Travel Advisories.

I had to fill out a letter of invitation for G Adventures so that I can enter Turkmenistan.  You will, of course, remember this from my post in November, so so long ago.  

I had to send in a scan of my passport, in colour, and a passport-like photo.  I made my friend Robynne take the photo.  She sucks because I do not look like the 32 year old that I think I look like.  But I will forgive her, despite her making me look like middle aged.  

The passport scan had to have the name page and opposite page and all corners showing.  I scanned, cropped, straightened and sent it in.  Rejected.  They did not reject the photo of old me.  So, despite my Luddite tendencies, I figured out how to increase the resolution on my scan.  I have resent it but have not heard back.  

In the meantime, I also have to click a little button that says 'I have verified with a consulate that I do not require a Letter of Invitation to apply for my visa / I do not require a visa for this destination so I figured I should actually check with Canada (gov.ca travel) that I actually don't need a visa for the other four countries.  

Hey, I just checked G and they took my LOP!  I'm "Good to Go!"

Anyway, when I went to Canada.gov Travel, I had to scroll by the travel advisors to get to Visa info. 

Don't start with Tajikistan!  

...

Several days later, picking up where I left off and then some. 

I have heard that Turkmenistan has restrictions on medications. I don't have anything out of the ordinary by any means, but who knows about stuff in one's first aid kit?  Imodium? anti-nausea?  I figured I should check.  

If you're interested if you can bring your
left handed steering car... 

I haven't got to the medicine list but there are some easy to avoid things so far: 

• armaments, ammunition, military equipment and specifically designed parts and components
• explosives
• nuclear materials, including fuel assembly
• ionizing radiation sources
• technology and special equipment which might be used to manufacture weapons and military equipment

 Or annoying but avoidable (I do like to buy a painting or two while traveling)

• Works of art (pictorial graphics, painting)

Why? (but fine). 

• liquorice

Things I'm allowed to export without a permit

• Macaroni products (thank goodness!)
• Animal intestines (less thanks)
• Glue for tiles (? is this necessary to list?)

There's a couple of things on there that I might actually export so no permit is good. 

• Bee honey
• Confectionery
• Packed therapeutic muds and sea salt

Bloody hell, I read that entire website and they didn't include a list of medication.  Turkmenistan is at the end of the tour so if I lose anything, it will be fine.  At least my macaroni products are safe.  

Back to my travel advisories.  

Kazakhstan is all green!  Normal Safety precautions.  

Kyrgyzstan is fighting with his brothers.  

Tajikistan has some infrastructure issues.  Remember to keep cash and water on hand. 

Back to Turkmenistan. 

Drinking, ok!

Alcohol-related incidents, including bar fights and drunk driving, are common.

Slagging Turkmenistan publicly, not ok (Turkmenistan officials, I am just pointing out what you said, please don't take it as criticism...)

Hotel rooms, telephones, e-mail and fax machines may be monitored, and personal possessions in hotel rooms may be searched. Some foreigners have been detained. 

Looks like I will be out of contact while I'm here

Uzbekistan, another well behaved sibling. Nothing weird or interesting to report.  

You can tell by this and my previous post that I am at the travel planning stage where there isn't much to do but ruminate.  

I'll crawl back inside my own head and let you go about your day.  

The etymology of names

I was hanging out on a boat this Canada Day weekend (as one does on the coast) when someone asked me about my upcoming trip (as people do when they are around me) and I said I am going to the five 'stans and Istanbul.  And she said, iSTANbul is a sixth 'stan.  And I thought, how did I not think of that!!  

And then, of course, you say Istanbul to anyone and they start singing Istanbul (not Constantinople).  Which makes me think of my History of Central Asia book and the fact that the city was called Byzantium before it was Constantinople.  Which both also have a stan in them, sort of, 'stan' and 'zan'.  

So, I thought, I think the suffix 'stan' means country but I decided to look it up. 

The -stan suffix, and also sta and -istan, occur in various languages as markers of place. In Persian and Urdu, -stan means “where one stands” or “place of.” The Indo-European root word sta is used to signify “stands” and “settlement,” and this root still appears in Russian. The construction -istan appears in Persian and means “land.” So, the word Tajikistan means essentially “land of the Tajiks.”

The history of the names of Istanbul is a walk through the history of the city.  

Who doesn't love a history lesson!! 

Byzantium is Roman.  Named for King Byzas who settled there is 7th century BCE.  That is a mind boggling long time ago!!  Then it went through some unmemorable names related to its relationship to Rome (Secondu Roma, Nova Roma etc).  Until Roman Emperor Constantine the Great wandered by and renamed the city after himself, Constantinople, as one does when one sacks a city and takes over its people.  

