Thijs - Wander & Travel Stories

3 Days at the Ancient Silk Route: Samarkand

By Thijs June 16, 2026

I took the train in the morning from Tashkent to Samarkand. I booked at short notice, so I got the 3 hour 20 minute train instead of the faster 2 hour train, which apparently also meant a more mediocre train. And with that a certain passenger next to me. A big-looking blunt kind of man, who probably hadn’t brushed his teeth for a few weeks, explicitly yawned the whole ride, so I was quite happy to finally get out and start exploring Samarkand.

Registan Square & German traveler chat

After arriving in Samarkand, I learned that many of its ancient buildings have a connection with India and even the Taj Mahal. The Mughals who built many of these structures originated from Uzbekistan. And this added to the excitement.

Although I had booked my ancient city tour guide for the next day, my first stop was Registan Square, the most iconic historic spot in Samarkand featuring three ancient madrasahs. There I had a drink outside on a really nice terrace and a German traveller started talking to me.

This man had been travelling through Central Asia for six months in a Toyota car to the most remote places. “So where do you sleep” I asked him. “In my car” he told me. “What about showers and toilets?” I asked. “All in the car,” he assured me. Well, that is a way of travelling I still have not figured out.

The conversation ended with the man telling me that after visiting all these countries, “In the end we are all the same. Everyone is looking for some peace.” With that, I shook his hand and planned to explore some neighbourhoods.

Looking for the Old Samarkand

The first stop was the Alisher Navoi Park area in the Russian district. Leafy, tree-filled streets always add charm, and they did that well here. So the Russians can have some taste, I found myself thinking.

Next I ended up in the Jewish Quarter on the advice of ChatGPT. I was looking for an older district that was still lived in by ordinary people. Well, this district surely once had its life and looked charming with its small, narrow bending streets. But except for some cats and small kids playing, I found myself alone. Always a strange feeling to be somewhere that once was vibrant and be totally alone.

The guide, Gur-e-Amir, Shah-i-Zinda and Registan

At 10 a.m. the next morning, my tour guide Sholov came to pick me up for the historic tour. Normally, I do research and go alone to tourist sights. I can read explanations and also use Google and ChatGPT at my own speed. But I had been advised to take a tour guide. Which is better? I guess it depends on the tour guide. And today was not my day. Most of the English was hard for me to understand and the explanations felt a bit scripted. But still all the iconic sights were interesting enough to make it a great day.

Samarkand has a long ancient history and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, dating back around 2,700 years. What survives today is mostly from the period when the conqueror Timur made Samarkand his capital in the 14th and 15th centuries.

We visited Timur’s grave at Gur-e-Amir, but what was very interesting was Shah-i-Zinda. Kind of a village in itself, with a narrow avenue lined with mausoleums covered in beautiful blue tiles.

We ended up at Registan Square again, my favourite spot in the city. We visited the three madrasahs, which means learning centres. In the 15th century, teaching was done here. The square itself was also a centre for merchants and activities. It felt special to stand here.

Now I have to admit something. After seeing Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and the grand Mughal architecture there, the wow factor for me here was less. But Samarkand is still delicate, and the context that the Mughals originated from this place makes it special. For those who have not been to either, maybe first Uzbekistan and later India is a better order!

Mountains, Waterfalls and Uzbek Wives

The last day I had planned to go on a day trip to the Seven Lakes in Tajikistan. But waking up with a bad stomach, plus getting a message that waiting at the border could take several hours, made me opt out.

Instead, I booked a half-day, more relaxing tour to Tersak, a village about one hour south of Samarkand. After a bad start, with the driver being an hour late, we went to the village and hiked in the mountains next to the cows. We ended up at a waterfall and it was really quiet.

The guide himself spoke good English. What stood out was that tourist visits to Uzbekistan had gone up to around 10 million in 2025 from 3 million the year before. Uzbekistan was opening up he said.

And when we saw some tough-looking Uzbek men passing by, he assured me that every man in Uzbekistan is afraid of his wife! “That might be true for the Netherlands as well,” I replied.

