World Traveller: 7 Continents, 90 Countries, 871 Days Overseas
Pages:
About | Countries | Tours | Trips | Bucket List – Done | Bucket List – To Do | Airport Lounges | Flight History
Travel Categories:
Flight Reviews | Lounge Reviews | Destinations | Short Breaks | World Trip 1986 | World Trip 1998 | World Trip 1999-2000 | World Trip 2006 | World Trip 2009 | World Trip 2009-10 | World Trip 2010 | World Trip 2011 | World Trip 2012-13 | World Trip 2015 | World Trip 2016 | World Trip 2017 | World Trip 2017-18 | World Trip 2018 | World Trip 2019 | Australia 2022 | World Trip 2023 | World Trip 2024 | World Trip 2024-25 | World Trip 2026-27
Friday 02 June 2023
Highlights: Monument of Neutrality, Indoor Ferris wheel, Old Nisa, Gurbansoltan Eje Memorial and Turkmenbashi Mosque, Halk Hakydasy Memorial Complex, National Museum of Turkmenistan, Independence Monument, Food poisoning
The last full day of the Five Stans tour before my flight back to Türkiye at 3.30 am tomorrow. Today we our small group would explore the marble city of Ashgabat in more detail building on last night’s exploration.
(more…)
Turkish Airlines
Date: 03 June 2023
Gate: 102
Seat: 6B (Economy Class Seat)
Plane: Airbus A321neo
Boarded: 02:45 (early)
Pushback: 03:21 (Scheduled 03:30)
Arrived: 05:10 (Scheduled 05:20)
Duration: 3 hour 49 minutes
Distance: 2,555 kms
This flight was from Ashgabat International Airport to Istanbul International Airport.
Note: I was very unwell before this flight, vomiting from food poisoning but was better by the time of the flight. As a result I did observe as much as I would normally do.
Thursday 01 June 2023
Highlights: The amazing Darvaza Gas Crater (Gates of Hell) at Dawn, Hiking in the Karakum Desert, Exploring Ashgabat at night
Waking up at 5 am I did a short walk from my yurt to the Darvaza Gas Crater for another look at the unique phenomenon.
Wednesday 31 May 2023
Highlights: Exploring Kunya-Urgench, the amazing Darvaza Gas Crater (Gates of Hell)
After a surprise hotel accidental wake call for everyone via an intercom announcement and an underwhelming breakfast, we were off on a 2 hour drive to UNCESO protected ancient abandoned city of Kunya-Urgench. This was the first chance to really see this country and some of it’s people.
(more…)
Tuesday 30 May 2023
Highlights: Border crossing to Turkmenistan, Card game
Today I said goodbye to 10 members of the tour group and our CEO Rustam while 6 of us (Kyle, Ingrid, Amy, Mike, Nancy and me), plus our new CEO Eziz, travelled to Turkmenistan for the fifth and last ‘Stan of the Five Stans. Khiva was only 1.5 hours from the border and we left around 9 am.
(more…)
Monday 29 May 2023
Highlights: Kalta Minor Minaret, Tash-Khovli Palace, Madrasah Qutlug Murad, Tash-Khauli Palace, Juma Mosque, Islom-Hoja Minaret (tallest in Uzbekistan), and Pahlavon Mahmud Mausoleum
Today was a chance to explore this unique city-museum of Khiva in more detail. The city was established around 1500 years ago but there were inhabitants even earlier. In 1991 Khiva was the first site in Uzbekistan to be inscribed in the World Heritage List (UNESCO). Khiva was the former capital of the Khanate of Khiva, and the Khorezm People’s Soviet Republic.
(more…)
Sunday 28 May 2023
Highlights: Khoja Tabband Mosque, Exploring Khiva, Khiva at Night
A long drive ahead of us meant we wanted to be on the road by 8 am. I woke up slightly unwell but hopefully nothing too serious for today’s 8 hour plus of driving.
Before leaving Bukhara we had one final stop point the Khoja Tabband Mosque. This is a very picturesque former Mosque in a quiet part of the city. Lonely Planet had previously used this Mosque on the cover of their Uzbekistan guide.
Saturday 27 May 2023
Highlights: The Samanid Mausoleum, visiting the Boloi Havz Mosque, exploring the Ark of Bukhara (Fortress), learning the history of Kalyan Minaret, exploring the Kalyan Mosque.
Today was day 2 of exploring Bukhara in depth. After breakfast at our hotel, we left at 8.30 am to try to beat the coming heat.
Our first visit was to the Samanid Mausoleum. This Mausoleum was built in the late 9th century for the rulers of the Samanid Empire. It was built outside the ancient city and was later lost under sand and was therefore spared when the Mongol’s destroyed most of Bukhara in the 13th century.
(more…)
Friday 27 May 2023
Highlights: Sunrise over the Kyzylkum Desert, Exploring the Caravanserai Rabat-I-Malik, Exploring historic old sector of Bukhara
I woke up around 5 am in our Yurt after a mostly peaceful night sharing accommodation with 4 other tour members. The early morning meant I have time to get up and see the sunrise over the Kyzylkum Desert.
Breakfast was served around 7.30 am as we swapped stories of last night around singing and dancing under the stars. There was no shower this morning in this remote place, so we all had a small degree of sand and salt (from the lake yesterday) as we left our campground at 8.30 am on a bumpy and vert slow drive out of the desert.
(more…)
Thursday 25 May 2023
Highlights: Nurata Holy Springs, Nurata Fortress Ruins of Alexander the Great, Aydar Lake, Kyzylkum Desert experience, dancing under the stars
Today we set off out of the historic city of Samarkand and into semi desert and full deserts of Uzbekistan. Leaving at 8.30 am we said one last goodbye to Registan Square before a 3.5 hour drive to Nurata.
This city is famous for its hot springs that supply water to the local town and are said to be Holy Springs that provide healing for those that consume or bath in them.
