Central Asia (Lonely Planet Travel Guides) | 
| Author: Bradley Mayhew
Publisher: Lonely Planet
Category: Book
List Price: $29.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 31298
Media: Paperback
Edition: 4
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 508
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.7
ISBN: 1741046149
Dewey Decimal Number: 915
EAN: 9781741046144
ASIN: 1741046149
Publication Date: August 1, 2007
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Condition: New; Excellent condition! Clean crisp tight copy, no marks,could have some minor shelf wear. Email Notification, Satisfaction Guaranteed,Direct from our warehouse.
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Product Description
Discover Central Asia
Lose yourself among the blue domes and mosaics fo the Registan in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Play Marco Polo, exploring Silk Road forts while bathed in the light of the snowcapped Hindu Kush in the Wakhan Valley, Tajikistan.
Watch a Kyrgyz eagle hunter in action, and taste the delights of fermented mare's milk in Kyrgyzstan.
Follow in the footsteps of British spies, Chinese pilgrims and Russian explorers and embark on your own Great Game.
In This Guide:
Five authors, five 'stans, 27 visa stamps (78 visa checks), 182 pots of green tea, one (short) detention by the KGB.
Everything you need to know about visas, travel permits and crossing Asia's remotest borders.
Trek into remote alpine valleys, follow herders on horseback or ride camels with our new Activities chapter.
Visit lonelyplanet.com for up-to-the-minute reviews, updates and traveler suggestions.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
a practical overview April 13, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This doesn't answer questions such as, "What kind of winter jacket should I bring", but it does tell you about the traditional Kyrgyz practice of wife abduction. The packing lists on the Peace Corps wiki are a good source if you need to know what kind of clothes to bring: [...]. Type in "Packing list for ___(country)___". Unfortunately, they only have lists for the countries in which the Peace Corps has volunteers. However, most likely they have people somewhere in the region about which you are interested.
This book is full of practical information about each country (and some funny tidbits), some ideas for itineraries, and useful tips. Since I have not seen any alternative, this is your best bet if you want a guide to Central Asia.
 Excellent guide to central asia November 30, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Once again Lonely Planet has done a very good job. This guide is the best introduction to the five Central Asian countries. I used it in Tajikistan recently and intend to use it again.
Very useful October 31, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Central Asia is steeped in rich mediaeval architecture, soul stirring music, amazingly friendly people, complex history, delicious food & a sense of the prehistoric.
Solo or individual travel to this part of the world is not for the squeamish amateur traveler. Travel here will test you and occasionally frustrate you. But, then the warmth of people and the amazing architecture and natural beauty will more than neutralize that frustration.
A guide to Central Asia is your life support system. You won't be able to do without it and as usual LP does a great job. The information is very accurate and up to date.
I only have some minor comments & recommendations for people planning to Uzbekistan & Turkmenistan.
1. The shared taxi prices in the guide are notional. Most taxi drivers will quote a much higher price (usually in USD), which may be 2 to 3 times the price quoted in the guide. Their rationale is that they will take you out in a brand new Daewoo Nexia car and the ride will be comfortable (hardly ever the case).
2. A popular scam is that taxi drivers will negotiate a price for a non-stop shared ride to your city of interest, but they will cunningly drop you at the nearest taxi stand & transfer you to another taxi, which will leave much later (1-2 hours wait) and demand that you pay them the whole amount. Some times, they'll even ask for an advance. The best way to avoid these scams is to insist on the same driver till the destination and do NOT pay in advance even if it means creating a big row & walking out of the deal.
Have used for uzbekistan and found it useful October 8, 2006
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I used this guide when traveling in Uzbekistani cities in 2003. I found it very helpful ESPECIALLY THE MAPS.
There were a few comments/inaccuracies that I noted and I called those to the Lonely Planet's attention. Despite this, this is probably the most useful reference for the English speaker -- at least for Uzbekistan. (If traveling in Almaty, I would first recommend the "Almaty Guide Millenium Edition" written by the Almaty International Women's Club.)
Essential guide for anyone coming to Central Asia August 27, 2002
27 out of 30 found this review helpful
Take it from an American expat living in Uzbekistan and traveling throughout the region - this is by far the best guide to any place in Central Asia. The authors do a great job of covering all the countries, and they have practical advice on necessary precautions. The general information about the area is solid. Every expat who lives here has a copy, and we all rely on it for advice on where to go and what to see. Also, the historical review is thorough without being tedious, and the practical information on things like climate and local customs is generally dead on. Nevertheless, you can't rely on this book (or any other) for specifics like suggested hotels and restaurants or things like visa fees. These all change so frequently in the CAR that everything is out of date before it's hit the printers. Use this as a guide to the area, but don't rely on it for planning the details about where to stay and where to eat.
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