I know....

I've been really bad at blogging lately. Things have been pretty hectic since July. I spent all of August traveling through Central Asia, which was AMAZING. It was great to experience the other countries in the region - I visited Uzbekistan (Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, Urugench, Nuxus - and everything in between), Tajikistan (Dushanbe and Khorog + a drive through some small towns to the Uzbek border) and Kyrgystan (Bishkek). Three and a half weeks of being disconnected from the office definitely tested the control freak in me.

Some general observations from the trip in case you are toying with the idea of visiting Central Asia:

1. English language speakers are limited. Therefore, arranging transportation, booking flights, etc. could take up to a day. Once we would arrive in a major city we often spent an entire day with a travel agent to make sure everything was booked properly. A Lonely Planet guide is key to navigating Central Asia. We lost our Guide upon arrival in Bishkek and would have been completely lost if we hadn't found another.

2. You will be a tourist attraction. Most people we met did not understand what we were doing and why there would be tourists in the region (this was especially the case in Tashkent and some of the smaller towns of Uzbekistan). I was a complete rarity and had people shouting Hindustan at me…very entertaining!

3. The food, although good for the first few days, gets exhausting. Imagine eating meat, laghman (this noodle soup), naan and rice for four weeks straight. This led us to exploring and finding some interesting restaurants. Imagine eating pizza in a cave restaurant in Bukhara on a fish tank with sheesha and fake animals surrounding you. Imagine eating dinner at a Korean disco in Tashkent? Very bizarre.

4. The mosques, mausoleums and monuments are spectacular. The one thing we found in Uzbekistan (especially Khiva, Samarkand and Bukhara) is that a lot of them have undergone reconstruction; most of the time not in the proper way. At one site, we saw a guy painting one of the domes blue, as opposed to fixing the tiles properly. A lot of the sites are also filled with people selling tourist garbage. This means you're standing in a 1000 year old mosque and people are yelling at you to come over and buy a postcard. It takes the sanctity out of the whole experience.

5. The drive to Khorog from Dushanbe (16 hours) is phenomenal. At one point on the drive you look across the river and you see Afghanistan. There are men running around in shalwar kamizees and everything and on the other side I'm in a tank top and short pants....very bizarre. We took the flight back from Khorog to Dushanbe - probably the most beautiful and mind-blowing flight I have ever taken, mind you my hands were digging into the seat in front of me the entire time.

6. All the countries, although so close to one another, are very different. There are a lot of issues between the various groups (Uzbeks, Tajiks, Kyrgz, Russians). The one major trait that runs throughout these countries is the hospitality of the people. It was really interesting to see that in some countries the Soviets made better infrastructure investments.

Please visit the links below to see some selected pictures from the last couple of months:

Kabul Random Photos - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2462055&id=48904585&l=759c0e0bb0

Uzbekistan - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2480953&id=48904585&l=1b2825832c

Kyrgyzstan - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2480976&id=48904585&l=d3c43e83f3

Tajikistan - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2480981&id=48904585&l=ac01af2024

If that wasn't enough traveling I ended up taking a quick trip to Karachi for Eid to visit a friend of mine. I had never been to Pakistan and was quite lucky in obtaining a visa and getting flights out there so quickly. I really liked Karachi and was VERY spoilt over the five days. I would really like to go back to Karachi and then also visit Hunza, Gilgit, Islamabad and Lahore....next time hopefully.

Dubai and Karachi - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2480991&id=48904585&l=abf3f4f7d7

And now I'm off again, still trying to sort out the details, to Dubai, then New York and then home for about a week. I am very excited to get back to the western world, sleep in my own bed, see all my friends and family. It has almost been six months since I've been home...looking forward to it. I should know my plan in the coming few days.

Again, sorry for the delay in posting. Hope to see most of you soon and sending lots of love your way!