The “stans” have been on my list for awhile now and I finally am about to undertake a tricky trip to Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and finally Pakistan. If all goes well I would have explore some of the great sights of seven new countries, bringing my count up to 185!

When planning this trip, the logistics were slightly tricky in terms of travel between the countries, but by far the most difficult obstacle has been acquiring visas. As I was in New York for some time, I processed and got an Uzbekistan transit visa (valid for three days) and started processing my Pakistan visa.

Turkmenistan has proved to be the most difficult of all. The process is mysterious and applications get randomly denied. My application has already been delayed to the point that I have to reschedule my trip.

Hopefully they will all come through!

I’m also glad that my friend Bill, Chris, and Napo are joining for different segments of the trip.

Stay tuned for some adventurous travel, city exploring, luxury hotels and the great unknown!