Postcards from Central Asia

Lakshit Jain — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 11:51:58 GMT

This fall, I decided to travel around a bit of Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan? Where is this place? Is it safe? You would die as a vegetarian. These 3 questions in varying tones and intensity were pretty much the reaction of every person around me. Frankly, I was apprehensive too. But I was wrong and in many ways but one.

If I have to summarise these countries in three words, I’d say — massively misunderstood, astonishingly beautiful and ridiculously affordable (that’s clearly more than three words) Also, vastly unexplored.

I was bowled over by the warmth and welcoming nature of the locals (who despite a huge language barrier went out of their way to help me). It’s easy to forget the grand architecture and stunning natural landscape but what made the experience extremely special was how effortlessly most locals let me into their lives and routines.

As my expression of gratitude to all the wonderful men and women I met on the trip, I decided to put together a few pictures and stories which might inspire someone someday to visit these incredible countries. I spent about a week each in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. So, here goes!

The Soviet hangover is difficult to ignore across Central Asia especially in smaller towns and cities. Just outside the Lyab-i-Hauz mosque, a man claims to sell medals and badges from the Stalin-Lenin era. True or not, definitely made for great phone wallpaper

Say hello to Shavkat! Most people here have grown up watching Bollywood movies translated in Russian and can easily sing a number or two. Shavkat is a photographer, owns an art gallery and I was fortunate enough to stay a few nights at his family-run guest house in the walled city of Bukhara

No picture can potentially capture the grandeur of a Bukharan sunset but here’s an attempt. Rumor has it, Genghis Khan ordered his troops to burn down the entire city but spared the minaret after being spell-bound by its beauty. He wasn’t wrong. In the background young Uzbeki musicians practice their craft while souvenir shops pack up for the day

Being a vegetarian wasn’t very hard. There are plenty of salads and ‘non’ to keep you going. Also, as veganism catches up, few restaurants serve vegan versions of local food, which undeniably is meat-intensive

The ‘non’ is an indispensable part of most meals in Central Asia. Here the ‘non’ is in a pre-baked stage at the Chorsu Bazaar in Tashkent. One entire section of the Bazaar is focused only on baking and selling these breads. It’s quite a sight

And just when you think, enough of these blue tiles, magical sunsets and confusing by-lanes, the door of a madrassah might open up and a delegation of clergymen and women descend on the foreground of the Po-i-Kalyan complex. Talk about adding character to my sunset pictures

Throwing out some preconceived notions about this part of the world. Most cities that I traveled to had huge boulevards, manicured gardens, well-landscaped streets and grade one public transportation system. Tashkent, the capital city of Uzbekistan even has a metro system with some ornate stations (clicked at Dakhbed Yuli Street, Samarkand)

The Russian made Lada. You’d kill to own one

Well, golden teeth are a thing here. Some say it’s a symbol of wealth while others think it’s just another dying fashion as the society modernizes

Some traffic as I hiked up the Tian Shan mountains. A Kyrgyz shepherd, sitting high and proud on his horse, followed by a herd of sheep protected by two mountain dogs at the end. The city life makes us forget what mutual co-existence is. Nevermind, the Ak-Suu river flowing by the side, waters roaring and clear like a crystal

Ruski-Hindustani-Kyrgyz bhai bhai; the men insisted and explained in sign language. It’s noon and these men are wasted beyond belief and such sights here are not unusual. Though they can barely hold their bottle of Vodka, they insist I have a shot and offer me bread. The good life?

CBT — Community Based Tourism. If you are traveling in this part of the world chances are high that you will run into them or their offices. This organization promotes eco-tourism which is sustainable and gives back a portion of profits to the local community. Also, this is a USAIDS backed project. Talk about soft-diplomacy? Afterall who doesn’t want a piece of these strategically located countries

Vegetarian Laghman. Essentially pulled noodles prepared with vegetables. In the background, a musician performs folk tones on an unknown instrument while overzealous tourists break into a dance

It’s astonishing how much this seemingly tiny country has to offer. The landscape changes in minutes. Mountains, lakes, waterfalls, valleys, and towns littered with ugly Soviet architecture. This is Skakza Canyon (a 40-minute hike) just by the shore of a lake. Straight outta Mars!

Issyk-Kul is truly Kyrgyzstan’s jewel and the highlight of my trip. I spent a quiet night on the South Shore’s Tossor village in a garden B&B. Fun-fact — the shoreline of this lake is over 600 kms and is the world’s second-largest alpine lake. My fellow Kazakh traveler, Maira, sang in 6 different languages and narrated stories of the Soviet occupation as we gorged on the garden produce. As compensation, I was asked to sing a Hindi song and the best I could do was play Jimmy Jimmy (quite a crowd puller here) on Youtube

Altyn Arashan. Literally translates to “the golden spa”. A moderate 16km hike up from Akk-Suu village near Karakol with enough changes in the landscape as you go up; it is a system of hot-springs high up in the valley. 5 degrees outside and 50 degrees inside, exactly what your muscles need after the hike up. We slept (read froze) in a yurt camp closeby. The view is from the hot spring cabin

It’s a shame these countries don’t get their due in terms of enough tourists and travelers but maybe that’s exactly what makes it charming and authentic till date (nevermind the drizzle of state propaganda conveniently inserted here and there across Uzbekistan)

Disclaimer: I do not use any specialized equipment to click pictures nor do I edit them. I believe this enables the viewer to get a real glimpse into the landscape. All pictures are shot on my phone and have at best been corrected for angle or size.

If you ever choose to visit these countries, there is plenty of material available online to help you plan but just in case you have a specific question, you can reach me here. Next up on my bucket list? Pamir Highway

Stories by Lakshit Jain on Medium

Postcards from Central Asia