Hong Kong’s Railway Museum is small, and lets get one thing straight. It is not romantic. But this, and the fact Hong Kong must have a million other better backdrops (beaches, the city skyline, beautiful natural scenery) does not seem to stopped it becoming a popular spot for wedding photos… I’ve commented before on the strange […]
1 Comment. Continue Reading...First impressions of Hotan (or Khotan, or Hetain…it seems to have a million transliterations…) were the kind that make you question why on earth you had come there. It is a Uighur town in western China that has been subject to increased migration of Han Chinese in recent years as road, rail and economic links to […]
3 Comments. Continue Reading...On 31st August, 1991, the Supreme Soviet of the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic declared independence from a collapsing Soviet Union and one of the worlds most difficult to spell countries was born. Kyrgyzstan. As a result each year the day is celebrated as Independence Day, with the added twist that as it happens on 31st […]
1 Comment. Continue Reading...(My God, that title photo came out a bit bigger than I thought…) Six months ago, on March 6 2014, I set off from St Pancras on the mid afternoon Eurostar to Paris to start my journey to Japan and back, a journey I estimated would take me a year. I’m now 6 months in. […]
No Comments. Continue Reading...I’m not moving! I have unpacked my bag and for a whole month I don’t have to worry about trying to stuff it all back in it again. I will be spending all of August at the rather grandly named “London School of Bishkek” learning some introductory Russian. I’m slightly worried about what effect this […]
No Comments. Continue Reading...I have put up a page on Uzbekistan’s Railway Museum in Tashkent, which has a number of steam and diesel locomotives and is surprisingly popular with couples seeking romantic photographs?! Uzbekistan Railway Museum Page Do any train enthusiasts have any idea what this machine here is? My best bet is it might be a Soviet […]
No Comments. Continue Reading...Uzbekistan has to be, so far at least, the most rewarding country I have travelled through on this trip. It has countless splendid sights (more on these later) ridiculously friendly people, and enough quirks to make it endearingly different to what I have been used to on the road so far. Uzbekistan is actually the most […]
1 Comment. Continue Reading...The feeling of getting on the boat when trying to cross the Caspian Sea is one of a great weight being lifted from your shoulders. You’ve done your bit now; you’ve done all the walking to and from the port, you’ve done your bit arranging Visa’s and registration forms, and you’ve done your bit trying […]
1 Comment. Continue Reading...If anyone is reading this who is looking to take the boat across the Caspian Sea, some of the info here might be useful. I caught one from Baku to Aktau in Kazakhstan, but much of this will apply to the Turkmenbashi run. The info is current as I write it, but it seems evident […]
2 Comments. Continue Reading...After spending an extended stay in Tbilisi its fair to say I was looking forward to Baku, and indeed I’d harboured plans to come here at some point for some years even if I never had planned on it being during this trip. But I’ll be upfront. Baku was something of a disapointment. Perhaps some […]
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