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Sophie Jones

Sophie Jones

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    • Sophie JonesTravelerSophie's Trip

      Pamir Highway part 3

      October 7, 2023 in Tajikistan ⋅ ☀️ 5 °C

      Day 3 of the Pamir Highway trip was mostly more of driving through some of the most beautiful scenery that I've seen. We stopped by a large "crater", an old soviet observatory, and some petroglyphs, which were all very cool but we're mostly just things to aim for as we headed through the mountains. My highlight was the huge herd of yaks!

      We ended up at a very remote hot spring guest house. Being so high up it was absolutely freezing so getting to the toasty guest house that was heated almost too much by the hot spring water was a luxury. The actual hot springs were less of a luxury as they were so hot it was almost unbearable to be in them! It was more an exercise of endurance than of relaxation, but I managed it for a while at least. And the stars were incredible in such a remote location!      Read more

    • Sophie JonesTravelerSophie's Trip
      The highest point of no man's land where we had to swap vehicles and drivers
      Akbaital passMy car share buddies, Ed, Huyên, Kanybek, and AbuKarakul LakeSoviet bunkerThe bazaar at MurgabMurgab

      Murgab - Pamir highway part 2

      October 6, 2023 in Tajikistan ⋅ ☁️ 2 °C

      Conflict between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan resulted in the border closing in 2021, only opening for foreign tourists again in July 2023. The border is still closed for locals which meant that we had to change vehicles and drivers in the miles of mountainous no man's land. We had to say goodbye to our nice Kyrgyz driver (who's name I can't remember) and meet up with our Tajik guide Kanybek and driver Abu. We needed special permits to enter this part of the country due to the proximity to China and Afghanistan, so after a thorough checking of our paperwork by the supposedly notoriously corrupt border guards, we were allowed through without issue. It took longer for us to exit Kyrgyzstan than it did for us to enter Tajikistan.
      The Kyrgyz/Tajik border is already pretty high, with the first snow I'd really seen close up on this trip. Shortly after the crossing we passed through Akbaital pass, at 4655 meters (>15,000 ft) it's the highest pass that we'd be driving through on the highway. My head was already pounding from the altitude!
      We drove to the beautiful Karakul Lake before heading to Murgab village, where we stayed the night in a home stay run by Kanybek's family. Nearby the village there's a Snow Leopard sanctuary where we got to see a Snow Leopard that had been rescued as a cub. The poor thing looked pretty disgruntled to be there, but all 3 leopards at the centre were being rehabilited for release. Snow leopards are incredibly rare and elusive so to see one up close was awe inspiring and something I never thought I'd see.      Read more

    • Sophie JonesTravelerSophie's Trip
      The biggest Lenin in Central AsiaTaldyck PassCentral Asia is snow leopard countryTulparkol Lake

      Osh & Sary Mogul - Pamir Highway part 1

      October 5, 2023 in Kyrgyzstan ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C

      I headed back to Osh via a couple more days in Bishkek as I'd managed to arrange a ride share for a Pamir Highway trip. The Pamir Highway is a mountain road through the Pamir mountains, built in the 1930s by the Soviet Union for transporting troops and provisions. It is one of the highest roads in the world and is famous for being a spectacular journey.
      I met up with my ride-share mates Ed from London and Huyên from Vietnam and we hit the highway for our 7 day trip. The flatlands of Osh soon gave way to mountains and village life, we headed over the Taldyck Pass at 3600m (12,000ft) and on towards Tulparkol Lake and hiked to the viewpoint of Lenin Peak.
      As it was so late in the season it was freezing by night and way too cold for sleeping in the yurt camps, so we all voted to head to a nice heated guest house with hot water in Sary Mogul village, where we had lots of hot tea and hearty Central Asian food. Central Asian food typically consists of dumpling or noodle soups, meat dumplings, plov (like pilau) and stewed meat. Not my usual fare but perfect for this weather!      Read more

    • Sophie JonesTravelerSophie's Trip
      Russian Orthodox Cathedral
      Russian housesDugan mosqueJeti Oguz - the Soviet sanatoriumDrinking from the springStarting the hike to Altyn ArashanAltyn Arashan valleyThe view from my roomThe hot springsHot springThe outdoor hot spring1Pretty exhausted at this point!