I ended my day at the Eternal City, a remake of an ancient architectural village. Sometimes remakes work quite well. And here it did.

The next morning I took an even slower train back to Tashkent to catch my return flight to Shanghai. This time I found myself in a wagon full of loud Uzbek taekwondo competition kids. I guess train rides are an adventure in Uzbekistan!

Uzbekistan: 2 days in Tashkent

By Thijs June 11, 2026

Outside Tashkent Airport, a scary-looking guy speaking Russian to me kept signalling for me to get into his car.
It was late, I had no SIM card, Uber did not work, and I had just discovered that I had forgotten the PIN codes to my credit cards for ATM cash. Not a great start.

Luckily, I still had some Chinese yuan, and with that money I was able to buy a SIM card which got me going. In Uzbekistan they use Yandex Go, the Russian version of Uber, and it took a while to get it installed. The Russian guy kept following me, but I was soon lucky enough to get into my first Yandex Go car.

Sometimes you want to go somewhere unusual. I like to visit regions and understand more about them, and Central Asia was somewhere I had never been. Samarkand was the main attraction with its old Silk Road vibe. But to get there I first went to Tashkent and decided to explore the capital city.

Uzbekistan’s young and diverse population

Arriving at the Swissôtel, I was met with another surprise, one that would continue to repeat itself throughout my six days in Uzbekistan. Nearly all the staff, managers included, seemed to be under 25. In Uzbekistan, it doesn’t take long before you start to feel old!

Another interesting thing is how diverse the people look. Some people looked Turkish, some Chinese, some Russian, some Western. And some people had all this combined in one person (the real Central Asian look, I guess). It made me feel less like a tourist, as I could be regarded as local as well, if I only could speak Russian, their second language.

Tashkent was quiet, perhaps influenced by the fact that I was there at the weekend. The streets were wide. There were not too many cars. It was okay to walk around and traffic went fine. I stayed in Mirabad, the embassy district.

Uzbekistan Hotel & Hazrati Imam Ensemble

That first morning, by chance, I walked upon a city tour bus while making my way to the infamous Uzbekistan Hotel.

This old Soviet state hotel was built in the 1970s, and inside it also really looked like the 1970s, with weird lights and mirrors everywhere. The kind of place where a horror movie could be shot, I felt.

The bus itself was busy and I ended up sitting next to a Swedish man who looked like a copy of Rupert Murdoch, and at least twice my age, which immediately made me feel younger after the hotel ordeal the previous night.

After finishing the bus tour, I went to Tashkent’s main attraction: the Hazrati Imam Ensemble. Tashkent suffered a major earthquake in 1966, destroying much of the old city, but this area survived.

The taxi driver first dropped me at a historical-looking building, but I later learned that it was actually recently built, which made me feel a bit sad. I guess I like to believe that traditional architecture buildings could only be built in the old days.

The structure was the Islamic Civilization Center, a rebuilt version inspired by traditional architecture. Inside was a good modern museum showcasing the history of the area. Well worth a visit.

I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the Hazrati Imam complex which is actually ancient. The blue domes looked beautiful in the cool afternoon light. Next to it was a newly built but traditional-looking mahalla-style pedestrian quarter. It was charming.

Chorsu Bazaar & the art-inspired subway stations

The pedestrian quarter eventually led up to the famous Chorsu Bazaar.

Well, I am not much of a bazaar person and quickly escaped into the subway, where the stations themselves had been turned into pieces of art. The Tashkent Metro is famous. Built during the Soviet era and opening in 1977 as the first metro system in Central Asia, Soviet planners believed public infrastructure should inspire citizens.

I visited three stations. It was a bit like opening a chocolate ball with a surprise inside. You never knew what the next one would look like. I even spoke to a tourist from the Philippines who had set out to visit no fewer than fifteen stations. Interesting.

I ended my day at Tashkent City Mall, a modern international-vibe mall. Sometimes you need a touch of home.

Second day: exploring neighbourhoods

I always try to stay a bit longer in capital and commercial cities. The historical sights need to be visited, but at the same time I know that people who actually live in the city rarely spend their time there. To get an understanding of where these people live and drink their coffee, I did not have to go far.

