Most Inspirational Moment
It's impossible to come up with one highlight ! Maybe I could add a few from each country by saying: Turkmenistan was fascinating for the huge contrasts between the marble excesses of Ashgabat, the raw beauty of the desert and the astonishing firepit at Darvaza and the fascinating historical relicas at Kenya-Urgench Uzbekistan was memorable for the vastness of the desert and the beauty and magnificence of the turquoise tiled buildings in Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand. I particularly liked exploring the walled city of Khiva, and the opportunities throughout the country to see how people really live. The silk factory at Margilan was so interesting. The stand out points in Tajikistan for me were the ancient ruins in Panjikent, and the sheer beauty of the seven Fann Lakes. And the Arbob Palace was fun ! Kyrgyzstan scored highly for its scenery - especially Son Kul Lake, and the snow-capped mountains, and for the two best 'experiences' - the felt museum in Kochkor and the (optional) eagle hunting was probably my favourite part of the whole trip. Finally, we had such a short time in Khazakstan, but Almaty was so different from everywhere else that it gave us another different view of the Stans - and the city tour was excellent - especially, for me, the musical instrument museum.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Jabbar and Dilshod were both excellent - knowledgeable, personable and understood our needs well. Hussain was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable, his delivery of information was occasionally not quite clear, but he made up for this by being funny and entertaining. Oxana was not as fluent in English as the others, but we could understand her well.