Like siblings who can either be in synch or at odds with one another depending on the minute, Carouge teases Geneva by being so close, yet so distinct. To Geneva’s solid tradition Carouge serves up rebellion, thumbing her nose at the broody burghers of Calvin’s city. And if your first approach to Geneva seems a bit severe, along comes…
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Finding a place to stay in Kyrgyzstan, part 10 of my real-time series on preparations for a month of solo travel in Central Asia.
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(Back to Part 1) In ten days I’m off on what part of me wishes were a calm vacation, swooning in gentle relaxation along a balmy seashore, watching the palm fronds tickle the horizon. Instead, I’ll be going to the office. I’m incredibly fortunate: I have a job that allows me to travel and write so for the next…
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(Back to Part 1) That little bit of research I undertook to plan my initial itinerary barely counts. I now have to engage in more serious research. My pattern tends to be the same wherever I go: I start off with a long list of things to read and do, and feel lucky if I make…
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(Back to Part 1) When the travel doctor told me I’d need a typhoid vaccination, I clenched my teeth, envisaging a long, thin needle creeping closer. No such thing. All I did was swallow a little pill every other day for three days. Bliss. It’s not always this easy, and depending on where you travel, protecting…
Read MorePart 5 – Anatomy of a Solo Female Backpacking Adventure: Breaking the Central Asian Language Barrier
(Back to Part 1) Communicating with people is one of the greatest gifts of travel. We can do it in many ways – art, gestures, expressions – but to me, language is the most complete, allowing for nuances, emotion, information and even the intangible. Language helps us walk into someone else’s world and sample it from their point of…
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(Back to Part 1) Every trip starts with an arrival destination – but it’s anyone’s guess what happens after landing. Some trips are highly organized, with sights and facilities reserved each step of the way. Others, like my own trip across Africa, are more hit-and-miss, with few plans beyond landing. This time I need some sort of plan,…
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These are my Central Asia travel budget preparations as Part 4 of a step-by-step look at planning a one-month backpacking trip.
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(Back to Part 1) “Weren’t the Istanbul Airport terrorists from Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan?” Yes, they were. Scared, no. Cautious, yes. “So why are you going to visit those two countries? Aren’t you scared?” And that’s been the gist of my email Inbox for days. I’m planning to travel through Kyrgyzstan the first half of September and…
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Part 2 of a step-by-step look at preparing for a one-month solo female backpacking adventure. Here’s what happens when the unexpected hits – and how even the simplest of plans can go haywire from the beginning, and how to deal with change.
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