After 16+ hours of being stuffed like a sardine in a can (but with free German beer!), I landed in Tashkent around 10pm. It took two hours to clear passport control and customs, so I didn’t arrive to my hotel until around midnight. Instead of going directly to bed, like any sane person would, I spent some time Tweeting/Facebooking/whatever and finally crashed at 2:30am.

And before I knew it, I was awake again at 6am and headed to the Fergana Valley, a five hour drive away. Uzbekistan has interesting radio stations, by the way. One minute they’ll be playing the Beatles’ “Back in the USSR” (ironic, no?) and the next minute MC Hammer’s “Too Legit to Quit”. Yes, MC Hammer.

Tashkent itself appeared to be like every other post-Soviet city I had previously traveled to, with plenty of communist block apartments, wide boulevards, and grandiose monuments. Although I didn’t see sheep grazing in the medians of Kiev and Moscow, so that was something new. But those were just cursory observations; I would return to Tashkent a few days later to explore further.

Outside the city limits of Tashkent, the scenery changed to cotton fields and herders driving their cattle along the roadside. In the small towns along the highway, old men gathered at dilapidated chaikhanas to sip tea and trade stories. Dozens of cars waited patiently at the entrances of palatial gas stations that have no gas to dispense; it reminded me of scenes from the Energy Crisis in the 1970s.

We began to climb the winding roads leading higher into the mountainous terrain. The views from up there were spectacular, interrupted only by the occasional police checkpoint and massive tunnels bored through the mountains, guarded at each end by Kevlar clad, Kalashnikov toting soldiers.

Finally through the mountains, we arrived in the Fergana Valley, the cotton and bread basket of Uzbekistan. Pull up the region on Google Maps and you’ll see an oasis of green surrounded by the dry, desert Tien-Shan and Gissar-Alai mountain ranges. On our way to Rishtan, where I was rendezvousing with my company’s tour group (oh yeah, did I mention this was a work trip?) we passed miles of cotton fields being picked by (mostly) women workers. There is no mechanical harvesting in Uzbekistan, so these women endure hours of back-breaking work to provide for their families. Driving further, we passed barren fields where dozens of large seismic trucks idled. Yes, the Chinese oil companies are here, eagerly searching for that black gold. My eyes began to sting – we traded our fresh mountain air for the dust and smoke of the valley. It smelled of burning trash and agricultural waste.

I’m embarrassed to admit that prior to this trip I had little knowledge of this region of Central Asia. Up until now, the only things I associated it with were ethnic conflict and Islamic fundamentalism. One of my grad school professors was slightly obsessed with these topics, so we spent a lot of class time covering them. Thankfully this visit would give me a chance to learn a bit more about the region.

The Fergana Valley encompasses portions of three countries – Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan – but in reality the entire region is a jumble of ethnicities, rather than clearly delineated by borders. You’ve got some Uzbeks living in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, some Kyrgyz living in Uzbekistan, Tajiks in Kyrgyzstan, and well, you get the idea. The ethnic conflicts that erupted as the Soviet Union collapsed, and which continue to this day, have their origins in the 1920s, when Josef Stalin arbitrarily divided Central Asia into Soviet Republics without any regard for ethnicity.

Source: The Economist

I met up with our tour group and we headed to Kokand, a city of 192,000 that has existed since the 10th century, and, like most things in Central Asia, was razed to the ground by the Mongols in the 13th century. This would be a recurring theme of our travels throughout the region.

Here we visited the Palace of Khudáyár Khán, home of the last ruler of the Khanate of Kokand. The Khanate of Kokand was a Central Asian state that was established in 1709. But in the 1870s the Russians arrived and abolished the Khanate, declaring it part of Russian Turkestan.

Yes, finally, pictures:

Entrance to the palace

These guys asked me to take their picture, so I did.

After visiting the palace we had a few hours to rest at the hotel before dining at the home of a local family. They served the Fergana version of plov, which is the national dish of Uzbekistan and incredibly tasty. Seriously, it is one of my favorite comfort foods and I would eat it every day if I could. Lamb, rice, carrots, onions, and spices – how can you go wrong?

It was early to bed that evening, as we were departing early that morning for the portion of the Fergana Valley located in Tajikistan. Yes, I had been in Uzbekistan for barely 36 hours and was already leaving. But this trip to Tajikistan was just a quick jaunt, I’d be back in Uzbekistan the following day.

More photos here.

