Lake Ohrid Video Profiles

Lake Ohrid Video Profiles

Between January and August 2016, Pedaling Pictures produced three videos in the framework of an EU-funded project coordinated by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre to raise awareness of the natural and cultural values of the Lake Ohrid region shared by Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. You can read more about the specifics of the project in our previous post or visit the project website here. We became involved with the the Lake Ohrid project though Stephanie's work with the  IUCN Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where she provided project support to the…continue reading →
Project Update: Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Lake Ohrid Region

Project Update: Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Lake Ohrid Region

Since January 2016 we’ve been based in Belgrade, Serbia working on a number of projects across the Balkans. One of our projects is located in the Lake Ohird region of Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. A Little About Lake Ohrid Lake Ohrid is the oldest and deepest lake in Europe and one of the world’s few ancient lakes, on a short list of water bodies including Lake Baikal in Siberia and Lake Tanganyika in the East African Rift. More than a million years old, its long life span and marked isolation…continue reading →
How to get from Almaty to Bishkek

How to get from Almaty to Bishkek

You're in Almaty and you're heading to Bishkek! Cool! We spent a year in Bishkek and travelled frequently between the two capitals. We thought this post might be useful for anyone planning to make this trip for the first time. We prefer to go by marshrutka (shared minibus) and recommend this way because it's easy, inexpensive (about 1,300 KTZ) and it's pretty quick (about 5 hours). In Almaty, how do I reach the long-distance bus station from the city center? Marshrutkas to Bishkek depart from Almaty's long-distance Sairan bus station (международный автовокзал Сайран). The bus station…continue reading →

Bright Ideas: Energy Efficient Homes in Kyrgyzstan

During the month of July, we joined Kyrgyz NGO CAMP Alatoo in the village of Arslanbob to learn how they are teaming up with local craftsmen to spread energy awareness across the country. About Arslanbob Arslanbob is famous for its walnut-fruit forests. These ancient forests are the largest natural walnut forests in the world. Under Soviet forestry regulations the walnut forests were protected, and usage of valuable forest products was regulated under Soviet central planning. Today, however, the survival of this unique ecosystem is threatened. The biggest threat is from unrestricted grazing of livestock, which threatens…continue reading →
Cycling the Balkans: Montenegro & Albania

Cycling the Balkans: Montenegro & Albania

Over the summer we rented bikes in Montenegro, packed up two panniers each and hit the road, cycling from Podgorica to Plav and Gusinje, then to Koplik (Albania), Shkodra, eventually to Tirana, and finally back up along the Albanian coast to where we first started. Watch the journey unfold in our five-part video series below: Part One: Podgorica to Gusinje Part One covers our trip from Podgorica to Plav, then to nearby Gusinje. We stopped in Plav and talked to Alsen Radončić, volunteer at National Park Prokletije, about tourism and investment in his part of…continue reading →

Walking Almaty: Marveling at the Mundane

The latest Pedaling Pictures production is a profile of Dennis Keen, founder of Walking Almaty. We had the good fortune of being able to spend a long afternoon in Almaty with Dennis earlier this summer, where he took us on a tour of some of his favorite neighborhoods, pigeon markets, drainpipes, rail girders, cornices, window frames, etc. For the uninitiated, Walking Almaty is essentially a well-organized collection of overlooked items that make up everyday street scenes in Almaty. Dennis likes to walk, and he has a keen (that's right) eye for noticing the unnoticed, and finding patterns in things…continue reading →
School Hopping in the Kyrgyz Tien-Shan Mountains

School Hopping in the Kyrgyz Tien-Shan Mountains

This is map of all the districts in Kyrgyzstan. The ones highlighted are the districts I visit frequently for work--At-Bashi, Ak-Talaa and Naryn Districts--all located in Naryn Oblast (province). Naryn Oblast is famous for its rolling green jailoos--summer pastures--which during the summer months are covered with red poppies and speckled with herders and their yurts. But more on that in a later post! Because right now, I’d like to share a different side of Naryn--a side that’s not on the typical tourist agenda. To offer some background info, I’m a graduate student in…continue reading →
Running the Silk Road Marathon (Kind of)

Running the Silk Road Marathon (Kind of)

We spent our free time before and after the competition exploring the grounds of the race organization's partner hotel, the Kyrgyz Seaside Resort. This massive complex is just the kind of thing I love about anywhere, and they're notably more common in former Soviet republics. Think of three college dorms strung together in a maze of hallways, with five on-site convenience stores, two restaurants, a massive cafeteria, a smattering of souvenir shops and a fully equipped arcade with games that should be in a museum. We had trouble finding our room because there were…continue reading →
Cut Naryn Some Slack!

Cut Naryn Some Slack!

This is how Lonely Planet introduces the town of Naryn: "Mostly wedged into a striking if slightly foreboding canyon, Naryn is an architecturally unlovely strip town with no real 'sights' beyond a typical local museum..." I also like this one from PRIZMA: “Naryn is described as the poorest region in a country which is now among the poorest of the former Soviet states. This means exactly what it says: not good. Other perks include that Naryn is also the coldest city of Kyrgyzstan. To make things worse, our guidebook noted that Naryn, which was…continue reading →
Moving to Kyrgyzstan is Easy: Part Two

Moving to Kyrgyzstan is Easy: Part Two

Extending a Kyrgyz visa + travel to Almaty (& Kazakh border in general)  Short version: For citizens who get a 60-day tourist stamp, the easiest way of "extending" your stay in Kyrgyzstan is simply crossing the border into Kazakhstan, then getting right back in line. You'll automatically get a new tourist stamp valid for 60 days. Shared taxis to the border leave from in front of Alamedin bazaar. A seat costs 50 som per person. Marshrutka #333 leaves from in front of TSUM center and goes to the border. It should have a big…continue reading →