Samarkand — the name evokes a very exotic place of great beauty with markets rich with spices and covered bazaars.    The reality both matches this legend and at the… Read more »

Once we are through a pushing shoving crowd of people at the immigration post, we are in Uzbekistan – a very different world than Kyrgyzstan which has surprised all of… Read more »

Kyrgyzstan has some of the most consistently spectacular landscapes I have ever traveled through.  Imagine a country with rugged snow-capped peaks like Switzerland, fjord-like waterways like Norway, alpine lakes like… Read more »

The four of us are sleeping together in a round yurt tonight, felted colorful rugs on the floor and gold and red embroidered tapestries encircling us.  The sun set a… Read more »

It is a little after 5 am when our plane lands in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, and the shadows of the high Tien Shan mountains are just beginning to appear… Read more »

Istanbul is an impressive product of its disparities — in religion, in culture, in economic status.   The beautiful and the ugly are always not too far away.   With… Read more »

Varya and friends Claudia, Janet and Judy, begin their journey in Istanbul,  the crossroads between Europe and Asia, and then travel onto Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, exploring some of the great… Read more »