How many countries in Asia? 47?53?

How many countries in Asia? 47?53? Technically speaking, there are 47 countries in Asia (50 if you include Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia ‘Asian‘, and not ‘European‘ – which I don’t). It depends on what...

My Trans Siberian Railway Experience; 6 Crazy True Stories

My Trans Siberian Railway Experience; 6 Crazy True Stories Unless you’re armed with a mountain of organized paperwork (unlikely for me) Russia only grants 30-day visas. Considering the train itself takes about 7 solid days, it doesn’t...

What to See in Almaty, Kazakhstan

I had planned to dip in to Kazakhstan, visit Astana in the north, near the Russian border and then nip back to Russia a couple of days later. But after telling people I was coming to Kazakshtan, the (very) few people who had ever been here...

What to see in Astana, Kazakhstan – The City of the Future

So you’ve made it to the new Capital of Kazakshstan, awesome. Prepare to have your mind blown, everything you imagined this to be, it’s not. It was my first stop too, and you’ll see why it’s been aptly dubbed ‘The Ci...

Backpacking in Kazakhstan – the Lo-Down

After Borat well and truly put Kazakhstan on the map, people drew misconceptions about the country, their people and the level of development within. Nowhere highlights the radical progression Kazakhstan has made more than their new Capital...

Getting from Russia to Kazakhstan: Omsk to Astana

I don’t like to follow people’s paths, I always have a burning desire to blaze my own trail, to find my own way to when I subscribed to taking the Trans Siberian railroad from China to Russia, 1/3 of the way around the world, I knew I had t...

Hiking in Almaty, Kazakhstan

I’m still kicking around Kazakhstan and it’s still awesome! I’m in South Eastern Kazakhstan, in the former capital of Almaty. It’s one of the nicest cities I’ve ever visited and along with Beirut it’s certainly one of the cities that has su...

What Visas You Need to Get in Advance to Take the Trans Siberian Railway

The Trans Siberian is something every true traveler has on their bucket list. I loved the adventure and I wrote this as I was about to jump on the train to Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia. It took quite a lot of work, and a fair chunk o...

How to Get a Kazakhstan visa in Bangkok

Getting a Kazakhstani visa in Bangkok isn’t too difficult but you do need to do a few different things. Ok let’s have a look: Where is the Kazakhstan embassy in Bangkok? The nearest BTS stop is Pleonchit, so jump out there and it’s a 5 minu...