Samarkand Registan Square at night

The group went for dinner tonight, followed by a light and 3D show at Registan Square. The show involves a laser and light spectacle that brings the historic madrasah buildings to life as well as a 3DOkumaya devam et
Capturing Samarkand, misc. photos

Caught some interesting moments.
Exploring Samarkand

We had a guided walking tour of Samarkand this morning. Samarkand means rich city and it lives up to its name. It was a key stop along the Silk Road for about 1,500 years. You can read more about itOkumaya devam et
Bye Bukhara, hello Samarkand

We had most of the day free to spend in Bukhara before grabbing a train to Samarkand. It was nice to have a leisurely breakfast. Brad had scheduled a hammom bath for 11 a.m. at a traditional bathOkumaya devam et
Exploring Bukhara

We had a guided tour of Bukhara today to visit some of the key sites that are outside of the old town, but are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Our first stop was at the Ark of Bukhara, a massive fortressOkumaya devam et
Onward to Bukhara, Uzbekistan

We left Khiva this morning for a six-hour drive to Bukhara, a city of about 300,000 and a major centre of the Silk Road. The drive was fine because the roads were good. We checked into our guest houseOkumaya devam et
Exploring Khiva, Uzbekistan

We had a wonderful walking tour of the Old Town today and learned about the city’s history and the stories of the beautiful buildings we toured. About 3,000 people still live within the walls of theOkumaya devam et
Bumpy road to Uzbekistan

It was a super early day with breakfast at 5 a.m. I’m not a fan of getting up in the dark but you do what you gotta do. We were up at 4:30 fed at five and on the road by 5:30, back to the horrendousOkumaya devam et
Hell ride and yurt night

We had a leisurely morning in Ashgabat and then loaded ourselves into four four-wheel drive vehicles and drove to the “Door to Hell" Crater (Okumaya devam et
Touring Ashgabat

Our group set off at 8:30 this morning in a mini bus – white, of course – for a jam-packed day of sightseeing around the White City. We learned that all the buildings have been built in the lastOkumaya devam et
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Landed early this morning and were met by our Intrepid tour leader. Four other tour members were on the same flight so we met them too: a couple as well as a single woman from England and a singleOkumaya devam et
Istanbul to Ashgabat

We’ve now completed the Baku to Istanbul leg of our journey and are on to part two, a flight from Istanbul to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
Race day, in more ways than one

It’s race day in Baku and a complicated one for us. It’s also our checkout day as well as our flight to Turkmenistan later today. That meant figuring out our logistics. It was fortunate that checkOkumaya devam et
F2 sprint, F1 qualifying + Crystal Hall

We had a relaxing morning and didn’t head to the track until early afternoon to watch the F2 sprint followed by F1 qualifying. The weather had taken a turn and while there was no rain in theOkumaya devam et
F2 qualifying and F1 practice

Brad took a look at the schedule and decided that we would go to the F2 qualifying and the second F1 practice meaning we had part of the day at leisure. That served us well. We had a relaxed breakfastOkumaya devam et
F1 pit lane walk and track ride

Today was the first day of our F1 experience. We had bought the ticket package from a London-based company called F1 Experiences months ago. Because we were travelling before arriving in Baku, weOkumaya devam et
Back to Baku 🏎️🏁

We flew out of Tbilisi, Georgia this morning to return to Baku, Azerbaijan for the Formula One race. It’s a short flight of about an hour so easy peasy. We were pleased our room was ready and weOkumaya devam et
Tbilisi and tour ends

We left Georgia’s mountain area this morning for the two-and-a-half hour drive to Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. With a population of 1.5 million, it’s a major city with a wonderful historic oldOkumaya devam et
Mountain hike to Trinity Church

It was a late start today. We had a lovely breakfast at the guesthouse, boarded the bus and went to the start of our hike up a mountain to visit Trinity Church. It’s about a one hour hike up 1,000Okumaya devam et
A market, a castle and a cathedral

We woke up to rain, but that didn’t stop us from checking out the market in Telavi. It was a covered market so it wasn’t an issue. The most interesting thing we saw and tasted is what’sOkumaya devam et
Hello, Georgia!

We had an early start today and left our hotel at 8 a.m. to make the two hour drive to the Georgian border. Our leader briefed us well and prepared us for the unusual border crossing. Once we reachedOkumaya devam et
Activity-packed day in Sheki

We had a leisurely start at 10 a.m. and took a stroll into town to visit the market. Brad and I enjoy visiting markets around the world. As much they’re the same, they’re also different. WhatOkumaya devam et
Nij, Sheki and the Khan Palace

Breakfast at the guesthouse included the yogurt we’d made the night before. It was much thicker than the yogurt we’re used to but delicious. We were on the road again after breakfast and travelledOkumaya devam et
Lahij in the Caucasus Mountains

We said goodbye to Baku this morning and drove about two hours to the Shemakhi Juma Mosque, considered the first mosque to be built in the Caucasus.
Next, we stopped for lunch at a scenic wineryOkumaya devam et
Mud volcanoes, petroglyphs and Old Town

While yesterday was considered Day 1 of our group tour, it really got going today. And it was a hot one with temperatures reaching 32°.
The 11 of us boarded our mini bus and drove about an hourOkumaya devam et
GezginThat must have been amazing to see. Just spectacular.