You're going *where*?

[graculus]

I just paid my deposit for the trip I'm planning in the summer. I foresee 4 months of 'you're going where?' and variations on that theme between now and my setting off in June.

For my summer holidays this year, I am going to Uzbekistan.

Let's just let that sink in for a moment, shall we?

Yes, you read it right, Uzbekistan. Silk Road and Samarkand and camels and all that shit. And people will ask me why? Pffft.

Comments

[emony.livejournal.com]

Wow. That sounds amazing :) We saw camels in Israel, but I was too scared to ride one.

[cycnus39]

Tell the truth: you're going for the camels. ;-)

[graculus.livejournal.com]

Clearly you know me too well! :P

[siluria]

LOL - I'm sure you'll have lots of fun and some great experiences :)

[moonlettuce.livejournal.com]

That sounds awesome :D

[katemonkey.livejournal.com]

Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeat!

[rivier.livejournal.com]

Quietly jealous here! I still want to go to Georgia, which is not so wacky... and Armenia and Azerbaijan too, both of which may be slightly more, hm, challenging. One day! And in the meantime, a week of splurge in NYC will have to do.

[oceania.livejournal.com]

The people in Georgia were the nicest I have ever met. One woman met us in the marketplace and took us home for tea. She gave us a beautiful spoon in exchange for pantyhose and granola bars. We were giving them to her but she insisted on giving us the spoon. I cherish it. I loved Tblisi although I picked up a nasty bug there and was deathly ill by the time I got to Leningrad (now ST. Petersburg). I got it from bad pepsinot from their delicious food. They had the most amazing folk dancers there that dance on the knuckles of their toes and I got really "happy" watching these gorgeous men dance while I ate fresh goat milk's cheese, olives and a spicy red wine. It was awesome.

[oceania.livejournal.com]

I've been there. It was fascinating. Very very very very very very hot. On the airline: "Welcome to Samarkand, the temperature today is 48 degrees celsius."

I did Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara. The textiles were freaking amazing. You need to leave room in your suitcase for some silk. They had such amazing silk brocades. Tehre is a textile museum in Samarkan (I think alhtough it might be Tashkent) that was amazing amazing....the needlepoint, the weaving...oh and the mosque in Samarkand. LOVE. My only advice is NOT TO DRINK THE WATER and take some power bars. I was there when it was still part of the USSR so shortages might not be a poroblem anymore. I can't wait to hear all the details and pictures must be posted. So no, I don't think it's a weird vacation at all!

[sg1scribe.livejournal.com]

*is jealous*

How exciting. I love travelling to off the tourist trail places. You're going to have a fabulous time. Take lots of photos.

[graculus.livejournal.com]

I went to Syria and Jordan and did something similar, though with more camping out, a few years back and it was fantastic. I've always wanted to do the whole Silk Road (among many other things) so I can't wait...

And yes, there will be lots of photos, there always are. ;)

[morganmuffle]

OMG! That's so incredibly cool I can't really begin to process it :D

[seanchaidh.livejournal.com]

Oh, that sounds amazing. I'm looking forward to any pictures you take.

As to the "you're going WHERE? WHY?" comments, I'd probably just shrug and say, why not?

Go you :)

[katyabaturinsky.livejournal.com]

And people will ask me why?

Yes, and I WOULD BE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE if I didn't know you. (Average summer temperature of over 40C/100F, i.e., Katya's idea of hell on earth.)

As it is, though, my immediate reaction was, "oh, of course." ONLY YOU, I swear.

[graculus.livejournal.com]

This would be why I am going in early June, not August, though I've discovered (from trips to Georgia in August and Arizona in May respectively) that I cope badly with humidity and quite well, with the assistance of SPF25 sunscreen, with dry heat.

Also, dude, it's the Silk Road! :P

[khek.livejournal.com]

That sounds very interesting and exciting! Be careful not to raise the ire of a camel though...they spit with pretty good aim!

Do you have side trips planned, or do you just sort of play it by ear?

[graculus.livejournal.com]

I'm going as part of a group so we're doing Samarkand, Bokhara and other places, with a camel trek (and sleeping in a yurt) somewhere in there... It's not really still an area that works too well for solo travellers and my Russian is extremely rusty. ;)

[nialla]

Silk Road and Samarkand and camels and all that shit.

And all that camel shit. ;) Sorry, farmer's daughter here, I think about such practical and icky stuff about animals.

Sounds like a good trip to me, as I'm busy playing Anywhere But Here at the moment.