• Hitchselfie: Gaziantep to Hatay/Antakya/Antioch (Turkey)

    Hitchselfie: Gaziantep to Hatay/Antakya/Antioch (Turkey)

  • A Modern Odyssey: Sailing Theatre Company in Valetta, Malta

    A Modern Odyssey: Sailing Theatre Company in Valetta, Malta

  • Hitchhiking Home for Christmas: Istanbul to the Netherlands in 48 hours?

    Hitchhiking Home for Christmas: Istanbul to the Netherlands in 48 hours?

  • How to Get a Serbian SIM Card in a Small Town + Balkan Roaming Tips

    How to Get a Serbian SIM Card in a Small Town + Balkan Roaming Tips

  • 94 Things to Do in Rodrigues

    94 Things to Do in Rodrigues

  • A Quiet Birthday (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

    A Quiet Birthday (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

  • Cycling Trip from Aalborg to Skagen and Grenen – Semester Abroad in Aarhus

    Cycling Trip from Aalborg to Skagen and Grenen – Semester Abroad in Aarhus

  • Hitchhiking Bucket List: #6 Ice Road (Truckers?)

    Hitchhiking Bucket List: #6 Ice Road (Truckers?)

  • Pandemic in Penang: A Play-by-Play from Two Digital Nomads in Malaysia

    Pandemic in Penang: A Play-by-Play from Two Digital Nomads in Malaysia

  • Boračko Lake: Hitchhiking from Sarajevo to Mostar

    Boračko Lake: Hitchhiking from Sarajevo to Mostar

  • Kayak Trip Day 63: Svinița to Dubova – Entering Romania + Great Kazan Gorge

    Kayak Trip Day 63: Svinița to Dubova – Entering Romania + Great Kazan Gorge

  • Tusheti Hills: Beauty and Hospitality in Omalo + Dartlo, Georgia

    Tusheti Hills: Beauty and Hospitality in Omalo + Dartlo, Georgia

  • Hometown Sunset, (Loosdrecht, the Netherlands)

    Hometown Sunset, (Loosdrecht, the Netherlands)

  • Kayak Trip Day 65: Orșova to Drobeta-Turnu Severin – Iron Gate I Locks Unlocked!

    Kayak Trip Day 65: Orșova to Drobeta-Turnu Severin – Iron Gate I Locks Unlocked!

  • Sarandë to Vlorë: Albanian Coastal Hitch

    Sarandë to Vlorë: Albanian Coastal Hitch

  • Paddling the Morava River – A Day Trip from Bratislava

    Paddling the Morava River – A Day Trip from Bratislava

  • Kayak Trip Day 66: Drobeta-Turnu Severin to Crivina – Șimian Island + Strong Currents

    Kayak Trip Day 66: Drobeta-Turnu Severin to Crivina – Șimian Island + Strong Currents

  • A Little Tibet in Spain: Karma Guen Buddhist Center

    A Little Tibet in Spain: Karma Guen Buddhist Center

  • Kharkiv Cable Car: A Soviet Ride in Primary Colors

    Kharkiv Cable Car: A Soviet Ride in Primary Colors

  • Kayak Trip Day 20: Vilshofen to Passau

    Kayak Trip Day 20: Vilshofen to Passau

‹›

Skip to content
  • About
    • FAQ
  • Trips
  • Regions
    • Central Asia + the ‘Stans’
    • Caucasus + Western Asia
    • Southeast Asia
    • East Asia
    • Europe
    • Africa
    • South America
    • Central America + Caribbean
  • Danube
  • Books
    • Thesis
    • Digital Nomads Guides
    • Under Way: Books in the Making
    • Books I Love
  • Gear
    • Hitchhiking Gear
    • Paddling Gear
    • Digital Nomad Gear
  • Game!
  • Contact
    • Guest Posts
    • Interview Me
    • Collaborations
    • Using My Content
  • Press
    • Interviews
    • Publications
  • Support
  • You
    • Strangers
    • Archive Your Blog

Regions

Regions South AmericaRegions EuropeRegions Caucasus and Western Asia middle eastRegions DanubeRegions central america and the caribbeanRegions East Asia new versionRegions Southeast AsiaRegions Central Asia + the Stanscentral-asia-final-FINAL

 

Watercolor map credit goes to maps.stamen.com. One regions photo comes from Amir Asakeev on Unsplash.

 
    
Mind of a Hitchhiker
You may subscribe

Support

Found a useful article or an entertaining story? Consider helping me continue! Donating helps me to keep the adventures rolling and the website running. Details on where the money is going are on my support page.

PayPal

 

Bitcoin

bc1q9a6w08a4gkx4gdvnh7w2vlkfzx4tlwfpfe6jm6
bc1q9a6w08a4gkx4gdvnh7w2vlkfzx4tlwfpfe6jm6
Open in wallet

Support Progress Bar

As of June 2025, I’ve received €17 in two donations. Thank you so much, Mr. D. Hudson and Ms. M. Herbertson! If you find something useful or entertaining, please consider supporting my blog and I’ll thank you here. Details on where the money is going are on my support page.

