Ask GoMad Nomad: Turkmenistan Transit Visas This month’s ‘Ask GoMad Nomad’ advice column follows up closely on November’s topic of Solo Travel in Central Asia. Reader Lewis asks about getting a transit visa for Turkmenistan, to facilitate a short visit he plans to make soon. Visas in the Central Asia region are a complicated case, …
Ask GoMad Nomad: Solo Travel on the Silk Road? This month’s Ask GoMad Nomad column comes from longtime reader Heidi, whose question concerns a region near and dear to several of the writers behind GoMad Nomad: Central Asia and the Silk Road. I recently decided that I want to travel the Silk Road from China …
Photo of the Week: The Registan in Samarkand The Registan is undoubtedly the center of tourism in modern Uzbekistan, but long ago on the historic Silk Road than ran from modern-day China to the Middle East and Europe the city of Samarkand was also one of the very centers of the intellectual and religious world. …
Photo of the Week: Turkmenistan’s Monumental Marble Capital The name ‘Turkmenistan’ for most people brings to mind fiery craters in the desert or maybe the cult of personality surrounding former president Turkmenbashi, if indeed it conjures up anything at all. Very few people have any conception of the capital city Ashgabat, an inexplicable city …
Photo of the Week: Turkmenistan's Monumental Marble Capital Read More »
What It’s Like In: Baku, Azerbaijan Baku is an odd city, straddling as it does so many lines between distinct realms. Desert and sea, Central Asia and the Middle East, rich and poor, historic and modern; Baku has a touch of all of these and plenty of other more subtle distinctions besides. Despite hosting the …
What It Costs: Travel in Tbilisi Though you’re probably more likely to visit Georgia for amazing rural churches or the beaches of Batumi, you will almost certainly spend time in the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi. Rather than rushing through on the way to other adventures, take some time to explore. The prices are right (which …
Like all good Central Asia stories, it both starts and ends with a cold beer and a couple sticks of sheep shashlyk. One moment a late night chat over ways to make inroads in Kyrgyzstan, and seemingly the next talking my way past security and picking up a Press Pass for the World Nomad Games. Which, really, is what …
On Press Passes and Sheep Asses: The World Nomad Games Read More »
Photo of the Week: Kyrgyzstan’s Independence Day Oh, the holidays. When you’re at home they mean family time and lots of preparation and perhaps more than a fair share of stress. Hit a holiday or two on the road, though, and its all photogenic backdrops and friendly folks happy to share in the celebratory spirit. In …
Photo of the Week: Kyrgyzstan's Independence Day Read More »
Introducing: Performing Arts in the Former Soviet Union Though perhaps not the most widely acknowledged legacy of its history, the Soviet Union played an important role in spreading the performing arts to those countries it ruled over which had no strong independent traditions of such performances before becoming part of the Soviet sphere. Ballet and Opera, …
Introducing: Performing Arts in the Former Soviet Union Read More »
Central Asia Visas: A Beginner’s Guide Your bags are packed, your flights are booked, and you’ve been chugging vodka and horse milk for weeks to prepare. (Though, please, not both at the same time.) You’re all set for Central Asia! But, are you sure? Rules are much more complicated in this region than the visas for …
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