Working on a longer write up of this trip (and boy, is it taking a while) but in the meantime here is one photo I took of the Panjshanbe Market in Khujand (formerly Leninabad), Tajikistan. The market’s name, Panjshanbe, means “Thursday” in Farsi, a leftover moniker from the Silk Route era when Khujand was a major staging point for the northern Silk Road.

These days, though, the market is open and thriving every day. Inside you can find a wide variety of foods for sale here: freshly butchered meat, naan bread, dried fruits and nuts, milk and yogurt, honey, produce, and giant mounds of cream cheese. Yes, cream cheese. The merchants here are incredibly friendly, offering samples of their products while inquiring were you are from and what you are doing in Tajikistan. As you can imagine, it is not everyday that a busload of American tourists rolls through Khujand. Tajikistan is not exactly at the top of the vacation bucket list for most Americans. Or Europeans. Or anyone, really.

This was the first market we visited on our three week tour of the Silk Route, and really my first experience interacting with the locals (as it was only my third day into the tour, the majority of which had been spent driving, driving, driving). As I mentioned, the people are incredibly friendly – probably the friendliest I’ve ever met, in fact, and I was overwhelmed by their hospitality and interest in these random foreigners visiting their country. Tajikistan is well worth a visit if you have the time and inclination to visit these types of “off the beaten path” destinations. But more on that later, of course…

Jesus, I haven’t posted to this blog for over three months? That’s pretty bad.

So what has kept me so busy? In October/November I took a work trip to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. It was lovely. Then in December/January I went on vacation to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. Again, very lovely.

For whatever reason, I am completely unable to blog while actually on a trip, making me one of the least effective “travel bloggers” out there. I am incredibly envious of those who can post a summary (with pictures!) at the end of each day, but I am lazy, hate lugging around a laptop, and would rather spend the evening drinking beer or sleeping. So now I have this gigantic backlog of photo processing/blogging. Which isn’t helped by our new obsession with “Dexter” (thank you, Netflix!)

So once I get done processing all the photos I took (2,700 in Central Asia and 1,500 in Southeast Asia) I’ll get around to posting them and perhaps writing a few words. And hopefully that will get done before 2014 rolls around.

OK, here is one of me at the Registan in Samarkand, Uzbekistan:

Just a super quick note before I head off to the airport. For the next three weeks I will be traveling around Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. So after a few years of being stuck stateside, I will finally have some new content and photos for this blog.

(Courtesy WikiTravel)

South East Asia is another area of the world that is high on my travel wishlist. I’ve never traveled to this particular corner of the world, and my previous travels to Asia have been confined to China and North Korea. Thankfully, I will finally make it to South East Asia this upcoming December and January, when I will be visiting Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand for 2.5 weeks.

(Courtesy Wikipedia)

Another area, though, that I will have to visit sometime in the near future is Borneo. The third largest island in the world, Borneo is divided among three countries: Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia. The majority of the island’s territory belongs to Indonesia, with tiny Brunei occupying a mere one percent of the island.

Visitors to the island will find that there is plenty to do on their Borneo holidays. I’m a nature lover, so would opt to visit the island’s unspoiled beaches and national parks. Visitors can snorkel and scuba dive near the reefs lining the small islands off the coast of Borneo, while those looking for something less intense can relax on the island’s many white sand beaches. At the northern tip of Borneo is Kinabalu Park, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site due to its vast number of unique flora, fauna, and wildlife; scientists here are continually discovering new species in this part of the world’s oldest rain forest. The park is also home to Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in South East Asia at 13,435 feet and supposedly an easy climb with no technical skills required. And after summiting Kinabalu, there are plenty of opportunities to soak your sore muscles in the hot springs. Wildlife tours, either by boat or jeep are also very popular, and some animal sanctuaries allow visitors to get up close with orangutans, elephants, and rhinos.

A few weeks ago we drove down to south-central Oregon for a long weekend in Bend and Crater Lake. Bend has a lot of excellent breweries (Deschutes, 10 Barrel, etc) and Crater Lake is, well, Crater Lake. It’s been on my to-do list for a few years, and despite the amazing images of the lake used in the Oregon Tourism ads, I was still floored by its beauty and size.

Panorama taken from Watchman Peak.

The caldera that Crater Lake occupies formed approximately 7,700 years ago when the volcano Mount Mazama erupted. Subsequent rain and melting snowfall filled the caldera, creating Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the United States.