      Karakol

      September 24, 2023 in Kyrgyzstan ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

      After sufficient time chilling in Bishkek I headed to Karakol in the east for some trekking in the famously beautiful Kyrgyzstan mountains. First I enjoyed spending time in Karakol itself, previously a small Russian outpost that has become the fourth biggest city in Kyrgyzstan, that being said the population is still less than 100,000 so it feels like a small town. It's also the main jumping off point for trekking which means that a lot of travellers congregate here making it another nice place to hang out. Some of the sites include the Russian Orthodox Cathedral made out of wood, the Dugan mosque for the Chinese Muslims that looks more like a Chinese temple, and the colourful Russian houses.

      Further afield there were some nice day hikes, and a trip to Jeti Oguz, a soviet sanatorium. Stalin enshrined the right to rest in the 1936 constitution - labourers needed a two week rest in one of the many sanatoriums throughout the Soviet Union. This is one of the few that still survives and is still in use, although it was looking a little past it's prime. Supposedly the cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin stayed here to recuperate after returning from space. If you fancy it you can still get treatments here including radon baths and electrocution treatments. Needless to say I gave this a pass, but I did drink from the health giving spring which has a long list of minerals in it, including radon. The sign says that you shouldn't drink from it without guidance from your doctor, but our taxi driver insisted that everyone drinks from it and indeed there were people there filling up large vessels with the water to take home. It tasted like sucking on copper pennies and surprisingly I didn't get sick!

      It was getting a bit late in the season to do the high hikes because of snow, thankfully as altitude does not like me! So I set off with some hikers from the hostel to Altyn Arashan, a valley 3000 meters above sea level and home to several hot springs. We did this hike over two days, hiking up to the valley and spending the night in a guest house heated by spring water. After the long hike we soaked in the springs to ease our muscles. Some of the springs were excruciatingly hot! Luckily there were some slightly cooler ones that were a bit more relaxing. Then there was a good communal dinner and lots of tea. The following morning we visited an outdoor spring before heading back down the mountain. The scenery on this hike was stunning, very alpine with snowy peaks, crystal clear rivers and horses roaming around.

      I loved Karakol and was intending to stay a bit longer to see more of the sights and do more hikes, but then I got word of other travellers wanting to go on the pamir highway in Tajikistan so I had to head off to meet them!      Read more

    • Sophie JonesTravelerSophie's Trip
      Got told to delete this shortly after taking it! I also got drenched by the incoming stormSo many "manly" statuesCentral Asian bread is so goodMore LeninThe old circus

      Bishkek

      September 20, 2023 in Kyrgyzstan ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

      Leaving Uzbekistan I crossed over into Kyrgyzstan by land. I stayed in Osh for a couple of days doing research into a pamir highway trip, and then moved straight onto Bishkek, the capital. Bishkek is yet another soviet city that I spent many days wandering the streets checking out the architecture, museums, monuments and bazaars. Great places to just chill out for a while.Read more

    • Sophie JonesTravelerSophie's Trip
      Timur
      The iconic Hotel UzbekistanSunday bell ringing at Tashkent CathedralSo much good baklavaTashkent metroChorsu BazarInside the Chorsu BazarSilk cocoonsLadies hard at work hand weaving the silkMargilan silkSoviet mechanical loomsSome girls that were determined to talk to me for ages despite us having no languages in common!

      Tashkent & Margilan

      September 6, 2023 in Uzbekistan ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

      Next I was in a shared taxi to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. Tashkent was also a major player on the silk road, but after being destroyed by an earthquake in 1966 it was rebuilt by the Soviet Union as the model soviet city so little remains of its silk road history. Soviet cities are characterized by wide tree lined avenues, large parks and plazas often with fountains or large monuments at the centre, grand brutalist architecture for state buildings and numerous uniform apartment blocks, and large mosaics and murals dotted around. I find these cities fascinating and spend hours wandering around checking out the architecture and hunting for mosaics.

