Central Asia 2023

Welcome to my picture diary of my 2023 adventure through Central Asia! Get ready for a visual journey through breathtaking landscapes and unforgettable moments! Join me as I explore the winding roads of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Follow along as I share one picture per day, capturing unique experiences and adding stories to bring them to life. Get inspired and come along on this exciting adventure with me!

• Mischa PS This is an AI generated image of the Kazakh Steppe!

Today the trip has become a reality, passed through security and waiting at the gate... A strange feeling, the months of anticipation are changing into a reality that so far only has lived in fantasy and bank statements... A last German beer to sooth that anxious feeling of knowing that for the next few months everything will be different!

With a bretzel in my hand, I will fly to the foreign land!

A simple van, quite boring even if I'd say to myself after all I've seen today. Though this is not just some van, it's a UAZ "Buchanka". I do have a special and weird relationship with these cars, the little UAZ 469 brother as well. Within first 50 meters of my Hostel i saw this one and i couldn't resist capturing it on my camera... so far this is Number 2 i spotted during my trip! I'll keep the counter running...

After finishing my Beshbarmak I was thinking it would be today's picture. Even though it's Kazakhstans main dish, it doesn't represent my day which was about Kazakhstans history and culture ... So.... Бәйтерек (Baïterek) a monument built to support the moving of the capital from Almaty to Astana. It symbolizes the mythical tree of live in which Samruk, the bird of happiness, has laid it's egg. A new beginning for Kazakhstan after its independence.

Last night I took a 15 hour train ride from Astana to Almaty. A modern train with a bar and self prepared Doshirak noodles. In very broken Russian I discussed politics and history with my roommate Tas, an oilplant operator going to visit his son during his holidays. In the bar I met Daryn, who showed me the magic trick of "antipolizei", a breathmint that will make your alcohol breath smell vanish.

Almaty, a wonderful city in which I realise will not be able to spend enough time. Its more modern (it has so many bikelanes), has more character than Astana, but also is on the border with beautiful nature... Kazakh street art representing culture and hotel Kazakhstan are my glimpse of culture and sovietness. I've ended the day with some Khan's Plov, now I feel.I can conquer the mountains of Kyrgyzstan!

The adventure started, a big jeep, few adventurous tourists and our guide Aybek. We started the day early and stopped for some fresh Samsa's and Tandur bread along the way. We walked through Charyn Canyon, which is a unique natural feature on its own, and on the way back took an experimental route. While walking - more like climbing - rain hit us and the group lost slight trust in the "its easy"-mentality from our guide. We made it just fine - phew - and ended the day with some very tasty Manti!

The planned focus of today was nature! Seeing Kaindy and Kolsai lakes. They are amazingly beautiful. Unplanned was a full of firsts. First time sitting in a UAZ Buhanka (left), a life long dream. Eating Kurt, a solid horse milk ball, and drinking Kumis, fermented horse milk. Both are weird, Kurt is so so, Kumis is quite tasty, just a little sour. I would prefer it over a warm beer. And because I refused my first horse riding experience to be photografed, a picture of a canyon.

Via the border at Kegen, I made it to Karakol. Ala Kol is the most beautiful of all Kyrgyz lakes! In a good mood I set out and after taking a drive with a UAZ 469B 😎 I started going up. 500 meters upward and 15km further I found a camp to spend the night. Next I planned to go to the lake and take the same route back. This track is not for inexperienced hikers. After a 300 meter incline I decided to go back and not get stuck with 0 energy. Im proud of my achievement as a first time hiker!

Kyrgyzstan is a beautiful country with many mountains, beautiful lakes, friendly people and no seatbelts. I definitely did not get a full grasp of it all... Just a brief morning in Karakol half a day in Bishkek, room with a view, and a quick flight to OSU for just half an evening... I did however start to explore the many different teas they serve here. Now the adventure continuous toward the Pamir mountains in Tajikistan!

10-09 - The day marks an end to being a guest in Kyrgyzstan and a beginning of being welcomed by Tajik hospitality. We drive from Osh to Karakul (TJ) and climb from about 1000 meters to nearly 4000 meters altitude. We cross the Akbaital Pass (4655m) and try to leave Kyrgyzstan. Leaving Kyrgyzstan was not so easy as we thought, we all send our emails and got our permits. A call or 20 later and we were In no mans land, a 20km demilitarized zone between both countries....

