Messages: 20,236 - Threads: 4,322
posted
09-Jul-2008 12:47
by:
Irene_Adler »
last reply
06-Jun-2009 05:33
by:
Irene_Adler »
0
replies
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1,381
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Welcome to the Central Asia branch!
Welcome to the Thorn Tree's Central Asia branch.
We hope you find plenty of useful information about travelling to Central Asia here. It is highly recommended that new users check out the Central Asia FAQ thread before posting a new thread as you may find many of the answers you seek there. It also contains helpful information about how to search the forum, advice for how to post your questions, and obsolete information was deleted as recently as July 2008! If you are a returning user or know the 'stans like the back of your hand, please help us keep the FAQ thread up-to-date by adding important information which is absent, or pointing out information which is no longer being represented accurately.
Choosing a country to post to:
When you make a post and choose a country from the drop down menu, your pos...
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posted
24-Mar-2004 21:14
by:
everbrite »
last reply
12-Nov-2009 17:50
by:
flower_2008 »
101
replies
,
60,688
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The countries covered by this FAQ are: Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
It also de facto covers Xinjiang (China), Pakistan (being that it is a 'stan), and Northern Iran which are historically and technically part of Central Asia. In addition there are often questions asked here about Mongolia and Russia and occasionally the three Caucasus countries, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
For Pakistan consider cross posting on the Indian subcontinent branch; for Xinjiang (China) and Mongolia, the North East Asia branch; for Iran, the Middle East branch; and for the others, the Eastern Europe & the Caucasus branch.
Here's some tips to make life easier:
1. Do your homework
The web is filled with basic information on Central Asia. Google is your best friend. Get your basic info first, then you can ask intelligent questions on the Thorn...
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posted
24-Nov-2009 10:06
by:
Irene_Adler »
last reply
24-Nov-2009 10:10
by:
Irene_Adler »
0
replies
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409
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Safety concerns can dominate discussion when it comes to travel in Central Asia. So that this branch is not covered in threads asking "Is Afghanistan safe?", this thread has been made sticky for travellers to post updates based on any recent experiences/information they may have. Personal and/or political arguments are not permitted.
You may post safety situation updates for the following countries here: Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
For Pakistan consider cross posting on the Indian subcontinent branch; for Xinjiang (China) and Mongolia, the North East Asia branch; for Iran, the Middle East branch; and for the others, the Eastern Europe & the Caucasus branch.
The previous thread covering the safety situation in Afghanistan may also be of interest. It is now locked but can still be accessed and reviewed [here|http://www.lonel...
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posted
22-Dec-2009 07:52
by:
JuleR »
last reply
22-Dec-2009 19:54
by:
Aleksey15619 »
1
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50
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location: Turkmenistan
Hi,
Seeking advice about the process involved in organising a short trip through Turkmenistan for about a week in sizzling early June 2010. Would consider 5 days if transit visa is heaps easier than usual visa. (Need to be in Tashkent after this in early June. Flying in from Oz but haven't organized flights yet. Don't want to get stranded at some border 'cause I didn't get this Turk'stan part organized properly.)
I know in theory about the LOIs and the need to book tour. Is it simply a matter of:
1) contacting one of the Turkmenistan tour companies (Eg Avan) by email and organising it all that way?
2) Arranging an itinerary and dates with them
3) Then, applying for visa?
Ideally, I'd like to hook up with a small group of people rather than just go with a single tour guide. I'd like to see at least the triangle of Konye-Urgench, Merv and Ashgabat, and ideally also the D...
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posted
21-Dec-2009 05:00
by:
noorjana »
last reply
23-Dec-2009 00:19
by:
fluffy_bunny »
1
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63
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an airfare rom uk one way to ashgabat. ie turkmenistan. lufthansa and turkish are incredibly expensive
posted
21-Dec-2009 04:17
by:
noorjana »
last reply
22-Dec-2009 05:34
by:
chitralguy »
5
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120
views
hello, can anyone tell me the one way airfare that is reasonable to ashgabat. for example turkish and lufthansa are much too expensive. it is very difficult to know the fare of turkmenistan airlines.
i will be going there next year enroute to tashkent. i would be grateful for any information in respect of this.
posted
18-Dec-2009 01:52
by:
tiemu »
last reply
18-Dec-2009 15:44
by:
CentralAsia_tra... »
2
replies
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150
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location: Kyrgyzstan
I'd like to go there for about 6 months to one year. I'm an Austalian lawyer. I don't really mind what work there is, I go for experience and to meet friendly locals.
Also, do expats tend to live an isolated life around each other? I've been to a few countries where the expats are sheltered from the local community.
posted
17-Dec-2009 21:35
by:
mustawa »
last reply
17-Dec-2009 21:35
by:
mustawa »
0
replies
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69
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Hello all!
As a British citizen I'm really running into a lot of difficulty lately with the Iranian Foreign Office as far as visas go - I was cut off midway through a Persian Literature program in Iran bc of the elections, and now I think they will probably not let me back in to finish:(. Having visited Afgh last year, my next choice would probably be either Herat or Balkh universities. Has anyone here had any experience with either of these? And realities of everyday life there as a student?