      Tashkent was the 4th largest city in the USSR at the time of its rebuild and is home to the first metro in Central Asia, which was modelled on the famous Moscow metro. Each station is different but they are all grandly designed, often with murals and chandeliers. The actual trains seem to be from that time period as well! Another iconic soviet relic is Hotel Uzbekistan, a brutalist masterpiece that hasn't changed much on the inside since it's completion in 1974. However after independence from the USSR the monument to Karl Marx outside was replaced with a large Timur of silk road fame.

      After spending a while wandering around the tree lined streets of Tashkent enjoying the architecture and good coffee, I was back on a slow train to Margilan in the Fergana Valley. Silk has been produced in the Fergana Valley for thousands of years. Margilan became the centre of its production and it is still the major industry in the area, making Uzbekistan the 3rd largest silk producer after China and India. I visited the Soviet era Yodgorlik Silk Factory, where they still produce silk in both the traditional way on manual looms, and using mechanical looms, which were pretty interesting in their own right as they were original soviet era machines. I was impressed they were still going!      Read more

    • Sophie JonesTravelerSophie's Trip
      Bibi-Khanym Mosque
      Shakhi-Zindar tombsInside one of the tombsMany brides have their photos taken on the grounds of the RegistanThe Registan SquareInside one of the madrasasInside the mosque within the Registan complex.1At the top of one of the minaretsSome soviet influenceTimur's mausoleumInside the mausoleumTimur himselfThe Registan Square by nightIt got progressively flashier

      Samarkand

      September 1, 2023 in Uzbekistan ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

      On the fast train this time I was off to Samarkand, the last of the big silk road cities in Uzbekistan. Samarkand had a rich history with evidence of inhabitation since the paleolithic period, and like the other silk road cities has had many ups and downs, being conquered over the centuries by Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan, amongst others. In the 14th century it was conquered by Timur and became the capital of the Timur Empire. However unlike other conquerors Timur had an appreciation for the arts and spared the lives of artists, craftsmen and architects so that they could improve and beautify his capital. This resulted in some of the most impressive buildings along the Silk road being in Samarkand, such as the majestic Registan Square at the heart of the old town, a complex of Madrasas that were at the centre of the Timurid Renaissance that lasted from the 14th into the 16th centuries.

      There was also the impressive Bibi-Khanym Mosque, Timur's mausoleum, and Shakhi-Zindar, a series of tombs for royal and religious leaders dating from the 11th to 15th centuries. Samarkand certainly had the most beautiful sites along the Silk road, although a lot of restoration has gone into them. I'm not sure if it was allowed but one of the security guards let us go up one of the minarets, which probably wasn't a good idea as the steps are very steep and there isn't much heath and safety! The view at the top during sunset was worth it though!      Read more

    • Sophie JonesTravelerSophie's Trip
      The Soviet era trains still in good use
      6 hours of desert!A madrasa, previously places of study but now mostly housing souvenir shops.Kalyan MosqueKalyan Mosque complexKalyan MinaretThe Ark of BukharaSunset from the ArkIsmail Samani MausoleumSupermoon - far more impressive in reality!

      Bukhara

      August 29, 2023 in Uzbekistan ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

      Back on the Soviet train I headed to my next stop on the silk road, Bukhara. Bukhara is over 2000 years old and was a major centre for islamic culture from the 8th century. It is the best preserved site showing Central Asian cities from the 11th to 17th centuries and the old town had many original minarets, madrasas and mausoleums. The most famous site is the 11th century Kalyan Minaret, an intricately decorated brick tower that apparently so impressed Genghis Khan that he ordered that it be spared when the rest of the city was destroyed by his army. It is also known as the Tower of Death because until as recently as the 20th century, criminals were executed by being thrown from the top. These days it's beautifully lit up and I was lucky enough to see the supermoon next to it - it was way more impressive than the photo shows!
      Other sites I visited were the 10th century Ismail Samani Mausoleum, and the Ark of Bukhara, a fort first built in the 8th century. There were also several old madrasas (places of study), and nice parks to explore.      Read more

    • Sophie JonesTravelerSophie's Trip
      Kalta Minaret Minor
      Plov - a common meal in Central Asia similar to biryani but with fewer spicesIslam Khodja minaretThe wedding dresses in Uzbekistan are always very extravagant!

