Am I serious about writing a blog about these two cities? I must admit that I was initially hesitant to write a blog about my trip to these two cities, and the reason behind that is clear: how many people who are not from Kazakhstan have ever heard of these two cities? Probably very few! The idea of writing a blog about them may seem … Continue reading Pavlodar and Semey: Two Forgotten Cities in Kazakhstan 🇰🇿
93% of Tajikistan is covered by mountains Tajikistan is another former Soviet Union republic that gained its independence in 1991, shortly after the Soviet Union was dissolved. The country is situated between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to the north and west, China to the east, and Afghanistan to the south. 93% of Tajikistan’s land area is covered by mountains; the two primary mountain ranges are the … Continue reading Dushanbe, The Quiet Capital of Tajikistan 🇹🇯
In the summer of 2023, I visited Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. I started my journey in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, and I was visiting it for the 2nd time (click here to read my blog about my visit to Astana in June 2022). After Astana, I travelled to Karaganda by train and spent two nights there. I’m almost certain that a majority of readers … Continue reading Karaganda, a city in Kazakhstan with a distinctly Soviet appearance 🇰🇿
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 🇦🇲
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) ✈️🇨🇦
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 🇷🇸
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 🇺🇿
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 🇺🇿
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 🇺🇿
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 🇺🇿
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