About Me

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
I am married to my loving husband for more than 45 years now. I am a mother to 3 beautiful children, until years ago when I lost my youngest son. Since then my life is forever altered but yet unbroken....

My Travel Journal

"There isn't much I haven't shared with you along the road and through it all there'd always be tomorrow's episode" - Elton John

I started traveling around the world since early 80s when I had the opportunity to combine business trips with vacations. Then later when my rezeki is in abundance, there were numerous other trips along the way for vacations, most of the time with hubby and the kids when the timing is right. I have also started to compile the journal and photo-pages covering almost more than 45 years of world wide travel. Some destinations I visited just once, others many times. Many of those places are the obvious famous places people would like to visit but some, the casual traveler doesn't even think to try. I have placed links to my travel at the side bar of my personal page, My Life Reflections, and will be updating them from time to time.

My wish is to continue my travel and complete circumnavigate the globe, insyaAllah…

Thursday 24 August 2017

2017 Tracing the Silk Route in 3-Stans of Central Asia...

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone…”

(A painting in a souk)

We just came back from a 2-week trip exploring the Central Asia Silk Route crossing borders by land between Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan.

It was an unforgettable experience doing the overland border crossings. These borders are highly sensitive. Probably due to their experience living under the Soviet bloc, one do not go near a border unless you are planning to cross. Just being near a border is already suspicious, and having a camera on you is even more so. Visa between these countries must be good. If not you would be denied entry.

There is no clear queue line at the immigration counters. Queue jumping is rampant. All border crossings between Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan require a cruel march across no man’s land for a distance of about a kilometer. If you are lucky there will be a mini-van or a private car shuttling people between borders for a fee. No public toilets are available, or if there is any, it will be a makeshift toilet with no running water.

Once we crossed these borders we were safe. Transportation, hotel accommodations and meals were excellent. For this trip we were lucky to have three local tour guides with in-depth knowledge of the history. Each of them was of different characters, humorous and jovial.  

There was no untoward incidence that happened during the trip. Except for a few who got caught with the stomach bugs, everything went pretty well.

Alhamdulillah...


Towns visited along the Silk Route round trip between Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan:

Uzbekistan - Turkmenistan - Tajikistan
(11 - 23 August 2017)

Day 01: KL - Tashkent, Uzbekistan - The Stone City
Day 02: Tashkent - Khiva, Uzbekistan - The Secret Gem
Day 03: Khiva - Darvaza, Turkmenistan - The Gate of Hell
Day 04: Ashgabat, Turkmenistan - The City of White Marble
Day 05: Ashgabat - Mary, Turkmenistan - An oasis in the Karakum Desert
Day 06: Mary - Bukhara, Uzbekistan - The City of Merchants
Day 07: Bukhara - Samarkand, Uzbekistan - Crossroad of Cultures
Day 08: Samarkand - Shahrisabz, Uzbekistan - the Birthplace of Timurlane
Day 09: Shahrisabz - Termez, Uzbekistan - A Place of Transition
Day 10: Termez - Dushanbe, Tajikistan - The Monday City
Day 11: Dushannbe - Khujand, Tajikistan -A City in Fargana Valley
Day 12: Khujand - Tashkent, Uzbekistan - An Oasis on the Silk Route
Day 13: Tashkent - Kuala Lumpur - Home sweet home

(Silk Route loop in three countries)


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