From my Swissôtel, I walked towards Mirabad Street. I stopped at Socials on Shevchenko Street and found a lovely café street nearby called Chekhov Street. Life was relaxed. People walked around, sat outside and sipped coffee. It was an affluent part of the city and gave me a bit of an impression of everyday life.

After 2 days exploring Tashkent, I came away fairly positive. The city is developed enough and comfortable, with a few interesting sights. The people were nice and, above all, curious. Those who spoke English would ask questions. And very importantly the city felt safe. Just make sure you bring some cash and pre-install the Yandex Go app :).

Next stop: Samarkand

Zhangjiajie: Avatar Mountains & Chinese Disneyland

By Thijs May 19, 2026

“Is this not a busy day then?” I asked my tour guide Phoenix while standing on Tianzi Mountain surrounded by thousands of Chinese tourists all trying to catch a glimpse of the strange avatar-like sandstone pillars.

“No,” she said. “This is just a normal day.”

Only a few hours earlier on my first morning she had assured me today would not be crowded. I guess her definition of a busy day clearly differed from mine…

There were still some places in China I had never been to. One of them was Zhangjiajie in China’s Hunan province. Often referred to as the “Avatar mountains,” supposedly because the floating mountains in the movie Avatar were inspired by this area.

Tianzi Mountain

After a two-hour flight from Shanghai, I arrived in Wulingyuan the night before. The bus picked us up at 8 AM. Everyone had to bring their passport because the ticket system now works with facial recognition and passport scanning. Although convenient, I rather leave my passport in the safety box. And apparently two American tourists in my group thought the same, because they had forgotten their passports.

Which meant close to an hour delay at the entrance while more and more people kept arriving behind us.

Not ideal.

After finally entering the park, we moved from place to place by bus. Every stop revealed another version of the same landscape, although the scale kept increasing.

When we reached Tianzi Mountain, I finally got the view I had imagined before coming here. A huge valley filled with strange sandstone pillars disappearing into the distance. It really did feel like another world. Unlike the more flowing mountain scenery in Guilin or Huangshan, these pillars rose almost unnaturally straight from the ground.

And for a while I forgot about the many crowds behind me.

Charming Xiangxi Performance

At night I went to a performance recommended by my tour guide. The show was called Charming Xiangxi and it was actually very cool. Impressive stage sets, lighting, music and acrobats, all following ancient Chinese storylines and local traditions.

The environment helped too, with rivers and mountains surrounding the theater area. It gave the whole evening a slightly magical feeling.

Scary Glass Bridge & Bungee Jumpers

The next morning we faced something that could probably nerve wreck anyone scared of heights. After around one hour on the bus and a cable car ride up, we arrived at what is supposedly the highest glass bridge in the world, located inside the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon.

I must admit it affected me too.

Looking hundreds of meters down into the valley below felt slightly terrifying. So from time to time I found myself carefully moving toward the edges instead of looking directly beneath my feet.

Then suddenly we noticed a platform underneath the bridge and saw someone making a bungee jump into the canyon below. I guess people have different anxiety levels.

24 Escalators to Heaven or Disneyland?

After several more bus rides we arrived at the famous Tianmen Mountain. The mountain is instantly recognizable because of the bizarre-looking arch near the top, known as Heaven’s Gate.

Apparently a Frenchman once climbed the mountain without ropes back in 2009. Take that bungee jumpers, I thought 😉

Our group, including me, was quite happy to take the cable car instead. After that came no fewer than 24 escalators built directly into the mountain itself.

Along the way many overly excited Chinese tourists tried to high-five us while passing us on the downward escalators. And at the 2000-meter summit?

Thousands of tourists and a Burger King. Only in China.

At times it honestly felt more like Disneyland than a mountain park. Luckily some of the cliff-edge walkways were still very beautiful. As a reflection I would say Zhangjiajie does have really unique nature. But I preferred my trips to Guilin, Chongzuo or Yunnan more as it would be more spread out and not so focused on one single mountain with many people. Still it is worth the visit, just don’t mind the crowds ;).

