Author: awaywiththebirds
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Can the Stans handle the Merck girls?
September 24: More of Ashgabat and horses Every roundabout in Ashgabat has some interesting structure on it. I haven’t told you much about Ashgabat. It’s the capital of Turkmenistan, and is often described as a “white marble wonderland” in the desert. It began as a Russian garrison town in the 19th century, grew under the Soviets, and…
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Can the Stans handle the Merck girls?
September 23: Ashgabat Good question, Sammy (who asked what happens if your car isn’t clean). Ashgabat is famous for its extreme cleanliness rules — and cars are no exception. Authorities strictly control what vehicles are allowed into the city: · Dirty or dusty cars are often stopped at checkpoints on the approach to Ashgabat. If a car isn’t spotless, police…
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Can the Stans handle the Merck girls?
September 22: Khiva to Turkmenistan Last glimpses of Khiva After another 4 course lunch, we left Khiva to drive to the Turkmenistan border. Our guide Chris had thoroughly prepared us for a gruelling border crossing. We were told to throw away any medicine which had the word “codeine” in it because it is illegal. Other…
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Can the Stans handle the Merck girls?
September 21: Khiva Khiva has been around for well over a thousand years. According to legend, it was founded when Shem, son of Noah, dug a well there — the Kheyvak well, which still exists today. Because of its location, Khiva became an important oasis trading post where caravans stopped on their way between Persia, China, and…
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Can the Stans handle the Merck girls
Sept 20: Nukus and Khiva After the Aral sea, we drove to Nukus where we stayed at a family style hotel. It’s got a population of around 350,000 and even though it’s small and remote, it has the most extraordinary museum of modern art, Some call the Museum a kind of “lost Louvre” or “museum of forbidden art” because…
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Can the Stans handle the Merck girls?
Sept 19: The Aral Sea Well we saw four dogs today, so I think they don’t eat the dogs (or the cats!) And the food is really nice. I’m not a tomato lover but the tomatoes are really delicious as is all the fruit and vegetables. They eat a lot of bread (much of which…
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Can the Stans handle the Merck girls?
September 18: Tashkent Today we did a sightseeing tour of Tashkent, starting with a visit to the memorial for the Tashkent earthquake. It happened early in the morning on April 26, 1966. At first, people thought it was just another tremor, but this one was huge—around 5.1 on the Richter scale. That might not sound massive…
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Can the Stans handle the Merck girls?
September 17: Tashkent As I mentioned yesterday, the Tashkent Metro, with its ornate mosaics, became a symbol of Soviet pride and we visited it today. It’s actually the first underground metro system in Central Asia—and still one of the most beautiful in the world. The station above has a cosmonaut theme and features a picture…
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Can the Stans handle the Merck girls?
September 16: Travelling to Tashkent As a business class traveller, arriving in Tashkent is an interesting experience. You have your own passport control area, and your own baggage claim area, replete with lounges ( because it takes some time for the luggage to arrive) and drinks. There’s also a litter of kittens immediately outside the…
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Can the Stans handle the Merck girls?
September 16: Tashkent As a business class traveller, arriving at Tashkent in Uzbekistan is a real experience. Not only do you have a VIP passport control line, but you also have a separate baggage claim area with lounge chairs and drinks, and some cute little kittens who live immediately outside the airport door ( but…