Fried Eggs with Chopsticks

Finally, an enjoyable travel book about China. Polly Evans' book about her travels in China a few years ago is lots of fun. She isn't trying to do or be anything like so many other mediocre travel books, but just trying to see China. She doesn't whine too much, nor get into too much detail about buses and trains (although she barely stays out of this trap) and she is funny.

Someday I'm going to make a living traveling around Asia with children and writing books about it. With recipes.

News from Tartary

News from Tartary by Peter Fleming is the rest of the story of Ella Maillart's Forbidden Journey. Fleming travelled the entire distance with Maillart and wrote his own version of their trip. Both books are excellent, especially since Maillart and Fleming write about different things, but clearly travel well together.

Sadly, the edition I read doesn't have any of the photos Fleming mentions; it doesn't even have a map so unless you're pretty familiar with the path they travelled, you're either going to have find your own map or just wander along with Maillart and Fleming. Or find an older edition because it was rather silly to cut out the pictures.

The Carpet Wars

This book by Christopher Kremmer tells about his travels in Asia in the 90s. A lot has changed in the area since then of course, but it's still an interesting look at Central and South Asia and you'll learn a bit about rugs along the way (I had hoped there would be more about carpets and less about war).

I skipped parts that were more about people fighting each other and I was also disappointed in the section on Tajikistan. Kremmer only went there for a route into one area of northern Afghanistan and only spent a short time in Dushanbe; I would imagine the only reason it was even included in the book was because the civil war had only recently ended.

It was a perfectly fine book, just not what I was looking for. There are better travel books out there about Central Asia, although I enjoyed the end of the book much more that the middle or beginning.

Land of the High Flags: Afghanistan When the Going Was Good

I had high hopes for this book by Rosanne Klass. It's a reprint (by Odyssey who wrote several of our favorite travel guides) of her time spent teaching English in Afghanistan in the early 1950s. And I wasn't disappointed, not really, but I wasn't terribly impressed either. But there were some excellent parts and it was quick to read.

It seemed odd how thoroughly absent her husband was in the book. I learned about the gardener, the director of the school, the neighbors, etc, but her husband, who was obviously there for a lot of it, had no role in the book. I also wasn't really excited about hearing about the servants so much (she described one for 30 pages); she also lived a pretty privileged life in Kabul, although nearly all expats at the time did (as most expats still do). I would have liked to hear more about her students and teaching, and about their travels around the country, especially since so many things have changed now.

But what I didn't like was how detached Klass seemed. I know she wasn't, given her obviously intense interest in the region since then, but that fascination just didn't come through in the book and I was a bit disappointed with that. Although it was refreshing to not have to read about her opinions and interpretations of everything like you have to in many modern travel books.

Recommended if you're interested in Afghanistan or Central Asia, and it's fairly good as a general travel book.

Forbidden Journey

This is another excellent book by Ella Maillart. In this book she writes about her journey through China from Beijing down to Xi'an to the southern Silk Road between the Taklamakan and Tibet to Kashgar, and then down to Srinagar in Kashmir.

But what really makes her travel books different (especially this one) is that she traveled at the end of an era. Even though Maillart's trip through China was in 1935, just 72 years ago, it's a completely different world all across China. This trip would no longer be nearly impossible. A hassle, yes, especially along some parts of the journey, but in general very doable. The ethnic makeup of some areas has changed dramatically. The government is totally different. And most of all, the people are different. How could they not be?

Maillart truly is an amazing woman. One thing I learned about her today is that she organized tours to Asia for over 30 years till 1987. I would have loved to have traveled with her!

Recommended.

A Woman's Asia

This is one of the best travel books I've read in a long time. It's a large collection of short travel stories by women who have travelled in Asia. The women are in a variety of countries for a variety of reasons.

It does take a rather limited view of Asia- nothing in Siberia or west of India, China, or Mongolia, but that's not a real surprise, although I was hoping for at least one story from Central Asia (besides Afghanistan, which seems to be the only representative of Central Asia ever- even Registan has turned largely into an Afghanistan fest).

If you like travel writing, this is an excellent book. Recommended.

So Many Enemies, So Little Time

I stumbled on this interesting little book at the library a few weeks ago. It written by Elinor Burkett about her stint as a Fulbrighter in Kyrgyzstan 4 years before we went. So many of her experiences were so familiar, but she had a little different perspective at times, of course.

About half the book is spent on Burkett's and her husband's travels around Asia, some sponsored by the Fulbright program and others independent. They travel to Afghanistan, Iran, Mongolia, Turkmenistan, and more. It's an interesting look at what you can do with a sense of adventure, plenty of money (there is no way we could have afforded the travel they did), and two united adults (children put a real damper on worming your way into Afghanistan).

My Kyrgyzstan was a bit different from Burkett's and I don't think it can all be contributed to the time difference in when we went since it was just four years. If it had been 10 or even 6 or 7, that would have been a significant difference. But Burkett seems to focus a bit more on what they don't have there instead of what they do have, especially at the beginning. Her travels in China were interesting, especially after living in Bishkek, as were ours. China has a totally different impression on you after being in KG instead of the US.

