Burma (Myanamar) Pt 1 - The land of smiles

 Yangon, Bagan, Inle Lake, Taunggyi Balloon festival

Kazakhstan - The land of hospitality

                     

Just when I thought I knew what to expect of Central Asia I discovered Kazakhstan. The most modern and richest country of the four thanks to its oil and minerals.  It is the 9^th largest country in the world as well as the largest landlocked country and is generally covered by Steppe. 

Uzbekistan the land of historical architecture oh and local tourists

                        

Tajikistan - A morning at the Afghanistan Market and a view across the border

                      

Tajikistan – The land of mountains and snow cap peaks

Tajikistan – The land of mountains and snow cap peaks

kry pt 2 to be completed

xyz

Kyrgyzstan - First country of Central Asia

Kyrgyzstan – Pt 1

My travels have next taken me to Kyrgyzstan for the start of the Central Asia tour. I arrived into the capital Bishkek and was amazed at how big things are – new houses, 4x4 cars, graves. Soviet times are still visible however at least in the capital times have moved on.

Farewell to Russia

Final few days in Russia

Siberia – Olkhon Island

The Land that time forgot

My Trans Siberian experience

The Trans Siberian railway is 100 years old this year so I have decided to take a ride on it to mark its Centenary.

Busan and Samkeok- places by the sea

Busan – 5^th – 9^th September

My travels next takes me to Busan (pronounced Pu-san), located on the South coast line and is great for walking in the mountains and around the rugged coast line. Seafood is the food of choice here and I stayed at Indy House in the popular resort of Haeundae beach near the night food market.

Last day and moving on to the coast

4th and 5th September - Seoul and Busan
Last day in Seoul so I wanted it to be a good one!
The last day in a location is always a rush as its time to do everything I have not got round to doing yet.

Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) - The border between North and South Korea

Day 3 - DMZ 3rd September

Today was a morning tour to the Demilitarised DMZ. It is 4km wide and 240km long and is the area between North and South Korea.

Shopping and sightseeing in Seoul - Day 1 & 2

After a 13 hour flight via Moscow I have made it to Seoul.

Waiting at the airport and thinking of Seoul

The day has arrived for me to take the air and start the journey. 19.3kg on the main luggage can't wait to eat the food on the train and then it should be closer to the manageable 18kg I am used to. Thank goodness the little one was not weighed. Never taken so many electrical gadgets and lack of books with me, well short of the three lonely planet guidebooks.

Looking forward to Korea, have been sent a map to get to the first hostel and all the road names are in Korean. Hmm this is going to be fun. Thank goodness for 7-11 conv stores and Les Jours bakery as landmarks. Flight is only 13 hours with a 50 minute stop over in Moscow. Scanning the guidebooks to find out what the highlights are in the capital and it seems lots of food, markets including Noryangjin fish market, Gyeonshotgung temple, Bukchon Hanok village, Inwangsan listening to the shamans chanting. One day will be spent at the DMZ the land between the North and South. Seems the trains are easy to get from point to point so bring on the next 4 days.....

If you see anything else of interest that I have missed in Seoul then please send me an email.

maps

Route taking
I'm starting to think about the route I will be taking over the coming weeks. Attached are maps where I am planning to visit. Its only by seeing the last map of all the countries together that I have realised the vastness of the trip. Bring on the challenge.

Getting ready to take off

Only two weeks to go until I quit my job and take to the road again. Getting excited......

Switzerland July 2016

Welcome to my blog! 

Switzerland