It has been on my bucket list to undertake one of the world's most renowned rail journeys on the legendary Ghan, the world's longest north-south train journey, and I have now fulfilled this dream. This was the Ghan Expedition from Darwin in the Northern Territory to Inverleigh in Victoria. A 5-day/4-night all-inclusive trip of a lifetime. A bit of history; Construction of the Ghan rail line began in 1878 - and the train's inaugural journey from Adelaide to Al...

Our final day and we are going to make the most of it. Our bags are packed and ready to head to the airport tonight. A visit to a central Asian city would not be complete without a visit to the bazaar. Chorsu Bazaar will let you experience the everyday life of Uzbekistan with all your senses. In the middle of Chorsu Bazaar is the central dome, with a diameter of nearly 300-350 meters, the most recognizable symbol of the market. The outside, decorated with blue t...

On arrival in Tashkent, we drove around the city to get a feel for the place and to see the streetscapes. Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and is a huge metropolis with a population of over 3 million people. As the city gets reconstructed, some of its rich history has remained: Tashkent's mosques, Soviet-style subway stations, classical opera houses, and theaters. Dinner was at the Dillinger Bar which was celebrating its 1st birthday. We had a rather weste...

Another day to explore more of what Samarkand has to offer. The first sight was the Mausoleum Rukhabad "Abode of the Spirit" - built over the tomb of a medieval scholar and theologian, preacher, and mystic Burhaneddin Sagaradzhi, who died in the XIV century. Headed to the north of the city to the settlement of Afrasiab where we saw walls from the 6-7th century. Archeological excavations in this area have revealed remnants of a rich trading city - very much anci...

The historic city of Samarkand is a crossroad and a melting pot of cultures. Samarkand is situated in the valley of the river Zerafshan. It is the second largest city of Uzbekistan and is of the same age as the city of Babylon or Rome.The history of Samarkand is about 2,750 years old and has witnessed many upheavals during the times of Alexander the Great, the Arabic Conquest, the Genghis-Khan Conquest and lastly Tamerlane's. Hence, the culture of Samarkand was d...