Recommended.

From Heaven Lake

From Heaven Lake: Travels Through Sinkiang and Tibetby Vikram Seth is the first truly worthwhile travelogue I've read about Central Asia or China. Seth, certainly a proven author, writes about China in a way that few others can- as an Indian who speaks Chinese, who has lived in China, and who simply knows how to write. Although the titles focuses on Xinjiang and Tibet, Seth also writes about Xi'an, Beijing, Nanjing, Dunhuang and more.

There is no agonizing over why the author is travelling. No long descriptions of foreigners tromping around China. No elevating any country over another. No criticism of Chinese bureaucracy. And even almost no harrowing bus or truck rides (one did get a bit long, but when that's the only failing of the book, I'll forgive it). Virtually the only aside into Seth's brain is when he compares China and India for a few pages, and it's fascinating and brief and not at all overdone. It's also nice to see him point out there is no Asian mode of thinking; Westerners tend to lump Asians together when though Asia includes everyone from Arabs to Siberians.

One story in particular, that I had read before and written about was particularly poignant to me, but all Seth's interactions with the people he meets are interesting and well told. Seth simply writes about the people and places he sees and creates a wonderful book.

I Want to See the Wonders of the World

And not just read about them

I Want to See the People of the World

And be able to talk to them

I Want to Know the Earth Is Round

And not just believe it

And the Rest of Wyoming

We didn't just go to Yellowstone this weekend; we also visited a lot of places in Wyoming and Idaho. I don't really know why, but I love western Wyoming and eastern Idaho. This picture is in Star Valley Wyoming where we stayed for a few nights.

Probably one reason why I like these places is because so many of my ancestors settled there when they came west. This is the headstone of my great-great grandmother, buried in Afton, Wyoming. I'd always planned on being buried in Swan Lake, Idaho, next to my great-grandparents, but I might change my mind and choose Star Valley instead. I'm partial to the cemetery in Grover.

And then we went through the Tetons to get up to Yellowstone. It's absolutely beautiful there right now with all the aspens golden.

We really had a wonderful trip. We visited friends in Idaho, checked on the progress of the Rexburg Temple, visited lots more cemeteries than the one in Afton, stopped at the Star Valley Cheese Factory, got Aggie ice cream in Logan, Utah, and, best of all, saw lots of geysers.

KFC in China

I was amused by this article talking about American fast food chains around the world. And I thought the tips at the end of the article were right on. Fast food in foreign countries really can be relaxing.

But there is no American fast food in Central Asia. I'm betting we found one of the closest KFCs when we were in Xi'an, China. The boys ate there twice in 3 days, and then we ate at McDonald's once or twice in Beijing, although I never set foot in any of the places. Their main attraction was a clean toilet for the boys, but you can't walk past chicken nuggets when you haven't seen them for 6 months.

There is a fast food place here called MacBurger; I've only heard scary stories about it. I'm betting though that some American fast food in Almaty would do all right.

We didn't eat much fast food in the Middle East either. I never went to Tel Aviv where most of it was, and they had weird kosher rules in Jerusalem (honestly, most Jews don't eat kosher, so what was the point of that?). There was a lot available in Cairo, but I love Egyptian street food and Pizza Hut just didn't seem to be worth the money. Fast food is expensive. And falafel, hummus, ful, and koshari are delicious.

But if they had more Wendy's overseas, well, that would be worth it. We did find a place that sold Baskin Robins ice cream (three flavors) for $2.50 a scoop on Kiev. If we weren't going to be back in the US in a few days, I may have caved on that one.

North Africa

Things are moving forward in restoring diplomatic ties with Libya.

Younger son will be so pleased (since he loves Libya's flag). We'll have to start planning that trip through North Africa now. Start in Cairo (or how about we live there for a year or two?), then on to Tripoli, Carthage, Tunis, Casablanca, Marakkesh, and Fez. We might have to stay a year or two in Morocco. But we'd still better skip Algeria.

The Trip I'd Love to Take

Of course, it's probably not the safest or most feasible of trips to take right now, but maybe someday it will be possible.

Start in Bishkek.
Drive to Talas, Kyrgyzstan, visit friends
Drive to Taraz, Kazakhstan, then through Shymkent and possibly going to Sayram
Drive down to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, spend a few days looking around and visiting friends
Drive to Jizzakh, Uzbekistan, visit friends
Drive to Samarqand, visit friends, and spend a long time looking around
Drive to Bukhara and spend another long time looking around (too bad we don't know anyone here)
Drive to Merv, Turkmenistan and spend a long time exploring there and Gonur
Continue south to Herat, Afghanistan
Go north to Balkh and Mazar-e Sharif
Continue east through northern Afghanistan, cross into Tajikistan at Ishkashim
Go up to Khorog, then drive the Pamir highway to Murgab (stopping wherever we want along the way)
Cross into China to Tashkurgan, the go up the Karakorum Highway to Kashgar.
Cross back into Kyrgyzstan at Irkeshtam then go to Sary Tash in Kyrgyzstan, with a side trip to Sary Moghul to visit friends, then on to Osh and Jalalabad. We could go from Jalalabad to Naryn and see Tash Rabat while we're at it, but I think we'd be ready to go home.

