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In Iceland

2 Weeks in Iceland Itinerary

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Right now Iceland is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe. Thanks to stunning scenery and regular spots in popular TV shows it has come to the world’s attention as a place of unrivalled natural wonders. The majority of people visit Iceland for a short period of time, usually around 5 days. They will usually do a combination of Rekjavik, the Golden Circle and the South Coast. However, with 2 weeks in Iceland, it’s very possible to do a full lap of the island and take in some of Iceland’s most stunning scenery. I’m going to use the exact itinerary we did for our trip in September 2022. You may not want to follow it at all, but hopefully, it will give you inspiration when planning a trip of your own. Looking back the one change I would have made would have been to spend our first day…

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In Scenery

A Week in North Eastern Vietnam

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Ban Gioc Full Size

Motorbiking through North Eastern Vietnam Hiring motorbikes in Vietnam is something that is on many travellers’ bucket lists. Back in 2008 I and my good friend Dan decided to rent a motorbike each and disappear for a week. Tourism to Vietnam had only opened up a few years prior, so there were still plenty of undiscovered gems in this beautiful country. A week or so earlier a friend and I hired a scooter each and rode from Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) down in the Mekong delta for a 3-day road trip. This was where the idea for our North Eastern Vietnam road trip came from. We chose this part of the country as almost every tourist we’d met had headed northwest to Sapa. Even today the northeast of the country is still relatively unexplored in a backpacking sense. Back in 2008, we didn’t see another foreign tourist until we…

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In Japan

1 Week Shikoku Itinerary

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morning-iya-valley

The smallest and least visited of Japan’s 4 main islands, Shikoku is home to spectacular scenery and gorgeous temples. We visited as part of a 1 month trip to Japan where we also visited Kyushu, Tokyo, Nikko and Kamakura. With this 1 week Shikoku itinerary, you will see a decent chunk of the eastern portion of the island, however for western Shikoku you would need at least another week. A point to bear in mind for Shikoku is that you really need to hire a car to get the most out of this beautiful island. A JR pass can get around the main cities like Tokushima, Takamatsu, Matsuyama and Kochi. However travel to more rural areas, such as the Iya valley is very tricky. We have an article on renting a car in Shikoku, as well as articles on renting a car in Kyushu and Hokkaido. We used the Japanese…

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In Kyrgyzstan

What to do in Karakol – Hiking to Jeti Oguz

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Hiking to Jeti Oguz Located a 30-minute drive from Karakol, Jeti Oguz is home one of the best one-day hikes in Kyrgyzstan. This is one of the best things to do in Karakol.  We visited the landlocked Central Asia nation in June 2018 and a harsh winter a few months earlier meant that many of the mountain passes used for the multi-day treks in the area were not yet open. Not to be deterred we headed to Jeti Oguz with a rough route planned out whilst being suitably prepared to change our plans. Getting there and away We hired a taxi from the centre of Kochkor. You don’t need to find them, they will find you. We negotiated down to about 40 som and arranged from him to pick us up from our guesthouse at 8:30 am. Unfortunately, he spoke no English, so my Russian came into use (check out…

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In Japan

2 Weeks in Kyushu – A suggested itinerary

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Sunset Yufuin

2 Weeks in Kyushu The most south-westerly of Japan’s 4 main islands, Kyushu is certainly off the beaten track and barely makes it onto the radar of many travellers and hopefully, it will stay that way. With a rugged coastline and mountainous centre, onsens galore and some of the best food in Japan, Kyushu is truly one of Japan’s highlights. Getting to Kyushu Kyushu’s main airport hub is in the northern city of Fukuoka. With good connections from across Asia, especially from China, South Korea and Taiwan, Kyushu is easily accessible for those in East Asia. Further afield and the number of direct flights drops dramatically. From further afield you will most likely fly through Seoul or Tokyo en route to Fukuoka. Getting around Kyushu The JR network here is pretty good with excellent connections between Kyushu’s major cities. However, to really explore the best bits of Kyushu is with…

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In China

What to do in Xinjiang – A guide to China’s far west

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Stunning views on the Karakoram Highway

Xinjiang – China’s final frontier Xinjiang, a gargantuan province making up one fifth of the Peoples Republic of China and bordering Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India is seen by may foreign travellers a China’s final frontier. A piece of land that signifies the end of China and the beginning of Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. Much has been written on the subject of Xinjiang, so I certainly cannot cover it in depth in such a short article. However I will do my best to give a very brief introduction. Xinjiang is very different to the rest of Chinas. The Uyghur community which makes up roughly 46% of Xinjiang’s population is culturally, linguistically and ethnically different from the Han Chinese, the most dominant of Chinas 56 ethnic groups and the second largest ethnic group in Xinjiang. Aside from this there are numerous other ethnic groups in…

