Iran

Hello, salam! Welcome to Iran

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I’m so happy you visit my country. What do you think of Iran? We love it here. It’s such a beautiful country and everyone is so friendly. Before, did you think it’s dangerous here? No, not really that’s all just politics and the media. What do you think now? We feel very welcome. It’s not dangerous here at all. The most dangerous thing about Iran is the traffic. (Honestly it’s quite an adventure trying to cross a street and not getting run over by cars and motorbikes ignoring red lights and traffic wardens.) Do other people back in your country think it’s dangerous here? Yes, some but not everyone. We’ll tell them what a beautiful country Iran is when we’re back home.

Continue reading Hello, salam! Welcome to Iran →

Uzbekistan

The Big Three, plov, litres of chay and again some visa business

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Samarkhand

The first day in Uzbekistan started with yet again a visit to an embassy. This time we were racing to the Iranian embassy early in the morning to beat potential queues and get in first. To our big relief there was no huge crowd already waiting for us and we were let in straightaway and welcomed very friendly. We were even asked to take a seat in very comfy chairs while waiting to be called to the counter. We knew that the ministry in Tehran had already granted our visas (all pre-organised via an online visa agency) but after all of our visa and embassy experiences so far we were still a bit anxious if things would go smoothly. But we needn’t have worried because everything went fine. Continue reading The Big Three, plov, litres of chay and again some visa business →

Kazakhstan

Cultural Learnings of Kazakhstan for Make Benefit of Glorious Tourists of Ireland and Austria

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The sleeper bus from Urumqi to Almaty turned out to be quite a comfy ride with two rows of bunk beds and almost enough space to stretch out. Yes, they’ve bunk beds in sleeper buses in this part of the world. A genius invention. Before we arrived at the border we managed to get in a few hours sleep which we needed to survive the crossing. Getting through the gate to the Chinese border turned into quite an adventure. As soon as the border was open, people were running towards the gate as if the guards were giving something away for free. They were ramming into each other like bumper cars, pushing like crazy and some started to throw massive pieces of luggage over the gate. You just had to hope for the best and watch out not to trip and fall or get a piece of luggage on your head. Continue reading Cultural Learnings of Kazakhstan for Make Benefit of Glorious Tourists of Ireland and Austria →

China

Baby steps from Inner Mongolia to the border of Kazakhstan

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As soon as we had crossed into China, we managed to hop on a bus to Hohot, the capital of the Chinese province “Inner Mongolia”. Short-distance buses in China, i.e. anything up to a 10 hour ride, leave often hourly of half-hourly and you can get a ticket almost instantly. You just show up the counter, battle with the crowd to get to the window Continue reading Baby steps from Inner Mongolia to the border of Kazakhstan →

Mongolia

Gobi in the pimp wagon

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Before we left China we contacted a guesthouse in Ulaanbaatar (UB) because cheap but good accommodation can be hard to find around this time of the year. The travel season in Mongolia generally lasts from June to September when the temperatures are bearable, roads are passable and local families open their gers to the relatively few tourists that visit Mongolia. From November to February many Mongolians move to the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar because the conditions in the countryside are very harsh during winter time. Spring can also be very hard, especially for nomad families as some of their livestock may have died after a long, incredibly cold winter. So it’s best to stick to the main travel season when it’s also easier to buddy up with other travellers to share the costs of transportation and to make things a bit easier for the people here. Continue reading Gobi in the pimp wagon →

China, Japan, Mongolia

Kobe to Ulaanbaatar – 10 days, 3 cultures and hours travelling (or waiting)

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Our trip with the ferry from Kobe to the Chinese port of Tianjin turned out to be a very relaxing ride and the 50 hours in the boat didn’t even feel that long. It was nothing like the ferry we took from Qiandao, China, to Incheon, South Korea three years ago where we got stuck with a lot of drunken Chinese businessmen who were very keen to do business with us or were trying to get us pissed. The ferry was only half full and it was really quiet at night. We spent the two days reading, listing to music or watching the Sopranos (we hadn’t seen the show before and are totally addicted to it now – ‘what can you do!?’…). When not relaxing we walked up and down the ship or in circles on deck to stretch our legs. On the first day we travelled closely along the Japanese coast which was pretty stunning. By the afternoon of the second day all there was to see was the wide open sea and nothing else until we arrived a the industrial port of Tianjin where we met heaps of oil tankers and a very hazy sky awaited us. Yes, you’ll be shocked to learn it’s true the pollution in big Chinese cities is pretty bad. Continue reading Kobe to Ulaanbaatar – 10 days, 3 cultures and hours travelling (or waiting) →

Japan

17 days in Japan

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There we were in Tokyo – a vibrant city of massive scale, millions of people, bright lights, narrow streets and small spaces. What a difference to Australia! We had already been to Tokyo before and done a lot of sightseeing. So we decided to only stay for a day to get acclimatised and spent the day walking around the area of Ueno and Asakusa where we were staying. Continue reading 17 days in Japan →