Trekking from Sary Mogul
Sary Mogul is a small town in the South West of Kyrgyzstan, on the way to the Tajikistan border. Sary Mogul is a destination for people who’d like to experience a bit of local Kyrgyz life, rural life, or venture off into the mountains. For me it was the starting…
Yurt life in the Alay mountains
During my 11 days hiking in the Alay mountains I mostly stayed in yurts. I had no idea what to expect, so it was an amazing experience! A bunch of families throughout the mountains make some extra money by putting up yurts for hikers. It may not be as popular…
Kuşadası, my studycation
Sometimes you’ve just got to admit that you need rest. I hate wasting days off though. I have so few of them and they seem to disappear so fast. Probably because by the time spring comes around, I’ve already spent more than 2 weeks on skiing. I always like to…
The start of a mountain adventure
After a night in Sary Mogul the adventure could begin. My hiking group was loaded into a tiny Lada and a space wagon and we drove out to the start of the hiking trail to the Sary Mogul Pass. For about an hour we drove deeper into the mountains, passing…
One day in the Pamir mountains
I still wasn’t sure if I had altitude sickness. For a couple of days I’d just been feeling kind of weird and weak. When we climbed I could hear my breathing inside my head as it seemed my ears blocked. I had some headaches and one night I had no…
Bathing in the banya
After 11 days of hiking, I was happy to make my last day in Kyrgyzstan a relaxing one. However, I also didn’t want to waste my time at the hostel, no matter how nice its garden was. So I started walking down the streets of Bishkek, stopped at a café…
3 days trekking to Ak Tor Pass
As part of my Kyrgyzstan trip I’d booked a private trip with a guide trekking through the Alay mountains. At 9am my guide Elaman picked me up from the hostel and after dropping off extra luggage and receiving a brief explanation of the trekking, we were on our way. I…
Gyumri, the surprise of my trip
Places that aren’t on the itinerary are often the most surprising. While I was in Armenia, fighting broke out on the border with Azerbaijan, which caused me to change my plans. On a recommendation from someone in the hostel I decided to go to Gyumri, Armenia’s second biggest city. I…
6 unique things in Armenia
There are always certain things that stick out when you first arrive in a new place. Some places have this more than others. In Armenia I was presented with a whole new world. Everything was so different from home, and yet other things so similar. Even the language and script…
12 days in Armenia
Food and places I’ll never forget My Lonely Planet of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan had been sitting on my shelf for a few years. During the pandemic I’d traveled, but only within Europe, staying close to home. Although Europe has so many amazing places to explore, I wanted something different.…