Playing in Putin’s Backyard
Riding through the former-soviet states on Europe’s far eastern frontier
Countries
Romania
Romania was a rare thing on this trip: a country I’d visited before. I was here in 2014, when I rode diagonally across the country from the capital Bucharest […]
The Caucasus
The Caucasus – the band of mountains between the Caspian and the Black Sea, marked the start of Europe – or did it? Wasn’t it some sort of American political […]
Central Asia
Writing a post about Central Asia is one of those nice problems to have: you’re never sure what to leave out. Mountains, deserts, Silk Road cities, shepherds in yurts, slave […]
India
“I hated India … some of the time” “You will love it and you will hate it” Before arriving in India, I spoke to a few friends who’d ridden there […]
Singapore and Malaysia
Singapore: the furthest tip of Eurasia, where the world’s largest landmass gives way to Indonesian islands and you have to get your feet wet for the first time since Norway. […]
Thailand
Thailand has the world’s second most dangerous roads. I was in blissful ignorance when I cruised the border, a but someone soon told me of the country’s dark truth. Compared […]
Cambodia
It’s a holiday in Cambodia, it’s tough kid but it’s life. It’s a holiday in Cambodia, don’t forget to pack a wife. So sang the Dead Kennedys in 1978, when […]
China
I should probably be careful what I write: in the future when the Chinese rule the world, anything I say may be used in evidence against me. So with a […]
Laos
It was a dusty border crossing – the newest gate on this frontier, and as far as anyone could tell, the least used. The visa clerk, who had been called […]