mrsantryJul 22, 20195 minHomeward BoundI mentioned in the last post that I shot through Azerbaijan and most of Georgia, staying at the seaside city of Batumi. I thought I’d...
mrsantryJul 20, 201918 minBanged Up AbroadA transit visa gives me 5 days to enter and arrive at my designated exit point. I entered via Farap in the South East of Turkmenistan and...
mrsantryJul 11, 20192 minSpecial, no pics updateBandwidth has defeated me keeping the blog up to date. So I need to keep this shortish. I will fill in the gaps once I can connect...
mrsantryJul 6, 20199 minPamir Highway Part 2The roads deteriorated as we progressed eastwards. They were generally stony/rocky and/or sandy. We were climbing higher too (well ok,...
mrsantryJul 4, 20195 minPamir Highway - part 1I’m sorry about the delay in getting this report to you. The Pamirs are simply beautiful but simply extends to very poor internet...
mrsantryJul 1, 20193 minSummer in SamarkandNo problems finding petrol for the journey thankfully. Uzbekistan is known for petrol shortages as it tries to push everyone to LPG,...
mrsantryJun 25, 20193 minPlov VirginOne non-Bukhara story first.... OK, it’s not a 9th century minaret or a piece of rather lovely honey cake. It was a very old Lada Riva...
mrsantryJun 24, 20193 minSo, I've found the silk Khiva was to be my first ‘tourist’ destination in Uzbekistan. It’s a fairly uninspiring town on approach but then all roads focus on the...
mrsantryJun 23, 20194 minThrough the Gates of Hell, into Uzbekistan!I planned to continue North, then East to Konye-Urgench and to exit Turkmenistan and enter Uzbekistan on the same day. I needed to be in...
mrsantryJun 21, 20195 minAshgabat 'City of Love' A loose translation(from farsi) of the name of Turkmenistan’s capital city is ‘the City of Love’. As a tourist, even a transiting one,...
mrsantryJun 21, 20194 minOf camels and white marble I was extremely tired after my escapade across the Caspian, due to lack of sleep and maybe a bit of heat exhaustion. I should have headed...
mrsantryJun 21, 201911 minWaiting For God Knows What I realised at the end of the first day that I’m not really built for delays, waiting and the essence of mañana. I realised at the end of...
mrsantryJun 18, 20191 minTemporary blipI’m in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. I have written a detailed report of my trip over, which I will post as soon as I can. For some reason, my...
mrsantryJun 15, 20198 minTwo haircuts in 24 hoursI had the late afternoon and evening to explore Tbilisi. I could have stayed another day there and seen more but the car was parked in...
mrsantryJun 14, 20195 minAre we in Asia yet? There is no definitive view of when Europe ends and Asia begins. Some bodies say it is the crossing of the Bosphorus (Istanbul). Others...
mrsantryJun 12, 20195 minAlaadinsane We had a drive of about 4 hours to a city called Sivas. This is a fairly non-descript sort of place – about the size of and with maybe...
mrsantryJun 10, 20193 minBalloons and fairy-tale castles The early part of the drive from Lake Egirdir gave us spectacular scenery and some steep climbs. Despite the temperatures, there were...
mrsantryJun 9, 20191 minChillin' by Lake Egirdir After a long drive to Pumakkale, we took a shortish 3 hour run to Lake Egirdir. It is vast, covering some 480 sq. kms and is set just...
mrsantryJun 8, 20193 minCool Pools It was a long drive of just under 6 hours from Istanbul to Pumakkale. Around 2 million people visit here each year. It’s unique. Thermal...
mrsantryJun 7, 20193 min"Maybe Istanbul was the city in the sky where the people who were our reflections lived."Burhan Sönmez ................................. More prosaically, Istanbul is fascinating, utterly bonkers, a bit smelly, noisy, hot and...
mrsantryJun 6, 20193 minTin Man Parts for Sale Well, it wasn’t any snoring which interrupted sleep but dogs barking, cats fighting and motor scooters roaring about certainly did. We...
mrsantryJun 4, 20192 minBorderline beautyAnother 525kms added to the clock today. A fairly easy drive through Croatia and into Serbia. We’re now at its southernmost point, just...
mrsantryJun 4, 20193 minThe Marie Celeste HotelI picked up Keith at Marco Polo airport. I managed to miss him as he arrived through the (two) arrivals exits, despite watching out like...
mrsantryJun 2, 20193 minVenetian blind I must just gush a bit about the place I stayed at yesterday. It’s an agriturismo – a farm based B&B. The rooms were modest and simple...
mrsantryJun 1, 20193 minAu revoir France I was planning to go straight to Venice but chickened out at the first opportunity. This of course is a dreadful lack of commitment to...
mrsantryMay 16, 20194 min"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” - Abraham Lincoln So, key to a successful trip is preparation, apparently. This particular blog is dedicated to inveterate, preppers and...
mrsantryApr 23, 20193 minMy trusty steed It seemed sensible to think about what vehicle to take. Part of me wanted to go for the grand luxe option of a massive Discovery or Land...
mrsantryApr 23, 20193 minA daft idea? I'm not sure when the idea of a long road trip occurred to me. I'm hardly short of things to do and desperate for some new stimulation. ...
mrsantryApr 12, 20191 minThe route The first leg of the trip starts at Toulouse. From there, we head East, through the Cote d'Azur into Italy then into Croatia, then...