Travel : Uzbekistan (2008)

I was in Uzbekistan in 2008.
Where is this country, I heard most of you are asking.
Here's the map :

I had to go there because I love ancient history.
This is what I wrote in my other blog page :

"The Hot & Historical Uzbekistan"

I was in Uzbekistan in June, 2008.
Avoid this month as the heat is pretty unbearable !
I could actually feel my head burning underneath my smelly cap !

PLACES :

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History-wise, I went to Samarkhand, Bukhara & Khiva.
3 main old cities where the ancient sites are renovated for mass tourism.

The most impressive for me is the day trip from Khiva to Elliq-Qala.
There should be more than 50 fortresses which lie around the region but only a handful which are still visible through their crumbling outer walls.
Quiet impressive really.

Travel : Iran : Tehran (Part 2)

More of my photos that I took around Tehran back in May 2006.
Some night photos as well.
Anybody knows about the hostage incident in Tehran in the 70's ? Read about it on HERE.
If you don't know about what happened during the hostage incident in the 70's, then these photos wouldn't really mean anything to you guys.
I am not that old of course but when planning about my trip to Iran of course I read about all these things.

Also some night photos below.

Travel : Lebanon (2005)

I was in Lebanon in 2005, combined the trip with Syria, Jordan & Egypt.
Fly into Beirut (Lebanon).
Traveled around, fly home from Cairo (Egypt).

Well, it's not a life-changing journey but I learned many things about people.
Especially people who live in The Middle East.

Malaysia is an Islamic country too but Malaysia & its people are where I would call home.

This map below, created it to show my itineraries around Lebanon, before entering Syria.

Read the diary below of me traveling around Lebanon.

Travel : Syria (2005)

I went to Syria in 2005.
Co0mbined with Lebanon, Jordan & Egypt.
I love Syria.
President's Assad posters were all over the country.
The people seemed to be friendly.
Better than in Egypt for sure.

I love Syria as there are many ancient sites for me to explore.
Some of these sites were not even excavated yet, at least during the time when I was there.

This map below, you can see my itineraries around Syria (entering from Lebanon).

Below is the diary of my times around Syria.

Travel : Jordan (2005)

I traveled to Jordan in 2005, combined with Lebanon, Syria & Egypt.
Jordan is more expensive than the other 3 countries.
 I met some people with whom I had been in touch with on the Internet.
This map I created it, also on my Live Journal page.

Below is the diary of me, what I did around Jordan (entering from Syria).

Travel : Egypt (2005)

I made a trip to Egypt in 2005.
Again, another great great backpacking trip.
I combined this trip to Egypt with 3 more countries.
Started in Lebanon, then entered Syria.
Next Jordan.
I entered Egypt from Jordan.
Well, I wanted to enter Israel but as a Malaysia, I'd face more problems.
Maybe next time, I'll see Israel, in the next life, maybe ! ha ! Ha !

This is the map that I created of my itineraries around Egypt.

Below is a diary when I was in Egypr.
Reading them now brings back memories

Travel : India : Fatehpur Sikri (2007)

I reached India in 2007.
Travel extensively for anout 1 month.
Started in Chennai, flying from Kuala Lumpur.

I find India easy to travel around.
Many tourists.
I was there in the hottest month of the year !
It was so hot, even my bed emanated heat !

India, one thing to be careful is the foods.
Like people advice to just be careful on what you eat.

Throughout India, I only ate rice & omelettes (egg).
That was enough for me.

Anyway, here's photos from Fatehpur Sikri.
Read about it HERE.

When I was there, there's some kind of insurgent so I had to stay miles away from that town.
I still made my way there by bus.
I just want to see the old city of .

The sun was blindingly hot.
Having a cheap camera with me was enough to capture what I saw.
No fancy beautiful photography from me.

Travel : Iran : Persepolis (2006)

I made the trip to Iran in May 2006.
I was so excited going there, like not many people would want to go there.
I went there in the month when America was supposed to attack Iran !
Damn you America !

Friends advised me not to go because of the situation.
My answer to them, "If I don't go now I'll never go there !"

For a Malaysian, we can enter Iran without a visa.
We could stay there without visa for 14 days.
It was then, I don't know now in 2012.

Here's a gif map that I created, posted on my Live Journal page.
Looking at this map now, I praise myself for creating it.
Self-taught myself !

As you can see from the map, I travel almost all over Iran.
Yes, in 2 weeks !
I travel alone so it's easy to make decisions if I want to stay at one place a few days or just for a few hours.
The place that I want to share my photos with is called PERSEPOLIS.

I had 2 cameras with me.
A digital camera & an analog (film) camera.
Both are cheap cameras so no fancy photography from me.
I remember the sun was blindingly hot at Persepolis.
I hired a taxi to reach there & asked the taxi driver to wait for me for a few hours.
I remember him asking me for money while he was waiting for me.
(I was supposed to pay him after we finished the tour).
I asked him why.
He said that's the deal.
I didn't know that.
I realized in my subsequent trips that we have to pay the drivers if we ask them to wait for us.

Travel : Belgium (2001)

Hey ! Hey ! 
My first European trip started here in Brussels, Belgium. 
Back in June 2001.
Prior to that, my flight had stopped in Zurich, where I went out of the flight to have a smoke while waiting for the passengers boarding for Brussels.

I arrived safely in Brussels, the capital of Belgium.
Greeted by a friend, Patrick. 
But I somehow I felt that I was not too welcoming for him.
Still...
Feeling good, feeling great ! 

Patrick took me back to Antwerp 'cos that's where he's living. 
I rested for a while before we had to come back to Brussels to fetch another friend arriving from UK, Paul; Also known as Reg.

Patrick left me in Brussels with Reg (maybe Patrick was angry because I also asked another friend to come with me like I didn't trust him ?)
Well, it's no that I didn't trust him but it was my first trip, I was feeling scared of so many things.
It had got nothing to do with Patrick at all.
in fact, the main reason why I chose Belgium as my first European city to visit was to see him (he had visited me in Malaysia).
That was the last time I ever saw him in my life.
His choice.

 

My Trip Overview

I started traveling outside my country (Malaysia) in 2001. It was such a big step for me. I wanted to see the world. Maybe I started to get tired of seeing things around me. I was so ready.

2001 : Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg.
2002 : Austria, Slovakia, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary.
2003 : Italy, Slovenia, Croatia.
2004 : England, Iceland, France.
2005 : Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt.
2006 : Cambodia, Iran.
2007 : India.
2008 : Uzbekistan.
2009 : China, Macau, Hong Kong.
2010 : Vietnam.
2011 : Turkey.
2012 : Indonesia (cancelled).
So many things that I saw.
So many things I experienced.
Some are good, some are bad.
I am just so proud of myself.
Saving money for each trip.

This photo was taken in India, on the train.
I was tired.
Dusts all over, sands all over.
But it was a bliss moment for me to travel around India alone for a month !