A journey through Central Asia - Kazakhistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan
Day 1: June 19: Astana, Kazakhistan
I was picked up in the Astana airport by a Russian mafia looking driver. Bald head, bulky, with a gruff accent And a big strut. Definitely ex-KGB!
I met up with my friend Raj, and we started our day tour. Our tour in Astana starting with the visit of the following sites: Orthodox Church; after that walking in Water Green Boulevard, located in main administrative and business center. Further visit of EXPO - world's largest spherical building 80m in the diameter and 100m tall, the first hi-tech museum in Kazakhstan; Khan Shatyr Shopping and Entertainment center.
The national museum was first on our list. The ancient costumes and tools used by Kazakhs were displayed. The museum was quite empty, and looked brand new. The oil money that Kazakhistan has was immediately apparent.
Expo - world's largest spherical building
Pre-historical man in Kazakhistan
The Orthodox Church was next on our list. It was only a few years old, and very blingy. The icons and church bell were built in Russia and the Ukraine. We also went to the main mosque in Astana. Apparently the law states that for every mosque, a church of equal height has to built. To keep the equality of religions!
The next stop was the Presidential Palace. It was on one side of the Amu-Darya river, which stretches across Central Asia and into Russia.
After that it was a stop at the pyramid, and then a journey up the . We ended up in a typical Kazakh restaurant where the speciality was horse's meat. It was a bit gamey, and interesting.
Later that evening we took the transfer on a high speed train between Astana and Almaty in the evening. The train left at 19:14. The journey was scheduled for 14 hours . The distance is about 1300 kms.. The compartment had two bunk beds, and was quite clean and comfortable. The train guard was friendly and chatted with us for some time. There was a restaurant car with food and alcohol, and we had a couple of beers.
Day 2: June 20: Almaty, Kazakhistan: Accommodation: night train (2-berth compartment)
Kazakh steppes - view from the train to Almaty
Our train arrived in the morning, and we were whisked away to Hotel Kazakhistan for a pretty
large buffet breakfast. Our driver was another bald wrestler ex-KGB looking guy. If I need assassins,
I know where to find them! We met up with our guide - she was of Russian/Ukrainian origin, with the name
of an Orthodox Saint - Kseniya
Almaty is a more real city, with a much longer history than Astana. We started our tour with a visit
to the Panfilov Park, followed by a visit to the Zenkov Cathedral, the Memorial of Glory and Eternal Flame and then the Green bazaar.
Kok Tobe Hill
Zenkov Cathedral
Inside Zenkov Cathedral
Zenkov Cathedral Chandelier
We then went to see the Square of the Republic, Monument of Independence and State museum.
The next visit was to the Kok-Tobe hill with the tallest TV tower in the world. It was a theme village where the standout was the upside down house, and the statues of the Beatles. It was a short ride from the top of the hill to the center ofthe city by the famous Almaty cableway.
We then headed back to the hotel. On the ground floor, there was a a restaurant with Arabic style sheesha, a favourite of both Raj and me.
Our taxi ride to Kyrgyzstan picked us up in the morning. The ride from Almaty to the“Korday” border point, then to Bishkek (road transfer of 250 km): was uneventful. The border crossing was quite simple and took maybe an hour for passing through the Kazakh and Kyrgyz sides. The same taxi picked us up and took us to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
The Art Hotel 3* was a boutique hotel, and modern looking. There was a bar/restaurant in the basement, and we met up with our fellow travellers Nejia and Saroosh. I hadn't seen them for a couple of years and we had a lot to catch up on! They went camping in Kyrgyzstan for a couple of days before they met us.
In the evening we headed to a Georgian restaurant, and since I had just been to Georgia, I could make a lot of recommendations. Kachaburi, meat stew, Separavi wine, were all a part of the meal.
After dinner we talk a walk in the main square. There were a lot of South Asian students walking around. Apparently many of them come for a degree in medicine.
We headed from Bishkek to Ala-Archa Gorge (road distance of 80 km).
