Author Archives: Sarah
Balkan (3) Serbia October 3-5, 2012
I first learnt about Yugoslavia, Tito and political turmoil in the Balkan Peninsula when studying world history in 1970s. Yugoslavia disintegrated following wars and bloodshed in 1990s. After having visited Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia more than five years ago, I have longed to see other parts of the former Yugoslavia namely Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, … Continue reading
Balkan (1) Bulgaria September 25 – 28, 2012
After spending 37 days in four countries in Central Asia, I continued to explore countries in the Balkan Peninsula. My original plan was to visit Bulgaria and Romania. At the end, I spent eight days in Bulgaria and 12 days in Serbia, Bosnia – Herzegovina, Kosovo, Albania and Macedonia.
Central Asia (11) Turkmenistan September 20 -24, 2012
30- day Overland: Day 28 – 30
Central Asia (10) Turkmenistan September 20 -24, 2012
30-day Overland: Day 26-27 Turkmenistan with 80% of its territory covered in the Karakum (Black Sand) Desert has the world’s fourth largest natural gas reserve. The world famous pure blood Akhal-Teke horse (known as ‘blood sweat horse’ in Chinese) comes from this region. It has three World Heritage Sites including Merv – an oasis-city on … Continue reading
Central Asia (9) Uzbekistan 2012
30-day overland trip: Day 25-26
Central Asia (8) Uzbekistan 2012
30-day Overland trip: Day 22-24 Kalon Minaret & Kalon Mosque
Central Asia (7) Uzbekistan 2012
30-day overland trip: Day 18-21
Central Asia (6) Uzbekistan September 9 – 20, 2012
30-day overland trip : Day 16 -17 Uzbekistan, the most populous country in Central Asia with 29 million people, is rich in history. Its native son Amir Timur(1336-1405) established the first empire in the region in 1395. Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, key cities of the ancient Silk Road are all World Heritage Sites for their … Continue reading
Central Asia (5) Kazakhstan September 7- 9, 2012
30-day Bishkek – Ashgabat overland: Day 13 – Day 15 Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world as well as the world’s largest land-locked country. I reached Kazakhstan before noon on September 7 and left its border before 4pm two days later. What have I done in 52 hours in Kazakhstan? I spent … Continue reading