This leaves out Khiva and Konya Urgench, but there's no logical way to get there except to fly. And it would be sad to miss Mashhad. But then I'd want to go down to Isfahan, and that's an entirely different jaunt.

Adventuring with Children

I've always had trouble finding books that really fit our family (no, we're not looking for a list of amusement parks and McDonald's in every city in Europe). Traveling just isn't the same if you're doing the same things you could do in the US for a lot less money. But I think this could be our kind of travel book. This one looks good too, although it's harder to tell since I can't search inside. And I'm not keen on the word "exotic." I don't care to visit exotic places.

While I can understand that a lot of people aren't interested in going to unusual destinations, there really seems to be a general aversion to it- you're not supposed to take your children in vacations like this. (I even have to admit that the idea scares me to death, but when we're finally there it works out wonderfully). Even the trusty and adventurous Lonely Planet for Central Asia almost completely dismisses bringing children to any part of Central Asia. If you do, you're in for a miserable time. Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai were about the only cities that the China guidebook thought were suitable for children.

One of my favorite things about traveling with children is that people love to see foreigners with children. People all over the world love children and you are treated very differently when you travel as a family. But cities with lots of tourists aren't as impressed when you travel with children. There was a huge difference between Xi'an and Beijing.

There are lots of websites for traveling with children, but they just have endless lists of things to bring (as a general rule, it's a lot more pleasant to bring less) and suggestions of "kid-friendly" things to do in a few capital cities. Things that only a rather well-off family could afford.

So what would I love to do as a family? Cycle the Karakorum Highway from Kashgar. Spend a week or two along the Pamir highway in Tajikistan. Go rafting on just about any river in the world. Backpack in Yunnan. Rent an apartment for 2-3 months in various cities. Sail around Indonesia and snorkel in the coral reefs. And homeschool while we're at it.

We could never afford to go to Europe, staying in the types of kid-friendly hotels the books suggest and eating at fast food places. But we can afford to spend a month or two taking buses around Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan seeing some of the most amazing places in the world that most children don't even get to dream about. And we're seriously considering doing just that this summer.

Of course, I'd hate this to sound like I think parents should just do what they want despite their children. You're going to have to make concessions when your children are with you. You probably can't travel as far in a day. You won't be able to visit as many sites. You may have to take a break and play in a park. But you can make sure those breaks aren't always taken at Pizza Hut or at an amusement park. Bring a soccer ball to play with the kids following you around. Budget extra time. You're there as a family, not a couple with "kids in tow."

But just don't think you shouldn't do it.

Bone Summer

One thing that would be fun to do this summer is to travel around Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tuva, and Mongolia to find more bone games. We could do Kyrgyzstan first, going south to Osh, then east, then up to Naryn and Karakol and cross the border at Karkara. We could work through eastern Kazakhstan then cross into Russia near Semey and go to Tuva, then down into western Mongolia.

I've talked about traveling to interesting places before and it hasn't really happened, but this time it may well have to happen. I don't have any desire to spend two months in Bishkek between semesters.

We were hoping to spend part of the summer in Turkey, but that didn't work out, so we're back to figuring out where we're going to spend the summer. Staying in Asia would probably be best, especially if we can teach in Kyrgyzstan for another year, but if we're heading back to the US, we could stop just about any place in the world.

I'd love to spend the summer in China, in Yunnan or Xi'an or Xinjiang. Russia would be nice too, in Siberia or Kamchatka.

We could travel around Kyrgyzstan riding minibuses and staying in yurts for about the same amount we pay for our apartment in Bishkek. I'd love to see more of Kyrgyzstan.

Uzbekistan would be good if they weren't so cross about Americans right now. I've never had a real desire to go to Kazakhstan. Tajikistan would be interesting.

But I am really quite certain that Bishkek won't be an option. At least I really hope it won't.

Places I'd Like to Go

Kunming

Turpan

Kashgar

Kashmir

Penang

Lake Baykal

Mongolia

Angkor Wat

Samarqand

Bukhara

Khiva

The Ferghana Valley

Machu Picchu (make sure to say glad to meet you)

Nepal

India (any place will do)

The geysers in New Zealand

Indonesia

Outback (or any other place in Australia)

St. Petersburg

Cairo

Jerusalem

Xi'an

Kamchatka

Tuva

Gansu

Yellowstone

Alaska

Greenland

Lake Titicaca

Black Sea

Istanbul

Bethel

Crete

Denmark

Wales

and many more, but it's time for school

Food and Travel

What could be better?

The Traveler's Lunchbox- The photos here are wonderful. And anyone who loves Paula Wolfert's cookbooks is going to be creating some delicious things.

Hot Sour Salty Sweet- Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid's site (authors of Flatbreads and Flavors, and many more cookbooks, including their newest one, Mangoes and Curry Leaves)

I was just really very hungry

Wanderlust

Adventures with Murphitude

There is a Georgian restaurant in town that I have to try. I haven't had khachapuri in too long.