Our guide was of Russian origin, Tania, and she had a Japanese anime voice. Our agenda for the day was to go to Ala-Archa gorge - a Natural Park. The Ala-Archa gorge is on a spur of the Tien Shan mountain range, it is located in 45 km from Bishkek. You can have a short hiking tour to see a panoramic view of the gorge. You can also have a hike to the small waterfall.
This hike turned out to be a lot more exciting than I expected. It was a 6 hour hike, and it started raining heavily. I didn't have the right shoes (who hasn't heard that excuse) and slipped and skidded and fell a few times. Our petite guide had to hold my hand on a few occasions to help me to come downhill, which was a bit embarrassing!
Photo of Saroosh - don't ask 😆!
After breakfast at the hotel we started the city tour of Bishkek: Duboviy Park (Oak Park), Central Ala-Too Square, the National Museum of History was an interesting one. It listed the communist revoliton in Kyrgyzstan. , National Philharmonic and Osh Bazaar.
Colourful snacks in the bazaar
Spices and other ingrediants
Soldiers marching to change the flag.
Transfer to the airport for flight to Dushanbe (Avia Traffic Airlines (Kyrgyzstan): as my brother-in-law Samir once joked, I have traveled with all the unknown airlines of the world!). I struck up a conversation with my fellow passenger. He spoke very little English, but we engaged in conversation for an hour! He talked about work, family, places to visit in Tajikistan, etc.
Upon arrival transfer to hotel and check in. Our guide Jahangir was a youthful and enthusiastic person, who had also been a newscast reader on television! We had a quick dinner at the hotel. Afterwards, we sang Bollywood songs had long discussions about South Asia.
Dushanbe.
After breakfast we started our city tour about Dushanbe: visit of famous Museum of National Antiquities with reclining Buddha in Nirvana. It was surprising to see Buddhist artifacts in Central Asia - it showed how far west Buddhism had penetrated.
2000 year old fresco
Reclining Buddha
From there we headed to the Botanical garden and the Somoni monument. King Ismail Samani was an important ruler of this region, and his statue looked regal. The Somoni currency of Tajikistan is named after Ismail, and he is featured on the obverse of the 100 Somoni banknote. Also, the highest mountain in Tajikistan (and in the former Soviet Union) is named after Ismail.
King Ismail Samani
We stopped for lunch in a traditional restaurant. The meal on offer was the plov (we were going to see this dish quite a few times in our trip!). A particular feature of Central Asian plov is the addition of dried fruits, like plums, apricots, etc to this meat and rice dish.
Aftr lunch I went a very required haircut. There were quite a few places near the bazaar. I randomly selected one. With shampooing, it came to $1.50 ! I liked Tajikistan! He also offered a single blade shave for me, but after watching mafia movies I am reluctant to allow a stranger to do that to me.
We then went on an excursion to Hissor town (23 km from Dushanbe) to see ancient fortress of Hissor. It was once the fortress of the Persian Emperor, Cyrus the Great.
Hissor fortress
Ancient bazaar in Hissor
Next we visited the Madrassah Kuhna and Museum of Tajik Way of life there. The final trip was to the mausoleum of Sufi saint Mahdumi Azam.
Later that night we went to a Tajik restaurant with a traditional dance performance. The dance form seemed a blend of Central Asian and East European moves.
After dinner we walked around the city. The people looked to be more religious, compared to other countries in Central Asia. They also looked happy. Kids were running around in playgrounds, and parents were laughing among themselves.
We started our drive to Khujand via “Istiklol” tunnel which was a 4 hours drive through the Turkestan mountains. It was very picturesque.
Turkestan Mountains
In Khujand we visited the following monuments: Museum of archeology and fortification. There was an ancient astronomer named Abu Mahmood Khojandi here. The city seemed peaceful and historical. We then headed to the Payshanba Bazaar, one of typical bazaars in the eastern world. It was more orderly than other bazaars, and had distinctive Central Asian/Persian architecture.
