The Helpful Stranger

Providing an authentic and honest opinion on travel destinations

On the subject of travel:

‘Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.’

-Anthony Bourdain

Check out my blog posts

Astana self-guided walking tour
Ultra-modern Astana is a planned city. While it is spread across a relatively big area, most of its monumental buildings are located along an east-west axis and the main sites can be covered on foot in a day; there is plenty of walking involved but it’s doable – trust me, we did it! Check out… Read more: Astana self-guided walking tour
Samarkand self-guided walking tour
Samarkand is a city full of emblematic and historical sites. As the third largest city in Uzbekistan, one of the oldest continually-inhabited cities in the world and best known as the capital of the Timurid Empire, there is plenty to see and do. Although they are geographically spread out, it is possible to cover all… Read more: Samarkand self-guided walking tour
Public transport in Central Asia – a complete guide
Some of the best experiences we had in Central Asia were on public transport. It brings you into direct contact with locals who are often as curious about you and your life as you are of them. From in-depth conversations with the Turkistan football team on the train between Turkistan and Shymkent at 4am, to… Read more: Public transport in Central Asia – a complete guide
A guide to train travel in Central Asia
Trains are by far the easiest way to get around in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, where there is an extensive inter-city rail network. As well as being relatively comfortable, the trains can be a great way to see the vast landscapes and interact with curious locals. The trains are soviet-style, running very long distances with multiple… Read more: A guide to train travel in Central Asia
An introduction to travel in Central Asia
Central Asia is a vast region nestled between Afghanistan and the powerhouse nations of Russia, China and Iran. The region consists of five countries, the ‘five stans’; Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Formerly part of the Russian Empire, all of the Central Asian countries became independent in 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet… Read more: An introduction to travel in Central Asia

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Tashkent: Pomegranates, cake breaks and unusual ar

Termez: Buddhist stupas, Kalashnikov bullets, a vo

Sauntering around Samarkand 🇺🇿

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