2010 Travel Planner
Asian Geographic PASSPORT Adventures & Expeditions
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The Land That Time Forgot
Hiking and camping (Socotra, Yemen)
TEXT: Ian Seldrup
Local legend has it that a mighty battle once took place between a Socotran dragon and an elephant. The elephant perishes in the process but crushes the dragon as it expires, spilling its blood on the ground. Thus was born one of true icons of the Yemeni island of Socotra: the striking mushroom-shaped dragon’s blood tree – just one example of the weird and wonderful flora found on this “Galápagos of the Indian Ocean”. Indeed, not only are its plants and animals highly endemic (35 percent of its flora is unique, compared to Galápagos’ 42 percent, in fact), illustrating the island’s isolation, but Socotra is also very far from Yemen – closer to Africa than to Arabia.
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Door to Hell
Hiking and camping (Darvaza Crater, Turkmenistan)
TEXT: Jenny Koh
Ever wondered what the gates of hell look like? Well, no living person would know for sure, but this burning crater certainly comes close. Located in the middle of the Karakum Desert, 260 kilometres north of the Turkmenistan capital of Ashgabat, the Darvaza Gas Crater has been burning non-stop for more than three decades.
But this “door to hell” is no natural wonder – it’s man-made. In 1971 a Soviet drilling team accidentally punched into an underground cavern of flammable gas. The ground collapsed, leaving a crater 60 metres wide and 20 metres deep. Geologists decided to set the gas on fire and let it burn itself out. And then they waited. And waited. Today the fire is still going strong. However, no one knows how long it will last, so catch it while it’s still aflame.
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Unchartered Territory
Trekking and mountaineering (Pamir Mountains, Tajikistan)
TEXT: Jenny Koh
Game for a challenge? Head to the mighty Pamirs that cover the eastern half of Tajikistan. Many of these pristine peaks remain unexplored to this day – which means spectacular scenery and plenty of challenges for experienced trekkers and mountaineers.
Go trekking in the Wakhan Corridor that borders Afghanistan, and check out the 77-kilometre-long Fedchenko Glacier. Here, at what the Tajiks call Bam-i-Dunya (Roof of the World), is where you can sip tea in a yurt and spot rare snow leopards, ibex and Marco Polo sheep.
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