Travel Lights – Details, episodes & analysis

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Stopping off on his journey across Kazakhstan, Stephen finds himself in the ever-so-slightly mysterious city of Turkistan. An important Islamic pilgrimage site and increasingly important tourism hotspot not far from neighbouring Uzbekistan, hear about the city's challenging taxis, its labyrinthine bazaars, and well, a giant golden egg.

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Join Stephen on an overnight sleeper train, leaving Almaty in the wee sma' hours and arriving in the Silk Road city of Turkistan the next afternoon, skirting Kyrgyzstan. With a suspicious carriage attendant and a mysterious top bunk, there's plenty of intrigue despite the private compartment.

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Welcome to the first part of the Eurasian rail adventure in whichI try to get from Almaty, Kazakhstan, to Edinburgh, Scotland, without flying. 

In this episode, hear about abseiling pizza deliveries, what it means to terrenkur, where to find the best coffee(s) in Almaty, and how not to pay for your groceries in a Kazakh supermarket!

Along with the sounds of the city, I listened to Miles Davis' Kind of Blue - as many might say, the finest jazz recording of all time - while walking around Almaty. You might want to listen to it, too. 

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Reflecting on his overland journey from Kazakhstan to Scotland, Stephen discusses both the high - and low - lights of the trip, as well as offering some advice about the practicalities.

Mentioned in the show:

The Man in Seat 61: https://www.seat61.com/index.html

Caravanistan (Central Asia Travel Forum): https://caravanistan.com/forum/

Paul Theroux: https://www.paultheroux.com/

Matthew Woodward (link to Amazon author page - own website appears to be down): https://tinyurl.com/455n8ruj

Monisha Rajesh: https://monisharajesh.com/

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With the finish line in sight, Stephen enjoys a few hour among Amsterdam's cyclists and voyeurs, before a leisurely crossing of the North Sea brings him to a hipster coffee shop in Newcastle.

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Leaving Tbilisi behind, join Stephen for days 9 and 10 of his overland-ish trip from Kazakhstan to Scotland. 

This episode features a train ride through Georgia up to the Black Sea resort of Batumi, a border crossing into Turkey, and an epic bus ride to the historic city of Erzurum. There's plenty of majestic scenery and light-hearted observations along the way. 

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We're onto our third country of the trip: Georgia! With a night and a day to explore Tbilisi, join Stephen as he samples the wine and coffee the city has to offer, stumbles across some unexpected but welcome jazz, becomes a listening board for a stranger, and gets a surprise late-night knock on his hotel door...

(Friendly note: there are two 'naughty' words in this episode - nothing too obscene, but sweary words nonetheless)

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Join Stephen on his way out of Baku and up to the border with Georgia. There are flags, wild dogs, a cellophane breakfast and a taxi driver war correspondent, not to mention a grim crossing at the famous Red Bridge.

Music on this trip was mostly provided by the wonderful Vulfpeck - just the thing to liven up a quiet Sunday morning!

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It's day 7 and we're in Baku, the City of Winds. Braving the cold, Stephen and indefatigable guide, Kamil, explore the Azerbaijan's enigmatic capital.

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Stephen arrives in Aktau, an industrial city in far western Kazakhstan, and spends the day desperately searching for something to love about the place.

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