Stunning shots, absolutely. Do the locals accept the Russian language and Soviet-era trappings without much fuss? When I was in the Russian program at Arizona State, they'd bring in people from all over the USSR (this was back in '87-'89) and Poland (to help us with our language skills and give them a taste of the States). They were always gracious and helpful, but as soon as class ended, if they weren't directly from Moscow or St. Petersberg they REFUSED to speak Russian any longer.
Everyone in Kyrgyzstan spoke Russian, especially in the larger cities. Few spoke any English at all.
I was very thankful for the little bit of Russian I had studied, as it was often just a few words that really break the ice. The Kyrgy people have a bit of that cold, Russian demeaner to them, though under it all they're extremely warm and welcoming, just a matter of getting used to not being smiled at all the time.
This will all change when I got to Uzbekistan . . .
But, they're not for everyone, for sure. I'll probably write more about them later, but in short, it's an overland company and that means it's much more of an adventure than a tour.
Great if you like freedom, don't mind having to think for yourself.
Not good if you don't really enjoy camping for days on end, being dirty, need a guide, are worried about not sticking to a schedule, mind things going wrong etc.
Re: DragomanuberconfusedJuly 19 2009, 19:57:01 UTC
The only thing even remotely like that that I've ever done was a 2 week Green Tortoise tour of Alaska. Which I loved every minute of. Most of my traveling has been backpack style, with only myself and my fellow travelers as guides. But I imagine in someplace like Central Asia it would be really helpful to have some kind of travel and group framework hashed out for you, just to minimize the logistical difficulties. I will definitely have to look into it!
Comments 21
Reply
I was very thankful for the little bit of Russian I had studied, as it was often just a few words that really break the ice. The Kyrgy people have a bit of that cold, Russian demeaner to them, though under it all they're extremely warm and welcoming, just a matter of getting used to not being smiled at all the time.
This will all change when I got to Uzbekistan . . .
Reply
Reply
But, they're not for everyone, for sure. I'll probably write more about them later, but in short, it's an overland company and that means it's much more of an adventure than a tour.
Great if you like freedom, don't mind having to think for yourself.
Not good if you don't really enjoy camping for days on end, being dirty, need a guide, are worried about not sticking to a schedule, mind things going wrong etc.
Reply
Reply
Reply
and you always leave us with a cliffhanger
mmmmmm... meat.
Reply
Reply
Love the birds!
Reply
Leave a comment