The Trans-Siberian Railway connects European Russia to the Russian Far East. Spanning a length of over 9,289 kilometers, it is the longest railway line in the world. It runs from the city of Moscow in the west to the city of Vladivostok in the east.
Hippie trail is the name given to the overland journey taken by members of the hippie subculture and others from the mid-1950s to the late 1970s travelling from Europe and West Asia through South Asia such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh to Thailand. The hippie trail was a form of alternative tourism, and one of the key elements was travelling as cheaply as possible, mainly to extend the length of time away from home. The term "hippie" became current in the mid-to-late 1960s; "beatnik" was the previous term from the later 1950s.
Lonely Planet is a travel guide book publisher. Founded in Australia in 1973, the company has printed over 150 million books.
Goranboy District is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the west of the country and belongs to the Ganja-Dashkasan Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Kalbajar, Tartar, Yevlakh, Samukh, and Goygol. Its capital and largest city is Goranboy. As of 2020, the district had a population of 105,000.
A guide book or travel guide is "a book of information about a place designed for the use of visitors or tourists". It will usually include information about sights, accommodation, restaurants, transportation, and activities. Maps of varying detail and historical and cultural information are often included. Different kinds of guide books exist, focusing on different aspects of travel, from adventure travel to relaxation, or aimed at travelers with different incomes, or focusing on sexual orientation or types of diet.
Khash is a dish of boiled cow or sheep parts, which might include the head, feet, and stomach (tripe).
Zaqatala is a city in northwestern Azerbaijan and the administrative center of the Zagatala District. It has a municipal population of 31,300 inhabitants and is located on the Tala River. The municipality consists of the city of Zaqatala and the nearby village of Qazangül.
Pirallahi Island or Pirallakhi Island is an island in the Caspian Sea. The island is part of Azerbaijan, and is located right off the northeastern shore of the Apsheron Peninsula, 43 kilometres (27 mi) to the ENE of Baku.
Sayur asem or sayur asam is an Indonesian vegetable soup. It is a popular Southeast Asian dish originating from Sundanese cuisine, consisting of vegetables in tamarind soup.
The Indian Autorickshaw Challenge is an international autorickshaw rally. The entrants use the autorickshaw or tuk-tuk, a common vehicle of India's urban east, to cross large portions of the Indian sub-continent over a period several of days. The simple construction of the autorickshaw and the diversity of the landscape requires the participants to be resourceful and determined in order to finish the course. The event is organised by Chennai Event Management Services.
Trailblazer is an independent British publisher of travel, trekking and railway route-guides. Started by author Bryn Thomas in 1991, it was originally synonymous with the Trans-Siberian Handbook, which for years was the only guide to crossing Asia by rail and remains much respected. Another early success was Mark Elliott and Wil Klass's Asia Overland (1998).
Asia Overland by Mark Elliott and Wil Klass was an idiosyncratic book of the 1990s which developed a minor cult following amongst backpackers in Asia and the former Soviet Union. Although it has been out of print since 2002, the book remains a talking point amongst older travellers. Its unique feature was that practical information was displayed in a set of schematic 'treasure maps' rather than in run-on text, a style later replicated in certain other books by Trailblazer,.
Overlanding or 4WD Touring is self-reliant overland travel to remote destinations where the journey is the principal goal. Typically, but not exclusively, it is accomplished with mechanized off-road capable transport where the principal form of lodging is camping, often lasting for extended lengths of time and spanning international boundaries.
Red Bridge is the border crossing between Georgia and Azerbaijan on the Tbilisi to Ganja road. The term translates into English as Red Bridge, and is so named because there is a red-brick bridge arch bridge across the Khrami River in the no-man's land area between the border posts. The bridge's current structure is mostly 17th century, but there has been a bridge on the site since the 12th century crossing. The 'red' bridge was in day to day use until 1998, when a new and considerably larger bridge was completed as part of the TRACECA (Europe-Caucasus-Asia) project.
Piti is a soup in the cuisines of the South Caucasus, its bordering nations, and Central Asia, and is prepared in the oven in individual crocks with a glazed interior. It is made with mutton and vegetables, infused with saffron water to add flavour and colour, all covered by a lump of fat, and cooked in a sealed crock. Piti is served in the crock, usually accompanied by an additional plate for "disassembling" the meat and the liquid part with vegetables, which may be eaten separately as the first and second (meat) course meal.
Horomayr Monastery is a monastic complex in the Lori Province of Armenia. The monastery is built on the cliffs 1 km south of the village of Odzun. It is easiest to get to Odzun from Alaverdi via the town's public transport. To get to the site, the visitor may climb up from the highway along the Debed River, or hike south across the cliffs from the last switchback to Odzun. The fastest but hardest route is to climb down the cliff south of Odzun.
The Gongkar Chö Monastery or Gongkar Dorjé Monastery is located in Gonggar County, Lhoka Province, Tibet Autonomous Region near Gonggar Dzong and Lhasa Gonggar Airport.
Mir Movsum Agha was a physically disabled person, who was believed to have supernatural powers by the residents of Baku and outskirt villages.
Daniel McCrohan is a British travel writer and guidebook author who has contributed to more than 30 Lonely Planet guidebooks to countries in Asia. He has also written a number of guides for Trailblazer, including the 2019 edition of the company's seminal guidebook, the Trans-Siberian Handbook.
