Fromoverhere

Teens: In a shared taxi to Chimbulak, Kazakhstan  Having just waited for two hours without success at the number 6 bus-stop, I shared a taxi up the mountain with a couple of 19-year-old Kazakh boys.  We had tried chatting when waiting at the bus stop, but found that I was probably better at Russian than [...]

Dress material shopping in Turkmenistan Part of having fun traveling as a woman, is seeing how women in other cultures dress, beautify themselves, the rituals they follow and what they consider attractive. With that in mind, here are some insights on beauty do’s and don’ts in Central Asia. Don’t think you need to cover up. [...]

Almaty is the former capital of Kazakhstan, replaced in 1999 by a spanking new capital Astana, on the decree of Nazarbayev.  It was razed to the ground in an earthquake in 1900s and so has few old buildings, but is an enchanting place to visit.  It’s effectively the economic hub of Central Asia in terms [...]

First thing to say is how confusing it was being in Moscow pouring with sweat, next to the traditional sights like St Basil’s Cathedral in the Red Square or the Kremlin’s Assumption Cathedral.  No fur-wrapped and red-cheeked tourists warming themselves with vodka-filled hipflasks, here.   Instead, there’s been no rain for 2 weeks and the weather [...]

Moscow’s magnificent metro stations are world renowned.  But the reality of them really does blow you away.  They also provided a welcome refuge for me as they do all the year round in protecting Muscovites from the weather outside – but in my situation it was from the heat. I thought I remembered something from [...]