It’s Friday, and time for our next Q&A open thread. I am fielding questions again this week, as our intended guest was not able to make it.
As we move forward, I will ideally publish a video interview with a Silk Road traveler, researcher, or investor on Monday and then on Friday invite him / her to be available for the community here to ask questions to directly.
Last week’s Q&A was pretty vibrant, to put it mildly, bringing in 69 comments and a lot of lively discussion. However, I’m going to have to ask everyone to work a little to keep things civil. China’s activities abroad, the Belt and Road, etc… is a big, always changing, and pretty contentious topic — everyone has an opinion and most of us at least a little wrong sometimes. The idea here is not to be right but to learn from what other people have to say, question our assumptions, and learn from each other.
Alright, let’s get to it.
Feel free to ask me — or anyone else in the community (feel free to talk with each other) — anything about the Silk Road:
—> I spent around four years traveling the various routes of the New Silk Road, ask me about the nuances of that and for travel tips.
—> I’ve written hundreds of article for big media (Forbes, The Guardian, etc) and a book about Silk Road development, politics, and culture. Feel free to ask me anything about the journalistic side of Belt and Road coverage.
—> My first book was about China’s “ghost cities” and the modernization of the country. Ask me about that and how it relates to the Silk Road.
—> Beyond the Silk Road, I’ve pretty much been traveling since ‘99, through nearly 100 countries. If you have any general travel questions, ask away.
—> I’ve worked along the Silk Road as a journalist, academic researcher, and videographer. If you have any how-to, tech, or strategic questions related to these profession, ask them below.
Hey folks - am just signing on now from the Seattle area. We are a bit behind, time-wise. I've spent time in Kazakhstan (2007) and Mongolia (last year) and have a question for those who've traveled through the 'Stans more than I have: Wouldn't you say you need to be pretty proficient in Russian? That's what I ran into in Kaz (although it has been 13 years, I admit). And are there any women here who've traveled alone? Would love to see places like the Fergana Valley but how safe is it for women?
Hello Julia, I asked a Kazakh female friend who has traveled widely your question. She said that traveling as a single female in Kazakhstan is "the same as everywhere." She went on to say that after traveling solo through Cuba, China, all over, the place where she had her most dangerous run-in was in Belgium. "If you're just a normal lady who is not looking for some risky, dangerous, and extreme situations, everything will be fine." She also said that the cities are safer and are pretty well controlled. As for visiting remote places they can be more dangerous. She says that she's available for more questions if you have them.
Russian is pretty much the language of Central Asia given its Soviet past and the fact is was a mandatory subject on the curriculum in all USSR states until 1992. However in some countries that is diminishing, such as Mongolia. There, it is only taught at basic level and higher levels are optional. The Mongolian language is mandatory, while English is the more dominant foreign language followed by Korean and Mandarin. This means that in Mongolia people aged above 40 will speak Russian, below that it is uncommon. But in other countries it remains dominant, and especially those with larger economic ties to Moscow, such as Kazakhstan, where Russian is still the largest single bilateral trade partner. However, delving deep into Central Asia, a basic understanding of generic Arabic also becomes useful.
Thought this would be interesting: One way to figure out where a country is going linguistically is to look at their children's books. When I was in Kazakhstan, there were tri-lingual books in Russian, Kazakh and English. That was the latest rage. The Kazakhs I talked with (even those in the north of the country close to Russia) said that Russian was on the way out within a generation and that the future was Kazakh and English. EVERYONE wanted to distance themselves from the Russians and learn English as fast as possible.
Last summer in Mongolia, I was amazed to see tons of English-language signs in Ulaanbaatar and even in the suburbs where the tourists don't go. Considering the vast amount of trade Mongolia does with China including the BRI, I thought I'd see a lot more Chinese signs. There were none. Zero. Zilch. I was amazed, too, to note how fluent in English many teenagers are.
Very true. If you want to gauge where a country's head is look at what the education system is teaching its kids.
Mongolia is one of those fascinating countries that have become playing fields for the world's more powerful countries to tee off against each other in -- Russia, China, the US, even India to a certain extent. One of the great shows of our time is watching as to whether they can maintain this balance in the long-run.
Hello Julia, Welcome aboard! Excellent to see you on here.
To answer your first question, I'd say no. I don't really speak Russian and have traveled extensively through Central Asia. It's actually never been an issue ... which, now that I think about it, seems like it probably should have been more of a difficulty. But I imagine that it could have been very different 13 years ago. Now, I believe it's a safe assumption that a large amount of people there under 35 have probably had some form of English or Mandarin education, so if I can strip down and simplify they way I speak I can usually communicate. For the 20-somethings -- and especially those in the cities -- English language proficiency is pretty high.
As far as women traveling alone, I'll let someone with more experience with this respond :-) However, I will say that I've met some solo-traveling women in that region and they didn't seem to think that it was a big deal. However, they were also tough AF and did things that I probably wouldn't even do ... at some points I actually felt that they were a little reckless ... so maybe they're not the best examples to use here.
