my eye –fragments of ceramic mixed in with the city ruins. I tried to follow the vague path that seemed to lead over the dirt mounds that once formed city walls, afraid that one …
Arriving in the capital city of Ashgabat, I wondered if I was still in Turkmenistan. Or had I been transported somewhere over the rainbow to the Land of Oz? All I needed was green-tinted glasses and I would have sworn I was driving through the Emerald City. It didn’t feel real. It had …
As the taxi pulled away from my Bukhara hotel at 7:15 a.m., I asked how far it was to Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan border at Farab. To my surprise, he responded 120 kilometers – much further than I imagined. I was supposed to meet my guide, Oleg, on the other side of the border at 9:00 and it …
The Never Ending Border Crossing: From Uzbekistan to Turkmenistan 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 »
