I've Just Travelled along The Silk Road

I just saw a post about having travelled to Myanmar, so I thought a similar post about my recent travels might also be useful.

I've just returned from a year-long trip where I visited some off the usual path destinations such as China (Xinjing and Gansu) Bangladesh, Pakistan, Central Asian countries (Taj, Uz, Turk), the caucuses (Georgia, Azi, Armenia), Ukraine, Belarus and the trans-siberian. There is not much information on the net about these countries as a 'backpacker' so if anyone has any questions about these countries please do not hesitate to ask. I also visited Lebanon, Burma and Iran (albeit 10 years ago) so I might be able to help with these countries too.

Comments

  • +12

    I wouldn’t say the Myanmar thread was “useful”

  • How was travelling through the Ukraine? Isn't it still a warzone?

    • It was fine for me, although I didn't visit Crimea or Donetsk (the far east). I didn't really look into it but I'm pretty sure you need a Russian visa to get into these areas. One thing that was really good was that it was amazingly cheap for what you are getting (i.e. food and accommodation etc.)

      • I have a few questions:

        Best and worst tasting foods?

        Best and worst value foods?

        Any food poisoning?

        Best and worst quality accommodation?

        Best and worst value accommodation?

        Thanks in advance. :)

        • +2

          Best and worst tasting foods?
          - I love a good curry so India. What's really interesting is that the food has no semblance of the 'Indian food' you get in Australia. Same with China.
          - Not a huge fan of Vietnamese food; but never was in Australia too.

          Best and worst value foods?
          All the countries I thought had good value food, especially on the lower end. As long as your confident enough to be able to go into a restaurant and point at other peoples food etc. you will never go hungry. I was brought into so many kitchens by people once they figured out I was a foreigner.

          Any food poisoning?
          Not really. While I did always try to eat at the cheaper eateries, I always made sure they were busy and therefore had a high turnover.

          Best and worst quality accommodation?
          - Bangladesh has no tourist infrastructure so overall the quality of the accommodation was bad and anything decent was very expensive.
          - Central Asia (overall) has few proper hostels in the traditional sense. Cheap places to stay were often in converted apartments; often populated with locals - an interesting experience if that is your thing.
          - There are just gems of places in each country; often they are run by younger people who have travelled. Basically, they know what backpackers want and don't want; and they keep the place clean which is a huge place

          Best and worst value accommodation?
          - Ukraine for the best. They just had really well run and cheap hostels. A close second is Pakistan but that's because I was invited to sleep at so many peoples home so i got to experience a different side of the country.
          - Probably Bangladesh for the worst. but you can't really complain when the room (i.e. not dorm) is a few dollars.

          Overall in relation to accommodation, my feeling (especially when backpacking) is it's your fellow travellers who really determine if you have a good stay at a particular place. The problem I faced is that not only did I travel to places off the usual tourist path, it was often in offseason. For example, I saw two tourists during my four weeks in Bangladesh (and that was walking on the street). Also, even in places where tourists do visit, for example, India and Russia, if you step off the well-worn tourist trail you see a dramatic fall in fellow travellers.

    • +20

      Yep
      No kids
      Yep
      Yep
      Need to get a job
      Not really

      • +1

        They'll always be one jealous hater. Good on you for travelling.

        • +1

          not jealous / hating, you read it with the wrong tone

          it's a genuine question

    • +2

      Pfft dayem neggers.

      • +1

        genuine question there

        no idea what's with the neg really

  • Was it real silk, or that fake polyester "silk" that you get on ebay / aliexpress?

    • most definitely the real stuff

  • +1

    with nothing to anchor you in Australia except for biological family, did none of those countries entice you enough for you to try starting a life/work there? Surely it'd be fairly easy for an Australian to apply for a work visa in those places?

    • I also would like to know.

      PS, not sure where people are getting more information about you from… is there another post or outside link/article I'm unaware of?

      • +1

        I was wondering that too. The age comment threw me but I'm assuming the '81' in my username was the hint - I hope it was.

        I actually have commitments in Australia that mean living or working OS (at the moment at least) is a no goer. Even if I did, I can't imagine what sort of job you could get unless you spoke the language - perhaps as an ESL teacher?? I can't imagine the hoops you would have to jump through to get a work visa in some of those ex-soviet countries.

  • +1

    Nice humble brag, bro

    • +3

      Didn't downvote you, but I'm curious to know why you think OP is bragging?

      IMHO, it shouldn't cost that much since:
      - OP mentioned he was 'backpacking',
      - the destinations are all developing countries/countries where cost of living would be substantially lower than most of the developed world.

