Author Archives: awtytravels

Sleepless in Seoul.

Posted on November 17, 2018

The idea for this post’s title has been respectfully pinched from this lovely Instagram account. The idea of jet-lag was so new to me that it took me an inordinate amount of time to come to the conclusion that what was … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, South Korea | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Autumn in the Heath.

Posted on November 10, 2018

If you’re familiar with the idiosyncrasies of English society, you’ll undoubtedly have encountered the odd phenomenon that, every time a major football tournament pops up, grips the entire nation. Chanting “Football’s coming home”, the entire England – from Hadrian’s Wall … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, London, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

“You’d be home by now.”

Posted on November 4, 2018

People in Lebanon spend more than 16% of [their] individual productive time in traffic. Urban Transport Development Project – World Bank For six months, straddling a winter and early summer of a few years ago, I tried commuting to work … Continue reading →

Posted in Lebanon, Middle East | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Harvest Moon.

Posted on October 31, 2018

I once met an elderly lady who lived in a minuscule Alpine village of which she was the only permanent inhabitant. Well into her seventies when we crossed paths, she was busy chopping down a young spruce tree, manoeuvring an … Continue reading →

Posted in Italy, Piemonte | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

There and away – Driving through the ‘Stans.

Posted on October 13, 2018

As I sat scribbling this post on my notepad, on the plane back home, it occurred to me that the past two car journeys had been the first ones, in Central Asia, where we hadn’t been serenaded non-stop by some … Continue reading →

Posted in Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

The devil’s horsemen.

Posted on October 2, 2018

For the Parthians shot as they fled, being, indeed, more adept at this than anyone except the Scythians, and it is certainly a very clever manoeuvre – to fight and to look after one’s own safety at the same time.   … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Genghis’ Camp.

Posted on September 21, 2018

This didn’t feel like Central Asia. The road was smooth, the ride quiet, the old Mercedes van that did the honours as our marshrutka, or collective taxi, wasn’t packed to the gunwales. Our driver, a faded Denver Broncos hat planted on … Continue reading →

Posted in Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Throwing wolves by the lake shore.

Posted on September 13, 2018

Generalisations are often prone to error and misrepresentation, but – sometimes – they do hit the mark. I, for instance, always attached an aura of upper class, or in other words a certain whiff of snobbery, with all activities performed … Continue reading →

Posted in Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Be Right Back.

Posted on September 9, 2018

I’ve been in a place where Hungarians dress up like they used to do a millenium ago, speed to a full gallop and then throw arrows into a padded target, whilst Kyrgyz flags flutter in the wind, yurts are everywhere … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

The 5.29 train to Aktobe.

Posted on September 1, 2018

This post dates from over a year ago. It wasn’t meant for publication on this blog; a book was going to be its destiny, a book on travels in Central Asia. Alas, this wasn’t to be; yet, I liked this … Continue reading →

Posted in Central Asia, Kazakhstan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments