I left Mashhad mid-afternoon yesterday and watched the terrain change as we flet north-east towards Kyrgyzstan. We first flew over the flat desert expanses of Turkmenistan, which reminded me of central Australia. Next came the Fan Mountains of Uzbekistan and the Pamirs of Tajikistan, all easily identifiable as the jagged peaks rose up thousands of metres (some of peaks in the Pamirs and Tien Shan are over 7000m) and were all covered with the first snows of the impending winter.
I arrived at Bishkek around 9pm and cleared immigration and customs easily. After much haggling I got the 30km taxi fare into the city down to a respectable $10 (from $25 – they know they've got you cornered as the buses don't run that late). I found my "hotel" for the night, essentially a dorm room at the "International Business and Management School" but don't get too excited as it was a dump!
I woke up this morning and have done everything I needed to do in Bishkek. It's a pleasant enough place, there just isn't much to see or do here. It's a tiny capital city, more like a large town than anything else, and is built on a Soviet-era grid pattern with wide tree-lined streets and lots of parks and space. Down the streets you do catch tantalising glimpses of the 4000m+ mountain range south of the city, hopefully a sign of more of Kyrgyzstan's delights to come!
(L) Biz school accomodation – Kyrgyz style. (R) Some things are a little bit back-to-front here…
(L) Soviet-era government buildings. (R) …and Soviet-era hats!
It's been a bit of a culture shock coming from Iran – everything from seeing women's hair (ooooh!) and observing over-the-top publid displays of affection (urgh get a room please…) to listening to the European techno blaring out from every shop and restaurant, and of course drinking my first beer in a few weeks. The people are definitely from different stock as well, with features ranging from "Russian" (blond hair and blue eyes) to "Mongol" (round face with strong Asian features), and everything in-between. But they're definitely not Persian or Arab! I do hear that Bishkek is a lot more "Russified" than most of the rest of he country, so I'm keen to get out of the city.
Anyhoo, today I also worked out what I'm going to do. I found out that the 3800m Torugart Pass into China closes for two weeks on 30 September so I need to get over it before that. It's a two or three-day trip from here to Kashgar on the other side. And snowfalls can close it at any time. It's a bit of a gamble but I'm going to go for it (it's pretty much my only option apart from flying to Urumqi anyway…). That gives me about a week to enjoy the mountains of Kyrgyzstan so I'm off tomorrow on an eight hour bus past the giant lake of Issy-Kul to the town of Karakol. From there I'm going to disappear into the Tien Shan mountains trekking for a few days, staying in mountain huts (complete with hot springs…) along the way. I'll the backtrack into central Kyrgyzstan and make my way to the beautiful alpine lake of Song-Kol, where I hope to stay with shepherds in their yurts n ride horses n stuff.
Season-wise, I'm starting to think I might have left my run through Central Asia and Tibet a little late. It's a lot colder here than I thought, really crisp at night, and I've heard from some travelers that it's been snowing up in the mountains. Anyway, we shall see…
'Til next time!
It was with a touch of disappointment that I flew out of Iran yesterday. I really had a delightful three weeks in the country, yet it was also one of my most profound travel experiences. It wasn't just that it was a great travel destination – a really "different" part of the world with so much to see and do, surprisingly easy to get around, super-cheap, and hardly any tourists – but because every day showed me something surprising, interesting and new about the Iranian people.
They have a proud history and rich culture stretching back millenia and they're immensely proud of their nation. With a bit of prodding they'll admit to some of its deficiencies and problems (which for the most part aren't that dissimilar to most of the rest of the world), and I heard my fair share of criticism for the politics of Ahmadinejad (the current Iranian "firebrand" president). In fact, take away the headscarves, and it really looked and felt like any number of countries around the world. And at the centre of their culture is hospitality and genuine friendliness – as a guest in Iran you find yourself treated with respect and honour, with all manner of people bending over backwards to help you.