10-09 - In the middle of no mans land, right on the actual border, our new driver was waiting and we started our tour through Tajikistan. The epic and harsh nature of the Pamirs is spectacular and makes it unimaginable how people can survive here, especially In winter. We ended in Karakul, not Karakol where I was before. Kara means black, kul means lake. The lake has beautiful.colours depending on the sunlight, but its name comes from the fact thats its fed with ground (black) water.

11-09 - In this village live just a few hundred people and there is a small military base. There is a school and a mosque, a very hard to find shop (we did not succeed) and some water wells. People drive old, rugged, Soviet UAZs, its the only affordable machine that can survive the rocky roads. We stayed in a homestay and were spoiled with a delicious soup and very warm dining room heated with dried animal feces.

PMU13-9 - Alichur, slightly less harsh than Karakul, there is grass for yaks and sheep. Beer is exotic in the Pamirs. Our Austrian travel companions were set on challenging the gods. From other tourists, which we met on a random bench, we hear about a "shop" that would get a beer delivery later that day. The shop Lady confirmed, but could not give an ETA. We asked if it could be delivered, of course! At 22:30 we were ready to go to bed and then a delivery arrived... it became a long night.

PMU14-9 - Zong (what a name, huh). We descended from the harsh Pamir Plateau into the greener Wakhan valley. Epic views and epic roads (our driver is a hero) we past in our study Toyota Landcruiser. To finally meet another mysterious land, that became an obsession in our group... Afghanistan, just accross the river. The Wakhan valley is the border, nature is wild and forms a natural protection. Later on we spotted our first life across the river, Afghanis! We also met Dave, from China again!

PMU15-9 - Along the way we visited a traditional Pamiri house. We've slept in quite a few with a similar design. The guide gave us insights in how people lived. Usually three/four generations shared a single house with usually two rooms. They were multipurpose rooms for cooking, living and sleeping. The Bibi Fatima hot springs were hot, relaxing and enjoyable. Curious locals tried to strike up a conversation. The last picture is of my favorite outhouse, unfortunately we became close friends...

Recap - When travelling to new places, I always wonder what is their "normal" and how much do i perceive this as "weird". In Khorog we went to a restaurant, delicious foods. Good slogan, mediocre execution. The place did offer Turkish, Mexican, Indian and other international food. National flags and pictures of the president are everywhere, from small villages to the capital. A picture signifing the bond between countries, Putin and Rahmon. In the smallest city an "I ❤️ Tajikistan" sign.

Dushanbe, a warm welcome back into civilization after the Pamirs. Another kind of weird modern city, the central park is beautiful and they have a huge flag. The pole was the largest in the world, till recently. Its over 150 meters and the flag weighs more than 700 kgs. We drank a tea iand kompot n the relaxed atmosphere of the Чойхонаи Рожать. The group split up and each went their own way, but not without a well celebrated goodbye with unfiltered Sim Sim and some lokal Keklik Vodka!

In Uzbekistan everyone can be a millionaire, it only costs about €80. A handmade magnet costs 25k and a beer 30k. Definitely the hardest currency to convert in my mind this trip. Bukhara was an interesting experience. On the one hand a big shock, after being in the Pamirs. Everything is modernized and there are loads of tourists, too many for my taste. On the other hand the city is ancient and full of history it was a capital of many empires and thats visible!

Samarkand, Amir Timur made this city great again as the capital of his vast empire. It sparked a wave of Islamic art inspired by the styles in Persia. The buildings are beautifully restored, sometimes with a little imagination. It gives however a great feeling of how these buildings must have looked like, simply beautiful! Uzbekistan has a great high speed rail network between its biggest cities. It makes travelling a true convenience . If you're wondering, yes that truck HAD to park there 😂

The holiday adventure is over. 4 weeks of central Asia was just enough to scratch the surface on most countries and I definitely went to go back! My journey continues into Georgia. Tbilisi will be my base for one month of remote working. I'll keep sharing my experiences here. Sonce the timeline isnalready messed up I'll tag each post with a keyword indicating whether its a recap, update from the past or describing the day itself. (The picture is not in Tbilisi 😇)

Past weekend. I was fit enougto exploe more of Tbilisi. A hike in the nearby mountains gave great views of the city and the backside of the Mother of Georgia statue. So I went on a mission to capture her majestic front.... not so easy in a hily city, but I managed. With some people from the Co-living space we explored the beautiful and peacel botanical gardens. During a free walking I learned a lot of contradictory facts, but at least one truth: Sakartvelo is the name of Georgia in Georgian.