The expansive green meadows dotted with thousands of sheep and the snow-capped Tien Shan mountains in the background feel like a world away from the Navruz celebrations in the busy streets of Samarkand. Few visitors head to the remote mountain villages but today, people from all over Central Asia (and even a Slovene and a […]
Moynaq: the ship graveyard of Aral Sea
The western region of Uzbekistan is as desolate as any place can get, and it is hard to imagine that this region was once Central Asia’s agricultural powerhouse. Years of excessive irrigation depleted the Aral Sea, the main water source for the area, and threw the region into distress. For a glimpse on the effects […]
Samarkand: The city that ruled the Silk Road
Few places are as mythical and as evocative of the Silk Road as Samarkand, standing in the heart of Uzbekistan. The magnificent monuments and mosques scattered throughout the city have inspired poets and artists for hundreds of years – and continue to do so. Today, Timur’s (Tamerlane) constructions are surrounded by a Soviet-style city, but […]
Bumthang: The sacred valley of Bhutan
With the highest concentration of temples and dzongs, the district of Bumthang is considered the most sacred in all of Bhutan. The capital town of the district, Jakar, is an ideal base to explore Bumthang’s four scenic glacier valleys (Ura, Chumey, Tang and Choekhor) – each with its own unique appeal ranging from ancient dzong […]
Punakha: The royal city in a fertile valley
Once the capital of Bhutan, the royal city of Punakha sits in a fertile valley at the confluence of the Pho Chhu (male) and Mo Chhu (female) rivers. Punakha valley is one of the agricultural powerhouses in Western Bhutan due to the warmer (even hot during the summer) weather and abundant availability of freshwater from […]
