Today was a day of changing scenery as we made our way from Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan. From snow-capped mountains to lunar-like landscapes and then green pastures. Stopped at Charyn Canyon which is known as the Grand Canyon of Kazakhstan. After crossing the endless, wide-open plains outside of Almaty, the canyon comes as a surprise. Seemingly out of nowhere, the landscape gets a third dimension. The dramatic erosion made by the river Charyn has created an imp...

Today was a day to soak in the scenery around the city and explore the beautiful mountains of the Almaty region. Almaty is a city surrounded by snow-capped mountains even when it is summer. Medeo Gorge is well known due to the highest mountain skating rink in the world and the dam, protecting the city from dangerous mudflow. The Medeo ice rink is the highest mountain sports complex at an altitude of 1691 m above sea level and with an ice surface of 10.5 thousand...

We arrived late last evening and did not see anything of this city. Just time to meet our guide Oksana and check into the hotel to get some sleep. This is the beginning of our trip "Best of the Stans". The stan suffix comes from the Persian root istan meaning 'land' - hence 'land of the Kazakhs' or 'land of the Tajiki'. Squeezed between India, Russia, and China, the "stans" sit amongst imposing mountains, vast steppe, and desert. All independent nations now, each...

At long last I feel confident enough to venture overseas again after the Covid pandemic and am heading off on an adventure to see 'the best of the Stans". As always there are multiple flights involved in getting from Tasmania to anywhere overseas. After flight 3 which was a 10.5-hour flight from Sydney to Seoul, I had a 24-hour stopover. Not sure of the timing for getting in and out of Seoul City I opted to explore the area of Incheon close to the airport. Inch...

I never imagined that COVID would still be rife in the world this year resulting in another holiday at home. This time I take a trip to far North Queensland traveling via the Savannah Way. From Cairns, with its reef and rainforest, the Savannah Way is a vast untouched region stretching from the coast right across to the Gulf of Carpentaria. The Gulf Savannah winds its way up through the Atherton Tablelands before opening out to the endless horizons of savannah gr...