Word for the Travel Wise (09/03/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Just came across the tourism.uz site which I don’t recall seeing in the past and there is a bundle of useful information for travelers planning Central Asian Uzbek travel. This tip should be almost a no-brainer, but under their general info page they say not expect much of restroom facilities outside of major hotels and modern apartment buildings. So there you have it – don’t say I didn’t try to tell you so if you go looking for high-class potties.

Today’s word is a Uzbek word used in Uzbekistan:

hojathona – bathroom

Uzbek is spoken by 18.5 million in Uzbekistan and across Central Asia. It is the official language of Uzbekistan and classified as an Eastern Turkic language in the Qarluq. Wiki has great background on the lang as usual where as you can find an incredible list of the most common Uzbek words at this Introduction to Uzbek Language site. In addition to the wordlist there is also a small section for pronunciation and grammar.

Past Uzbek words: arzimaydi

SmarterTravel: Best & Worst Travel Destinations for Women

by Adrienne Wilson on

As a woman, traveler, and the type that tends to like parachuting into off-the-beaten track destinations, I long for articles that point out where women should go and where they should exercise extra caution when going. Well, USA Today features a fine piece for the solo women journeying this big bad world on her own with the best and worst places for women to travel. The list, compiled by Jessica Labrencis and RaeJean Stokes of SmarterTravel, doesn’t suggest women should free up and lose all inhibitions in so-called safe places or completely avoid named worst destinations. Instead of rambling on about what the list does suggest let’s take a look at their best and worst and share some of our experiences. (You’ll want to go to their site for all the specifics.)

Best travel destinations for women:

  • Amsterdam
  • Ireland
  • Costa Rica
  • India
  • Vietnam

Worst travel destinations for women:

  • Middle East & Northern Africa
  • The Mediterranean Coast
  • The United States
  • Latin America & the Caribbean
  • States of the former U.S.S.R.

If you ask me the worst place destination list looks to include a heavy number of places. Considering the U.S. has 50 states (some worse than others) and the former U.S.S.R. has some 14 states (including my next destination -Tajikistan) it’s safe to say women have to watch their backs almost everywhere. What’s your take? Ladies?

Red Corner: Tamerlane’s Uzbek Legacy

by Neil Woodburn on

In the pantheon of truly bloodthirsty leaders, the name Tamerlane hardly strikes recognition in the western world (indeed, as I’m typing this on Microsoft Word, the spell-check dictionary fails to recognize the name). Yet, historians claim this sadistic warlord was responsible for an incredible 17 million deaths as his nomadic warriors hacked and decapitated their way through much of the Central Asia in the late 14th century. His calling card was a gigantic pyramid made from the heads of those whose town he just sacked.

Like all great conquerors, Tamerlane built some rather impressive cities thanks to the loot his army returned home to Uzbekistan with. Fortunately, much of this legacy still remains standing today, waiting to woo the few tourists who venture this far off the beaten path.

Although travel through this region is not the easiest in the world, following in the footsteps of Tamerlane offers some very fascinating rewards. Samarkand, for example, was Tamerlane’s capital. Just check out the blue tile work in the above photo! This place really blew me away when I first visited. It’s hundreds of years old and still as awe-inspiring and mesmerizing as when it was first built.

Central Asia Refresher

by Adrienne Wilson on

Every once in a while it’s nice to remind ourselves about places that may not be on the top of our travel lists, but we forget exist or never knew existed. As I’ve been sharing some upcoming travel plans with people it’s suddenly starting to strike a nerve how much of the population is unaware of other smaller countries or entire regions to boot! On a recent trip into a book store for some quick guide book hunting my conversation with the clerk went something like this:

“Excuse me, do you happen to have any travel guides on Central Asia or Tajikistan,” I said.

The clerk scratches his head and replies, “Hmm… Why no, no one goes there.”

“But you’re missing a HUGE chunk of the world and I’m going,” I responded.

An older gent with his head tucked in an Eyewitness Travel Guide for France looks up in curiosity.

“Then you’re probably the only one going then,” he concluded.

“Thanks, I’ll look online,” I said.

After this conversation at the bookstore I have found myself being questioned as to why I’d want to go any placed that ended in -stan or where the heck Tajikistan is, but the better question will always be, why not?! Anyhow, I didn’t start all this to moan and groan. Instead I just wanted to provide a quick Central Asia refresher. Wikipedia is one of the best places to start for the basics which I’ll just throw out right here/right now. Central Asia is comprised of the following: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, western China, northeast Iran, Afghanistan, western Pakistan, and central-east Russia south of the Taiga.

The borders of Central Asia have been defined a number of ways, but in one of the broader cases this is probably your best bet. There – I feel much better now. If you’ve got some Central Asia travel experiences to share please feel to tell all. For those who hadn’t a clue before, I hope this provides a small amount of insight.

Red Corner: The Aral Sea(less)

by Neil Woodburn on

Spare a moment for the fisherman of the Aral Sea.

50 years ago they pulled 50,000 tons of fish out of this body of water annually. Today, the water is all but gone and the fish replaced with camels.

Located mostly in Uzbekistan, the Aral Sea was once one of our planet’s largest bodies of water–until, that is, the Soviets started dabbling with Mother Nature. In the 1960s they began tapping into the rivers that fed the Aral and diverting their waters eastward to grow cotton in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. These were not natural cotton growing regions; they were mostly desert. But the Soviet decided to force the issue nonetheless.

Over the next 30 years, the sea shrank to half its size, causing the salinity of its waters to increase to the point where fish could no longer survive. By the 1970s they had all died off. Flounders–which thrive in high salinity–were eventually introduced to the waters, but this wasn’t enough. So much of the sea had disappeared that one can stand on old docks and see nothing but sand, camels, and ships marooned in the desert. In fact, many young people who live in Aral City, once a thriving fishing town on the shoreline, have never even seen the ocean it has receded so far away.

I tried visiting about ten years ago to check it out for myself, but every Uzbek I met told me how the region was rife with disease and airborne toxins blowing through the desert.

Although the Aral Sea catastrophe is truly one of mankind’s greatest ecological disasters, there is now a slim sliver of hope. The LA Times is reporting that a new dam has recently been built on the Kazak side. It has raised the water level and fishermen are starting to dream again. But a dream it will remain. There are no plans or money to increase the dam to a size which would return the waters to the levels they once were. The Aral Sea will remain dead and lifeless for many years to come and the bizarre sight of fishing vessels buried in sand dunes will continue to amaze.