Constantinople was a catchy name so it stuck around even after the Romans left and the Ottomans ruled the world (at least this part of it).  But then the Republic of Turkey was founded and the Post Office (?) officially changed the name of the city to Istanbul.  Although, this is very important, the name Constantinople was still used in Millenary circles.  That couldn't mean what I thought it meant, but yes, it does.  Hat making circles.  It was 1930.  Hats were culture.  So def worth mentioning. 

oh, this is a rabbit hole if ever a rabbit hole existed!!  

In 1930, the city formerly known as Constantinople was officially renamed Istanbul. While the fez was a traditional hat of the Ottoman Empire and Turkish people, it had been outlawed in Turkey in 1925 as part of a modernization effort to replace traditional headgear with Western-style hats. Therefore, while the fez was historically associated with Istanbul, it would not have been commonly worn there in 1930 due to the hat law. 

Must find more info!!!  Don't break the hat law or risk EXECTUTION!!  

Historical Context:

• The fez was a traditional Ottoman hat, but in 1925, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk implemented a law that required the replacement of traditional headgear with Western-style hats. 
• Hat Law:

  This law was a key part of Atatürk's modernization efforts and aimed to promote a more Westernized appearance for Turkish society. 
• Consequences of Violating the Law:

  Individuals who violated the hat law faced arrest and, in some cases, even execution. 
• Istanbul in 1930:

  By 1930, the city, previously known as Constantinople, had been officially renamed Istanbul, and the hat law was in effect, making the fez a less common sight. 

Amazingly, I seem to have lost the plot of this post.  What were we talking about? 

[Update, so it has been pointed out to me that I looked up the wrong word.  Millenary (1000 years) is not Millinery (hat making). But I did a lot of hat research, at least 90 seconds worth, so my post stays as it is. ]

Oh, ya, etymology.  Well after the hat execution info, that's kind of boring.  

• 

  Off with his Fez!! 

  
  And then I remembered the immortal words of Jimmy Kennedy from 1953 and realized, it's nobody's business but the Turks!
• Istanbul was Constantinople

  Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople

  Been a long time gone, Constantinople

  Now it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night

  
  

  So take me back to Constantinople

  No, you can't go back to Constantinople

  Been a long time gone, Constantinople

  Why did Constantinople get the works?

  That's nobody's business but the Turks'

And that ends this vital trip-planning blog update.  

if you want even more of an ear worm

Wait, I remember the plot - Istanbul. Roughly, Stan means place, Pol means city in Greek (as in metropolis).  

It simply means I Sten Pol meaning within the city, probably meaning within the old city walls.” Locals in Constantinople referred to the city as I Sten Pol (within the city) from the 10th century, as evidenced in Armenian and Arabic sources (without the initial I-) and Ottoman sources, too. The “I Sten Pol” eventually morphed into one word

Next post we'll talk about algebra (just kidding).

details

May 27.  I just filled out my Turkmenistan Letter of Invitation form.  I had to get a colour copy of my passport and I needed a passport-esque colour photo of me taken within the last 14 days. I made Robynne take it.  I won't share, if you want to see my wrinkles and grey hair, you will have to come see me in person!  

May 30.  Manifesting on NYT mini crossword!  

June 12

Buying a few books.  I have been reading the History of Central Asia. I got up to Alexander the Great plus a few less interesting kings that followed.  Now I am taking a break.  But I'll get through it (it's a bit homework-y though)

The birds of Central Asia are not that spectacular but I have to have a bird book.  Plus, I got a new phone with a 100x zoom on the camera!!  Not great photos for sharing, but great photos for bird IDing! 

June 27. 

My backpacks finally arrived. 

Pigeon is gone. I am cat-sitting Shiloh until I leave. 

A poem:  

A cat is going to cat, 

   not matter the cat. 

There was a bag out,

   so there she sat.  

Update on my Letter of Invitation to Turkmenistan.  They don't like my passport photocopy.  So I had to learn how to use the scanner at work with a bit more techno-fluency.  High resolution scan!  I need to resend with the new, sharper image. I'll do that now, while I'm thinking about it.  ...  Ok, that's done.  

I think this is enough.  There probably won't be much more until it is time to pack, panic.  

Istanbul...

I am starting to think about this trip now.  Borneo was excellent but that is done.  Time to think about the next one!  Istanbul and the Five Stans. 

I haven't done much around the Stans.  I did meet with a very nice woman named Leslie who is a friend of a friend.  She did four of the five stans, on her own!  She is retirement poster woman.  She travels on her own for half of the year.  And she seems to have been everywhere.  I will make her my friend even if she doesn't want it!  Anyway, we had a nice coffee and a bit of a chat about the Stans.  Weather, hilliness, packing considerations.  Hopefully I can meet up with her again when she is back in town in the summer.

I actually have to do some planning for Istanbul since G Adventures is not involved in this part of my trip. I bought a 10 year old Rick Steves book.  and I sprung for a new (full price!!) top 10 book of Istanbul.  I haven't cracked either one yet.  But I am regretting that now. I need to know about the city because it is time to book my free hotel room!!  

