Ruins of Merv: The 12th Century Mother of the World Ancient beyond ancient, the ancient of Mary was a known settlement as far back as 500 B.C. as part of a Satrapie under the Persian ruler Darius (yes, of 300 fame). Well beyond that, though, the city was also later […]
Recent Posts
Istanbul’s Blue Mosque
The Blue Mosque: Sultanahmet Camii Quick, think of one thing you know about Istanbul! Those of you who said Hagia Sophia, very good. You can put your hands down. Anybody else? Of the things I knew I HAD to check out in Istanbul, the Blue Mosque was tied […]
Hiking in Xinaliq: Up, Down, and Around Again
Hiking in Xinaliq
Almaty Kazakhstan Travel Guide
Almaty Kazakhstan Travel Guide Central Asia is not typically a place I think of going to enjoy ‘city life’. At worst, places like Tashkent leave negative impressions. At best I walk out with fond memories of Ashgabat or Bishkek less because of the cities themselves and more because of the […]
Topkapi Palace: Why You Should Skip It.
Topkapi Palace: Why You Should Skip It. There are a lot of beautiful things, and Topkapi Palace is among them. Old harem, rooms full of gold and jewels, mosques, libraries, etcetera, etcetera. Its a pretty place. It also, unfortunately, is just about the single most crowded thing to do in […]
Qobustan Petroglyphs: Drawings in the Desert
Qobustan Petroglyphs: Drawings in the Desert As disappointed as I was by the Qobustan Mud Volcanoes, I was equally pleasantly surprised by the nearby petroglyphs. After leaving Central Asia a month earlier, I’d been pretty ‘glyphed out. I’d visited so many of the things (and in beautiful setting like the […]
Hey there! I'm Stephen, this is my travel blog, and that's me in the poofy hat.
I'm a photographer / writer traveling since 2008, and I've been doing my best to visit amazing places.
My current focus is Central Asia, because for a hiking and camping enthusiast it's as good as it gets.