      • +2

        It's not about money, it's transparent slum tourism, like visiting North Korea on a packaged tour and telling everyone you know how rough it was, how brave you were, and how it's totally changed your worldview, man.

        • +4

          I'm not seeing the link between my original post and 'slum tourism. I grant you that some countries where certainly 'third world' (the obvious example being Bangladesh), but really a lot of South-East Asia could also fit that (very vague) term and these countries see hordes of tourists.

          I'm curious, are you saying tourists should only visit purported 1st world countries?

        • +1

          Goa is not slum tourism, Dhavari is; they're both Indian.

          I'm curious, are you saying tourists should only visit purported 1st world countries?

          No. I've done my share of backpacking (and maybe regrettable voluntourism), but making an AMA post to show off how authentic and 'off the typical tourist map' your trip was, is just that.

        • @Strand0410:

          Looks like OPs next trip will be going to the burn unit

        • I would have thought my motives for this thread were outlined in the OP. Otherwise, I'm completely lost in relation to your last post. Would a post about Thailand or some other popular destination be more appealing to you?

      • I did. There was nothing that I saw in OP to warrant being hated on.

  • -3

    great information, thanks for for you contribution

  • -2

    There is a reason these countries aren't popular with backpackers or tourists. Civil Wars, Kidnappings, Beheadings.

    • +1

      Personally, I never experienced anything negative while travelling and I've always found that the countries off the typical tourist map to be the most interesting. I think there are risks visiting most countries, but most can be dealt with by researching and using common sense.

  • How did you go about getting a visa for Turkmenistan, as a solo traveler? Transit visa?

    • Crap, sorry I didn't go to Turkmenistan on this trip. It should be the same though; I got a 5-day transit visa in Tehran. I crossed at Sarakhs (near Mashad) and exited at Farab to go into Uzbekistan. The route I had to take (it was set out in my visa) was via Mary. I missed both Ashgabat and Darvaza so I would love to go back; although getting there from Australia is not easy and then you have the visa issue.

      I also used www.stantours.com for my Visa and found www.caravanistan.com an excellent resource for that part of the world.

      • +1

        Yeah, I went to the stans last year (except Afghan and turk) and was trying to find a way to get through Turkmenistan. The transit visa proved too difficult and restrictive for us to bother with, so gave up on it.

        I do think caravanistan.com is a vital tool to anyone visiting the area while backpacking.

        • +1

          The problem is Turkmenistan sits in the middle of the 'Stans' and if your travelling in the region, not being able to transit the country makes life difficult. When I was in the region I met a lot of people who also basically gave up on getting a transit visa and had to alter their plans.

          What is interesting is that all the other 'stan' countires have relaxed their visa requirements; hence it is becoming much more popular with tourists - though Thailand it is not. The tourist infrastructure (while certainly not perfect) had improved dramatically since I had last visited the region.

        • Why is it difficult to get a visa to Turkmenistan?

        • @kiitos:

          To get a normal tourist to Turkmenistan isn't difficult per say, although it certainly isn't easy. The issue is, especially if you are trying to do it on the cheap, is that basically, you need to join a group and have a guide with you all the time. Hence why a lot of people try to apply for a transit visa, but that has its own hurdles to jump.

          You also seem to be at the whim of the state, which often bans all visas being issued over certain time periods.

          My understanding is that more people visit North Korea than Turkmenistan. It's certainly an interesting place that has a few very unique tourist attractions, such as Ashgabat and the Gas Crater. But can you get a feeling about Central Asia (i.e. the people and the food) by heading to other 'stans', I think the answer is yes.

        • @penfold81:

          I see, thanks for explaining that, your trip sounded amazing!

  • +8

    I just came back from a trip to Dandenong earlier this month. Had a chicken kebab on Thomas street, perused the local cash converters and visted a dodgy Thai massage place. Any questions?

    • How was the kebab?

      • It was OK.

    • +2

      Happy ending?

      • No extra services were offered.

        • +1

          Must have gone to the wrong place

    • was it difficult to get a Visa?

  • -2

    These comments are a clear indication people dont know how to use a neg vote properly.

    • +1

      There you go :)

  • Was it slick?

  • +2

    I notice the post "Just driven from Laverton to Sunshine" was unpublished.

  • was the trip as much of a complete nightmare as it sounds?

    • Not at all. I had a great time.

      What makes you think it was a nightmare?

  • Can you please tell me more about Belarus as I got a trip planned this year.. thanks

  • How much $ did you spend?

  • Do you think you could have managed the trip using a carry-on wheeled case weighing 7kg packed and a small day pack?

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