2025 donation progress bar V3

irisveldwijk

Semyonov Pass, Kyrgyzstan 💕 My first semi-proper h Semyonov Pass, Kyrgyzstan 💕 My first semi-proper hitch in this country was with two Muscovites and their rental car. It had been his mom's birthday and they were making a week-long trip from Bishkek, surrounding Issyk-Kul Lake, and back to Bishkek for their flight back to Moscow

We met them the day before, when we were looking for a place that would feed us (everything was closed because the tourist season had yet to begin). We had just arrived in Cholpon-Ata. After a short chat, he invited us to come tour the Grigoryev and Semyonov canyons before they drove on to Karakol

This was an awesome little trip with our kind drivers and it filled me with joy. I obviously haven't hitchhiked much in the last year and I really missed this contact with strangers. Now we have an invitation to come say hi to them in Moscow, a city I'd love to visit in all seasons one day and a country I'd love to travel by thumb 

The canyons had really unpredictable weather. We were all constantly switching between it's so hot, take off the sweater and putting it back on for the cold and then a waterproof layer because it started raining. Sometimes you'd see the snowy mountain peaks, then you'd look away for a minute and then they were shrouded in clouds

I'm wishing for more remote trips during my next visit to Kyrgyzstan

#kyrgyzstan #kyrgyznature #kyrgyz #issykkulregion #issykkullake #issykkul #issykkul_travel #traveltokyrgyzstan #centralasiatravel #centralasia #stans #hitchhiking #hitchhiker #hitchhikers #hitchhike #hitchhikingstories #hitchhikingtrip #hitchhikingaroundtheworld #автостоп #автостопом #автостопщики #автостопщик #автостопомпороссии #григоревскоеущелье #семеновскоеущелье #иссыккуль #ыссыккуль #ысык_көл #кыргызстан
Burana, Kyrgyzstan 💕 Final resting place with a vi Burana, Kyrgyzstan 💕 Final resting place with a view. If you don't like (aesthetically pleasing) graves I think this post isn't for you

The cemetery at the Burana Tower (south of Tokmok) is also worth to wander about. Our driver told is that the graves show the likeness of the person who died. If they're depicted with a cup, that means they were a Khan (king) or Khatun/Khanum (queen)

He pointed at the smaller graves where the headstone also held cups and said those were princes or princesses. And the smaller graves with people without cups were non-royal beloved employees of the court, such as advisors

Some graves with Arabic (or Perso-Arabic?) script are supposedly from later times

The graves face the Burana Tower and the mountains. I think this is a pretty nice way to be buried. Your (approximate) face on your headstone, something about what you did in your hands (in my case that would be a hitchhiking sign or my thumb), and all in a beautiful location that receives the four seasons

#buranatowerkyrgyzstan #burana #buranatower #tokmok #graveandbeautiful #headstone #cemetery #cemeteriesofinstagram #буранамунара #башнябурана #башнябурана🏔️ #бишкек🇰🇬 #кыргызстан #могила #кладбище #Bishkek #kyrgyzstan #centralasiatravel #centralasia #gravestone #headstones #khan
Alamedin Gorge, Kyrgyzstan 💕 We were blessed with Alamedin Gorge, Kyrgyzstan 💕 We were blessed with this gorgeous - pun intended - weather on the day of the Subbotnik and I definitely got my dose of fresh air 🏞️

After a long hike, don't you just want to stick your sore feet in ice cold mountain water like this? No? Am I alone in this? 😅👣🧊

This gorge is just a day trip from Bishkek. Kyrgyzstan's capital city is really close to the Kyrgyz Ala-Too sub-range of the Tian Shan mountains. From the city, you can see mountains that reach in the 4500+ meters range 🏔️ (but below 5000, nothing too crazy)

If you haven't, would you consider going to Kyrgyzstan?

#kyrgyzstan #kyrgyzstan🇰🇬 #kyrgyzstantravel #kyrgyzstantrip #alamedingorge #bishkek #bishkekkyrgyzstan #bishkekcity #centralasiatravel #centralasia #asiatravel #кыргызстан #аламединскоеущелье #кыргыз #кыргызстан🇰🇬 #бишкек🇰🇬 #бишкек #фрунзе #frunze #kyrgyz #kyrgyznature #traveltokyrgyzstan #traveltoasia #ig_kyrgyzstan #hikingadventures #ig_hiking #hikersparadise #hikingtrip #dayhike
Follow on Instagram

Newsletter Signup

By signing up to my newsletter, you agree to receiving delightful updates from my blog. You can always unsubscribe from my newsletter. If you want to know how I handle your information, find out more in my Privacy Policy (it’s boring).

