Category: Central Asia
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My Eastern Europe and Central Asia bucket list
I came across a bucket list published by Bucket List Travels, and while it has some wonderful places on it — some of which I’ve seen and many I’d love to see — I was a little disappointed to see there wasn’t one single destination in the huge Eastern Europe and Central Asia region So…
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How to do Samarkand in 15 minutes
I love slow travel and I wouldn’t recommend trying to see any city in 15 minutes, let alone one like Samarkand, that not only is one of the oldest cities in Central Asia, it’s famous the world over for its Silk Road history. But sometimes life doesn’t work out the way you want it to,…
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Why I love beach resorts out of season
There’s a peculiar romance about beachside resorts out of season. Of course, lying on a beach soaking up the sun before plunging into the warm waves, then having a delicious al fresco meal at a beachside cafe is awesome. But the part of me that likes taking long bus journeys to industrial cities also loves the…
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101 places to get coffee in Central Asia
When I first went to Central Asia, moving to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in summer 2003, it was almost impossible to get a good coffee in the entire city. Five years later, when I moved to Almaty, Kazakhstan, coffee lovers used to congregate at CoffeeDelia for the best cappuccinos in town and fast wifi. There weren’t a…
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‘Bite Fart Cafe’ and other rude signs from Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Whether it’s Puke bottled water or a Diks shoe shop, I just can’t resist collecting rude, funny or simply strange signs. Yes, I have a very childish sense of humour. BITEFARTCAFE. Is it Bite Fart Cafe or Bitef Art Cafe at Kalemegdan Fortress in Belgrade, Serbia? Who knows. Who cares. I’m not eating there. More…
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How to get fresh food in Astana
I knew it was really spring when fresh vegetables appeared in the shops and a small market was set up near my flat one weekend. Getting fresh food in Astana was really a challenge. I’d been prepared for the food situation to be difficult after spending a week in Astana in winter 2010, when I found…
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2,000 people shifted 3mn cubic metres of snow from Astana this winter
One really impressive thing about Astana is the snow removal, known as “sneg oborka” in Kazakhstan. After a snowfall, the snowploughs – a fleet of seven big orange ones – comes out. The drive in formation down the wide streets, each with its plough slightly angled towards the curb so the central one pushes its…
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Where to find old Astana
Astana is more than just a modern city; people have lived in the area since ancient times, and its oldest buildings date back to the mid 19th century. It’s hard to remember this when walking around with the city’s spectacular (and sometimes kooky) modern architecture towering above, but every now and then among the iconic…
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The temperature in Astana suddenly dropped to -28°C
I knew Astana is one of the three coldest capitals in the world, alongside Ulanbataar and Ottawa, but the Astana winter took me by surprise. After the howling winds of the autumn and the first flurries of snow, one clear sunny morning in mid-November I was in a taxi when the driver mentioned the temperature…
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My first press conference in Central Asia was all about poo
A few days after I started work I’m sent to my first press conference in Bishkek, all about waste water in Kyrgyzstan. The press conference is being given by John E. Johnson, a scientist from the US Environmental Protection Agency, who has just completed a study of Kyrgyzstan’s drinking water supplies. Johnson stands at the…
Steppe in Style 