Trip Overview
October 1 - November 1, 2013

• Before you even ask why we would traipse all the way to central Asia, let me preempt that question with just one word, “Family!” Yes, we have relatives there and that makes visiting such a remote area remarkably easy and very comfortable --- almost a joy to those of us who revel (under the right circumstances) in seeing parts of the world for the first time.
  
  Patty’s daughter, Jennifer, and her husband, Louay, work at the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. It was time for a family reunion --- before their two children forgot what their grandmother looked like or the family was assigned to someplace even more remote. This is the same adventuresome couple we visited 3 years earlier during their assignment in Mali (In and Out of Africa). Having returned safely from that journey, we figured it can’t be any more difficult to travel to two former Soviet Republics. And, it wasn’t.
  
  However, it IS a long trek from the east coast of the USA to Bishkek. A convenient and pleasant stopover point, in both directions, is Barcelona in Catalunya, Spain --- so much so, that we spent half the trip there! Most Americans --- even non-travelers --- are quite familiar with Barcelona and know that “tapas” are appetizers or snacks in Spanish cuisine. Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, on the other hand, are mostly unknown, as is their popular meat and vegetable dish called “plov.” Our visit to these two young countries was eye-opening to us; we hope this photo-journal will be a revelation to you, as well.
  
  These two neighboring countries have been independent of the Soviet Union for the same 22 years. They are both land-locked but have significant differences --- in large part because of topography. As can be seen in the topographic map of Kyrgyzstan below, the country is dominated by mountains:
  

  

  Having many tall peaks, glaciers and alpine lakes, it has even been nicknamed the “Switzerland of central Asia!” Arable land takes up a mere 6.5% of its total area. Bishkek and Osh, the two largest cities, are located in farmable valleys, which are few and far between. Because of its high mountains, Kyrgyzstan has an abundance of water and hydro-electric power.
  
  The agricultural environment in the neighborhood of Bishkek can be appreciated with these photos taken as we left the airport, about 20 miles from town:
  

  

  

  
  In contrast, Uzbekistan is almost devoid of mountains and has, instead, vast desert areas and little rainfall. Just 10% of its territory is cultivated and that mostly by irrigation. Its topo map is almost boring:
  

  

  Historically, Uzbekistan’s largest natural water source was the Aral Sea. As recently as the 1960s, it was the fourth largest inland sea in the world. Today, that resource is sadly depleted, siphoned off by overly-ambitious irrigation schemes to water the country’s cash crop, cotton. Those irrigation plans were instituted by the Soviet Union beginning in the 1960s. However, since Uzbek independence in 1991, no significant change has taken place; the revenue from cotton is so addictive the sea keeps shrinking.
  
  Below are several photos showing the Aral Sea. The first is from Wikipedia, comparing the Aral Sea in 1989 (when it was already down 10%) and in 2008:
  

  

  On our return flight from Bishkek to Istanbul, we happened to fly over part of what remains of the Aral Sea. The heart-shaped segment is easy to spot:
  

  

  

  With total depletion in sight, one can only wonder what the country’s leaders are waiting for.
  
  Later in this mid-October flight, we were surprised to see snow-capped peaks below:

  

  A little research identified them as part of the Caucasus mountains. Well, if you had asked me before this flight where the Caucasus mountains were, I could not have told you. Now, I know they lie between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea at the border of Europe and Asia. The things you learn from traveling!