Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
NAVRUS
By far the bigget Central Asian holiday is the spring fetival of Navrus ('New Days'; also
Nauryz in Kazakh, Novruz in Turkmen, Nooruz in Kyrgyz and Nauroz in Dari). Navrus
is an adaptation of pre-Islamic vernal equinox or renewal celebrations, celebrated ap-
proximately on the spring equinox, though now normally ixed on 21 March (22 March
in Kazakhtan). Navrus was being celebrated in Central Asia before Alexander the Great
passed through.
In Soviet times this was a private afair, even banned for a time, but it's now an oicial
two-day fetival, with traditional games, music and drama fetivals, treet art and colour-
ful fairs, plus partying, picnics and visiting of family and friends. Families traditionally pay
of debts before the tart of the holiday.
The traditional Navrus dish, prepared only by women, is
sumalak
- wheat soaked in
water for three days until it sprouts, then ground, mixed with oil, lour and sugar, and
cooked on a low heat for 24 hours. To add to this, seven items, all beginning with the
Arabic sound 'sh', are laid on the dinner table during Navrus -
sharob
(wine),
shir
(milk),
shirinliklar
(sweets),
shakar
(sugar),
sharbat
(sherbet),
sham
(a candle) and
shona
(a
new bud). The candles are a throwback to pre-Islamic traditions and the new bud sym-
bolises the renewal of life.
access is Turkmenistan.
Most computers in the cities
are loaded with Skype and
instant messaging software.
Wi-fi is available in many
midrange and top-end
hotels, especially in Kazakh-
stan and Uzbekistan (but
much less so in Turkmeni-
stan), but connections can
be frustrating. You may find it
easier to bring a smart phone
and get a SIM card with a
data package.
You may find your key-
board set to Cyrillic; pressing
'shift' + 'Alt' should change
the keyboard language from
Cyrillic to English.
long language classes in
Russian.
In Dushanbe the
Bactria
Centre
(Map p318;
%
227 05
54; www.bactria.net; Tursun-
zoda 12a;
h
9am-5pm Mon-Fri)
runs courses in Russian and
Persian.
American Councils
(
%
202-833-7522; www.
americancouncils.org; suite
700, 1776 Massachusetts
Ave nW, Washington, dC)
organises summer- and
year-long academic ex-
changes and language study
programs in Central Asia.
Insurance
Central Asia is an unpredict-
able place so insurance is
a good idea. A minimum of
US$1 million medical cover
and a 'medevac' clause or
policy is essential, as few
reliable emergency services
are available in the CIS.
Some policies specifically
exclude 'dangerous activi-
ties', which can include ski-
ing, motorcycling, and even
trekking or horse riding. If
these are on your agenda,
ask about an insurance
amendment to permit some
of them (at a higher pre-
mium).
Few medical services in
Central Asia will accept your
foreign insurance docu-
ments for payment; you'll
have to pay on the spot and
claim later. Get receipts for
everything and save all the
paperwork.
Legal Matters
Visitors are subject to the
laws of the country they're
visiting. It's unlikely that
you will ever actually be
arrested, unless there are
supportable charges against
you.
If you are arrested,
authorities in the former
Soviet states are obliged
to inform your embassy
(
pasolstvah
in Russian)
immediately and allow you
to communicate with a con-
sular official without delay.
Most embassies will provide
a list of recommended
lawyers.
Language
Courses
The
London School
(Map
p240;
%
54 52 62; www.
londonschool.kg; Soviet
(Abdrakhmanov) 39; per hr
250som, registration basic/
intensive 300/1200som) in
Bishkek offers intensive
Kyrgyz or Russian language
tuition for travellers, with
both classroom and home-
stay environments.
The
Russian Center of
Science & Cuture
(Map
p234;
%
055-500 3976; www.
kgz.rs.gov.ru; erkindik 2/1) in
Bishkek also offers month-
Internet Access
Internet access is widely
available throughout the re-
gion; just look for a roomful
of pasty teenagers playing
games like
Counterstrike
.
The only place where you
can't get reliable internet
