Top 3 Favourite Countries: Steve Rohan of The Trip Goes On
October 4, 2021 | Tagged: Top 3 Favourite Countries
Introducing Steve Rohan of The Trip Goes On. Here, Steve talks about his Top 3 Favourite Countries.
Steve Rohan first started backpacking in 2002 with a brief jaunt up to Scotland; the former stomping ground of his grandfather.
He spent the next few years travelling many of Europe’s small towns and cities until 2009 when he embarked upon his first “big trip”, overlanding to Lake Baikal in Siberia to work on a conservation project.
After Siberia, things were never quite the same and the drudgery of spreadsheets and constant grey skies gnawed away.
And so finally, in 2015 he upped sticks and moved to China to teach English, where he lived for six years until recently returning to England.
Choosing just three countries is a very hard task indeed, and the astute might notice a similarity with the three places I have chosen.
They are all wild, untamed lands; yurts can be found in each, and the people’s relationship to nature is still strong.
Each place is also very different, offering unique glimpses of a world that has all but ceased to exist in the west.
He spent the next few years travelling many of Europe’s small towns and cities until 2009 when he embarked upon his first “big trip”, overlanding to Lake Baikal in Siberia to work on a conservation project.
After Siberia, things were never quite the same and the drudgery of spreadsheets and constant grey skies gnawed away.
And so finally, in 2015 he upped sticks and moved to China to teach English, where he lived for six years until recently returning to England.
Choosing just three countries is a very hard task indeed, and the astute might notice a similarity with the three places I have chosen.
They are all wild, untamed lands; yurts can be found in each, and the people’s relationship to nature is still strong.
Each place is also very different, offering unique glimpses of a world that has all but ceased to exist in the west.
1. Kazakhstan
I think I had already fallen in love with Kazakhstan long before ever visiting. I read Tim Robbins’ book In Search of Kazakhstan many years ago and was intrigued by a country that had until then escaped most people’s knowledge.
Then watching Charlie Boorman and Ewan Mcgregor ride across the country on their Long Way Round series, I was left drooling at the unspoiled vistas of pine forest, alpine meadows and rivers.
It was not until 2017 that I first visited the country on my way from China to visit home in England (I would always go overland when returning home as I try and avoid flying as much as possible).
My initial thoughts had been correct and Almaty, the former capital at the foot of the Tian Shan Mountains, blew me away. The city has a laid-back air about it and a distinctly European feel, with street-side cafes and tree-lined pedestrian boulevards.
Since that first trip in 2017 I have returned over ten times and explored much of the country; from Aktau on the Caspian Sea, Nur-Sultan close to the border with Russia, and Aral, Shymkent, and of course Almaty in the far south.
My plan had been to move to Almaty in 2020, but Covid put paid to those plans (for now).
Then watching Charlie Boorman and Ewan Mcgregor ride across the country on their Long Way Round series, I was left drooling at the unspoiled vistas of pine forest, alpine meadows and rivers.
It was not until 2017 that I first visited the country on my way from China to visit home in England (I would always go overland when returning home as I try and avoid flying as much as possible).
My initial thoughts had been correct and Almaty, the former capital at the foot of the Tian Shan Mountains, blew me away. The city has a laid-back air about it and a distinctly European feel, with street-side cafes and tree-lined pedestrian boulevards.
Since that first trip in 2017 I have returned over ten times and explored much of the country; from Aktau on the Caspian Sea, Nur-Sultan close to the border with Russia, and Aral, Shymkent, and of course Almaty in the far south.
My plan had been to move to Almaty in 2020, but Covid put paid to those plans (for now).
2. Tibet
It had been a lifelong dream of mine to visit Tibet, and more specifically Mount Everest, and in January 2020 I realized this dream and spent eight glorious days touring the roof of the world. It was Chinese New Year and I had two weeks free (which would later turn into two months), and so I booked myself onto a Tibet tour.
I set off from my home in Luoyang and took the legendary Qinghai Express, the highest railway line in the world, which crosses western China and onto the Tibetan plateau.
The views from the train were like nothing I’d ever seen. An otherworldly landscape of white unfolded before me, punctuated by frozen lakes and glaciers with yaks grazing through the snow and eagles soaring overhead.
Lhasa, and of course the Potala Palace, were impressive, but it was the road trip through Tibet that really was the highlight. The sky was a deeper shade of blue than I’d ever seen before, probably due to the altitude (5,000 metres). The foothills of the Himalayas were a rusty, sandy colour and as we got closer to Everest the peaks became higher and changed to slate-grey, blue and white.
I set off from my home in Luoyang and took the legendary Qinghai Express, the highest railway line in the world, which crosses western China and onto the Tibetan plateau.
The views from the train were like nothing I’d ever seen. An otherworldly landscape of white unfolded before me, punctuated by frozen lakes and glaciers with yaks grazing through the snow and eagles soaring overhead.
Lhasa, and of course the Potala Palace, were impressive, but it was the road trip through Tibet that really was the highlight. The sky was a deeper shade of blue than I’d ever seen before, probably due to the altitude (5,000 metres). The foothills of the Himalayas were a rusty, sandy colour and as we got closer to Everest the peaks became higher and changed to slate-grey, blue and white.
3. Mongolia
Mongolia truly is “the land that time forgot”. And I mean that in the best possible way. A large percentage of the population still lives the nomadic lifestyle, herding horses and cattle from pasture to pasture and living in traditional gers (or yurts).
I visited Mongolia in 2016 and spent time living with nomad families and crossing the steppe on horseback. The landscapes were just incredible; rolling steppe as far as the eye could see and almost no encroachment of the modern world. All you could see on the horizon were a few dotted gers and horses.
With landscapes as diverse as (Gobi) desert, steppe and mountain, Mongolia is a paradise for lovers of the outdoors. From hiking, cycling and horse riding, to rafting and mountain climbing, this wild land has something to offer everyone!
I visited Mongolia in 2016 and spent time living with nomad families and crossing the steppe on horseback. The landscapes were just incredible; rolling steppe as far as the eye could see and almost no encroachment of the modern world. All you could see on the horizon were a few dotted gers and horses.
With landscapes as diverse as (Gobi) desert, steppe and mountain, Mongolia is a paradise for lovers of the outdoors. From hiking, cycling and horse riding, to rafting and mountain climbing, this wild land has something to offer everyone!
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