Kazakhstan is the largest Central Asian country as well as the world’s largest landlocked country – it’s the size of western Europe. It’s also Central Asia’s richest nation, generating 60% of the region’s GDP, thanks to its oil and gas reserves. The country’s official language is Kazakh, a Turkic language currently written in Cyrillic script…
Category: City
Bikaner & Mandawa: Relics of a Rich Past Rajasthan, India
Bikaner Bikaner is situated in northwestern Rajasthan, in the middle of the Thar desert. Summer temperatures are scorching hot but in winter it can get very cold. We visited in January and while the days were pleasantly warm, the nights were quite cold. I was glad I had brought a sleeping bag because the blankets…
Jaisalmer: Sand Castle Rajasthan, India
A City of Golden Sand Jaisalmer, also called the Golden City, is situated in the far northwestern corner of Rajasthan and close to the heavily fortified border with Pakistan. The name fits: golden buildings, the highest and most impressive one of them the fort towering over the old walled city, rise from the golden sands…
Jodhpur: Blue(s) City Rajasthan, India
Ranakpur On the way from Udaipur to Jodhpur, we passed through Ranakpur, known for its big Jain temple. Our driver left us at the entrance of the temple but we didn’t enter but instead took a walk around it and then just relaxed on a bench outside the temple, enjoying the silence. Ranakpur is beautifully…
Udaipur: City of Art Rajasthan, India
Udaipur We stayed two nights in Udaipur, which was a good decision and we could have stayed a day or two more. There’s so much to see and do in this City of Lakes. We stayed at Yellow Heights Hotel, which takes pride in being the cleanest hotel in India, according to the yearly Tripadvisor…
Jaipur: Art, Culture & History Fatehpur Sikri, Jaipur & Amber Fort, Rajasthan, India
Fatehpur Sikri If you have your own wheels or, more likely, a car with a driver, you can plan a few stops on the very long journey from Agra to Jaipur. The first of these should be Fatehpur Sikri: An ancient fortified city, built in the sixteenth century by the Mughal emperor Akbar and short-lived…
Delhi: The City That Never Sleeps India
Whether you like Delhi or not, you have to admit it’s a fascinating place. It’s chaotic, crazy, and one of those places you will never forget no matter how short the time you’ve spent there. Everyone who’s been there has an opinion about Delhi. Mine is not a particularly good one though I must admit,…
Zanzibar: Stone Town Tanzania
Traders used to travel the route by ship, we took the plane: From Muscat to Zanzibar. Coming from Oman, we really noticed Omani influence in Zanzibar. The archipelago of Zanzibar is made up of the big islands of Unguja, commonly known as Zanzibar, and Pemba, as well as many small islands. In 1698, the archipelago…
Muscat: A Unique Blend of Tradition and Modernity Oman
Muscat has for centuries been an important trading port due to its strategic location at the Arabian Sea. Today, it’s the capital and biggest city of Oman. Don’t expect a city like Dubai or Doha however, because Muscat is different. Tradition is still very important in Oman and Omanis are proud of their culture and tradition….
Luang Prabang: Across the Bamboo Bridge Laos
Back in Southeast Asia. I expected the door of Luang Prabang airport to open and there to be dozens of taxi drivers waiting to make some good money with the newly arrived tourists. The doors of the airport did open but there were no taxi drivers. Maybe on the main road, we thought and started…
Singapore: Lion City
It was a very long day traveling from New Zealand via Australia to Singapore and we arrived in the big Asian city tired and hungry. After a big bowl of delicious noodle soup we went straight to bed to be ready to explore the city the next day. We had been to Singapore once before…
Suva, Nadi, Levuka: 3 Towns, 2 Islands, 1 Ghost Fiji
Fiji should be all about lying at the beach and snorkeling or diving in this amazing turquoise water. However, if you have more time than money on your hands you’re very likely to spend quite some time in Nadi or Suva instead of at the beach. Nadi The capital city of Fiji is Suva. However,…