The Three Rules of Travelling The three rules of travelling, as handed down through the ages to intrepid travellers everywhere, are as follows: Number 1: Do not lose your passport Number 2: Do not lose your passport in China Number 3: Do not lose your passport in China about as far as possible from the nearest place that can reissue it. But more of that later. When I last left you I was enjoying the comforts of Bishkek. There were many be...

Things I Wish I Could Do I have often wished I could roll my r's. This thought occured to me as my Krygyz horse sped across the high alpine meadow with no hope of ever stopping. The problem is that to get your placid horse moving simply requires you to tap it on the flank and whisper "chu chu chu" (something like Ivor the Engine but not with a Welsh accent). On the other hand, to stop the crazy beast, you need to pull back on the reins and shout "d-r-r-r-r-...

Midnight Melons No this is not the name of one of my late night haunts in Almaty. No it's just an observation that even in the early hours as you speed in a taxi from wherever you will always see some guy with an enormous stack of watermelons sitting on the corner. Kazakhstan does seem to be that kind of place. Almaty has 70 casinos (many more than Las Vegas), of which I saw at least half as taxi drivers (I use the term loosely as everyone is a potential ta...