The 5 Stans of the Silk Road

[drron]

No I am a no status Hyatt member.A 1 stay a year man.So no lounge for me.

 

[RooFlyer]

Next day I had a very civilised departure time of 10:30am, in SQ F ICN-SIN and then Suites SIN-SYD

Check-in was easy, and they directed me to the Asiana F Lounge. It was a bit of a disappointment - must be their flagship lounge. While stylish and comfortable, it was small-ish and a bit basic in terms of food & bev (for a First lounge). I think Asiana got rid of their F cabins recently, but they must have a lot of premium pax?

ICN concourse:



Lounge:















There was one pax, proudly declaring himself an American, who loudly complained about some treatment he's received (sounded like a cancellation and then left in the lurch) - what made it unpleasant is that he was loudly berating the poor lounge people who had to deal with him, in the middle of the lounge "YOU ...." ... "YOU ...". Eventually a manager type appeared and they got him up to the service desk.

 

[RooFlyer]

SQ611, a B777-300, 1F.







Leaving ICN behind:







That's the Hyatt at the furthest top right. In fact both Grand Hyatts - West Tower at the top, and East Tower the 3 armed building next to it. The East Tower used to be the Hyatt Regency. It was only after looking at this pic that I realised that there was a Metro station very close to the hotel - I didn't need to take the shuttle to the airport, then navigate the airport to get to a station!

 

[RooFlyer]

The crew were lovely, of course. I forgot to Book the Cook on both legs - never mind, I've not been impressed with the Lobster Thermidor on the 2 occasions I've had it. Plus perusing a F menu is fun .

So here it is:

 

[RooFlyer]

I chose the set 'Alfred's selection' for lunch.

Satay sticks:



Crab and mango:



Pea and lobster soup:



Braised beef in red wine sauce. I could be picky and point out the watery mash and carrot cubes (could have come out of a can), but everything else was good, so you forgive them that.



Then they brought out the dessert (icecream and raspberry sorbet):



It was absolutely rock hard frozen, so I left it a bit, which was just as well, as in a few minutes, the FA came out and whisked it away, and brought it back with so,me dressing (and apologies). Still had to wait a while for it to come off its deep freeze, but it was nice (as was the whole lunch):



Soon we were cruising past Taiwan, which was bigger than I imagined. I'm going there next year.








The on-board free wi-fi was fast; IFE was good, but I didn't watch anything. The whole flight was very good, as you'd expect on SQ F.

 

[RooFlyer]

We landed on time at 5pm local, so I went in hunt of these at the Sony duty free shop:



The guy basically laughed at me when I asked for them - very popular, and out of stock. 'Come back in a month'. Same story elsewhere.

I got some exercise walking round the terminals, working up an appetite for dinner in The Private Room. I got there about 7pm, had a shower, then sat down for some pre-dinner aperitifs. This was my second visit to TPR, the first a couple of years ago in the company of @Cruiser Elite , who showed me the ropes.

A Dom appeared soon, but there it stopped. Although there were only 6 or so pax in the lounge, and I was in a seat just opposite the dining room, there was no way I could get a refill without going over and asking. I tried to think if I had committed some faux pas or other sin, but no. You park your backside on a seat, get a drink and then, when its empty, sit the glass down and wait. That's how it goes isn't it? Not this time.





I went over for dinner.









So I started with Oriental soup:



... and mid-way through that, out came my main, beef brisket noodle.



Am I being too precious by thinking WTF? There are 6 people in the dining room now, and you can't time the dishes such that the next course isn't delivered until I'm finished the first? Is this a thing in Singapore? This is only a comment because this isn't just a First Lounge, its a premium First Lounge.



Again, I'm happy to be shot down as being overly snooty and an ersatz F pax, but the service here in TPR on that day was very ordinary. All the more so when you think of the immaculate service you get on board. (I get that they are quite different universes, but its all SQ on show.) Very strange.

 

[RooFlyer]

Then it was onto SQ231 SIN-SYD, in one of the old suites. Departure at 00:45, so it was straight to bed, including with my custom inflatable mini-mattresses. I have no problem with the old suites product and got a reasonable bit of sleep:



In the morning, i went to the bathroom and the FAs put away the bed. I had forgotten about my mattress, so it was put neatly in the suite for my attention!



The FAs showed no curiosity about the mattress.

Brekky was pretty straight forward for me: fruit and buckwheat pancakes.





A great flight with SQ. Only wish I had enough points to do it more often (in F) .

Then it was a quick transfer in Sydney, then across to the domestic terminal for a Qantas flight to Hobart (J upgrade came through a few days before).

And that was that! A trip summary to follow.

 

[RooFlyer]

So. 'The 5 Stans of the silk road'.

