Erika Bisbocci
Erika is an avid traveler and explorer of over ninety countries on six different continents. Since 2011, she has spent time studying Arabic in the Middle East, teaching English in Namibia and working as a flight attendant for a major US airline. When not traveling overseas, she loves exploring her own backyard in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
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Things to See near Kyrgyzstan’s Lake Issyk Kul
Boasting turquoise alpine lakes, cow-studded pastures, craggy mountain ridges and dramatic windswept rock formations, Kyrgyzstan is a country defined by its beauty. Kyrgyzstan’s wild and unspoiled scenery remains raw and relatively untouched by mass tourism. Mountains cover eighty percent of the country’s surface area and beckon hikers with dramatic vistas and abundant photo opportunities. Nestled at the heart of this dramatic wonderland, lies crystal-clear Lake Issyk Kul–the world’s second-largest high-altitude lake and the center of Kyrgyzstan’s burgeoning tourism industry. There are endless things to do around Lake Issyk Kul. In…
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The World Nomad Games: A Celebration of Nomadic Life
The World Nomad Games is an event unlike any other. Sometimes referred to as the ‘Olympics of the Nomads,’ the week-long celebration of Central Asian athletics is a stunning display of epic proportions. Since its inception in 2014, the popularity of the nomadic competition has soared. After all, where else can you see such a dizzying array of people from countries whose names you can’t even pronounce? Or watch men on horseback sling headless goat carcasses into hoops? Or cheer on Team USA as it tries to compete with falconers…
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Four Day Kazakhstan Itinerary from Almaty
Though Kazakhstan is one of the largest countries in the world in terms of area, the ex-Soviet republic doesn’t often find itself at the top of peoples’ bucket lists. A massive swath of land that comprises much of Russia’s southern border, Kazakhstan’s name recognition is antonymous to its size. Aside from oil production and Borat, mentions of Kazakhstan often draw blanks stares. As a result, when I told friends and co-workers that I would be visiting Kazakhstan for four days prior to the World Nomad Games in Kyrgyzstan, their answers…
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Visiting the UNESCO Sites in Albania
Before visiting Albania, I had pre-conceived ideas about I might expect. What little I knew about Albania had to do with its repressive former dictator, its 20th century isolationism, its thousands of concrete bunkers, and its relative obscurity. Yet, Albania took my assumptions and turned them upside down. From the moment I stepped foot in Tirana, I realized I had become privy to one of the world’s best kept travel secrets; a secret that is spreading quickly amongst the travel blogging community and slowly leaking to the general public. Albania…
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Lake Ohrid: The Pearl of North Macedonia
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Visiting Prizren: Kosovo’s Capital of Culture
Studded with minarets and bell towers and picturesque architecture, Prizren Kosovo is, without a doubt, one of the prettiest towns in the Balkans. With one foot planted firmly in Europe and the other steeped in Ottoman traditions, the city’s delightful architecture reflects a complex tapestry of cultures and religions that lay claim to this small corner of southeastern Europe. Prizren was my first and only stop in Kosovo. Though I was not able to spend as much time in Kosovo as I would have liked, my two day whirlwind tour…
