Samarkand – The Jewel of the Silk Road

Few cities on Earth capture the imagination quite like Samarkand — the fabled oasis at the heart of the Silk Road. Once the capital of empires and a beacon of Islamic culture, today it remains one of the most spectacular and historically rich cities in the world. Known as the Cultural Capital of the IslamicContinue reading “Samarkand – The Jewel of the Silk Road”

Tashkent – Journey through Uzbekistan – From Silk road cities to Desert Sky

An interesting and welcoming blend of old and new, Tashkent is the largest city in Central Asia and the fascinating capital of Uzbekistan. It’s a place where gleaming modern towers meet the architectural elegance of the Islamic world, where echoes of the Soviet era still linger beside traditional bazaars and mud-walled houses. You could spendContinue reading “Tashkent – Journey through Uzbekistan – From Silk road cities to Desert Sky”

Cycling in South Korea

Cycle paths in South Korea are generally excellent with a fantastic route from Seoul to Busan. Whilst you may come across the odd hole on for example some of the bridge paths covered with a random cone in the middle of the path to prevent accidents.. the general condition is outstanding with all paths linkingContinue reading “Cycling in South Korea”

What to see in Petra

Petra – the stunning ancient city in Southern Jordan, half hidden in the wind blown landscape; voted as one of the ‘New Seven Wonders of the World.’ Petra is of the worlds most treasured Unesco Heritage Sites, and most famous archaeological sites. The word Petra means pink city, and is derived from the Greek wordContinue reading “What to see in Petra”

Belarus – My first cycling holiday, and a beautiful part of the world!

I’m not sure if this trip was brave or stupid on my part! Maybe a bit of both! I decided I wanted to try a cycling holiday so picked an Explore trip that was only 5 days with 3 days cycling, and graded easy. Between 20 – 40km per day, and fortunately for me relativelyContinue reading “Belarus – My first cycling holiday, and a beautiful part of the world!”