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In Turkmenistan

Exploring the Darvaza Crater – The gateway to hell

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Darvaza Crater at night

The Darvaza Crater – The Gateway to Hell Many people have heard of the Darvaza Crater, but very few people know where it is and how it came into being. Often referred to as the North Korea of Central Asia, Turkmenistan is one of the worlds last hermit kingdoms. The second largest country in Central Asia, it is made up of desert (covering 80% of the country no less), some of the worlds largest gas reserves, ancient ruins and some seriously bizarre sights. For evidence of the latter check out this article on Ashgabat. What is the Darvaza Crater Type Turkmenistan into a google image search and no doubt this is one of the images that will appear. It is basically a giant burning hole in the middle of the Karakum Desert. This stunning spectacle is the result of a slight error in judgement by a team of Soviet scientists…

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In Japan

How to rent a car in Japan – Hokkaido Edition

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Renting a car in Hokkaido Renting a car in Hokkaido is without a doubt the best way to see, travel and experience this magical landscape. Hokkaido is truly unique, and is absolutely one of the most beautiful places we have ever been. This article is focused on the practicalities and necessities for renting a car in Hokkaido. However we have an article about visiting the Shiretoko and Akan National Parks in eastern Hokkaido as well as a bunch of our favourite photos from our 2 week road trip through Japan’s most northern island. We have an additional article on renting a car and driving in Kyushu, as there are some key differences between renting here and renting in Hokkaido. However the rules and required documents are the same. We also have articles on eating in Japan and budgeting when travelling Japan to help you plan the perfect trip to the…

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In Azerbaijan

What to do in Azerbaijan – Off The Beaten Track

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Old Soviet Truck Xinaliq

What to do in Azerbaijan Azerbaijan is the least visited of the three Caucasus countries. Partly due to the old complicated visa process and partly because of an underdeveloped tourist industry. However there some amazing things to do in Azerbaijan and since 2017 the government has introduced an e-visa system making getting a visa much easier. As a result Azerbaijan is becoming more accessible to tourists from countries other than Russia and Turkey. However, even with these increasing tourist numbers Azerbaijan still remains a country that is very much off the beaten track. Language Issues? At present English is not widely spoke outside of Baku with Russian still being widely spoken above people over 40. For more information about the language barrier in Azerbaijan check out article on the usage of Russian in the Caucasus. What to do in Azerbaijan, getting off the beaten track Ramana Castle Located out on…

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In Kyrgyzstan

What to do in Kochkor – Hiking to Kol Ukok

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Hiking to Kol Ukok: Welcome to one of Kyrgyzstan’s most breathtaking hikes. It’s usually done over two days with one of the day having vastly more walking than the other. Although there are trails that go beyond it, the lake of Kol Ukok is the highlight of the hike. We hiked up to our yurt camp on day 1 and planned on hiking up to the lake the next day. Weather forecasts said rain would be coming the afternoon of day 1. Sadly the weather forecasts weren’t entirely correct and it remained pretty clear until nightfall when it began to rain. Leaving us to wonder if we’d made a rather monumental cock up. However when our alarms went off at 5:30am we were greeted with a few clouds and no rain. We then hiked up to Kol Ukok and back down to the trail entrance where our wonderful hostel owner…

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In Uzbekistan

What to do in Tashkent – Your ultimate city guide

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Sunset at the Minor Mosque

What To Do In Tashkent – Your Ultimate City Guide Welcome to the largest city in Central Asia, as Tashkent begins to establish itself on the map check out our guide on some of the best things to do in Tashkent. Central Asia’s largest city doesn’t really get a lot of love from the travel community. In Soviet traditions wide tree-lined boulevards are flanked by grandiose buildings paying homage to science, politics and occasionally, the arts. Most travellers in Uzbekistan will find themselves in Tashkent, usually when entering or exiting the country. Consequently most don’t have much time to explore. However there is certainly enough to keep you occupied for a few days. We started out in Tashkent before heading off the the Aral Sea, Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand with a short trip to Turkmenistan sandwiched in the middle. Getting Around Tashkent Tashkent is huge and public transport can be…

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In Armenia

How useful is Russian in the Caucasus?

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Ananuri Georgia

Russian in the Caucasus The Caucasus is one of the most linguistically diverse regions on earth. However from the mid to late 1800’s all the way through to 1991 Russian became a language that initially infiltrated and then completely took over the region when Lenin and his Bolshevik buddies put the Soviet Union together. Despite the Soviet Union’s collapse, ties with the west and the influx of English, Russian still remains a very useful language in the region. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan have had varying relationships with mother Russia. After Russian intervention in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Georgia is pulling away from its former master with aspirations of joining the European Union. Armenia retains reasonably good relations with Russia, whilst at the same time balancing warm ties with the United States, Iran and China. Azerbaijan is now much closer to Turkey…

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