And that’s a wrap
Here I am, sitting on my balcony, pondering life. It’s my last day after four weeks in Morillon. It’s 26 degrees today. I feel the sun warming my skin, feeding me new energy. I look out at the mountains where some paragliders play in the sky. From this vantage point…
Aix-en-Provence
While I’m looking forward to spending a full month in the French Alps in a few weeks, I’m reminiscing about my ski trips last year. Whereas I’m staying on the Northern edge of the Alps this year, in 2023 I approached the Alps from the South. In the mountains I…
A lesson in positive thinking
I love the serenity when I’m on my own in the chairlift. The humming of the liftThe sounds of the church bells coming up from the valleyThe birds chirpingThe quick disruption when passing a towerThe ticking of the rain on my jacket… It rained all day today, but I decided…
Breaking through the clouds
Life at work has been interesting and not in a good way. With big layoffs in December, affecting my team more than others, I’m left feeling confused, angry and frustrated. Sure, I’ve still got a job, but is it where I should be? Yet I have no time for doubts.…
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…