Soviet Asia in review

Southeast Asia was cheap, chaotic and tropical. East Asia was modern, organised and densely-packed. By contrast, the latest chapter has been expansive, adventurous, and at times unhinged. We weren't sure what to call this section—'Central Asia and the Caucasus' is a bit of a mouthful (though perhaps a band name?). 'Silk Roads' is cute, but without including Western China, Iran or Turkey it feels a bit wrong (we're blasting through Turkey quite quickly and it doesn't feel fair to compare). We settled on the one thing these seven countries all have in common, and which was definitely a theme throughout the last eighty days: their complicated history with Russia.

Let's unpack the layers of our tour through the former USSR! 🪆

Most Russian: Kazakhstan 🇰🇿
Every former Soviet has taken a slightly different path, with Georgia being the most anti-Russia, Armenia being extremely pro, and the rest sitting somewhere between. Kazakhstan is the one that felt most like a stereotypical Russian experience though. It was the dumping ground for exiles from across the USSR, meaning it's full of ethnic Poles, Ukrainians, Koreans, Cossacks, etc. Kazakhstan produces the best Russian vodka, launches all the Russian space missions, and has the longest border with Russia. Most Kazakhs speak Russian, there are old babushkas doddering around everywhere, and the food is mostly soup, pickles and bread. It's also, like Russia, enormous.

Most Bizarre: Azerbaijan 🇦🇿
This is a very competitive category. We've been gifted chunks of lamb wrapped in tissue paper, drunk fermented horse milk, heard how Armenians claim to have invented the US Dollar, ridden yaks, and much more. But for sheer unbalanced weirdness, Azerbaijan takes the crown. An astoundingly rich country, mostly below sea level, which somehow still feels like three goats in a trenchcoat pretending to be a legitimate cultural leader. It's half Bahrain, half Borat. They have a museum shaped like a carpet and another dedicated to the world's smallest books. It is a point of national pride that, until 100 years ago, you could squelch crude oil right out of the ground with your feet. You can look at some of the world's oldest petroglyphs, and if you turn 180⁰, stare at the inmates of a maximum security prison in the middle of the national park. They make excellent wines, but the district the best grapes come from is called 'Mud Volcanoes'. It's a bonkers place.

Best Outdoors: Kyrgyzstan 🇰🇬
Similar to Kazakhstan but smaller and more democratic (a rare political luxury in the region). There's a reason so many travel influencers on TikTok and Instagram are going to Kyrgyzstan: it is ruggedly beautiful, with mountains, lakes and canyons to rival anywhere else in the world. The infrastructure is rapidly improving, so it's surprisingly accessible while still feeling like you're off the beaten track. We were lucky enough to get there in late September, just at the end of the tourist season, because from October to April the best bits are largely inaccessible due to snow. For us, the roads were blocked only by monumental herds of livestock. If we were to give a second award out here, it would be 'Most Sheep in the Road'.

Most Underrated: Armenia 🇦🇲
Locked in by enemies in almost all sides, and constantly the geopolitical punching bag of the region, Armenia has had it pretty tough. We thought it might just be a flying visit to tick off the list. But our four days in Yerevan were surprisingly good, with beautiful mountains, a proud and historic culture, and excellent Armenian brandy and wine. The food is not quite Georgian level, but pretty strong—the Georgians will be horrified to hear we actually had the best khachapuri of the year in Armenia. The tourist infrastructure still leaves something to be desired, but we wouldn't be surprised to see Armenia coming up as an edgy alternative travel destination in the next few years.

Best Value: Uzbekistan 🇺🇿
While we had some mixed feelings about the tourism culture here, it was definitely the cheapest country we visited. It was also the easiest 'Stan to navigate, with the best public transport, internet coverage and payment infrastructure. As the main 'Silk Road' nexus in the region, Uzbekistan has the most interesting and beautiful cities in Central Asia, with stunning architecture in Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. It was a shame Dan was ill for a big chunk of our visit, but Uzbekistan is fairly relaxed and comfortable, so it was better to be sick there than elsewhere in the region. If you wanted to visit one country in Central Asia, this is the best starting point.

Biggest Adventure: Tajikistan 🇹🇯
Expensive visas, an extremely under-developed economy, paucity of transport options and extremely difficult terrain make Tajikistan the hardest nation in the region to visit (baring Turkmenistan, which we abandoned due to cost and politics). Tajikistan is definitely the most 'off the beaten track' country we've visited all year. Our journey took us hundreds of kilometres along the Afghan border, hugging the cliffs along dirt roads high above ravines, over passes and on hikes as high as 4,655m above sea level. The driving was terrifying, the food was terrible, the views were breathtaking. A once in a lifetime experience.

Favourite Country: Georgia 🇬🇪
No surprise for anyone who has been following our posts. Just as Japan dominated our experience in East Asia, we've found Georgia to be head and shoulders above the rest of the region. It has the best food by a country mile, and some of the best wine we've ever tasted (which is saying a lot)! It's worth saying that Central Asian food in general is grim —Georgia is the only country in the region with a cuisine that can actually compete with the rest of the world’s stand out cuisines. It has the best city (Tbilisi), and a huge variety of things to do packed in a small country. We love the mountains, we love the people, we still have so much we didn't manage to do in our 18-day tour, and we will be back!Read more