Western Kazakhstan has desert, camels, awesome dairy products, some more desert, oil, more desert, and the city of Aktau. First stop: the supermarket. I was excited to see Tan, Central Asia’s salty sour carbonated milk drink that is ever so refreshing on a hot summer day. After downing a bottle, Continue Reading
Azerbaijan, land of contrasts
Azerbaijan is a strange country. The center of the capital city, Baku, is like any oil-rich capital city: clean, modern, expensive, offering all of the comforts of the developed world. Cranes dot the skyline as shiny new skyscrapers are constantly being built, and a brand new boulevard along the waterfront Continue Reading
The Great Bike Ride
A month ago, I went to a used bike market in Tbilisi and left with a pretty decent looking $180 bicycle. A couple days later I boarded a train to Baku with my new bike and all of my most important belongings. Baku would be the starting point for a Continue Reading
Paying it forward
There comes a point in most travelers’ lives where they feel the need to give back to the world. As travelers, we receive so much help from other people – home cooked meals, couches to sleep on, showers and washing machines, free rides in cars – with no expectation of Continue Reading