Who: Bill and Barbara Kastner of Evergreen.
Where: Near Lake Issykul, where eagles are used for hunting.
Best meal: In general the food was good (better than we expected). Meals consisted of rice with lamb, chicken and beef, as well as a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables and great breakfast buffets.
Best deal: Purchasing oriental carpets and jewelry in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan is a good deal. The carpets are much less expensive than in countries like Turkey, and the quality is as good or better. Be sure to have the dealer of carpets take care of the paperwork needed for taking the carpets out of the country. Without this paperwork you will have trouble at customs when you leave.
Best time to go: The winters are very cold and the summers very hot. We were there in the fall, and it was comfortable. The spring should also be good, especially in Kyrgyzstan, where the wildflowers are supposed to be spectacular in the magnificent Tian- shan mountains, which tower more than 24,000 feet high.
Best travel tip: Take lots of cash. They don’t take traveler’s checks or credit cards and there are no ATMs. U.S. dollars are nearly always accepted, however. We traveled on a tour with Bora Ozkok’s Cultural Folk Tour International, his Silk Road Tour. Some people travel on their own, but they may have trouble with the language unless they speak Russian. Seeing people in their native dress in old Silk Road cities like Samarkand, Bukara and Khiva were highlights as well as seeing eagles hunt. Also seeing the very rough horseback game called “Ulak” in Kyrgyzstan, in which teams of riders try to take a goat carcass away from each other, was a great experience.