We drove the 33 miles around the rim, stopping at various points to take short hikes. Strangely, the park did not seem very crowded, at least compared to places like Rainier or Olympic National Park.

Wizard Island, a volcanic cinder cone created by subsequent smaller eruptions.

Wizard Island’s cone.

View of the small island known as the “Phantom Ship”

The Pinnacles.

The tour boat in Crater Lake. We tried to get tickets, but unfortunately they were completely sold out.

View from the Watchman Lookout Station. Well worth the hike uphill!

The fire lookout station. Built in 1932. Elevation 8,025 feet.

Crater Lake is definitely a “must see” and well worth the long drive. We are planning to take another trip there in the winter, when the road that encircles the caldera is buried under feet of snow and open to snowshoers and crosscountry skiers.

The rest of the photos are here.

The Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago located off the northwest coast of Africa, have been on my travel wishlist for quite awhile. The Canary Islands are known for their beautiful beaches and year round spring-like weather, which is particularly attractive to Europeans looking to escape the colder winter temperatures.

The island of Gran Canaria is particularly popular with the millions of tourists who visit the Canary Islands. It is often described as a “miniature continent” due to its variety of landscapes and microclimates. Here one can find everything from wide beaches with desert-like sand dunes to mountains, rocky coastlines, and quaint villages. In addition, there are plenty of activities to ensure that you enjoy your stay in Gran Canaria. One can go the relaxing route, and enjoy lounging on the beach while sipping on a cool drink, while the more adventurous travelers can hike the mountains or Dunas de Maspalomas. Those interested in culture and history will also find plenty to do. In the capital city, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, an annual Carnival is held in February, and tourists are encouraged to participate in the festivities. In particular, I would be interested in partaking in the cuisine, a combination of traditional Spanish recipes with African and Latin-American influences. For those who love history, there are several museums and monuments that you can visit. Gran Canaria was the first stop of Christopher Columbus’ expedition on his way back from the Americas, so the island is not lacking in historical significance.

During your stay in Gran Canaria you can enjoy water sports If you are inclined towards scuba diving or snorkeling. Overall, the Canary Islands offer something for everyone.

When it comes to traveling to North Korea, most, if not all, roads lead to Beijing. The majority of flights to Pyongyang leave out of Beijing, and it is likely that your tour operator will require you to attend an orientation briefing the day prior to departure. Since I had never been to China prior to this trip, I added a few extra days in Beijing to the itinerary and basically had three full days to do some sightseeing. Granted, this was nowhere near enough time to even scratch the surface of Beijing, but it was all I could do with my limited vacation time.

Arrival
My flight landed a little after 10:30 on a Saturday morning. We arrived at Terminal 3, which was built to handle increased air traffic for the 2008 Olympics. It was a beautiful and impressive terminal, especially compared to the one we had departed from in Newark. Not so impressive, however, was the smog that was so thick it obscured the hangars located just across the tarmac. I remember hearing a lot about the pollution in Beijing during the run up to the 2008 Olympics, but I never imagined it would be this bad.

Passport control was severely understaffed when we arrived; the majority of booths were left empty while long lines formed. A few minutes later, a platoon of immigration officers marched in – literally marched in – and went to their assigned booths. They were all wearing surgical masks – the major health concern at the time was H1N1, and because of this we had to fill out extra paperwork about possible symptoms as well as pass through a thermal body scanner that measured our temperature. The passport and visa check was quick and painless, and I was amused to see that each booth was outfitted with a small box containing four buttons ranging from a sad face to a very happy face. It was a rating device – you were supposed to push the button that best expressed your satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) with the service you received from the passport control officer. I was astounded by this. They felt so out of place. Could you imagine the US government installing these at passport control booths in US airports?

After waiting about an hour for my luggage and catching a taxi into the city center, I checked into my hotel and promptly fell asleep (because I can’t sleep on airplanes) even though it was 4pm. I woke up a few hours later in a complete daze, and wandered around the neighborhood. All I really remember was going to a grocery store, buying some pastry and Coke, and then falling back asleep.

I stayed at the Marriott Courtyard in central Beijing, just a 15-20 minute walk to Tienanmen Square. This was a bit unusual for me, as I am used to staying at cheap hotels, but I received an excellent “friends & family” rate from a friend who worked for Marriott, so it was hard to pass up.

