Tajikistan & the Fann Mountains
The lake was completely still at seven in the morning when we looked out from our tent. It reflected the mountains and gnarled Juniper trees that were being illuminated by the rising sunlight. The combination of large and small rocks scattered over grey gravel beds gives the impression that we are camping in the largest Japanese Zen Garden. In fact, we are in Tajikistan and camping on the shores of one of Kulikalon Lakes. These lakes are located in a valley of 2900m and stretch to the base of huge snow-capped mountains. The lakes receive melt water from the peaks. The journey to the lakes is very difficult. Base camp is 2200m, which means that it’s a 700m hike to the lakes.
Enjoy the Lake District
Disclaimer – I have been delayed in publishing my posts because the website wouldn’t allow me to upload pictures. It is not possible to upload photos on the website, but they will appear in this post at random because I can’t reorder them. Sorry! We knew that our journey was about to end, so we decided to keep our stay in England low-key and enjoy any adventures that we might find by accident. There were no plans made. When we arrived at Liverpool Airport, it was a challenge to find the Hertz Rental Car Office. The sun was shining, and it was 26 degrees outside, making our journeys with our luggage very warm. The weather was a pleasant change from the dreary conditions that had been prevalent.
Big Money and Grime in Osaka.
Current mood: Full of Needles. It must be tomato… It’s definitely not beer. After a month of suffering from severe ankle pain, one month after my big toe was swollen with gout, I woke up at 2 am. It was probably the worst pain I’ve ever experienced. The doctor told me the bad news after I had showered and arrived at Cairns Base. You guessed ….. gout. What is causing this? I suspect that there are a few possible causes. Two days of eating everything and drinking it. Some old friends from Koh Tao. Now, I’m on an elimination diet. This week, I ate more vitamins and green tea than I could stomach. Peeing every 5 minutes. Please, one more glass of water… I’m preparing for the next phase of my elimination diet. XXXX gold and
Cruising the Western Mediterranean 2025
We enjoyed our Florida home for two months after our cross-country trip. Especially when the Gulf of Mexico warmed enough to resume water walking. After a beautiful spring, it was time for us to pack and go to the airport to catch our flight to Barcelona so we could join the Seabourn Ovation. Newark was a major worry because it was experiencing so many problems. We noticed that many flights were cancelled during our six-hour layover at Newark. United Airlines had a wonderful lounge where we were able to read, relax, and enjoy a nice meal before boarding. We waited on the runway for an incredibly long time before we were cleared to take off and make it to Barcelona. We stayed in a
Jet Plane Leaving Las Vegas
Hello everyone, this is my last entry about what an amazing, epic trip to the southwest USA was. The National Parks of the United States are truly amazing. They had a taste for these parks on previous trips to Florida and California, but this part of the country was especially epic for them. Five of the biggest in one go! A Big Five, for sure! After my National Park excursion, I spent some interesting days in Arizona. This last leg of my trip took me from my peaceful, back garden hideaway in Phoenix to an epic desert landscape and then back to Las Vegas, baby! I was really looking forward to it!
Exploring Ethiopia: Jinka Wednesday, January 31, 2024
I did not hear the storm last night. This is probably because my cabin and another one are further into the woods, on the first floor of a 2-storey building. Or maybe I was just really tired. The flowers were in full bloom, and the air was a delight. The rain had dampened the roads, almost eliminating dust clouds. The rain had created puddles around the largest potholes. On the way down to our destination, the water expanded a road washout, leaving only room for one car. The only traffic was at a bend, where a bus was waiting to let us pass. We were in the Omo National Park. There has been some controversy because several small nations are still in modern times.
Cartagena Festivals – September 30 – November 9, 2024
It’s been a long time since my last blog post. There were both technical and “just couldn’t get motivated” factors for the delay. I had problems with the blog that I use. I found out that people who signed up for updates whenever I posted an entry weren’t getting them. Some people (including myself) were also having trouble accessing the website. I sent a message to the site about my concern and discovered that other people were experiencing the same issue. I was discouraged by this and did not want to spend much time preparing new blog posts if no one knew about them. Since returning to the US, it seems that I am spending more time and energy on my blog.
Arequipa
Our hotel was closed at 10.30 am, so we left for Arequipa. The drive took 4 hours. The drive seemed to last forever. The first leg was a repeat of our journey to the Colca Valley in reverse. We climbed to 16,400ft and saw the spine of the Andes. But the second leg, as we descended, was not very scenic. The Andes began to recede into the distance, and the landscape became more flat but still covered in tufts of low scrub and moss. There were no trees or shrubs visible. The Pacific Atlantic Highway runs from one end of the continent to another. Traffic was much heavier. This is the northernmost part of the continent.
Bhutan – Phobjikha Valley
Our guide let us (me) sleep in instead of hiking in the morning, as was originally planned. This allowed me to rest and get better. By 10 am, I was almost back to my normal self. It was a shame that I didn’t get to stay at this beautiful homestay. The location was stunning, and the house was well-maintained. I didn’t even eat any food except for the soup and crackers. We jumped in the car and drove to the next destination, Phobjikha Valley. The drive was beautiful and only took a few hours. As we drove up the mountain roads, we passed these beautiful rhododendrons. Finally, we reached this amazing open valley. We finally descend into this incredible open valley.
Astana – Glitz, glamour, but no soul
Heathrow was the starting point of our first trip to Central Asia. We took our first trip ever on the Elizabeth Line to Heathrow, and within the blink of an eye, we were boarding Air Astana’s flight to Kazakhstan. We were worried that there would be a problem at check-in, but the manager was pleased to see we had travel plans to other countries and didn’t plan to stay in Kazakhstan indefinitely. We were very impressed with the service and comfort. The only negative thing was the school party for Kazakhs who were returning from a UK trip. Their teachers couldn’t have cared less about how their students behaved. It’s not the airline’s fault, but it is still frustrating on an overnight flight when you need to sleep. The regional flight at Almaty is connected to the connection at Almaty.
