Experience the sights, the sounds and, not least, the enticing smells of Asia. Here are a few Asia travel stories for you to enjoy.
Brunei
Cambodia
China
DPRK (North Korea)
India
Indonesia
Japan
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Malaysia
Nepal
Singapore
Tajikistan
Thailand
Vietnam
Latest Asia travel stories
Marian’s Guesthouse: An Oasis in Dushanbe
Considering a visit to Dushanbe and wondering where to stay? Dush-where, you ask? Well, Dush is where it's at. Skopje, Pristina, Astana, Pyongyang, Vaduz, Chisinau - you may remember I'm forever intrigued by the quirky and often lesser-known national capitals of the world. A city of 800 000 people, and formerly named Stalinabad, Dushanbe is the capital of ... I'll wait while [...]
(Almost) 48 hours in Osh
At the end of a mind-blowing road trip along the Pamir Highway (which you can look forward to in a later post), my two fave travel friends and I are in Osh. Driving most of the day from Karakul Lake across the border in Tajikistan, we arrive in town late afternoon. We had booked a couple of nights in Osh, [...]
Astana
What do you think of when you hear Kazakhstan? OK, let's get it over with: Borat. If nothing else, Sacha Baron Cohen did place Kazakhstan on the map. Enormous flat steppes, once the secret home of Soviet gulags and a nuclear weapons testing zone. Also, once the secret home of the Soviet space programme: this is where Yurij Gagarin, first [...]
World at a Glance: Petroglyphs in Tamgaly Gorge
As this goes to publish, flight schedules on point, I’ll be ambling about the airport in Constantinople (something about that name…), Central Asia bound yet again, and I was reminded I still haven’t told you about the rock carvings in Kazakhstan’s Tamgaly Gorge. Now, Tajikistan will be the major player this journey. We will be in Kazakhstan only for a [...]
World at a Glance: Temple of Heaven, Beijing tranquility
It’s early evening; the sun is slowly setting. As I wander through the gate in the bright red wall and into the park, I wonder: if I travel ever westwards, how fast will I have to go to see a perpetual sunset? A continuous magical golden hour? Let’s see: if we stick with the Equator, Earth is about 40 000 [...]
A look inside North Korea
Come with me on an extraordinary journey to a very curious corner of the world. Let's step inside North Korea for a look at Pyongyang and the fabled DMZ.
Christmas in India: 4000 steps, camels and sleeping amongst lambs
Reminiscing about a Christmas past today, a Christmas in India. You'll pardon the photos - they're from the days of 35 mm-film in rolls. Remember those? We rarely travel over the holidays. It's a sacred time of sorts - not in the conventional meaning, but in the sense that it's home time. It takes a lot to beat Norwegian kos* [...]
Kazakhstan & Kyrgyzstan with G Adventures: a trip review
"Welcome to Kazakhstan!" Those were the first words I heard in Central Asia - spoken with a big smile at passport control in Almaty airport, just seconds before midnight on the last day of June. Central Asia, what made me choose such an odd destination, you ask? Well, this blog is about the world’s curious places, after all. If you’re [...]
Bokor Hill Station: Whispers of the past
Gaping holes, pitch black squares and rectangles, glare at me as I approach. And shades of grey. So many shades, many more than 50. Here and there interrupted by patches of rusty red. The abandoned, derelict ruin is all that is left of this once luxurious hotel at Bokor Hill Station. When I hear the word hill station, my mind [...]
11 things you’ll love about Almaty
I’ve been in Almaty nearly a week now, and I’ve enjoyed myself tremendously here. The city is beautifully located at the foot of the Zailiyskiy Alatau Mountains (or the Tian-Shan Mountains, their better known Chinese name), it’s summer, the weather is lovely (even the occasional daily burst of rain), there’s lots to see and do, and people are very, very [...]
Enchanting Chanthaburi and community-based tourism
Chanthaburi is one of Thailand 's lesser-known treasures, with a beautiful church, the fascinating 300-year-old Chanthaboon River Community, gemstones and delicious fruit.
Chong Changtune Live Eco-museum: A Day at the Spa
As you may remember, I've decided to say yes to everything... well, at least most things. Here's the second episode in the sporadic series Sophie tries new things. Subtitle: Steam bath in a chicken coop. Outdoors. In 40° C. In a word: Awesome!
