After another night in Biskek we were coming towards the end of the trip. Tonight would be our last in Kyrgyzstan, and tomorrow we would be headed for Kazakhstan. In just two days I would be back at home! Waking up, I had quite a dry mouth and with just dry wafers to eat I had a relatively light breakfast before joining half the group downstairs to grab the minibus for our excursion to the Ala Archa mountains. Upon arrival Noel was shocked to discover we were g...

After 12 days of continual travelling we were finally basing ourselves somewhere, and after a lovely lie in I awoke in the mid morning and got myself ready for a light day exploring the capital of Kyrgyzstan - Bishkek. Shortly before starting my job back in 2014 I had planned a quick holiday, having looked at cheap last minute flights. Eventually opting for Gibraltar, at one stage Bishkek and Almaty were serious contenders. Nevertheless I eventually made it her...

Much like the previous day, today's journey continued the skirting of the Fergana Valley borders, before we then ascended into the Tian Shan mountains that transverse Kyrgystan. With a very early start, we boarded the coach before sunrise - and as everyone by this stage had got at least mild diarrhoea, the thought of spending twelve hours on the coach wasn't exactly filling everyone with total excitement. Although quotes like "Treated myself to an immodium this ...

Part of the reason the trip lasted and travelled as much as it did was due to the complexities of Central Asian political geography. Whilst the whole area was part of the Soviet Union, moving between different republics wasn't particularly difficult. However upon independence, these new countries suddenly had some very complex boundaries. The divide and rule policies of Moscow meant that many of these boundaries were arbitrary - simply there to make sure no one ...