Qingdao, 2 days of coastal vibes and heritage charm

By Thijs April 15, 2026

There is something about cities that once hosted the Olympics or a World Cup. When I walked from my hotel to the Qingdao Marina on my first morning, I felt that vibe. It had once been the center of world’s attention.

In Qingdao’s case, hosting the sailing competitions of the Beijing 2008 Olympics left behind a clean marina, a nicely placed large torch surrounded by Olympic and national flags, and a layout that still looks the part. Early in the morning, I found myself almost alone, alongside a few joggers, enjoying the sea breeze and sunny Qingdao weather.

After wandering around the marina, I continued along the coastline. People were relaxed, sitting in lounge chairs, sipping orange juice and looking out over the sea. The mix of beach, marina and modern skyscrapers makes Qingdao known as one of the best livable cities in China.

But as often, it was history that became the biggest draw.. Around 30 minutes walking from the marina, I wandered into an area that felt prettier and prettier. Tree-lined ocean walkways, viewpoints, leafy streets with what looked like colonial villas, and small parks with quiet pathways. I later learned this was the Badeguan scenic area, built between 1900 and 1930 by German and other European settlers.

The area is well preserved by the local government and remains peaceful. It feels like a quieter version of the French Concession in Shanghai, but then by the ocean.

Walking further, I entered Qingdao’s old commercial town. Also built in the same period, this was the more commercial side. Today, many local restaurants and shops have taken over, but some impressive historic buildings remain. The St. Michael’s Cathedral stands out, as well as a few former administrative buildings from the German period.

I ended the day at the Tsingtau Club, once a clubhouse for European residents. The name reflects the early spelling of what became China’s most famous beer: Tsingtao.

Tsingtao Beer Museum

The next day I visited the Tsingtao Beer Museum, located in the original brewery. The visit was a bit chaotic. I was assigned an “English-speaking” guide, who I think had memorised the exact words to say at each stop, but without really speaking the language…

It made the explanations hard to follow, and with the guide moving quickly there was little time to read the signs. Still, I got the general idea and it was a fun visit. Learning about the history and ending with a fresh Tsingtao beer was a nice touch. After drinking so many of them over the years in China, it felt right to finally visit where it all started for me.

That afternoon I returned to Badeguan. To wander again, sit in the parks, and imagine the life that once was there, and in many ways still is. Some villas are open to the public, and I visited a few, including the Huashi (Flower Stone) House, a castle-like residence built by a wealthy Chinese merchant in the early 1900’s.

Reflection

Qingdao surprised me. It has more to offer than I expected: coastal, relaxed, with real charm in places like Badeguan, combined with history, beer culture and a modern side.

Qingdao might no longer be at the center of the world’s attention, but it doesn’t need to be. And with only a 40-minute flight from Shanghai, it makes for a perfect few days away.

Penang 5 Days: Relaxing Feringghi and Disappointing Georgetown

By Thijs March 28, 2026

Before going to Kuala Lumpur, it was my plan to go to Penang. Not necessarily because I had special feelings for it, but because Shanghai had a direct flight and I had never been there. And who minds a tropical island anyway ;). So after I got my passport back, I thought the time was right. I decided to take the bus (6 hours) to Penang from Kuala Lumpur. At the cost of only 40 Ringgit (10 USD), I was set and we took off at 3:40 PM from KL Sentral.

The bus ride was smooth until the end. But this time, after getting out and waving the bus off, I realized I left my suitcase in the compartment. After a period of despair, I went to the train station help desk. There, a not-too-friendly person was first scolding me for how I could forget the suitcase. “Were you sleeping?” he said. I said, “Yes, I was.” Then he had that look on his face like, “There we have one again.” Reluctantly, he did help me contact the Aerocity Bus 24 hours hotline, but to no avail. I decided to go to my hotel and try the next day.