I've also never felt more like an ambassador for Australia and Western culture as a whole. At every turn people wanted to find out where I was from, and once that was established with a sign of great approval, they always wanted to know more about me and about Australia. Everything from the weather and the music I listen to, to the quality of life to how they as Muslims would be welcomed in my country. Whenever I travel I always carry around a small picture book of Oz, and it really got a work-out in Iran. I even had a taxi driver take me to a photocopy shop so that he could make copies of a few of the pages!
One parallel I draw to traveling around Iran is my experience in Colombia a few years back. This is another country that gets a very biased – and unfair – wrap in the media, all doom-and-gloom and wars and drugs and politics and and and… The news we watch doesn't tell us much or anything about the people there and what their lives are like, and the enjoyment I've had in both place once I learn the truth definitely helps to put both countries in my list of faves.
I've also seen the damage that the politics of George Bush & Co. have done to the region. Labeling Iran as one of the "Axis of Evil" is plainly ignorant and stupid, but I've also seen the damage that the present trade embargo (like the one the US has against Cuba) leaves behind. The Iranian first of all have no problem with Americans – their gripe is with the US's foreign policies and meddling, and hey they're not alone there in the world! They're desperate for change, and progress, they lap up anything from the West (culture, music, fashion…) and truly want to be a part of the world order. The trade embargo (which is anyway lop-sided – the US still gets its nice, cheap oil from Iran but nothing goes the other way) doesn't just affect Iran's economy, but Iranian quality of life – and trust me they're doing it pretty tough! There is some resentment there, but its towards the US and not their own government. If the US wants to affect change in Iran, then trading with them and giving the Iranian people access to US and Western culture is definitely the way to accelerate the process and force change upon the religious hardliners presently in power.
Anyway, that's my two cents!
Whenever I leave a country I always like to ask myself, a la Peter Cash on his travel show, whether I'd come back again. For me it's a resounding "Yes! In sh'allah…" for Iran. I'm such a fan that I'd recommend to anyone that if they have a few weeks vacation coming up they should definitely submit their visa applications, pack their bags, and take off to Iran. It's not the easiest place to travel, but it's certainly not the hardest, but it's definitely be different and infinitely rewarding.
Sorry this’ll have to be a quick entry but I’m just about to duck into a taxi and make my way back to the airport. I’m in Mashhad, in the far north-eastern corner of Iran, near the Afghan and Turkmen borders, and will be catching the once-a-week flight to Biskek, Kyrgyzstan, on a dodgy Tupolev aircraft this afternoon.
I left Shiraz yesterday evening and flew to Tehran on the last flight of the night. I got into the airport at around 1am, rolled out my thermarest mattress, and tried to get a few hours sleep. I then had a 6am flight here, and I’ve been in Mashhad for the last few hours. I’m pretty knackered but oh well, what can you do!
The city of Mashhad really doesn’t have anything going for it apart from the most important Shiite pilgrimage site in Iran – the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza, a direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed, and the eighth Imam (I hope I got that right – anyone testing?). It’s a long story but he was apparently poisoned by the Sunnis all the way back when, and has been revered as a martyr ever since. Some 20 million pilgrims come from over the world to visit his tomb, and the massive complex consumes 75 hectares in the centre of the city! It’s HUGE.
After a bombing in 1994 that killed 24 people, no bags or cameras are allowed inside, so I have precious little to show for my visit. Unfortunately, as a non-Muslim, I also wasn’t permitted to visit the inner sanctum (where the tomb is), but the outskirts of the buildings, mosques and squares were impressive enough. The international visitors centre gave me a guide and were extremely helpful – I was even allowed to take a few books from their library, and was told that if I gave them my address they’d keep sending me books and pamphlets in the mail (subtle conversion techniques…). For books, I went for "Imam Khomenei on Exportation of Revolution" (should be a good read…) and the curiously titled "Spurious Arguments About the Shia". Another titled "Personal Jihad" (about self-embetterment, not killing Christians and Zionists) by Khomenei is now on my Christmas wish-list.
It was quite incredible – and an honour – to witness the outpouring of emotion and strength of people’s faith. Many people were weeping and various religious chants would erupt spontaneously from the crowd. It really is a different world…