As an experience, it was up there with my best travels in terms of wow factor, unique experiences and things I really wanted to see, especially the Darvaza Gas Crater - I haven't put this in the report before:

The bizarre-ness of Ashgabat, the beautiful Islamic architecture of Uzbekistan, especially Samarkand, the mountains of Tajikistan and the alpine yurt-country of Kyrgyz Republic were other highlights for me.

We traveled 4,200km on highways over 19 days (the first and last days being non-travel days); the transport was never uncomfortable and only for a few sectors were we in 4WD and not in vans or coaches with plenty of spare seats to spread out. Bar one day, the guides were good. Accommodation was 'not bad' - but if I can put up with it, anyone can!!





The tour mainly hit the right notes and given you can't please everyone, I think it was an excellent itinerary, well executed.

Of course its not for everyone, but that said, there were more than a couple of 'seniors' on this trip and I think everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. I myself hate going by bus/coach and long drives (not least because of a developing lower back issue) but no probs here.

I'd love to go back. This is my dream itinerary, but in reality I'd be happy with Ashgabat to Tashkent, to see NW Uzbekistan, which was a major omission from the '5 Stans' tour. See you there!

 

[Jacques Vert]

I chose the set 'Alfred's selection' for lunch.

Satay sticks:

View attachment 190644

Crab and mango:

View attachment 190645

Pea and lobster soup:

View attachment 190646

Braised beef in red wine sauce. I could be picky and point out the watery mash and carrot cubes (could have come out of a can), but everything else was good, so you forgive them that.

View attachment 190647

Then they brought out the dessert (icecream and raspberry sorbet):

View attachment 190649

It was absolutely rock hard frozen, so I left it a bit, which was just as well, as in a few minutes, the FA came out and whisked it away, and brought it back with so,me dressing (and apologies). Still had to wait a while for it to come off its deep freeze, but it was nice (as was the whole lunch):

View attachment 190651

Soon we were cruising past Taiwan, which was bigger than I imagined. I'm going there next year.

View attachment 190648

View attachment 190650


View attachment 190652

The on-board free wi-fi was fast; IFE was good, but I didn't watch anything. The whole flight was very good, as you'd expect on SQ F.

All that talk about the food and not one word about the wine? Shame, shame, shame.

 

[henleybeach]

well done @RooFlyer , great report.
You definitely have my attention for Ashgabat
A shame the weather wasn’t nicer for you in Almaty.

 

[rginoz]

Thank you @RooFlyer for your very entertaining and informative trip report. I've followed it with great interest, and your descriptions and insights were terrific. Much appreciated!

 

[OZDUCK]

Thanks for a great TR. Some fabulous photos and amazing scenery. I have to admit I was surprised how 'modern' the various capital cities looked.

 

[RooFlyer]

All that talk about the food and not one word about the wine? Shame, shame, shame.

Ugh. I'll wear that. Truth is, I didn't remember anything about them. Nothing exceptional as far as I could remember ... and I'm not into photographing the bottle when served by the FA.

 

[RooFlyer]

Thanks for a great TR. Some fabulous photos and amazing scenery. I have to admit I was surprised how 'modern' the various capital cities looked.

Thanks. Yes, all 5 capitals are what you might call 'normal' modern cities. Well, that's not true for Ashgabat, its anything but normal, but it is modern and has shopping and offices like any capital.

But as soon as you go out of those cities, its a different world.

 

[drron]

Thanks a really great TR.Unfortunately we have to do it through your eyes,
2 reasons.First altitude.Mrsdrron gets altitude sickness above ~ 2,700 metres.
Second-I will be ceasing work in ~ 2 years so the funds for travel will dry up.

 

[JohnM]

Accommodation was 'not bad' - but if I can put up with it, anyone can!!

The tour mainly hit the right notes and given you can't please everyone, I think it was an excellent itinerary, well executed.

Of course its not for everyone, but that said, there were more than a couple of 'seniors' on this trip and I think everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

I agree with all of this. It was a very good tour IMO. I would have rated it a 9 overall; it’s all relative and has to fit with what’s available, highlights people want see and the practicalities of how to break up the daily sectors to stitch it together in a workable way.

Rooy and I are basically polar opposites when it comes to accommodation. He has difficulty sleeping; I can sleep anywhere, anytime - with one exception. He likes his fancy hotel room away from noises like discos and lifts; I dislike quite intensely those sorts of places as I sleep hot and I can’t get the A/C cold enough to counteract the, to me, ridiculous heavy doonas they insist on using in most of those places. My best nights’ sleep were in the yurt, the campsite, the homestays and the non-A/C ‘motel’ near the babbling brook - where I can open a window or it’s naturally cold.

