I've been fortunate to travel and live in many different places. However, I started this blog after settling in Dushanbe, which is why most of my content is dedicated to Tajikistan. And you know what? That's for the best — because mountains! 🏞️🏕️ As the famous Russian bard Vladimir Vysotsky once said, "The only mountains better than the ones you've seen are the ones you haven't."
For most of my life, I worked in personal security as a bodyguard. My career involved ensuring the safety of heads of state and prominent business figures across various countries. But all things must come to an end. As I got older, I made the decision to step away, recognizing that this is a job for the younger and more energetic.
The logical next step would have been moving into a managerial role within the same field or starting my own security business, leveraging the connections I'd built. But for that, besides ability, you need one crucial thing — desire. And I realized that path was no longer for me.
And so, I am here, writing this blog.
I'll be honest — I learned all of this from scratch: mountain trekking, blogging, photography, videography, and writing (let alone fiction). It all started with hiking in the mountains. I became curious: could I tell stories about it? Could I show people what I saw? Not in a haphazard way, but in a reportage style: with photos, explanations, making everything visual and clear.
I had to learn everything as I went. Of course, I made a ton of mistakes, redoing things multiple times — the texts, the websites... well, everything, really. This process completely captivated me, and I even started writing fiction — I hope it turns out well... It's hard for me to judge the final result, but personally, I get tremendous enjoyment from the creative process itself.
I sincerely hope that you, too, will find something here that you like.
By the way, if anyone would like to 🤝 Support the project 🤝
then I’ll say a few words about that. This site was born out of a desire to preserve and pass on the experience I gain in the mountains. All the safety guides, route breakdowns, and stories are the result of my time, risks, and sometimes the hard knocks I honestly talk about.
If my photo reports have helped you stay on the trail, if the safety articles made you think twice about your gear, or if the “mystical tales” and other stories made your evening a little better — I’m genuinely happy. If you want this project to keep growing, new routes to appear, guides to become more detailed, and stories more engaging — you can support it.
Ways to support
If you’d like to say “thank you” financially, you can do it here: How it works
Your support is an investment in the content. It goes toward:
• Gear for new, more challenging routes — so the reports stay interesting, relevant, and safe; • Hosting, domain, and various services — to keep all the articles accessible; • Transport, food, and other expenses during hikes; • My time spent on shooting, editing, and writing texts and guides instead of looking for advertisers.
Thank you for being here. Even if you just browse the photos, read the stories, or bookmark my routes — that’s already a huge support.
And if you decide to help financially: I’ll be doubly grateful.
