Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan

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Details: Written by: Richard_McKie; Parent Category: Travel; Category: Central Asia; Published: 21 September 2025; Hits: 4620

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In August 2025, after a seven-year absence, Wendy and I returned to Central Asia. This time, we would visit the less well travelled 'stans' Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. In part, our choice of Central Asia was governed by a desire to be away during the worst of Sydney's winter. As we don't speak Russian, nor either of the local languages, we looked for a guided tour. As it turns out we were the only two who booked the package, so we had a personal guide and driver, together with a large Toyota 4-wheel drive for most of the trip.

From Sydney we flew to Doha followed by a flight to Almaty in Kazakhstan from there we took a short flight to Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan where we spent a day exploring, before changing hotels and meeting our guide, Chynara, to begin a pre-planned tour. As we don't speak Russian, a guide is strongly advised when travelling in most ex-Soviet countries.

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Travel

Taiwan

In May 2015 four of us, Craig and Sonia Wendy and I, bought a package deal: eleven days in Taiwan and Hong Kong - Wendy and I added two nights in China at the end. We had previously travelled together with Craig and Sonia in China; Russia, India and South America and this seemed like a good place to do it again and to learn more about the region.

Taiwan is one of the Four Asian Tigers, along with Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong, achieving the fastest economic growth on the Planet during the past half century. Trying to understand that success was of equal interest with any ‘new sights’ we might encounter.

Fiction, Recollections & News

Lost Magic

I recently had another look at a short story I'd written a couple of years ago about a man who claimed to be a Time Lord.

I noticed a typo. Before I knew it I had added a new section and a new character and given him an experience I actually had as a child.

It happened one sports afternoon - primary school cricket on Thornleigh oval.

Opinions and Philosophy

The Prospect of Eternal Life

To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream:
ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause:
… But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover'd country from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;

[1]

When I first began to write about this subject, the idea that Hamlet’s fear was still current in today’s day and age seemed to me as bizarre as the fear of falling off the earth if you sail too far to the west. And yet several people have identified the prospect of an 'undiscovered country from whose realm no traveller returns' as an important consideration when contemplating death. This is, apparently, neither the rational existential desire to avoid annihilation; nor the animal imperative to keep living under any circumstances; but a fear of what lies beyond.

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