      Khiva

      August 24, 2023 in Uzbekistan ⋅ 🌙 29 °C

      Khiva was my first stop along the Silk Road in Uzbekistan. It had been inhabited since the 8th century, but was just an outpost of the Khorezm region, of which the previous capital Konye Urgench I had already visited in Turkmenistan. Konye Urgench had been the most important city along the Silk Road until it had been sacked and razed to the ground first by Genghis Khan and then by Timur in the 13th and 14th centuries, leading to Khiva becoming the main capital from the 15th century.
      While Konye Urgench was mostly ruins and archeology sites, with a few well preserved buildings, Khiva has the incredibly well preserved/restored walled city of Ichan Kala, the old town. You could almost say that the sites in Uzbekistan have been a bit too well restored, with very little to show for the age of these sites. But they do give you a sense of stepping back in time to walk along the cities as they were back then. Except now instead of slaves the main merchandise is souvenirs! Part of me wished that I wasn't backpacking, there were so many nice scarves, ceramics, silk clothes, bags, ornaments, textiles, and other items that I'd love to have brought home with me but just didn't have the room in my bag for! I just had to make do with some soviet badges.
      I stayed inside the walls of the old town in a lovely B&B that had great views of the old town rooftops and the Islam Khodja minaret. Staying inside the walls meant that I could wander the streets early in the morning and late evenings when the day tourists had left, feeling like I had the place to myself most of the time. The highlight of the city has to be the beautifully tiled Kalta Minaret Minor, which was originally supposed to be 80m tall but was never completed.      Read more

    • Sophie JonesTravelerSophie's Trip

      Nukus & Moynaq

      August 23, 2023 in Uzbekistan ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

      I crossed the land border from Turkmenistan into Uzbekistan and arrived in Nukus, the capital of the Karakalpakstan region in the west. Karakalpakstan is mostly desert and is sparsely populated. It is also home to the Aralkum Desert, what used to be the Aral Sea. The Aral Sea was the 4th largest lake in the world, but unsustainable irrigation projects by the Soviet Union in the 1960s onwards led the lake to nearly entirely dry up, with less than 10% of the lake remaining. What remains of the lake became too salty and toxic for any fish to survive which led to the collapse of the fishing industry, and the dry land is a source of toxic dust that pollutes the air creating a public health hazard. I visited Moynaq, once a prosperous fishing village on the shore of the Aral Sea that is now 150km away. There are ruined boats stranded in the desert serving as an eerie reminder of the not too distant past. On the way back from Moynaq I picked up hitchhiker Garima, an Indian girl that had been travelling for 6 years and was on her way to Afghanistan solo. If anyone thinks I'm brave for doing what I do remember there are always way more hardcore people than me out there! I politely declined her invitation to go to Afghanistan with her... "We'd just need to find men to pretend to be our husbands to get across the border!"

      Nukus is a modern soviet city but lacks the charm of the other cities in the region. Its isolation made it the perfect home to the Red Army's Chemical Research Institute where Novichok was created - which is partly responsible for the toxic air that now plagues the region. More positively its remoteness also led to the survival of a large collection of Uzbek and Russian art from the early 20th century. Stalin tried to eliminate all non-soviet art in this period, and sent most of the artists to gulags. Artist Igor Savitsky hid the art in this remote corner of the Soviet Union where it survived and is now on display in the Nukus Museum of Art. I'm not really an art connoisseur but it was a nice museum, and I enjoyed the local art that depicted the fishing villages that would have been commonplace at the time of painting, as poignant as it was.      Read more

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