Category Archives: diary

Can you see what I only saw when Tony pointed it out? We met at the Green Lake, and I’d been there before, so I went to an outdoor gym. There, you mostly meet older people, some doing interesting movements … Continue reading →

Breakfast was more than I could handle. I tried to try at least 20%. I was relaxed because I knew the way to the train station, there were fewer checkpoints, and everything was easier than in Urumqi. The gates opened … Continue reading →

The night was okay. And daylight revealed a green hilly and mountainous landscape. You can see rivers that look pretty pristine and very small cornfields, sometimes perhaps less than 10 x 10 meters. (Sadly, corn is grown primarily to feed … Continue reading →

My morning started around 0:30 a.m. This must be jet lag, as I usually wake up between 5 and 6 a.m., which would almost fit the 4-hour time difference to Armenia. I’m just wondering if, after 4 hours of poor … Continue reading →

The flight was like flights are, at least for me:Falling asleep when the drinks arrived, again falling asleep, but now it’s time for food (dinner two hours after midnight), falling asleep, and then an announcement, etc.My planned walk to the … Continue reading →

Yes… My plan was to visit Iran twice, first just in transit (and then via Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan to enter China from Almaty to Urumqi). A multiple-entry visa would have allowed me to re-enter and visit my friends. However, … Continue reading →

For a while, I wasn’t sure what to do with the lost bag. It was part of a set, and some of the items in it were precious to me. Finally, I decided to ask the landlady to send it … Continue reading →

It was hard for me to accept it, but I had left one of my travel bags in Batumi. The one with my underwear. Carefully selected travel underwear, some organic cotton, some that stuff for more demanding outdoor situations.So we … Continue reading →

The train was delayed because the border control had taken so long. I had planned to walk, but I wanted to be on time for Hasmik, Matth, and Kai. So I at least listened to the taxi driver, who offered … Continue reading →

Early in the morning, I said goodbye to Mariam, and she gave me a bag of food from last night’s feast. “As always,” I had decided to walk to the train station instead of taking a taxi or the bus. … Continue reading →