On Location Oct 06 – Tajikstan

<h1>On Location Oct 06 – Tajikstan</h1>Author: <a title="Steppes Travel" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/steppes-travel/71651.htm">Steppes Travel</a> Tajikistan, a land-locked country of 7 million people borders China in the East, Afghanistan in the South, Uzbekistan to the west and Kyrghyzstan to the North. Described as being 93 % mountains and 100 % adventure they're not far off the mark. Currently only one Western airline, Turkish, offers a scheduled service once a week to Dushanbe, the capital although it can be easily accessed by road or air from Tashkent, Bishkek, Almaty and Moscow. Whilst Dushanbe itself has wide, paved tree-lined roads and solid Soviet era buildings for the arts, higher education and the government, the same cannot be said for most of the reset of the country. Suffering a civil war between 1991 and 1996 has meant that development has lagged behind its neighbours. This certainly contributes to its magnetic appeal and adds to its charm. Accommodation is on the whole in local guesthouses or home stays. I found this to be a great way to meet with local people and get much closer to understanding their culture than is often possible in other countries. There are three distinct ethnic groupings. In the South and East the people are primarily Tajik although many Uzbeks live in the border areas. In the middle are the Pamiris, a friendly mountain people who rely on raising cows and goats and growing wheat and potatoes in the valleys. In the East live the Kyrghyz, the men easily recognised by the felt hats, Kalpaks, that they wear. The South and West are humid, hot and flat with parts of the lower valleys dotted with trees. In contrast, the centre and East are often described as a moonscape. There is little habitation, people live in small villages or yurts, felt tents, during the summer tending their herds of goats and yak. The landscape is completely treeless and stunning. The light and its direction create a spectrum of brown, yellow and orange with shadows growing and retreating with the movement of the sun. Tourism has barely touched this part of Central Asia, evidenced by the almost complete lack of souvenirs, t-shirts or postcards with the exception of hand-made locally produced Pamiri and Kyrghyz crafts. Have I put you off? Hopefully not. It is not for everyone but for those prepared to forgo some creature comforts...give me a call.About the Author: Steppes Travel specialise in <a href="http://www.steppestravel.co.uk/peru-page42.aspx">holidays to Peru</a>, <a href="http://www.steppestravel.co.uk/china-page68.aspx">China holidays</a> and <a href="http://www.steppestravel.co.uk/south-africa-page57.aspx">South Africa safari</a>.Article Source: <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/">ArticlesBase.com</a> - <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/on-location-oct-06-tajikstan-1330012.html" title="On Location Oct 06 – Tajikstan">On Location Oct 06 – Tajikstan</a>

Tajikistan, a land-locked country of 7 million people borders China in the East, Afghanistan in the South, Uzbekistan to the west and Kyrghyzstan to the North. Described as being 93 % mountains and 100 % adventure they're not far off the mark.

Currently only one Western airline, Turkish, offers a scheduled service once a week to Dushanbe, the capital although it can be easily accessed by road or air from Tashkent, Bishkek, Almaty and Moscow.

Whilst Dushanbe itself has wide, paved tree-lined roads and solid Soviet era buildings for the arts, higher education and the government, the same cannot be said for most of the reset of the country. Suffering a civil war between 1991 and 1996 has meant that development has lagged behind its neighbours. This certainly contributes to its magnetic appeal and adds to its charm.

Accommodation is on the whole in local guesthouses or home stays. I found this to be a great way to meet with local people and get much closer to understanding their culture than is often possible in other countries. There are three distinct ethnic groupings. In the South and East the people are primarily Tajik although many Uzbeks live in the border areas. In the middle are the Pamiris, a friendly mountain people who rely on raising cows and goats and growing wheat and potatoes in the valleys. In the East live the Kyrghyz, the men easily recognised by the felt hats, Kalpaks, that they wear.

The South and West are humid, hot and flat with parts of the lower valleys dotted with trees. In contrast, the centre and East are often described as a moonscape. There is little habitation, people live in small villages or yurts, felt tents, during the summer tending their herds of goats and yak. The landscape is completely treeless and stunning. The light and its direction create a spectrum of brown, yellow and orange with shadows growing and retreating with the movement of the sun.

Tourism has barely touched this part of Central Asia, evidenced by the almost complete lack of souvenirs, t-shirts or postcards with the exception of hand-made locally produced Pamiri and Kyrghyz crafts.