I'll ping some local women and see what they have to say. They're probably better qualified to respond to this than me.
However, being able to speak Russian definitely helps. I've been studying to get better at it, as my next trips there are probably going to require it more.
Hi. I picked up about 120 words in Russian just so I could get what i wanted and exchange pleasantries. I learnt single words and strung them together. Kinnda worked. Was 8 continual months in the former Soviet states as a backpacker. Hitched across the Pamir, was at the 7 Lakes in Tajikistan, Aral sea. So I'd say it helped when needing to communicate with older people who run the family homes. But you can always get what you need without a common language. They know the needs of travellers, so you are half way there. You learn to recognize the Russia alphabet after a few days.
And at the opposite end of the spectrum, 1 know about 4 words in Chinese and survived China ok. I never went hungry or slept rough but, I got lost more than a few times. But that was more due to the fact that we can't identify the characters, (easily). Zhou was the only one I could make out as its quite common. LANZHOU, GUANGZHOU etc
Trevor, what was Tajikstan like? I applied for a journalist's grant (didn't get it) once to do some research there and the place sounded really primitive; kind of like Afghanistan lite. And apparently the roads are bad too. Thoughts?
Well I wouldn't suggest primitive, it's hardly Neanderthal and Dushanbe is a pretty cool capital city. It is mountainous with a harsh climate; highway infrastructure always suffers under such conditions right across Central Asia - there's nothing backwards about that it's just how it is. The politics are tribal, and it's the centre part of a new Great Game with China, India and Russia all vying for influence. The Tajiks play them off against each other which tends to lead to uncertainty in development - which in some ways is good (less crappy cheap development) and some ways isn't (much needed upgrades). It's a beautiful country that needs good quality tourism facilities, not dusty, expensive to maintain highways to cross border areas selling plastic buckets or to Chinese funded cement export factories.
Trevor is in Africa right now, so I believe he's probably sleeping, but I imagine he'll answer when he wakes up.
The last time I was there was in 2017. It has a bit of a Wild West feel. It's one of those countries that are taking their first steps to opening up a little more to the outside. Although I had a mild, though very weird situation with the security apparatus -- I'll put it like that -- which is a holdover from another era.
What was interesting was that when I tried to go through security at the airport when leaving the guy running the metal detectors let me go around because he said he saw me walking through the streets a couple of days before. It was one of those gestures of hospitality that happen when a country doesn't get that many tourists that really makes a country nice to travel through ... but then again ...
Hi Julia. I was there in 2015. In short i loved it. I stayed 43days of my 45 day visa. Hitched across the Pamir.
People were great. The homestays are so good.
I have an old defunct blog with at least 2 posts from Tajik. I will resurrect them and then you can read about the Pamir trip. Itll take me a few days as i only use a tablet.
Roads? They are fine. Bit bumpy and lots of dust. :) (evil grin) : P
Hi Julia. I put together my Pamir Highway post, taken from my old blog.. its live now. Its linked on twitter @NomadicBackpac1 or i can put the link on here for you directly if Wade agrees.
Thank you for the reply. There were a few 'hostels' and of c hotels but out in the sticks, homestays are the way to go. Just like a hotel but in a home. Cant say re air B&B as i ve never used.
After watching the video about “winners and losers”, I got the opinion that the new silk road is being built against the wishes of the market - there are a lot of unprofitable projects. What are the authors of these projects counting on?
Thanks for watching! That's true, as of now the scale of some of these projects are against the wishes of the current market, but the word "current" is key here, as many are designed to be the catalyst for completely new markets and sectors. They are designed to break the inertia of current economic situations and revolutionize the economic capacity of the places they're in. When building new cities or large scale projects like this, there is going to be a phase where if we look at the way things are right now they don't really make much sense, but if we look at what countries are trying to achieve it becomes clear that they are trying to become something very different than what they are now. So they force development for a while in hopes that economic fundamentals kick in later.
I don't believe the problem with the BRI so far has been economics. If you take a long-term view, many of these projects and endeavors are very sound. The problem, so far, has been in the realm of politics, and an incredible amount of economic potential is being squandered due to poor local governance and the BRI's rather weak institutions.
Is it possible to say that this situation is unique? When a country wants to set the direction for development. Did the old Silk Road form more naturally?
The scale and speed is certainly unprecedented, but I wouldn't say it's particularly unique. Many cities have masterplanned origin stories. We just tend to forget about them as time goes on. While the trade routes of the old Silk Road we're as engineered as the BRI, I would say that what's driving the creation of both is pretty much the same. That's part of what makes this so interesting!
Definitely. They often use the incumbent party's partnerships with China to serve as a public firing rod and playing on xenophobic fears -- "They're selling the country to China" -- meanwhile hurting the long-term prospects of their own country. However, China is very patient. As for many projects, once the deals are made they tend to be made for good -- projects may get called off and go stagnant from time to time but they often rear their heads again and development continues.
