Tashkent If you need medical care in Central Asia a place we recommend is the Taskent International Medical Clinic (TIMC). They have Western and Ouzbek doctors and everybody speaks fluent English. They have good material and X-ray. A short visit costs 55 USD. The TIMC new address is 38, Sarikulskaya street, Tashkent. Phone: (998 71) [...]

Ashgabat If you need to cash out US dollars with a visa card in Ashgabat the only place you can go is The State Bank for Foreign Economic Affairs of Turkmenistan (in Turkmen: Turkmenistanyn dasary ykdysady dowlet banky). The bank is between the centre and Berzengi at the corner of Moskovskaya and Sovetskaya. You need [...]

Ispahan-Kashan-Tehran-Mashad During our 30 days in Iran we visited 9 towns. We took 8 long distance buses, 13 city buses, 2 modern trains, 4 Tehrani metros and… 22 taxis (including 6 savaris, shared cars). We ate 20 chelo kebabs (with rice), drank 18 delicious fruit shakes, tens of litres of water, dozens of cays (local [...]

Tehran-Yazd-Shiraz Some bazaar conversations: Iranian teenager: Ingliz? Iranian teenager: German? Iranian teenager: French? J-F (annoyed): No Belgian! Iranian teenager: BELGIQUE! I love your country. Jean-Claude Van Damme my favourite actor. I have all his films at home. You like? J-F: Famous man indeed. Probably more American than Belgian these days… Iranian teenager: I like when [...]

Istanbul-Ankara-Göreme-Mount Nemrut-Sanliurfa-Mardin When leaving former Yugoslavian countries and Bulgaria I thought that I would now cross a new frontier. In my mind going East was like going away from occidental civilisation, crossing the border for something new, more oriental… In fact in many ways Turkey is more westernised than eastern Europe: probably one of Ataturk’s [...]

A short selection of our Istanbul favourites. 1. Visit extraordinary Blue Mosque and Aya Sophya 2. Get lost in the Grand Bazaar, buy what you do not need and then recover in a hamam 3. Taste water pipe and çay (local tea) while playing backgammon on the Galata Bridge 4. Take a breathtaking boat trip [...]

Our Croatia Top Five: 1. Cycling around Vis and Mjlet islands and discovering secret coves 2. Walking on Dubrovnik walls 3. Wandering around the Krka National Park and its impressive waterfalls 4. Swimming in the Adriatic blue water 5. Eating marinated sardines, seafood risotto or grilled fish in a Konoba