Album 15
(28 June to 4 August 1998)
So - Central Asia. What a place! There are few tourists
and therefore few facilities.
It's the wild west of backpacking.
We had more rip-offs, problems and aggravation
with officials than anywhere else. Of course, there was compensation!
Azerbaijan is famous for its oil. For us, it was a first glimpse of Asia after
Europe
We crossed the Caspian and entered Turkmenistan, a surreal dictatorship
with
the warmest people we met in the region. They had been so fierce that the
Russian
imperialists had left them for last in the 19th century. Now, they had to sell
their
famous Akal-Teke horses to rich Arabs because they couldn't afford feed.
The markets were lively though.
We went thru Uzbekistan in a hurry (visa problems) but
managed to get to the top of Timurlane's royal remnants.
(photo by Sandra Basic)
We spent more time in Kirgizstan, where they like meat
and thought our fashion statements bizarre.
We stayed in a ger (yurt) at 3.000 meters
and ate well!
I decided to emulate that American Ideal: Dennis Rodman!
(photo by Sandra Basic)
We crossed out of the ex-USSR and into China.
But, like the USSR, China had
colonized another people - the Uigur,
who aren't as famous as the Tibetans as a
repressed minority but are just as pissed off about it.
The good news is that we could eat Chinese food!
The better news was the market
where you could buy ducks,
get drinks
or change money (the Uigurs are the money changing mafia in China).
(photo by Alex Muck)
We went towards Pakistan on the Karakorum Highway (KKH)
But had to stop because some silly tourist pulled the window out!
(photo by Sandra Basic)
Finally - we made it to the boarder.
Next - South Asia, The Raj, the Subcontinent and ... curry!
(Just 11 to go!)
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