Category Central Asia
Central Asia Trip 2026 – Part 1, Astana in Kazakhstan
A couple of days in Astana, Kazakhstan, part of a 3 week trip in the region.
Tuesday Train – Karakum Desert, Turkmenistan
As we drove towards the Uzbekistan border from Mary in 2018 we spotted this train heading in the same direction. We could even have been in it but our guide had told us it may not run as trains are often subject to cancellation at short notice. As we were on a tight schedule we […]
Tuesday Train – Ashgabat in Turkmenistan
Back in 2018 I undertook a single train journey in Turkmenistan, from the capital to Mary in the east of the country. We were informed that we were not allowed to take photos. I however got permission to take just one, though as you might expect I sneaked a few more in! Ashgabat has many […]
Tuesday Train – The Afrosiyob, Bukhara, Uzbekistan
The Afrosiyob is a wonderful name for a train. It derives its name from Afrosiyab which was an ancient site in Northern Samarkand, present day Uzbekistan, that was occupied from c. 500 BC to 1220 AD prior to the Mongol invasion in the 13th century. I travelled on it between Bukhara and mythical Samarkand in 2018. […]
Tuesday Train – Sheki in Azerbaijan
In late 2019 I made a trip to Azerbaijan by train from Tbilisi. Whilst there, my travel companion Hamish and I made back to back overnight journeys to the city of Sheki from Baku. Sheki itself was a little gem with a Silk Route caravanserai (now a hotel), plus winter and summer palaces.
Tuesday Train – Ashgabat in Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan was visited in 2018, a rather odd but fascinating country. We took a train from capital Ashgabat eastwards to Mary as we made our way to Uzbekistan. Officially you were not allowed to take photographs but I negotiated to be allowed to take one but sneaked in a couple more!
Tuesday Train – Loco at Bukhara Station in Uzbekistan
My 2018 visit to Turkmenistan & Uzbekistan is up there with my favourite ever trips. Train was to be our transport of choice in the latter with fast trains connecting the main cities. First up was to be Bukhara (my favourite place in Uzbekistan) to Samarkand. I took the picture below as we expectedly waited […]
Sunday Photo – Ashgabat Grand Mosque, Turkmenistan
My 2018 visit to Turkmenistan remains one of my most memorable ever. The capital of Ashgabat on the edge of the Karakum Desert was bathed in white marble and gold, typified by the Grand Mosque.
