I was on a podcast last week, talking about overlanding Central Asia and the making of Caravanistan: bit.ly/2R035UM

Will Central Asia Host U.S. Military Forces Once Again? rferl.org/a/u-s-military…

Kazakhstan has extended the suspension of its visa-free regime until December 31 2021. bit.ly/3e7VQDo

Starvation is taking hold in #Turkmenistan’s penal colonies. Prisoners are dying of malnutrition and illness en.turkmen.news/human-rights/p…

If you are waiting like yours truly until it's your turn to get a vaccine, Armenia also started handing them out for free to foreigners.

I have been told that at a meeting between Emomoli Rahmon and Shavkat Mirziyoyev they announced that the Panjakent-Samarkand would open 15 June. More data points welcome!

Travel updates: 🇹🇯-🇰🇬 border at Kyzylart (Osh-Murgab) still closed, it turns out. Airlines are confused about KG's policy re vaccinated travelers. Get a PCR-test or risk being turned back at the airport. bit.ly/3drxJiD

Striking the right balance between boosting the leisure sector and preserving what makes Kazakhstan's landscape so special is not easy. eurasianet.org/kazakhstan-cov…

Organised tourism in Uzbekistan has bounced back. Not to pre-covid levels, but tour operators are busy. In all other stans, foreign tourism remains at very low levels.

GlobalGiving's #GivingTuesday campaign has begun! From now until 11:59 p.m. ET all donations will be matched proportionately. As you decide where you want to invest your hard-earned dollars, please consider supporting our causes. sadoqat.weebly.com #share, #Donations

Lovers of Almaty, there are loads of you out there - please help Edda Schlager bring the Architectural Guide Almaty to life by backing the project on Kickstarter! #Kazakhstan kickstarter.com/projects/eddas…

I remember when MoveGreen was just a scrappy volunteer org in Bishkek. Now they have won UNEP's highest environmental award: Champion of the Earth. Congrats Maria Kolesnikova and Katie Hall! bit.ly/3pCiS9Z

No to fake storks indeed! Kind of emblematic of the ideas behind Uzbekistan's tourism push, though. To find out what happened to the real storks -> caravanistan.com/uzbekistan/cen…

Aaaand we're back. Didn't do tours this year but we are taking custom tour requests again for next year. Do get in touch! Will start updating the website again as well after this year's hiatus. China opening up means the Silk Road will get a bit busier again, I think.