Back to the 1990s in the Park Royal Penang

Waking up the next day in the ParkRoyal hotel, I was greeted by a group of rather large monkeys having a picnic on my balcony. I got hold of the Aerocity help desk and was able to pick up my luggage at 12 pm from the station. After getting my suitcase back and tipping the bus driver, a Russian woman walked up to me out of nowhere, telling me that Malaysians can be trusted to return belongings. She said it was a beautiful story. I agreed. My Penang holiday was set to start.

The ParkRoyal is a hotel brand I know from Singapore, where they have a fine and unique hotel on Pickering Street. The one in Penang is a bit different. It is the kind of place that was probably built 30 years ago, and since then they have maintained things but never really upgraded or replaced anything. Walking through the hotel felt like stepping into the 1990s. The mostly elderly British guests did not seem to mind, so I decided to blend in and have a nice afternoon at the pool.

The 1990s were not so bad.

Feringghi

Ferringhi, where the ParkRoyal is located, is a small beach resort. It has some nice cafés (including a very nice Starbucks with great ocean views). I also went to Bora Bora beach club, which had good vibes and a great sunset.

The town and beach area start to feel alive around 6:30 pm, as Penang is very hot and humid until early evening. That heat also determined my next day’s sightseeing. I decided to visit Penang Hill, a place set up by British colonialists in the 1800s as a refuge from the intense heat.

Cooling off on Penang Hill

The next day, after buying a ticket, we entered the train that takes you up the hill. It was entertaining, with nice views, and within no time I found myself at 800-meters, with cooler temperatures (about 4 degrees less).

As for the touristic sights, I did think Penang Hill was a bit disappointing. Overly commercial, and we could not enter a single old colonial building, only look at them from a distance. The best the tour guide could do was let me touch a postal box from Queen Victoria’s time. So that was at least something.

Luckily, the environment was nice, and so were the views. If I visit Penang Hill again, I would probably hike up and down, as it looked beautiful with well-kept walkways. It’s only a few hours, you just have to start early I guess.

Georgetown

After Penang Hill, I decided to check out Georgetown, where I would stay for two days. After a slightly stressful taxi ride, where the driver warned me not to spill a single drop of water from the paper Starbucks cup I was carrying, we arrived.

Georgetown center is the main city on Penang island, and the old center consists of British-built houses and buildings from the 1800s. After enjoying Malacca so much, I had high expectations, which maybe did not help.

On paper Georgetown has a lot of elements, but I felt no vibe; it was maybe too spread out. And despite having some cool cafés and restaurants, the buildings and streets felt neglected, run-down, and chaotic. On top of that, the place was not very walkable. Just like on Penang Hill, I think they could do a much better job preserving the historic sights for tourists.

The Pinang Peranakan Mansion is worth a visit (although I liked the one in the more polished Malacca much more), as well as the Penang History Gallery, which recreates complete scenes from Georgetown in the 1900s, making it feel immersive and real.

*Recreation of Penang during Japanese bombing raids 1940’s*

Online, many people seem to rave about Georgetown, but it was not for me.

Reunited with my suitcase and passport, it was time to return to Shanghai.

Kuala Lumpur: A week without my passport

By Thijs March 18, 2026

There is a first time for everything. Losing my passport is one of those. I never thought it would happen to me and when I travel I always compulsively check if it is still there. But that Monday afternoon, March 2nd, when I arrived at the Mandarin Oriental near KLCC, I could not find it. Did I leave it at the airport? Or did it fall out while rushing out of the taxi in heavy rain because the traffic was not moving? I still don’t know.

What I do know is that it gave me something unexpected: a full week in Kuala Lumpur.

The next morning, March 3, morning I was at the Dang Wangi police station for a mandatory missing passport report. After being sent to several floors I ended up waiting a long time in a room full of other people. And the occasional inmate, shackled, looking confused and passing by.

A German couple who had exactly the same ordeal were sitting next to me. After almost two hours of waiting I suddenly learned the report required a cash payment of two Malaysian ringgit, about fifty euro cents. Unfortunately I had no cash. Paying meant going to an ATM and repeating everything again. The waiting, the floors, the paperwork. After hearing from the German couple that I was “the nicest Dutchman they had met”, I took the gamble and asked if they could lend me two ringgit, adding that I had never begged anyone for money in my life. They laughed and happily gave it to me. I was saved.