Payshanba Bazaar, Khujand, Tajikistan
After lunch we transfered to the border point “Oybek”. We arrived at the border by 17:00. After finishing the border formalities, we changed our car and guide in Uzbekistan and we drove further to Tashkent, which was an hour and a half drive.
We headed to dinner in a nearby restaurant, which was very elaborate. There was a live piano singer playing there. There was an obvious blend of Central Asian and European cutlure here in Uzbekistan. It was definately less conservative than Tajikistan.
Later that night Nejia gatecrashed a Uzbek wedding happening in an hall close to our hotel. She walked right in, while the three less brave men waited outside, ready to run if she was chased out. Luckily, the Uzbeks were very hospitable and chatted with her.The Rohat Hotel 3* was bare, but livable.
After a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, where we met Indians from India and an another set of Indians from the USA, we started the guided sightseeing tour around Tashkent:
Khast-Imam Square, Barak-Khan Madrasah, Kafal-al-Shashi Mausoleum, Kukeldash Madrasah
Next door to the library is the 16th-century Barak-Khan Madrassa, and, immediately opposite it, the Tellya Sheikh Mosque, formerly Tashkent's main place of worship
This wonderful complex has the Madrasah of Barak-Khan, Tilla Sheikj mosque, Mausoleum of St Abu Bakr Kaffal Shashi, the Islamic Institual and the Spiritual Administration of Muslims in Central Asia.
Lunch was the Uzbek version of plov. Made in this large vessel - possibly the biggest plov vessel in the world! At the Central Asian Plov Centre
Uzbek Plov being cooked for 1000 persons
Fountain in front of the Tashkent Theatre
After lunch we visited the Museum of Applied Arts, and then the Independence Square, which had a memorial to the Uzbek soldiers who died during WW2.
List of Uzbek soldiers who died in WW2 in this hall
The Russian influence is still visble in the country - one can hear Russian spoken everywhere. , Amir Timur Square. Raj and I took a quick side trip to the Shastri Avenue. Lal Bahadur Shastri, India's second Prime Minister, had died in Tashkent while negotiating the end of the 1965 war with Pakistan.
Bust of Lal Bahudur Shastri, the Indian Prime Minister
We drove to the railway station for transfer to Samarkand by a high-speed “Afrosiyob” train. It is amazing that we in North America don't have a high speed train, but many countries around the world have them. This train took 2 hours to go 240 kms.
Afrosiyob high speed train
Our guided sightseeing tour of Samarkand started with the Registan Square A grand center of various buildings from the Middle Ages. It was truly royal and representative of an empire.
We started with the Ulugbek Madrasah, Sher-Dor Madrasah, Tilla-Qori Madrasah),
The Gur-e Amir Mausoleum (Tamerlane’s sepulcher) was one of the best graves of an emperor that I have seen. He was buried there with his sons, and the whole building was turquoise blue on the outside., Rukhabad
Graves of Tamerlane (far right) and his sons
Our next visit was to the Ulugbek Observatory.Ulugbek was a famous astronomer of the Timurid Empire of the 15th century. He built a highly accurate sexant, and wrote a catalogue of stars that was the most accurate till Tycho Brahe. He also calcuated the length of a day more accurately than Coperniicus.
Statue of Ulugbeg
The next destination was the tomb of Saint Daniel - the same one who was thrown to the lions in the Biblical story. He is supposed to be really tall, and the coffin was over 12 feet long!
Saint Daniel's coffin
Mausoleum (from the outside); after lunch: Bibi-Khanym Mosque,
Shah-i-Zinda Necropolis was an absolutely beautiful place. It was full of historical building in the typical Uzbek blue colour.
After breakfast transfer from Samarkand to Bukhara (a road distance of 280 km). On arrival we had lunch and after lunch we started the sightseeing tour in Bukhara. We visited the following sites: Lyab-i Hauz Architectural Ensemble, Kukeldash Madrasah, Nadir Divan-Begi Madrasah, domed shopping arcade.
The ancient Turkish comic Nasreddin Hodja in Bukhara. Tinkle comics in India used to carry tales from this satirist.