You all remember the most exciting news ever!  When one books a Turkish Air flight and schedules a free layover in Istanbul, Turkish Air provides a FREE HOTEL ROOM!!!  

So, I had a minute today and I thought I would check and see if it is still too early to book the hotel.  It is not.  But they gave me a list of hotel options.  A big list and they are all over the city. Not knowing anything about anything, I have no idea which one to choose.  

Sofitel Istanbul Taksim

Mövenpick Hotel İstanbul Bosphorus

Radisson Blu Hotel, İstanbul Pera

Renaissance Polat Istanbul Hotel

Sheraton Istanbul Levent Hotel

Conrad Istanbul Bosphorus

Radisson Blu Hotel İstanbul Şişli

Istanbul Marriott Hotel Sisli

Le Meridien Istanbul Etiler 

Lokalist, Istanbul, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel

Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel & Conference Center

I tried to map the hotels out on Google maps but there is too much info on there to try to make sense of.  I will check my paper map when I get home and see what is where in relation to things I want to see. 

...So, I started this post on April 10.  It is now April 22.  

I looked at the locations of those hotels.  My friend Rob who was the one who told me about this magical scam stayed at one and said it was a good location.  I had a look and saw that Sofitel was very close and $100 more a night! So, money = value/luxury (not but let's go with it) so I am booked for three nights at Sofitel Istanbul Taksim

Now I am occasionally looking at my 10 year old Rick Steve's Istanbul book that I bought for a dollar.  And today I had a quick scan of 'free walking tours' to see what I might want to do.  It is way too early to book anything.  I am just window shopping for now. 

Oh ya!  I almost forgot.  I bought a Cotapaxi backpack when I was planning to go to Colombia.  I bought a 35 litre bag becuase I needed one that would fit on the regional airline routes (with no checked bags).  I love the backpack!  But when I used it for Borneo and had to cram in a winter coat (for Seoul), it was just a wee bit too small.  So, I have been getting my friend Val who hangs out on FB marketplace, to keep an eye out for me.   She found one but it was 'sold' in minutes. 

I guess I said the word Cotapaxi near my phone often enough that it started to give me ads.  Anyway, long story short (hahahaha, never true), I lucked into an 8 hour 80% off sale!  I got my 42 litre backpack for $44 and the day pack for $23.  Or someone has stolen my credit card details which is equally likely.  

Free shipping because I spent so much!!  😁

Ok, that's it for now.  

Flights

I said I was going to ignore this blog until after Borneo but I bought my flights and as always, I made it as complicated as possible.  I will forget the details by February.  I can hear you all in back, so yes, there is no such thing as too much detail, since you are asking!  

Plus, I am still at work at 6:15 pm  BC Hydro is having a peak savers event between 4-7.  I had a meeting until 6.  If I don't go home and turn on lights etc. before 7, I will save $3 on my next month's bill!  

Here are the things I was trying to juggle with this flight.  When I first looked for my dates, it was simple enough.  I wanted to use up my Air Canada 'wallet' with the money from my cancelled Europe flights.  And I saw that a good chunk of the flights were with Turkish Air.  I had learned from my friend Rob's crazy around-the-world trip, that if you book with Turkish Air, you can do a free layover in Istanbul.  And as you will all remember from post #1, I am starting my Stan tour a few days later than I had anticipated.  So, why not use those days to eat Turkish food and see Turkish sites.  No reason at all is why not.  

Ya, I'm going here!  

So, dates, cost, use up air Canada money, lay over in Istanbul.  Plus, I saw that business class is pretty cheap!  So, toss that in too.  And, I have $2000 worth of travel money with my credit card for a flight to Asia.  That's a lot of balls to juggle.  

If I want to use my credit card money, I have to book with the Royal Bank travel agency.  I called them.  The only way to book it myself is if they can't find my path in their system.  Shockingly, they could not.   Still trying to use up that AC Wallet money, I said I would book it through Air Canada.  

I called Air Canada.  They could find my crazy plan but it was way more expensive to book it with them. Any 'wallet' money I could use up would be lost on the higher price, and then some. 

 I had been on the phone and various websites for hours by this point, so I took a break for a couple of days.  I had an appointment cancellation right before lunch so that gave me some extra time to wait around on hold today.  So, I found the flight with Turkish Airlines, figured out dates, moved it forward a bit (Sept 11) added in a three day lay over in Istanbul.  Called Royal Bank back and updated the booking airline (from AC to TK) and the dates.  All good.  

