July – August 2008
Intro
Ever since the Soviet Union crumbled back in 1991, I’ve had an itching fascination for the newest countries in the world at the time — the unknown, unpronounceable, underappreciated… ‘stans.
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan. How cool. Of all the countries in the world, these were the hardest for me to
remember their capitals. Finally, the time had come to tackle them, capitals and all.
Five difficult, lonely land border crossings across the Silk Road countries of Central Asia, with the prize of extraordinarily grand and graceful monuments; a curious Asian-European-Mideastern mix of language, food, music, people and culture; and some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet.
Following the adventure of a lifetime, I continued on to China, coordinating my trip with the beginning of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. An (almost) equally thrilling experience. Shanghai, China’s most populous and cosmopolitan city, was my last stop on a truly epic trip across Asia!
Journey Map
Featured Image
Xiaolongbao, Shanghai, China
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan (Jul. 2008) - my #sketch of the otherworldly #arch of neutrality #monument when it was still in central #ashgabat, topped with a golden statue of former authoritarian president niyazov, which rotated with the sun (seriously!). It has since been dismantled and moved to the outskirts of the city, and while the statue is still there, it no longer rotates 😉
![Selimiye Camii [Mosque]](https://i0.wp.com/www.wanderluster.net/wp-content/gallery/sketches/turkey-edirne-sketch.jpg?h=290)
![National Aquatics Center [Watercube]](https://i0.wp.com/www.wanderluster.net/wp-content/gallery/sketches/china-beijing-sketch.jpg?h=290)
