Ibrahim Khalil Border, Kurdistan to Turkey June 26,2023 There are travelers who visit Kurdistan from Turkey but rarely do they go the other way from Iraq to Turkey. I was to find out firsthand why they wisely fly instead. The departure from Erbil was at 6 pm and I arrived at the garage well in … More Drama of Departure
Farap, Turkmenistan August 5, 2019 Arriving at Alat, the last town on the Uzbek side, by happy coincidence I met a couple from Turkmenistan. They travel across the border on a routine basis to buy alcohol and cigarettes, items that are much cheaper here. Perfect, I thought. I could exchange a few dollars for Turkmen … More Anticlimactic Border Crossing
Oshoek Border Post, Swaziland August 3, 2016 I was in a minibus heading to Manzini in Swaziland. The others on the bus were all from Swaziland, but working in Johannesburg and heading home on a two-day holiday. Most were traders who buy goods in Johannesburg and sell them in Swaziland. The woman next to me … More Swazi Style
Kazungula, Zambia, June 14, 2016 The border crossing from Botswana to Zambia lies across the Zambezi. Both Vic Falls in Zimbabwe and Livingstone in Zambia are hotspots for tourists and crossing from one to another is simply a matter of walking across the bridge near the falls. But I had wandered further west and was … More Across Zambezi in a Truck-toting Ferry
Leaving Afghanistan July 28, 2015 It was the news report I watched while at one house in Qala-i-Panja that first made me aware of the current situation in Afghanistan, fairly close to where we were. The television this family had was powdered by a solar panel. With no electricity, no internet, no wifi, no newspapers … More One Step Ahead of the Taliban
Sultan Eshkashim July 24, 2015 I am in Afghanistan! Duly stamped out by a bored young guard on the Tajik side, we walked over to the Afghan side. A grizzled veteran bid us welcome and asked us to put our packs down. The men were given a short lecture about their lack of chivalry in … More In Afghanistan
From Batken (Kyrgyzstan) to Khojand (Tajikistan) July 10, 2015 The marshrutka crossing the border was a museum-worthy minivan that can likely recall tales of the last world war if machines could talk. But peeling upholstery held together with duct tape and door handles tied with bits of twisted wire notwithstanding, it was packed. Most were … More So This is Tajikistan
Entering Uzbekistan May 25, 2015 Coming from Shymkent, I arrived at the chaotic border on the Kazakh side and trundled my backpack-strapped-to-the-luggage cart through the immigration and customs. There were no other tourists, but a lot of traders with bulky boxes and bags. The immigration officers at the Uzbek end were hanging out outside and … More Keeping My Fingers Crossed
Dogubayazit, Turkey June 25th 2013 I did not have to look for a bus or a ride to the border; Bilal and Mustafa both insisted that they would take me and they did. Early in the morning they arrived, I hopped into the van and rode to the border. But first we had to stop … More So this is Iran
ITCHY FEET TRAVELS 