Popular Posts

    Kayaking to Pulau Tikus: a Sacred Island near George Town, Penang

    The Seven Emirates of the UAE and Their Borders—An Interactive Map

    Madha and Nahwa Exclaves in Oman + UAE—Traveling Through the Donut Hole

    Land Transportation in Cabo Verde: A How-To Guide

    How to Get an Ethiopian SIM Card

Tags

Africa albania argentina Asia austria Bavaria border Border Crossing camping canoe Chile couchsurfing Danube digital nomad Donau europe france freecamping germany greece hiking hitchhiking hospitality hungary iran kayak kayak&work malta Mauritius montenegro Myanmar nature river romania serbia SIM card slovakia South America Southeast Asia spain The Netherlands travel turkey visa Zucchini

Featured in

the plaid zebra three positive hitchhiking stories mind of a hitchhiker

Huffington Post

Matador Network

tanie loty polish mind of a hitchhiker

daily star mind of a hitchhiker

Social

irisveldwijk

Semyonov Pass, Kyrgyzstan 💕 My first semi-proper h Semyonov Pass, Kyrgyzstan 💕 My first semi-proper hitch in this country was with two Muscovites and their rental car. It had been his mom's birthday and they were making a week-long trip from Bishkek, surrounding Issyk-Kul Lake, and back to Bishkek for their flight back to Moscow

We met them the day before, when we were looking for a place that would feed us (everything was closed because the tourist season had yet to begin). We had just arrived in Cholpon-Ata. After a short chat, he invited us to come tour the Grigoryev and Semyonov canyons before they drove on to Karakol

This was an awesome little trip with our kind drivers and it filled me with joy. I obviously haven't hitchhiked much in the last year and I really missed this contact with strangers. Now we have an invitation to come say hi to them in Moscow, a city I'd love to visit in all seasons one day and a country I'd love to travel by thumb 

The canyons had really unpredictable weather. We were all constantly switching between it's so hot, take off the sweater and putting it back on for the cold and then a waterproof layer because it started raining. Sometimes you'd see the snowy mountain peaks, then you'd look away for a minute and then they were shrouded in clouds

I'm wishing for more remote trips during my next visit to Kyrgyzstan

#kyrgyzstan #kyrgyznature #kyrgyz #issykkulregion #issykkullake #issykkul #issykkul_travel #traveltokyrgyzstan #centralasiatravel #centralasia #stans #hitchhiking #hitchhiker #hitchhikers #hitchhike #hitchhikingstories #hitchhikingtrip #hitchhikingaroundtheworld #автостоп #автостопом #автостопщики #автостопщик #автостопомпороссии #григоревскоеущелье #семеновскоеущелье #иссыккуль #ыссыккуль #ысык_көл #кыргызстан
Burana, Kyrgyzstan 💕 Final resting place with a vi Burana, Kyrgyzstan 💕 Final resting place with a view. If you don't like (aesthetically pleasing) graves I think this post isn't for you

The cemetery at the Burana Tower (south of Tokmok) is also worth to wander about. Our driver told is that the graves show the likeness of the person who died. If they're depicted with a cup, that means they were a Khan (king) or Khatun/Khanum (queen)

He pointed at the smaller graves where the headstone also held cups and said those were princes or princesses. And the smaller graves with people without cups were non-royal beloved employees of the court, such as advisors

Some graves with Arabic (or Perso-Arabic?) script are supposedly from later times

The graves face the Burana Tower and the mountains. I think this is a pretty nice way to be buried. Your (approximate) face on your headstone, something about what you did in your hands (in my case that would be a hitchhiking sign or my thumb), and all in a beautiful location that receives the four seasons

#buranatowerkyrgyzstan #burana #buranatower #tokmok #graveandbeautiful #headstone #cemetery #cemeteriesofinstagram #буранамунара #башнябурана #башнябурана🏔️ #бишкек🇰🇬 #кыргызстан #могила #кладбище #Bishkek #kyrgyzstan #centralasiatravel #centralasia #gravestone #headstones #khan
Alamedin Gorge, Kyrgyzstan 💕 We were blessed with Alamedin Gorge, Kyrgyzstan 💕 We were blessed with this gorgeous - pun intended - weather on the day of the Subbotnik and I definitely got my dose of fresh air 🏞️

After a long hike, don't you just want to stick your sore feet in ice cold mountain water like this? No? Am I alone in this? 😅👣🧊

This gorge is just a day trip from Bishkek. Kyrgyzstan's capital city is really close to the Kyrgyz Ala-Too sub-range of the Tian Shan mountains. From the city, you can see mountains that reach in the 4500+ meters range 🏔️ (but below 5000, nothing too crazy)

If you haven't, would you consider going to Kyrgyzstan?

#kyrgyzstan #kyrgyzstan🇰🇬 #kyrgyzstantravel #kyrgyzstantrip #alamedingorge #bishkek #bishkekkyrgyzstan #bishkekcity #centralasiatravel #centralasia #asiatravel #кыргызстан #аламединскоеущелье #кыргыз #кыргызстан🇰🇬 #бишкек🇰🇬 #бишкек #фрунзе #frunze #kyrgyz #kyrgyznature #traveltokyrgyzstan #traveltoasia #ig_kyrgyzstan #hikingadventures #ig_hiking #hikersparadise #hikingtrip #dayhike
Follow on Instagram

Cofounder Of

Digital Nomads Guides travel book cofounder

Copyright © 2025 mindofahitchhiker.com - Privacy Policy