In life, sometimes the best decisions are the ones we make impulsively. That’s how I found myself in Bishkek, Krygyzstan, about to embark on an overlanding trip for which I was blissfully unprepared and stupidly excited.

To be honest, I had not put a ton of time or energy into researching the trip before booking it. I had been longing to take a trip for a while; I knew I wanted to go somewhere obscure and preferably in Central Asia that would allow me to hike and sleep in a yurt. If there was a campfire and a brilliant sky full of stars to see, well, I would be beyond satisfied.