Then I booked my flights.  Noticing that business class, once I used my free credit card money, would only be a little more than an extra $1000, I went all in and booked Business Class!!!  I know, I know, I am currently not turning on lights to save $3 but I am tossing around $1200 on a comfy seat.  But it is a 12 hour flight!  And, god bless her, Chris left me a bit of money when she died so that I could afford to travel.  I assume she meant travel in comfort.  She used to love to hear about my trip planning and my international adventures so I like to think she would enjoy stories from Business Class.  

I am already regretting that I am going here on my way
to the 'Stans. I am going to have to use all of my 
Val voice 'don't buy that, you'll have to carry it' mental resources! 

Also, I can't verify this yet, but Rob tells me that Turkish Air provides free hotel for Istanbul layovers for Business class passengers.  So far, evidence seems to indicate this is true?  I think it is too early to actually book a hotel.  My lunch break was limited so I haven't checked with them yet.  

To do:   Get Royal Bank to give me some sweet free travel money.  Talk to Turkish Air about some sweet free accommodations!   Figure out how to use up that Air Canada wallet (not as sweet but I'm not going to kick it out of bed for eating crackers) before Aug 2025.  

By the way, Joe is not coming to any of the 'Stans with me.  He had decided to come with me to Borneo.  I better find a picture to break up this giant block of text.  It's almost 6:45 so time to go home and turn on some lights! 

Oh, while looking for online photos,  I found this review of Turkish Air business class:  

What We Love

• The inflight food and beverage presentation with the highest quality ingredients and chef-driven touches thanks to a partnership with Do & Co catering
• An unbelievable lounge experience in Istanbul that is regularly lauded as the best Business Class lounge in the world
• A route network that spans the globe and takes you to many destinations that no other airline can

This picture cannot be accurate!  

Seriously!  

Oh, I am just setting myself up for disappointment. It can't be as good as they say... 

The 5 'stans! It's finally happening.

This is the third blog I've created in as many weeks. My travel pre-planning has really ramped up.  The time change in Fall always makes me antsy to get out of town! 

For those of you keeping track: 

Feb 2025 - Borneo

Sept 2025 - 5 Stans 

Aug 2026 - Iceland 

So Borneo is going to keep me busy before I get to this one with any seriousness but I like to get things started when things start.  

I have been wanting to do this one for years.  After my insane year of travel in 2024 (Columbia, Newfoundland, Europe), I knew this one was going to work for 2025.  I held off until I could see if it would be on Black Friday sale.  It wasn't.  That's how I ended up booking a tour to Borneo! 30% off, thank you very much. 

I had my dates picked, I was ready to go.  But I booked Borneo so I delayed a few days.  When I went back in today, my date was completely sold out!!  I panic booked the next departure date, Sept 16,  I paid my deposit and that is kind of that for now.  

The Five Stans of the Silk Road

Although, I am trying to convince my friend Joe to join me for a portion of the tour.  We'll see how successful that is.  His wife has already said 'ah, no, not for me'.  It's not cheap so it might be an uphill battle to convince him to come. 

As per my usual, I booked a trip to a completely remote part of the world that I know nothing about and then read a few lines of the 'things to know' which included A Letter of Invitation may be required for your Uzbekistan Visa. which sort of caught my notice. Oh dear, as I went back to look that up, I see there are many more paragraphs in that email that include:   

A Letter of Invitation may be required for your Tajikistan Visa.

A Letter of Invitation may be required for your Kazakhstan Visa.

A Letter of Invitation may be required for your Kyrgyzstan Visa.

A Letter of Invitation may be required for your Turkmenistan Visa.

Hmm, this is obviously going to take some investigating.  As will this: 

• There are restrictions to your included departure transfer.:

  Please note, the departure transfer included occurs on the last day of the tour. If you plan to depart after the tour, you will be required to arrange post-tour accommodation through G Adventures to be eligible for the airport transport. Due to customer experience and quality considerations, all services related to the tour must be continuous.

Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore... 

as predicted, no Kansas to be seen on this map

WHEW (80%).  Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan do not require visas for Canadians.  Turkmenistan requires a visa for all visitors.  

Another WHEW.  Looks like I have to apply for a 'letter of invitation' to G Adventures 40 days before we leave, who then submit it to Turkmenistan.  And it is all finalized when we cross the border.  But it looks like there will be no lollygagging in Ashgabat as my 'invitation' is only good to the end of the tour.  At least I save the 'visa fee and immigration tax' in the other counties.  Or at least the visa fee.  

I had a quick look at flights.  All round 'not great'. Expensive and long.  I thought I might take a jumper flight from Ashgabat back to Bishkek.  According to Rome2Rio, this is a 9 hour flight or a 40 hour train/bus trip!  I may be wildly underestimating distances in my head.  And that 'jumper' is almost $1500 bucks on its own!  I seems to be much cheaper to fly into Bishkek and out of Ashgabat. 'Cheaper' being a relative term.  

That's enough for my wee heed to process for now.  I'll get more serious after Borneo.