Russia has much to offer to the intrepid traveller and one of the most rewarding destinations is located to the northeast of Moscow. Referred to as the Golden Ring (Золотóе кольцó), the area is comprised of several historic towns famous for their beautiful golden onion-domed religious buildings. These towns played a significant role in the formation and growth of the Russian Orthodox Church over many years. They have also preserved the memories of some of the most significant events in Russia’s history. Often described as “open-air museums”, the architecture mostly dates [MORE...]
From Kashgar city in China’s western Xinjiang province, it is a long but scenic road to the China—Kyrgyzstan border at the Torugart Pass at 3,752 m (12,310 ft) in the Tian Shan mountain range. A large part of the road snakes through a valley rimmed by impressive mountains on both sides and with a torrent of water cascading through a shallow gorge. While China border crossings are typically tough, this one is particularly so. First of all, tourists need to arrange government-sanctioned private transport from Kashgar (Xinjiang province), which costs half a fortune compared with public [MORE...]
Flying high over southern Iran Journey through this fascinating country with a civilisation dating back thousands of years. Visit ancient lost cities, mosques, temples, shrines, caravanserais, fortresses, castles, bazaars as well as some of the greatest desert and mountain scenery in the world. The central region of Iran offers enough to keep visitors very occupied for a few weeks. Tehran is quite a nice city to explore. Take a train south to Kashan to see very old luxurious traditional Persian houses, ancient bazaars, and the incredible Masjed-e Āghā Bozorg mosque and camel stew with [MORE...]
The northwestern region of Iran is more mountainous and known for its quaint mountain villages, which in winter are covered in thick snow. Stretching up to Iraq to the west, and Turkey and Azerbaijan in the northwest, this region also offers access to the southern shores of the Caspian Sea. Tabriz is a nice city with quite a few attractions. Not far from Tabriz is the troglodytic village of Kandovan and halfway down to Tehran, not far from the Caspian Sea is the mountain village of Masuleh. [MORE...]
The southern region of Iran is rich in historic architecture, ruins of ancient civilizations, fortresses and citadels, deserts with salt flats and oases, nomadic people, and great food. The cities of Shiraz and Kerman have interesting mosques, bazaars, and great restaurants. [MORE...]
The Republic of the Maldives, better known as the Maldive Islands, is a chain of twenty-six atolls situated in the Indian Ocean about 700 km (430 mi) southwest of Sri Lanka and 400 km (250 mi) southwest of India’s Kerala State. With a population of about 400,000 people, about 25% live on the small island capital of Malé. An atoll is a ring-shaped coral reef which normally includes some coral rims and edges. The reef encircles a lagoon partially or completely and there may be coral islands, sandbanks, or cays on the rim of the coral reef. While most people who have seen photos of the [MORE...]
