Armenia, a beautiful hidden gem in the Caucasus πŸ‡¦πŸ‡²

Armenia is one of the oldest countries in the world With a recorded history of more than 3,500 years, Armenia is home to one of the world’s oldest civilizations. Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, is 29 years older than Rome and one of the oldest continuously operating capitals in the world. Also, Armenia became the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as its … Continue reading Armenia, a beautiful hidden gem in the Caucasus πŸ‡¦πŸ‡²

My Business Class experience with Air Canada B777 (London to Toronto) βœˆοΈπŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦

Flying Air Canada Signature Class for the first time ever It was my first experience with Air Canada’s Signature Business Class product and the second time I fly in business class across the Atlantic Ocean (the first time was many years ago with Lufthansa and it was a free upgrade at the gate). Contrary to Air Canada’s economy class reputation, I heard many positive reviews … Continue reading My Business Class experience with Air Canada B777 (London to Toronto) βœˆοΈπŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦

Serbia, a gateway to the Balkans πŸ‡·πŸ‡Έ

Why Serbia? I have a serious interest in exploring countries that are not frequently visited by millions of tourists. I also realized there’s a region in Europe that is very interesting but not known as a popular travel destination. It’s a region that I never had the chance to visit before, even though I always wanted to. This region is the Balkans, and I wanted … Continue reading Serbia, a gateway to the Balkans πŸ‡·πŸ‡Έ

Khiva, a city from another time πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Ώ

From Bukhara to Khiva on a Soviet train The excitement of my trip to Khiva -the last stop in my silk road journey across Uzbekistan- started in Bukhara train station at 4.20 am when I was waiting at the platform to board my Soviet night train to Khiva. I was allowed to board the train after getting my documents checked by a male Uzbek conductor; … Continue reading Khiva, a city from another time πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Ώ

Bukhara, Another Silk Road Gem πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Ώ

Bukhara has existed for at least 2,500 years Bukhara is a major city on the silk road that has a significant importance in Islamic history as it served as a major center of Islamic culture for many centuries and became a major cultural center of the Caliphate in the 8th century. Furthermore, the city and its surrounding region were the birthplace of many scholars in … Continue reading Bukhara, Another Silk Road Gem πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Ώ

Samarkand, a Pearl on the Silk Road πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Ώ

Samarkand is a majestic city Samarkand, a majestic city with a central location on the silk road between China from one side and the Middle East and Europe from another side, a city with a history of over 2,000 years. The city had its golden age during the Timurid Empire era when Timur made Samarkand the capital of his empire. Simply put, It’s hard to … Continue reading Samarkand, a Pearl on the Silk Road πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Ώ

Tashkent, my first (and last) stop in magnificent Uzbekistan πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Ώ

I always wanted to visit Uzbekistan Those who know me well may know that I’ve been addicted to travelling through former USSR countries, especially in the last 5 years or so. Before my trip to Uzbekistan, I visited 11 former USSR republics out of 15 so Uzbekistan was the 12th former USSR country I visited. The only 3 ex USSR countries I didn’t travel to … Continue reading Tashkent, my first (and last) stop in magnificent Uzbekistan πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Ώ

Astana, the intriguing capital of Kazakhstan πŸ‡°πŸ‡Ώ

Astana is an intriguing yet an interesting city Update (September 2022): Kazakhstan changed the name of its capital for the 5th time and this time the name was changed from Nur-Sultan back to Astana. There’s a lot of controversy about this city; starting from how many times it was renamed, how it became the nation’s capital in 1997, and the modern and even futuristic architecture … Continue reading Astana, the intriguing capital of Kazakhstan πŸ‡°πŸ‡Ώ

My Business Class experience with Air Astana (Embraer 190) from Almaty to Astana ✈️ πŸ‡°πŸ‡Ώ

Air Astana is one of the most underrated airlines I had the pleasure to fly in business class with Air Astana for the first time ever from Almaty to Astana. Air Astana is the national carrier of Kazakhstan. Being an aviation lover myself, I heard great things about Air Astana and watched many youtube videos about how wonderful this airline is so I was looking … Continue reading My Business Class experience with Air Astana (Embraer 190) from Almaty to Astana ✈️ πŸ‡°πŸ‡Ώ

Almaty, the beating heart of Kazakhstan and the greenest city I’ve ever seen πŸ‡°πŸ‡Ώ

Almaty is Kazakhstan’s largest city and its financial hub Almaty, historically known as Alma-Ata is the largest city in Kazakhstan with a population of over 2 million. It was the country’s capital after independence in 1991 till 1997 when the capital relocated to Akmola which was renamed Astana in 1998 and then Nur-Sultan in 2019. Almaty is a vibrant city and it’s the cultural and … Continue reading Almaty, the beating heart of Kazakhstan and the greenest city I’ve ever seen πŸ‡°πŸ‡Ώ