Updated April 2026, Why You Need to Visit the Dahshur Pyramids in Egypt was originally written in March 2020 Maps and funny names have led to some of my favorite discoveries on the road. And don’t take the use of the term ‘discoveries’ too seriously- I really don’t view myself as a modern-day female Ibn Battuta or Marco Polo. With that said, on my final day in Cairo earlier t...

Updated April 2026, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan: The Weirdest Capital City in the World? was originally published in August 2020 Grandiose and over the top, Turkmenistan’s capital of Ashgabat has a reputation of being the strangest city in the world. Maybe it was that I’d traveled all the way across post-Soviet Central Asia and Ashgabat was my last and final stop on my first trip ...

Updated April 2026, Tajikistan Visa Guide: How to Get a Tajik Visa was originally published in September 2022 After all these years of traveling to Tajikistan and in light of the fact that Tajikistan made some major changes to its Tajik visa policy, I’ve finally put together this quick guide to Tajik visas to help you better understand the process and what all you’ll need to ...

Updated April 2026, Crossing Chimtarga Pass was originally written in May 2018 Chimtarga Pass crosses between two of the Fann Mountain’s giants: Peak Chimtarga and Peak Energia, both of which give sweeping views to the jagged peaks and valleys below. In 2016 I crossed over the 4,740 meter Chimtarga Pass, I decided to give it a go again in 2019 in the opposite direction.

Visiting the Afghan Bazaar in Tem: A Saturday Cross-Border Adventure from Khorog was originally published in April 2026 Note: As of April 2026, the Afghan Bazaar at Tem is still closed to foreigners. IDs are checked at the entrance. On the banks of the Panj River in Tajikistan’s Pamirs, a different kind of adventure wakes up every Saturday morning. The Afghan Bazaar at Tem…