A long way from Irvinestown
We grew up together in Irvinestown, a small town in Co Fermanagh, about as far from the Silk Roads as it was possible to imagine.
My fascination with them started early: Marco Polo at primary school, followed by hours poring over old atlases and looking at places with names like Samarkand and Bukhara. I wonder how many Central Asians have ever thought about Trillick or Tedd.
Like many young Irish people of our generation, we left home at 18 for education, travel and adventure. Perhaps we’ve been nomads in spirit all along.
Our last trip together was to Vietnam in 1994. Thirty-two years later, we’re off on our first trip together since then.
Five weeks. Three countries. Almost 4,000 kilometres. And two old friends discovering whether we still travel as well together as we did in 1994.
We’ll be documenting the trip and on Instagram at @frontiers_ob
First stop: the World Nomad Games.
Not sure if Fermanagh has entered a team, but if they have, we’ll be there supporting.
Two culchies
Vietnam, 1994
The Journey
31 days, covering almost 4,000 kilometres.
The journey begins at the World Nomad Games on the shores of Issyk-Kul, before heading into the mountains of Kyrgyzstan and travelling south through Song-Kul, Naryn and the Alay Valley.
From there, we cross into Uzbekistan and follow the ancient Silk Roads through the Fergana Valley to Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva — names that have captured travellers’ imaginations for generations.
We finish back in Almaty, with a few days to explore the city and surrounding region.
Galleries
Meantime