The China North International Shooting Range & the Great Wall

I didn’t really do that much planning for my short time in Beijing. I only had a vague idea of what I wanted to see. Obviously, Tienanmen Square, the Forbidden City, etc etc. I also wanted to visit the Great Wall, but didn’t really care to see the Ming Tombs or Summer Palace, sights that are typically packaged with a guided tour of the Great Wall. So I opted to do something a bit more unusual – visit a shooting range. So I spent my first morning in Beijing sampling the firearms of the People’s Liberation Army (which I wrote about in detail here) followed by a hike up the Juyongguan section of the Great Wall (detailed here).

Tiananmen Square & the Forbidden City
My next day in Beijing was dedicated solely to Tiananmen Square & the Forbidden City. In order to enter Tiananmen Square I first had to pass through a security checkpoint where you walk through a metal detector and have your bags x-rayed, in case you happen to be carrying weapons or, more than likely, anti-government signs or materials.

After successfully passing the checkpoint (I had left all my weapons at home, thankfully) I entered the southern end of Tiananmen Square near the Zhengyangmen Gate.

The square itself is massive. Measuring 880m by 500m, it is the third largest square in the world. Moscow’s Red Square, at 330m by 70m, seems tiny by comparison. Tienanmen is also the location of the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong (more on that later).

Socialist realism statues in front of the mausoleum

Since Tiananmen Square has been the site of important, and sometimes bloody, demonstrations, the authorities continue to keep a watchful eye on any activities taking place there (exhibit any political activity and you will be quickly whisked away). You can find large lampposts with these cameras all over Tiananmen Square (these particular cameras are situated near the mausoleum) along with numerous uniformed and plainclothes police officers.

Monument to the People’s Heroes erected to honor those who died for the revolutionary cause.

Tiananmen Gate

Chinese flag with honor guard.

Heading to the Forbidden City

View from the Tienanmen Gate

The Forbidden City
The Forbidden City served as the home of the Chinese Imperial family from the Ming Dyanasty to the end of the Qing Dyansty (roughly 1420-1912). The place is massive, consisting of 980 buildings (and those are the ones that survived through the destruction that accompanies occupation and revolution).

The dragon turtle sculpture

The thick surrounding walls

Wangfujing
After wandering around Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City, I headed over to the Wangfujing Snack Street. There is a wide variety of street food for sale here, including scorpions and starfish on a stick.

I am willing to try a lot of different foods when I travel, but poisonous insects on sticks were just a bit too much for me. Instead I opted for a snack of noodles and veggies wrapped in a moo shoo pancake (like a Chinese burrito) and for dessert, green tea ice cream.

Mausoleum of Mao Zedong

At the top of my “to do” list was paying a visit to Mao Zedong’s embalmed corpse. You see, since visiting Lenin in 2002 I have made it my goal to see all of the embalmed communist leaders who are still on display (Lenin, Kim Il-Sung, Mao, and Ho Chi Minh). And yes, I realize that is ridiculously weird. Anyways, this trip to China and North Korea presented me with an opportunity to cross two off of my list (only Ho Chi Minh remains!) so on my last day in Beijing, I was up early and headed straight to the mausoleum. As expected, the line was long, but moved at a good pace. I neglected to bring my passport, however, which was apparently required for entry, and was wearing flip-flops, which was also frowned upon, according to one of the posted signs. When I finally arrived to the security checkpoint, this apparently didn’t matter much, because I played the stupid American tourist and the guards let me through. Most visitors were Chinese citizens; in fact, I seemed to be the only Westerner there. Upon entering the mausoleum I encountered a huge pile of flowers, which was growing substantially. I was one of the few visitors who had failed to purchase flowers to honor the Chairman. We moved on to the actual room that displays Mao’s body, which was draped in a red hammer and sickle flag and enclosed in a glass coffin. You don’t have much time to gawk, as the guards move you along quickly into the next room, which, I kid you not, was lined with souvenir stands selling a variety of Mao memorabilia. It reminded me of Disneyland, when you are forced to exit through the gift shop after finishing a ride. I bought a kitschy ornament with Mao portrait that you are supposed to hang from your rearview mirror, like a Beijing taxi driver.

The Temple of Heaven
My last stop on my sightseeing itinerary was the Temple of Heaven. Built in the early 1400s, Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties came to this Taoist temple to pray for good harvests.

