Bishkek, Krygystan and Mongolia

Hello from the actual middle of nowhere

Bishkek, Krygystan

Up till now, I thought Jakarta was the a city with no flavor or soul...now i have been to Bishkek, Krygystan and Ulaan Bator, Mongolia, I know better. I was in Bishkek because it is the middle of nowhere and the cheapest flight options put me in on an overnight flight and out on another. I am getting too old for this.

Bishkek is old-style Soviet Bloc planning and execution. Big, utilitarian gov't buildings about 1/2 kilometers apart and nothing in between. No town center, no old quarter, just mucho dreary walking along huge boulevards. Bishkek has a few statues, an ex-pat bar (Metro) and the bazaar.

I bet KFC has no idea even where Krygystan really is

Sam and i run into a bridal party, the bride has to convince us to buy trinkets to complete whatever game they are playing. It was too funny

The snow outside the hostel fell just so, like little fluffy flowers

Bishkek Bazaar. Just after this shot, 3 police pick me up, take me to a trailer with 3 more police and go thru me, my clothes and gear, looking for 'contraband' all the while pantomiming how much money I might have. As it turns out< aim too cheap to even give any of them as much as bus fare. Welcome to Bishkek, eh! No...&*ck you, Bishkek

Saturday night at the ex-pat bar, Metro. I had to say hello to the owner, Richard, as he is a good buddy with Adam, the hostel owner from Odessa

Mongolia

I seriously enjoyed Mongolia, the tour, the people I met, the steppes, desert and mountains. That being said, Ulaan Bator sucked big time. Dirty, smelly (burning coal), smoggy, tons of crazy traffic. 1.3 million people crammed into a now very ugly space. Disappointed in the city...not sure what i was expecting, but not what I saw.

Outside the city was pure magic. Just mountains of every variety and size that shaped steppes that went on seemingly forever...5-10 kms wide by 30-40 kms. Hard to take in even as you pass thru. Not a lot going on in these spaces, so the tour was a lot of driving.

Got to stay in a few yurts (gers) which made me extremely happy, as I have learned how to make them from Little Foot Yurts..Alex and Selene back in Nova Scotia and did a little writeup for their site

To be in this space on the panet is just awesome. Can you see the yurt

Can't tell you how happy this makes me

1.3 millions Mongols, maybe 30 million sheep

Can you see buddy herding with the motorcycle. That or a horse...once, even a jeep

This herd moved in a line, nibbling all the way, cool to watch

Dogs everywhere, sheep everywhere, horses everywhere. This is buddy at the first sleepover in a ger

My first Mongolian ger. Me so happy. That is the driver, Tovshoo napping

Been wanting to be here for a long time. Bucket List item

After a nice evening swapping tales with another tour group in the other ger, we woke up to snow! Unfortunately, it meant i don't get to my waterfall.

Orkhon Valley Waterfall...I did NOT make it here...the hilight of the tour, due to a snowstorm. When I am travelling, I don't usually keep track of what I miss, as long as I am happy with what I saw. I was very happy with the experiences on the tour, but this one hurt. I love waterfalls

My new FB buddy, Gaya, who works very hard to keep her family going, renting out gers and making great meals. A real sweetheart. I have agreed to make business cards for her when I get back

Tovshoo. No English but a really happy guy. We got along well.

All these herd animals are out there 24/7, year-round, till they become food. The spaces between herds and yurt compounds is mind-blowing

Home, sweet home for another night, here in the top of the Gobi Desert

p style="font-size: 12px; color: rgb(0, 137, 125);">All those animals, all that dung...does not go to waste. Maybe if I came here as a Wwoofer, I would end up on dung brick detail

Went out for a little hike and this happened, about 25 horses rolled by and thru where I was , skimming water from the stream. They were curious of me, but leery

So many types of bathrooms in the world. This was new for me, just a triangle...not everyone's aim is good enough, eh?

Another ger. I need to make me one of these

Bactrian camel. Yeah!

My buddy, Sawa. I gave him a tip and a wind-up flashlight

No puppies in the ger, they chew up everything

Sawa's daughter, who took great pleasure in looking at you, then sticking out her tongue.

Sawa and daughter go out for water..think about that

Back in Ulaan Bator, the big city. Whirling Dervishes in this culture, as well as Turkey. Cool

It is a Buddhist country, there are shrines and I like to try arty photos

I saw only 2 flowers in the country, and in the same place. It is a hard place

Turkey / Ukraine

Istanbul Spice Market...funky sport, even with mucho tourists

Trabzon, Turkey

I really have no idea where I am going when I am doing these multi-month backpacking trips. There are pluses and minuses to this style, but the sense of freedom is easily worht the price of admission. I thought this trip was Canary Islands, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Israel. It became Canary Islands, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine.

After Istanbul and Cappadocia, I took a night bus to the north of Turkey to Trabzon...there is an Iranian Consulate there that gives out visas quite quickly, but for CDNs it was still a multi-step, week or more process. OK, do I go to Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, or north to Ukraine and points west. Always wanted to see Odessa on the Black Sea. Maybe go for a swim there. Cheap flight with Ukranian Air. Done deal.

Trabzon is an industrial, ugly done with one redeeming feature, the Sumela Monestary about 45kms from the city. Dorm mate Leo (China) and I headed up there and hung out with two Iranians for the day (Mehdi and Shahram). LOve meeting Iranians travelling. They are very friendly and thirsty for info on the West.

Leo playing pickup football with Trabzon Spor...I did not make the cut

I packed for shorts, t-shirt weather..am now wearing a lot of clothes

A little dip in the Black Sea before i head off to Odessa

Istanbul Again

I am actually in Istanbul for a few nights on the way to Odessa and our little crew gets busy at night (Peiyu-Taiwan, Scott-NWZ, Joe-Wales, Sophie-France)

The sign says ...Have you got naked today?... and is now part of the bar's Wall of Shame

Odessa, Ukraine

Was only in Odessa for a few days, but enjoyed myself immensely. Swimming, Champions League football, Opera, an interesting city and mucho political discussions with everyone in this very Russian town. Even met a UN-backed observer from OSEC. Everyone's opinion seems to be along the same line, the situation will settle, not blow up. Odessa was quiet, Eastern Ukraine was/is not

The other backpackers are a very eclectic lot, journalists, and serious world travellers, including buddy Luc who has traipsed the planet by bike to the tune of 78,000 kms. I enjoyed Odessa very much.

Turkey has basically one beer, Efes. Ukraine is filthy rich with beer choices. Yeah!

Regina was born in Lodz, Poland, and the housing complexes are like Spanish pensions, except the inner square is surrounded by a circle of apartment building. Nice enclosed space, and the only part of Lodz that I liked. Odessa is built the same way, I must have entered a few dozen of these

Buddy Denis, a local, chillin' after a swim in the Black Sea

I love opera and especially opea houses and the one in Odessa is beautiful. Saw the Ukranian 'Adele' here...Hiho Katamadze

Cheapest seat in the house, but as Duffy says...in the house. Me so happy. Good show...would have bought ticket just to get inside

Luc, about to head towards Kiev