Dutch Embassy Kuala Lumpur

The Dutch Embassy was another surprise. In many cities Dutch embassies are large villas or impressive buildings like in Tokyo, Bangkok or Beijing. In Kuala Lumpur it turned out to be basically a small studio apartment with one non-Dutch person working there. The Dutch taxpayer can be happy, I thought. For my new passport I had to wait (only) five working days, so it was time to explore the city.

KLCC Park

The embassy happened to be located right next to KLCC Park, the same park where my hotel was. The park sits between the Petronas Towers, several skyscrapers and the Suria KLCC mall, yet somehow feels green and relaxed. It had that nice feeling of being connected and dynamic, yet also peaceful. Over the week I kept coming back here.

At the park I started to notice the crowds in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia is interesting in that it is not always clear who is local and who is not. The population is made up of Malays, Malaysian Chinese and Indians, and you see that mix everywhere, giving the city a less uniform character. At times a bit confusing, but also diverse and interesting. A taxi driver told me they all get along well, and from what I saw that seemed to be true. Most people were friendly.

Chinatown

Now it was time for the hop-on hop-off bus. I had to go early, as the traffic in KL felt more intense than 12 years ago when I was last here. Ramadan didn’t help. I guess being hungry makes everyone leave earlier, as the jams already started around 4 pm.

Chinatown is usually not my favorite. Many of them feel loud and touristy. But the one in Kuala Lumpur surprised me. Discovering it was actually a coincidence. The main Petaling Street area felt slightly disappointing at first and when I reached the bus stop I missed the bus by about five seconds. So I had some time to explore more. That turned out to be a good thing because I discovered smaller streets with cafés, interesting lighting and a much nicer atmosphere. Sometimes missing something leads you to something better. From Chinatown it is also easy to walk toward Merdeka Square where Malaysia declared independence, surrounded by old British colonial buildings.

Over the following days I wandered through many other parts of the city as well, from the busy Bukit Bintang and Jalan Alor area to the botanical gardens and bird park, where birds fly freely around you in a mix of beauty and slight stress. I also stopped at the rather over-commercial Thean Hou temple, which was not worth it, and spent time in several of Kuala Lumpur’s large shopping malls, with the new TRX Exchange standing out the most.

Visiting Malacca

Then a nice moment came when an Italian tourist I met at a vegan café tipped me to go to Malacca, a historically famous trading city with strong Dutch roots. So I went.

Standing on the hill in Malacca where Dutch officers were buried in the old church, I was reading stone texts written in old Dutch. I could recognize words but still needed the English translation to fully understand them. Having a beer with a Dutch person from the 1600s would probably not have gone very well, I thought.

The red colonial buildings, painted later by the British, were interesting, but the real highlight for me was the Chinatown across the street. Much of that area had originally been built by the Dutch after reclaiming land from the sea. Chinese traders later settled there and the neighborhood slowly became Chinatown, which means it is basically a Dutch-built Chinatown.

It felt charming and delicate. The Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum, showcasing the history of the local Peranakan Chinese-Malay community, was a highlight.

On my last day I returned to the small studio apartment that is the Dutch Embassy. This time when I walked out I was a man with a passport again. And after seven days it felt like a good time for a new place, Penang Island. More on that in the next blog post.

Reflection

For me Kuala Lumpur is a nice city. Not as chaotic as Bangkok or Jakarta, but not as organized as Singapore or Shanghai either. It sits somewhere in between. The people are friendly, English is easy, it is relatively cheap (not unimportant), and the traffic is manageable if you avoid Ramadan afternoons. It might miss a bit of character at times, but it makes up for it in convenience. Not a bad place to lose your passport.

Some extra tips

-For really nice and fine vegan food. Visit Kuki Vegan in KL. Vegan restaurants are often not that tasty but this one delivers.

-If you want to escape Kuala Lumpur central visit Sentul Depot area and Bistro Richard. It is a 20 minute ride but nice, spacious and peaceful.

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