Have I put you off? Hopefully not. It is not for everyone but for those prepared to forgo some creature comforts...give me a call.

Steppes Travel specialise in holidays to Peru, China holidays and South Africa safari.

Rate this Article:

0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s)

Re-Publish

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/on-location-oct-06-tajikstan-1330012.html

Article Tags: tailor made holidays

Related Videos
Related Articles
Ask / Related Q&A

Play

How to Write an Article Intro

Play

Video of Dubrovnik in Croatia presented

Play

Travel Bytes San Diego - Sleep

Play

Video of Nijo Castle in Kyoto, Japan

Play

Le Palais Royal à Amsterdam, Pays Bas

Latest Travel Articles
More from Steppes Travel

Inside Look At Movie Studios In Hollywood

By: Todd Cordisco | 31/12/2009
Overview of Hollywood movie studios and the various tours offered at each of the studios.

Tourism earnings the only way forward for Ireland

By: Seamus Maguire | 31/12/2009
The current economic crisis pertinently emphasises the fact that Ireland cannot rely on our industrial output to create the necessary GDP to keep Ireland afloat in what is the worst world depression in history. We need to look at increasing our tourist revenue to substitute for the decreasing earnings from industrial and service sectors.

Real Gap Year Adventures

By: babs23 Ellison|Allisson|Karoll|McAndrew} | 31/12/2009
Want a real gap year experience? You will not believe some of the cool extreme sports gap years at Xtreme gap Year. Xtreme Gap Year is a real gap year company focussing on value, fun and adrenaline travel Xtreme gap yearis a different style of gap year company, founded on the principals of being great value, they offer fun exciting gap years. The gap year industry has received a lot of press recently, not all of it h...

Hotels in Kovalam welcome you to Kerala

By: Gaurav Kaushik | 31/12/2009
Premium hotels in Kovalam - Lavishness in the most soothing setting and that’s what the premium Kovalam hotels are for. Replete with facilities like range of guestrooms to decide from, in house multi- cuisine dining options, leisure amenities, the list in this category is never ending. Hotel Samudra, Surya Samudra Hotel and Poovar Island Resort are a few to name in this category.

Hotels in Cochin

By: Gaurav Kaushik | 31/12/2009
Places to Visit: Important places to visit in Cochin are Dutch palace, Mattancherry, Jewish Synagogue, Mattancherry , St. Francis Church, Fort Cochin, Santa Cruz Basilica Church, Bolghatty Island, Willington Island, Gundu Island, Siva Temple, Ernakulam, Kalady, Chinese Fishing Nets, M angalavanam, Pallippuram Fort, Malayattoor Church and Thattekad Bird Sanctuary.

Museums in Austin

By: Joe Cline | 31/12/2009
Austin isn’t short on history and its museums are a way to experience every bit of that history. Whether you’re a history buff, have children or just want a nice way to spend an afternoon in Austin, give these museums a try. They are but a small sampling of the variety of museums in this city. AMOA - Downtown (located at 823 Congress Avenue) The Austin Museum of Art – Downtown (AMOA) is a branch of AMOA which has a few locations around town. This version was opened in 1996. It has over 12,000

Christmas Camping in France

By: Lorraine Waddell | 31/12/2009
Camping in France at Christmas may be slightly in the chilly side, but you will find the spirit of family and generosity that surrounds you will warm you up in no time. Whilst the celebrations are different in every region, each is as spectacular as the next. Though...

4 Seasons of Camping in France

By: Lorraine Waddell | 31/12/2009
Many people might consider themselves to be fair-weather campers, believing that camping holidays should be saved only for the sunshine of the summer months. But camping in France can make for a fantastic holiday all year round, with each of the four seasons offering something different. Autumn Everyone associates the autumn with...

On Location Oct 06 – Tajikstan

Inside Look At Movie Studios In Hollywood

Tourism earnings the only way forward for Ireland

Real Gap Year Adventures

Hotels in Kovalam welcome you to Kerala

Hotels in Cochin

Museums in Austin

Christmas Camping in France

4 Seasons of Camping in France

On Location June 06 – China

On Location Oct 06 – Yemen

On Location Oct 06 – Tunisia

On Location Oct 06 – Tajikstan

On Location Oct 06 – Peru and Ecuador

On Location Oct 06 – Namibia

On Location Oct 06 – Egypt and Libya

On Location October 06 – Leptis Magna