My embarrassing last meal
I am not proud to admit this, but for my last meal in Beijing I had a Marriott Burger delivered via room service. I know, I know, I should have gone out for Peking Duck or hot pot, but after five days of North Korean food, and several days of Chinese food, I was craving American food like crazy. So here it is, my burger and waffle fries, which I devoured quickly and washed down with a Chinese beer:

Goodbye, Beijing!
Overall, I was rather overwhelmed by Beijing. There was so much to see, and too little time to see it. I would love to go back to China someday and explore more of the country.

The rest of the photos are here.

My favorite part of living in London, aside from the pubs, was the availability of low-cost Europe flights. For less than $100 we flew London to Rome, Rome to Venice, and Venice to London. Of course, you have to contend with RyanAir, which is quite lacking in service, but I think the trade-off is worth it.

Of all the places I visited while living in Europe, Venice was definitely one of my favorites. It is, of course, an incredibly beautiful city, and I loved the quirkiness of the place (no cars, just boats. They even have police, ambulance, and UPS boats). The food was amazing, especially when sitting canal-side, and we couldn’t get enough of the gelato so often had it 2-3 times per day. While we went in the summer, when Venice is crowded with tourists, I did not find it to be completely overwhelming. All we had to do was just turn down a few side streets and we would soon find ourselves in a quiet courtyard away from the mass of tourists. The nights were incredibly peaceful as well. When we arrived in Venice late one evening, the entire city seemed to be deserted, and we had to walk for quite awhile to find something for dinner (thankfully we stumbled upon a pizzeria that was closing and sold us their last two slices and a gyro).

One thing we didn’t do, however, was hire a gondola (the boat in the above photo). They were running over 60 euros for less than an hour (and from what I was told that was one of the cheaper rides). Since that was way over our budget, we stick to riding around the canals on the cheaper, but less charming vaporetti (water buses).

I’ve never been a huge fan of poetry. In middle school and high school, poetry writing assignments were the bane of my existence, and I usually ended up turning in something that was slightly “smartass-ish”. But, I came across the below poem by Elizabeth Bishop and loved it. Since it is related to travel, I thought I’d share.

Questions of Travel
Elizabeth Bishop

There are too many waterfalls here; the crowded streams
hurry too rapidly down to the sea,
and the pressure of so many clouds on the mountaintops
makes them spill over the sides in soft slow-motion,
turning to waterfalls under our very eyes.
–For if those streaks, those mile-long, shiny, tearstains,
aren’t waterfalls yet,
in a quick age or so, as ages go here,
they probably will be.
But if the streams and clouds keep travelling, travelling,
the mountains look like the hulls of capsized ships,
slime-hung and barnacled.

Think of the long trip home.
Should we have stayed at home and thought of here?
Where should we be today?
Is it right to be watching strangers in a play
in this strangest of theatres?
What childishness is it that while there’s a breath of life
in our bodies, we are determined to rush
to see the sun the other way around?
The tiniest green hummingbird in the world?
To stare at some inexplicable old stonework,
inexplicable and impenetrable,
at any view,
instantly seen and always, always delightful?
Oh, must we dream our dreams
and have them, too?
And have we room
for one more folded sunset, still quite warm?

But surely it would have been a pity
not to have seen the trees along this road,
really exaggerated in their beauty,
not to have seen them gesturing
like noble pantomimists, robed in pink.
–Not to have had to stop for gas and heard
the sad, two-noted, wooden tune
of disparate wooden clogs
carelessly clacking over
a grease-stained filling-station floor.
(In another country the clogs would all be tested.
Each pair there would have identical pitch.)
–A pity not to have heard
the other, less primitive music of the fat brown bird
who sings above the broken gasoline pump
in a bamboo church of Jesuit baroque:
three towers, five silver crosses.
–Yes, a pity not to have pondered,
blurr’dly and inconclusively,
on what connection can exist for centuries
between the crudest wooden footwear
and, careful and finicky,
the whittled fantasies of wooden footwear
and, careful and finicky,
the whittled fantasies of wooden cages.
–Never to have studied history in
the weak calligraphy of songbirds’ cages.
–And never to have had to listen to rain
so much like politicians’ speeches:
two hours of unrelenting oratory
and then a sudden golden silence
in which the traveller takes a notebook, writes:

“Is it lack of imagination that makes us come
to imagined places, not just stay at home?
Or could Pascal have been not entirely right
about just sitting quietly in one’s room?

Continent, city, country, society:
the choice is never wide and never free.
And here, or there . . . No. Should we have stayed at home,
wherever that may be?”