Ulugbek Madrasah
Women from Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakistan and Afghanistan in their traditional costumes
After breakfast at the hotel, we continued the guided sightseeing tour in Bukhara.
Inside a mosque in Bukhara
Fortress of Bukhara; Where the Emir (king) of Bukhara was located
We visited the Ismail Samani Mausoleum, Chashma Ayub Mausoleum, Bolo Khauz Mosque, Ark Citadel, Po-i-Kalyan Complex (Kalyan Minaret and others), .
After lunch we transfered 4 km from Bukhara and visited the out-of-town sites: Sitora-i Mokh-i Khosa Palace and the Baha-ud-Din Naqshbandi Complex.
In the evening we watched a performance by dancers from the 5 Stan countries - Kazakhistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistana nd Turkmenistan.
Uzbek/Russian performance to the tune of "Ramaiya Vastavaiya" - a Bollywood song from the 1950s
After an early breakfast at the hotel we transfered to Uzbek-Turkmen border “Farap” (a 2-hours drive from Bukhara). This border was a bit surreal. We had to go to a transit location on the border and wait for a jeep to take us to the Turkmen border. A very 1950s large Soviet military jeep came along, and at least 10 people got in with all our baggage.
Border formalities took some time. Our guide was there, and she helped to expediate the process. She was partially ethnic Russian, which was interesting since almost every guide in this trip had been one.
Our next item on the agenda was lunch. We went to a restaurant that served Central Asian kebabs. There were some local soft drinks, but none of the international ones.
Grilling kebabs Turkmen style!
Following lunch we were to visit the ancient city of Merv. Half way through our journey, our car broke down. It was a miserably hot 42 c (108 F) and we got out and stood in some shaded area under a few trees. Eventually we hitchhiked in a local person's car to the nearest town where we got a taxi and continued our tour.
The ancient city of Merv was once the largest city in the world. It was at the center of the Silk Road trade. In 1221 the Mongols came and destroyed the whole city and massacred perhaps up to one million inhabitants.
There isn't a lot left of the city. There are a few ruins, spread over a large area which shows the size of the city.
It is a UNESCO heritage site. After that tour , we transfered to the hotel.
Our Accommodation at Mary (Hotel Mary Myhmanhanasy) was a bit like the movie - The Shining. It was a large hotel and we were the only guests there. When we went for dinner, we were the only people in the restaurant. Our guide bought us beers for the inconvenience of the car breakdown. It was a new hotel, and the buildings in the city were new as well.
We started the sightseeing program in Ashgabat on arrival. We visited the Ertogrul Gazy Mosque, Independence Park, and the Neutrality Arch, which was an interesting monument. There was a bright gold statue at the center. Halk Hakydasy was an another unusual memorial. It is dedicated to the 1948 earthquake in Turkmenistan and the World War 2 victims. There is also a section dedicated to the Turkmen defenders, who fought against the Russian Empire soldiers. They defeated the Russians once, but lost the second time.
A historical site that we visited was Nisa (a UNESCO heritage site). This was a Parthian capital, and a trading center about 2200 years ago. The Parthians were the competitors to the Roman Empire. and Turkmenbashi Mosque-Mausoleum.
Our Accommodation was an another strange one : Ak-Altyn Hotel. It was a bit run down, but apparently there were Embassies that operated from this hotel at some point. There was loud disco music near the pool, so we picked up some kebabs from a nearby restaurant and had an impromptu meal.
World's tallest Ferris Wheel (Alem Centre)
We met a Turkmen wedding party taking photos near some of the monuments at night. They very kindly invited us for their wedding, which was the next day. Nejia would have been tempted, but we had to leave the country in a few hours!
Day 14 : July 1: Ashghabat, Turkmenistan:Accommodation: Ak-Altyn Hotel
The airport was huge, but mostly unoccupied. Check in was smooth, and I had to say my goodbyes to Saroosh, Nejia and Raj. Till next time my friends!
Wow what a wonderful trip it must have been. Different from the usual touristic destinations. Will hopefully go to Uzbekistan but with your write up& pictures maybe I’ll go to other places too
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