Also if anyone has any contact info for either one I would be grateful, as google turned up nothing useful...
Cheers,
Richard
posted
17-Dec-2009 19:05
by:
Raki_Man »
last reply
18-Dec-2009 20:18
by:
emmeff »
2
replies
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106
views
location: Kazakhstan
Yesterday I wrote to KZ Embassy about whether I could needed KZ transit visa if flying to Bishkek via Almaty.
Reply received in writing was -
As long as you are in transit area no need to get a visa, but even if you would like to go to the city you may obtain transit visa at the consular section there, just show them Kyrgyzstan visa and air ticket
In other words, transit visas are obtainable at Almaty airport as a matter of course!!
posted
17-Dec-2009 04:19
by:
derekmayfield »
last reply
22-Dec-2009 03:54
by:
Yakkalot »
1
replies
,
107
views
location: Afghanistan
Has anyone made the trip from Kabul to Ghazni by car lately? Suggestions?
posted
16-Dec-2009 11:59
by:
flower_2008 »
last reply
20-Dec-2009 11:02
by:
hog_wilding »
3
replies
,
194
views
location: Turkmenistan
Hi all
Thought I better warn you guys before anymore of you guys planning to do the same thing and endup having to pay your way out of Turkmenistan.
I was doing my cycling touring through central Asia, I needed a Turkmen transit visa, applied at Tashkent, entry point is Bukhara, fine, but the exit was Artyk, I specifically asked for Saragh, and the guy at the embassy said, yes, its fine, you can exit Saragh, its the same as Artyk.
I was travelling with 2 Irish cyclist, Simon and Fearghal, their visa has same entry and exit point as my passport
long story short, I had to pay bribery to get my passport stamped so I can exit Saragh, the officer had my passport stamped already, but I didnt know at the time, he came to me and said I can let you go, but ...(followed by the universal body languange for money)
I said 5 USD, he refused, endup having to pay 20 USD, I folded up ni...
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posted
16-Dec-2009 01:26
by:
celticbhoy7 »
last reply
16-Dec-2009 01:26
by:
celticbhoy7 »
0
replies
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95
views
location: Kazakhstan
I just got off the phone with the Kazakh Consulate here in New York City and the woman informed me that I would need to present a hotel booking in order to apply for a tourist visa. Has something changed and is this common practice now? I have a US passport and when I applied here in the US in 2008 they didn't ask for any hotel bookings and neither the NYC Consulate or DC Embassy web pages make any mention of this. Anyone else run into this recently?
posted
15-Dec-2009 21:51
by:
warren123 »
last reply
16-Dec-2009 21:18
by:
celticbhoy7 »
2
replies
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130
views
location: Kazakhstan
Just wondering if there is another way to get to China from Almaty without flying since I heard that the Kazakhstan-China border crossing is close for Kazakstan Independence day celebration and there is neither bus nor train until 5 days later. Thanks!
posted
15-Dec-2009 12:13
by:
dabronstein »
last reply
19-Dec-2009 03:12
by:
Bassalegboy »
5
replies
,
203
views
Hi everyone there!
I friend and I are planning to visit Central Asia by June/July, we have 2 months available.
Whitch countries would you recomend us to visit?
We don't know any countries in Asia, we thought in Central Asia only because we are starting our trip at middle east, probably Syriah and Lebanon.
Thanks in advance for your answers.
David
posted
15-Dec-2009 12:04
by:
2bibbie »
last reply
21-Dec-2009 04:49
by:
chitralguy »
2
replies
,
144
views
location: Afghanistan
There were some negative comments about the charity 'Mahboba's Promise' last year and that the funds that were being made available to Mahboba’s uncle were assisting education of young men who were being indoctrinated into the Taliban. Can anybody advise how the charity is running ‘on the ground’ – are there sustainable results?
posted
15-Dec-2009 05:34
by:
derekmayfield »
last reply
20-Dec-2009 21:56
by:
chitralguy »
4
replies
,
162
views
I'm not having much luck finding a guest house in the $30-40 range. Has anyone got a suggestion that may or may not be on the usual lists? Thanks!
posted
15-Dec-2009 05:33
by:
derekmayfield »
last reply
20-Dec-2009 22:02
by:
chitralguy »
2
replies
,
179
views
location: Afghanistan
In 2005 I traveled by car from Kabul to Mazar-i-Sharif. Wonderful trip. Next month I'm thinking of doing it again. Of course, this is a new security situation. Just checking in to see if anyone has made this trip by car recently and if they had any insights. Thanks!
posted
11-Dec-2009 23:58
by:
jolyon_wagg »
last reply
14-Dec-2009 20:59
by:
jolyon_wagg »
6
replies
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200
views
Hi, could someone offer a basic explanation of these for someone who has never come across this concept before?
What kind of person can provide such a letter? How easy are they to obtain? And does one need a separate one for each country?
Asia is a spectacular assault on the senses, whether you're riding the trans-Siberian railway, gazing up at the temples of Angkor, struggling with the immense tide of humanity in India, or trying to s... more »
Multi-country guide. Borat may not have been the most savoury of ambassadors, but at least he shone a light on Central Asia.buy it »
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