If you read my last blog you may see how Iran is not what it seems at first glance. What we see about Iran on the news is just one side of the coin; but unlike a coin there are many sides to this incredible country. One side is those negative politics, but another side is the Iranian people. To be subject to their hospitality and genuine friendliness relegates all other peoples (bar Tibetans!) to the sidelines. And that is not an exaggeration! And then again there is another side of Iran: its history and culture. Iran has been home to some of Antiquity's most enlightened and powerful and influential empires. When one criticises them today we often forget how Persians were the first to recognise the notion of human rights (Cyrus the Great, circa 550 ... read more

Central Asia is a big blank for most people, and was for me too until I came here. A few years ago I one day looked at a map and thought to myself rather literally, "What on earth is that?" And in that "that", no country emphasised this blank like Uzbekistan. The mere name connotes nothingness! Even just weeks before I left home my friend pointed at Uzbekistan's capital "Tashkent" on a map we were perusing, and started laughing ("Is that really a place?!"). But Uzbekistan is not like a St Kitts & Nevis, or an Equitorial Guinea - countries that do exist but which I'd simply never even heard of. I always knew Uzbekistan existed, but didn't know where or when or why or even how. I just knew it was somewhere remote and somewhere ... read more

Here I am, heading into the heartland of the Kyrgyz! I had four days off from my school, and I decided that I would use this precious time to do a simple but not-oft-trodden hike from a village called Kyzart to Lake Song Kol through a couple of valleys. The only downside was that I had to do this 3-day hike by myself because no one else wanted to go, and I'd rather go by myself than not go at all! I did toy with the idea of getting a guide... but, you know. Naryn Oblast (province) and the Song Kol region is the traditional home of the Kyrgyz people as we know them today (but they originally come from somewhere between Siberia and north-western Mongolia) and so here you can really see the authentic Kyrgyz ... read more

Yunnan has to be one of the most interesting provinces in China. From tropical jungles to rice terraces to glistening lakes to towering mountains to remote villages to quaint old towns; it has everything bar deserts! Additionally, the ever-present Han Chinese are underrepresented for once, having only 50% of this province’s population. Relatively underrepresented, anyway. The remainder comprises a swathe of minorities, giving Yunnan a refreshing cultural diversity and colour. This piqued my interest as it seemed far more interesting compared to the blandness of the east’s concrete jungles. But little did I know how much I would love Yunnan, and my original intention to “breeze” through China (in order to get to Central Asia quicker) soon dissipated into a whole month in this one province. And I could easily have stayed more! But my entry ... read more

I loved Shanghai from the moment I arrived. I had just stepped off a train, left arm in a sling thanks to my snowboarding mishap in New Zealand. With my obvious disability I was a helpless lamb ready for slaughter to any sneaky taxi driver. China is full of them, and instantly I was hounded by four drivers each trying to rip me off. It was one of Shanghai's hottest days in 60 years - 39°C and with staggering humidity. It was 8:00 in the morning, I had been outside for 5min and was already sweating profusely and my clothes were almost wet. Madness characterised the streets - there were scooters hooning everywhere, cars honking needlessly, rickshaws and carts towing anything the mind can think off to all types of destinations. And taxi drivers were still ... read more