Central Asia Travel Guide
Lonely Planet, Mark Elliott, Bradley Mayhew
Language: English
Pages: 1238
ISBN: 2:00264498
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Lonely Planet Central Asia is your passport to all the most relevant and up-to-date advice on what to see, what to skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Sample lamb kebabs and nan bread from roadside grills, hike through the spectacular canyons of the Kyrgyz Alatau Range, or marvel at Yasaui Mausoleum's beautiful architecture; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Central Asia and begin your journey now!
decent bathrooms, although they can hardly be said to be bursting with character. There’s wi-fi downstairs in the lobby, and you’re in the Russian town, a fair walk from the sights, but better located for shopping and dining options. Registan Plaza Hotel HOTEL $$$ OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP ( 233 40 86, 233 24 75; www.uzhotelpresident.com; Shohruh 53; s/d US$100/150/190; ) The rebranded former Hotel President is currently the smartest property in town, although several total refurbishments of
mountains’. But as pishkek / bishkek is the Kazakh/Kyrgyz term for a plunger-equipped kymys -churn there are several far more amusingly crude etymological theories. From 1926 to 1991, the city’s Soviet name was Frunze, honouring locally born Mikhail Frunze, a Russian Civil War commander whose Bolshevik forces seized Khiva and Bukhara in 1920. Bishkek Sights 1 Al Halal Gallery H4 2 Ala-Too Square F3 3Ala-Too Square FountainsF3 4 Frunze House-Museum F2 5 Lenin Statue F2 6 State
are still some good carpets and handicrafts on sale. Remember you’ll need to get an export certificate for the carpet before taking it out of the country; these are available at the ‘expert commission’ at the Carpet Museum (Click here). Tolkuchka is busiest on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from around 8am to 3pm, but it’s open every day. Watch out for pickpockets. The new site is about 10km north of Ashgabat, approximately 1km past the new city bus station. A taxi should cost around 4M. Buses
cave-shrine, with the carved stones of an abandoned necropolis scattered in front of it. In a 4WD it’s possible to combine this area with Shakpak-Ata and Sultan Epe in one longish day trip. OVERLAND FROM RUSSIA Kazakhstan’s 6846km border with Russia has 18 ‘multilateral’ road crossings (open to all nationalities), and around 15 rail crossings. Western Europe–Western China Highway The new ‘Western Europe–Western China’ highway, a massive project to boost trans-Asia commerce, will provide
eccentric attractions, such as the fast disappearing Aral Sea, the fortresses of desperately remote Karakalpakstan, its boom town capital Tashkent and the ecotourism opportunities of the Nuratau Mountains, mean that even the most diverse tastes can be catered for. Despite being a harshly governed police state, Uzbekistan remains an extremely friendly country where hospitality remains an essential element of daily life and you’ll be made to feel genuinely welcome by the people you meet. When