Some final thoughts

Privet,

I heard someone has been complaining about my lack of recent updates.  Well Dr. Perry, here are some final thoughts on my trip through the Stans.

First off, it's good to be back home.

I had a lot of fun in Baku, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan... Kazakhstan not so much.  Probably not coincidentally, Kazakhstan was the only place where there weren't many backpackers or hostels. It was a struggle to keep within my budget during my time there and I even had to carry around my 10kg backpack around Almaty for an entire day.

My favorite place was Uzbekistan, specifically Samarkand and Bukhara, and the Gas Crater in Turkmenistan.  Uzbekistan is, without a doubt, the most tourist friendly (lodging and sights) of any of the Stans. One word to describe Turkmenistan is weird.

People have been asking me if I met any interesting people.  I met a bunch and I think the reason is because it's probably a certain kind of person (recognizes the uniqueness or has a special interest in the region) that decides to backpack through the relatively unknown countries of Central Asia.  I met a couple from Israel that had been backpacking for 4 1/2 years!  They had even stopped for a year in Shanghai and took on jobs in order to earn enough to continue traveling.  I also travelled with a New Yorker in the middle of a year long trip around the world.  He had quit his job as a corporate lawyer and decided to travel for a year before deciding what to do with the rest of his life.  He carried around a hookah (shisha) that he bought in Iran and set it up every night.  It was a huge hit with all the truckers at the truckstop in the middle of the Karokam Desert.  For all the NYCers out there, he throws a huge Halloween party every year.  If you want an invite let me know.

Some tips on traveling in Central Asia in no particular order other than how they came to me...

1. Spend very little time in Kazakhstan - there's not a lot to do outside of mountain trekking, which can be done in Kyrgyzstan for less money
2. Try to have visas arranged before going to Central Asia.  I'd recommend a company called StanTours based in Almaty if you want honest and knowledgeable visa support.
3. In Turkmenistan focus on the Gas Crater and Ashgabat.
4. In Uzbekistan stay at the B&Bs - even the cheapest ones are very clean and comfortable and they are a great place to meet other travelers.
5. Learn Russian or travel with someone that knows Russian.  You can get around with just a phrase book, but it's tough. 
6. Be prepared to spend at least $30 per day if you are not couch surfing (couch surfing is illegal in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan).
7. Crossing borders overland sucks.  It takes a lot of time and sometimes money, but the worst part is the way these officials act like they are the most important people in the world and the security of their nation rests on their shoulders.  The whole border thing can be extremely frustrating, but it can make for some great stories afterwards.
8. Most important - Don't plan too much! Nothing ever worked out the way I had planned. You've got to play it by ear.
9. Vodka should be taken after meals to kill the bacteria from the food that can make you sick. It worked for me. 

I hope you guys enjoyed reading about my trip through the Stans as much as I enjoyed actually being there.  The trip was a great experience and outside of the time in Kazakhstan I had a lot of fun.  Take care and I'll see you guys later.

Spasibo,

Vinod

Back to Almaty, Kazakhstan before heading back to the States

I'm back in Almaty where I'll catch a flight back to JFK on the morning of the 10th. When I get back home I'll make a few more posts summing up my thoughts on Central Asia and my backpacking trip. Special thanks to Pudge for making the last part of the trip bearable.

Turkmenistan

I'll just stick to the highlights (there are only a few) in my post about Turkmenistan. I crossed the border on the morning of July 2. It took 3 hours total - 15 minutes on the Uzbek side and 2 hours and 45 minutes in Turkmenistan.

I spent 3 days total in the capital city of Ashgabat, a brand new city of white marble, that is supposed to display the greatness of Turkmenbashi (father of Turkmen, founder of Turkmenistan, first president of Turkmenistan, Saparmyat Niyazov) and the golden age of Turkmenistan. There are huge white marble palaces and buildings everywhere almost all built within the last ten years, but there was something missing, the people! You just didn't see people around unless they were watering a garden, cleaning a fountain or sweeping the street. The best monument in Ashgabat was the Arch of Neutrality. It was erected to honor the unanimous decision by all citizens of Turkmenistan to adopt a position of neutrality in matters of foreign affairs. Its topped by a 12m tall gold statue of Turkmenbashi that follows the sun throughout the day.

I thought the personality cult of Turkmenbashi was a little overhyped. There are definitely a bunch of statues of him and buildings and streets bearing his name, but I was expecting it to be over the top with daily parades celebrating his life. However, I did like the amusement park he had built, Turkmenbashi's Land of Fairytales. The new president Gurbanguly Berkimesomething (rumored to be Turkmenbashi's illegitimate son) definitely is following his predescessor's lead. There are pictures of the guy everywhere, but he has yet to put up any statues or anything.

The Gas Crater in the middle of the Karakom Desert is by far the highlight of traveling through Turkmenistan. It's a huge crater in the middle of nowhere that is on fire. The story is that the Soviets were drilling for gas when all of a sudden the earth gave out from under them and this huge crater formed then caught on fire and it still burns today. Only in Turkmenistan is it even fathomable that there is a crater full of fire in the middle of the desert 100 km away from the nearest sign of civilization. That night we went to a truckstop for some food (the worst I've had on this trip) then slept in a yurt in the Karakom Desert. The pictures below do not do the Gas Crater justice.

While I enjoyed my week in Turkmenistan, in my opinion, the only reason to travel through the country is to see the Gas Crater, experience the weirdness of the cult of Turkmenbashi and the city of Ashgabat and just to say you've been to Turkmenistan (which I can).

Turkmenistan views my blog (and the internet) as a threat

The reason for the lack of posting on the blog is because Turkmenistan is a police state. The government decided it was in their best interest to block any access to my blog. In all Turkmenistan there is only one public computer with internet access and its dial up and costs $7 an hour to use. I was asking around if there was an internet cafe in Ashgabat (the capital city) and people didn't even recognize the word internet.

Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Bukhara was one of the holiest cities in all of Central Asia and how could it not have been so since it has an old medrassa, mausoleum, mosque or minaret on every street corner. Those are all great, but the reason I was interested in Bukhara was the Ark and its place in the Great Game.














The Ark is the royal fortress where the Emir of Bukhara, Nasrullah Khan, and one of the most evil characters in the entire Great Game reigned and where he had British spies Connolly and Stewart imprisoned in the "bug pit" (which is actually in the jailhouse behind the Ark) and eventually executed. Seeing the actual bug pit has been one of the highlights of the trip.






















The hotel we (I've been traveling with two Germans and an English woman) are staying at is an old caravanserai near the heart of old Bukhara called Amulet. I'd recommend it since it's cheap with private bathrooms (best showers I've encountered on the trip) and delicious breakfasts.

Last night, a couple of us went to dinner at the best restaurant in Bukhara with a local music shop owner/taxi driver/security guard. The food was horrible (I think I had boiled lamb), but his stories of working on then getting fired from a US army base and shacking up with a 40 year old Russian and her young son and how he badly wanted to marry her were hilarious. The scary thing, however, was the pride with which he spoke about his ability to drive drunk (most men in Central Asia have this skill) and avoid the Uzbek police.

Tommorow morning, I've got another land border crossing into Turkmenistan and I'm hoping this one goes much smoother than the last. Turkmenbashi (not even death can kill him) here I come!