Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Alcohol
Whether it's being poured
down your throat by a zeal-
ous host, or driving others
into states of pathological
melancholy, brotherly love
or violent rage, alcohol can
give you a headache in more
ways than one. This is espe-
cially true in economically
depressed areas, where re-
sentment hovers just below
the surface and young men
may grow abruptly violent.
Crime
If you're the victim of a
crime, contact the
militsia
(police), though you may
get no help from them at all.
Get a report from them if
you hope to claim on insur-
ance for anything that was
stolen, and contact your
closest embassy for a report
in English. If your passport
is stolen, the police should
also provide a letter to OVIR,
which is essential for replac-
ing your visa.
Dealing with Oicials
The number of corrupt
officials on the take has
decreased dramatically in
the last few years and most
travellers make their way
through Central Asia without
a single run-in with the local
militsia
.
The strongest police
presence is in Uzbekistan
(particularly in the Tashkent
metro), followed by Turk-
menistan and Tajikistan,
where there are police
checkpoints at most munici-
pal and provincial borders.
Take a long-distance taxi
ride anywhere in the region
and you'll likely see your
driver paying off traffic cops
after being waived down by
an orange baton.
It's a near certainty that
you'll meet a
gendarme
or
two in Uzbekistan, though
most only want to see your
papers and know where
you're going.
If you are approached by
the police, there are several
rules of thumb to bear in
mind:
AMIN
After a meal or prayers, or sometimes when passing
a grave site, you might well see both men and women
bring their cupped hands together and pass them down
their face as if washing. This is the
amin,
a Muslim ges-
ture of thanks, common throughout the region.
tourism projects, and engage
local services and guides
whenever possible.
The following are a few
tips:
¨
Be respectful of Islamic
traditions and don't wear
singlets, shorts or short
skirts in rural areas or the
Fergana Valley.
¨
Don't hand out sweets
or pens to children on the
streets, as it encourages
begging.
¨
Buy your snacks,
cigarettes, bubble gum
etc from the enterprising
grannies trying to make ends
meet rather than from state-
run stores.
¨
Don't buy items made from
endangered species, such as
Marco Polo sheep and snow
leopards.
¨
Don't pay to take a photo
of someone and don't
photograph someone if they
don't want you to. If you
agree to send someone a
photo, make sure you follow
through with it.
¨
Discourage the use of
scarce fuels such as firewood
and
tersken
(high-altitude
bush) in the eastern Pamirs.
¨
If someone offers to put
you up for the night make
sure you don't put your host
under financial burden. Don't
let them sacrifice an animal
in your honour (common in
the Pamirs) and try to offer
money or a gift in return for
your host's hospitality.
¨
Don't let your driver drive
too close to archaeological
sites and try to stick to
existing tracks when driving
off road.
Safe Travel
Travel in Central Asia is a
delight for those who are
ready for it, but a potential
nightmare for the unpre-
pared. We get letters from
travellers chastising us for
overplaying the hassles of
travel in Central Asia, and
an equal number describing
a litany of police hassles,
violence and rip-offs. Most
people have a problem-
free trip but inexperienced
travellers should travel with
their radar up.
Crime is minimal by
Western urban standards,
but visitors are tempting,
high-profile targets. Central
Asian officials and police
generally create more prob-
lems than they solve. Local
and regional transport can
be unpredictable, uncom-
fortable and occasionally
unsafe.
If you have an emergency
or have your passport sto-
len, you must immediately
contact the nearest em-
bassy (which might be in a
neighbouring republic, or
even Moscow). It will help
if you have a photocopy of
your passport to verify who
you are. It's a good idea to
register with your embassy
upon arrival in Central Asia
and to carry the telephone
numbers of your embassies
in the region.
This information, all
about the headaches, is not
meant to put you off. Rath-
er, it is intended to prepare
you for the worst. Here's
hoping you don't run into
any of these problems.