The group really was very good. The woman who had a tendency to walk out in front while people were taking photos was mildly irritating, but those sorts of things really become something that can easily be laughed off with an eye-roll. (She did seem to have some sort of mild affliction that may have affected her behaviour). The late twenties-somethings with their selfies and teddy bear posing were an eye-roll at times, but it was trivial. There were certainly no PITAS and some of the more widely travelled, as has often been my experience, were great for travel tips - exemplified by both Rooy and me booking the Intrepid Moldova, Romania and Ukraine trip next year (he’s slotting in about a month before me).

Ahem, I was the oldest person on the tour . I did have to laugh when one of the ladies (from PER, incidentally) on her first tour of this type told us that she had phoned the Exodus office in Melbourne to ask the age range of the people going. She was told twenties to one person about 70. Errr, that would be me, it transpired . Apparently she was afraid of being stuck with a bunch of old people . Funnily enough, though, my guess of her age was well into her 70s and I would have put her, from appearance, as about the oldest person in the group. Turns out she was only 63. Oops, just as well I didn’t open my mouth .

She had trouble managing her case. Rooy, the Good Samaritan, helped her quite often. I, on the other hand, have a pretty strict policy of not risking hurting myself to help someone with their bag. (And I am 10 years older than our youthful correspondent ). The trip notes specifically point out that trundling your bag over rough ground for some lengthy distances will be required, and that you should have a bag you can manage. I did give her some tips about getting a better type of bag than she had, which she took on board quite appreciatively.

Anyway, another typical excellent and detailed @RooFlyer TR and a blast of a trip.

My take on this tour will be embedded within my larger 2019 RTW TR that I’ll get back to systematically when I return home in two weeks. (I’ve earlier today hit the deck in CMB for an Exodus tour in Sri Lanka).

 

[RooFlyer]

She had trouble managing her case. Rooy, the Good Samaritan, helped her quite often.

I liked her! She and I compared notes early and we agreed that we didn't like long lunches or general faffing around. Too much exciting stuff to see!

My light-sleeping is a big problem for me. I can sort of make-up every so often but after 3 or 4 weeks on the road these days I'm pretty much done. I think thats why I didn't do much in Almaty - if I'd really wanted to, I could have flown to Astana or gone for a long (hired) drive to the east of the city, but I just couldn't be faffed.

I don't really need 5 star - Novotel standard is perfect for me, but at the beginning of a trip (recovering from jet-lag) and at the end (as a treat) I do like 5 star, as then I can be reasonably assured of a quiet room and if its not, the reception will do something about it.

On the other hand, I'm pretty pedestrian with my food & bev requirements!

Good luck in Sri Lanka - don't get stuck behind a Chinese tour group at Lion Rock!!

See you in the Barossa in about a moonth - where I'm off on Tuesday for another Rocky lunch and a bit of D'Arenburg make-your-own.

 

[VPS]

Fantastic TR and some amazing photos. It's something that I would love to do and I may ask you and @JohnM some more questions later about dragging bags around. My problem at this stage is that I am increasingly unable (or maybe unwilling) to cope with people for too long and after a few days I just need a day when I don't talk to anyone and can just chill and I will have to think about how I can handle it.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re dragging bags around. We were warned by the trip notes that there would be one border crossing that would involve a long walk through a 'neutral zone', and it may be hot at the same time.

The long walk came to pass (about a km), but it wasn't hot, although it could have been. Fortunately in this case the surface was pretty smooth. All border crossings involved some walking across neutral zones, and nearly always this involved some rough and uneven surfaces (as in multi-patched bitumen-paved surfaces, potholes, cracks, gutters, cobbles etc) and some steps (up and down into checkpoint buildings). A couple of times we had to contend with stretches of gravel.

The lady I helped a couple of times had a four-wheeler, which I definitely wouldn't recommend and it was pretty heavy. No-one else had this combination and I don't think there was much drama elsewhere. Its a group of 16 and someone will always help.

I had a large, heavy bag AND a carry-on sized bag

Re being on your own occasionally. On the transport, except for a couple of days in the 4WDs, you'll always be able to sit by yourself - there are plenty of spare seats. All of the 'singles', and occasionally the couples did this on this tour. But at lunches, and many dinners, its a group thing. Many dinners are 'do your own thing' though and I know John and I sometimes skipped lunch to wander about either by ourselves or separately. And you can get a single room of course. After a couple of days, everyone got to know each other and if at that point you said 'I may not be sociable today', I reckon people will understand. Like I said, the participants are mainly experienced group travelers and will know what you are about.

 

[tgh]

Thanks for another excellent tr.
Unlike most respondents the "Stans" are not high on my bucket list but certainly a different and interesting part of the world.