Indeed. Of course they do. The vast majority of the projects along the Belt & Road Initiative are valid, and much needed. People baulk at the cost, and the Chinese can take their pound of flesh. But well planned infrastructure will pay its own way by people using the infrastructure build. Sri Lanka spent US$350 million to build a highway from the main airport to its tourist resorts in the south, and borrowed a lot of that money from China, whose SOEs also built the project. It was an expensive road. But the regional annual tourism income grew by US$1.5 billion. People complained about the cost of the road, but it's still a good deal: spend US$350 million and get back US$1.5 billion a year. When examining the cost of BRI projects, you must factor in the projected later income. Of course there will be white elephants from time to time. But the majority of the projects are sound. Why China? Because it is an A+ economy and can borrow at cheaper rates than say Tajikistan which is B-. The Chinese borrow, then pass on the money at rates they cannot get on the international markets. That money is used to build infrastructure as long as Chinese SOEs do it, and the Tajiks (or anyone else) has shiny new roads/ports/airports/ etc etc to use. See also: https://www.silkroadbriefing.com/news/2020/02/05/chinas-belt-road-initiative-trade-opportunity-stupid/
So yes I have travelled across China twice, been through Khorgas, and in Doidoi, and over the Khunjerab. Most of what I know re the BRI i have learnt from reading your stuff on VBJ and on Forbes.
Ok , but they have established rail networks from Vladivostok, (and connecting boats from Japan and Korea) and BJ of course that go across Russia, through Belarus , Poland and across europe.
Why the China, Kaz, caspian sea, Azerbaijan , Georgia, black sea, Turkey routes.? Or rather, what made everyone favour the BRI over the Russian route?
Good question. The BRI and Russian route are pretty much the same. It's a network that interconnects everywhere. We have kind of a hyper-focus on China and a tendency to view Silk Road development through the lens of China, when these projects -- especially the trains -- are truly international. The first regular China-Europe route that actually regularly worked (the vanguard for the current network) was actually created by a Western multinational.
One of the incentives of going through the middle corridor -- Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey -- is to bypass Russia and their transport sanctions which arose during the spat with the EU and USA over Crimea. Chris can probably chime in and talk more about this. Another incentive is to engage the markets of the middle corridor, which I believe is something that should grow in coming years. I guess you could also make the argument that the middle corridor is a way to access the markets of SE Europe.
Slightly off topic, When they opened up the Kazbegi route from Georgia to Russia in 2010(?), it was like 5 trucks a day. When i went back in 2015 due to the Ukraine situation, everything went via Kazbegi. Kilometer after kilometer of trucks. Is that still the same or are trucks going through Belarus into Russia now or has normal activity resumed, in the Ukr border areas.?
You're talking about the Military Highway. Kazbegi is the only border crossing between Russia and Georgia and is consequently busy. Political differences can sometimes lead to it being closed, so be aware. It is currently closed due to the virus situation.
I'm not sure what you mean by "trucks going through Belarus into Russia now" as the two countries share a 1,230km border and there are multiple routes across. There are also no border controls for Belarussians and Russians using these, so these routes have long been open; no difference there. (Although they are currently closed due to the virus). Belarus and Russia are part of the Eurasian Economic Union which is why there is free border, but note that foreigners can only cross at designated ports - typically Minsk or Brest and not via the road system into Russia.
Yes. When I was last in Kazbegi, there was the situation in Eastern UKr and there were UKr plated trucks trucks going through Kazbegi into Russia. So sorry if i mucked up my question, I was wondering why another route wasnt more viable than getting trucks on the black sea cargo ships or going all the way thru Turkey, just to get into Russia. A route though Belarus would have seemed more convenient to me. And am asking are there still truck jams along the Military highway?
1) Belarus isn't a viable route at present. The Belarussians closed it due to the flow of weapons heading in from Ukraine and the civil war going on there. Belarus is concerned about having factional Ukrainian militia creating problems in the country.
2) No truck jams right now. There is a Coronavirus pandemic and Russia has closed its borders. Freight is sent via rail or air.
Well its sort of correct. There are no "transport sanctions" against transporting goods across Russia. Trevor, you are correct about the "Russian route" which is currently our good friend the Trans-Siberian railway, and its component parts leading into Mongolia, Manchuria, Central Asia and elsewhere. It remains the primary Eurasian route and has strategic supply chains connected all the way along. See: The Trans-Siberian Land Bridge: 20 Key Cities Linking Vladivostok To Europe https://www.russia-briefing.com/news/trans-siberian-land-bridge-top-20-key-cities-linking-vladivostok-europe.html/
It is also possible to drive from St.Petersburg to Vladivostok, although it's a long way and a nine-hour time difference, and the roads aren't always great. (An amusing story from last year; three supporters of the football team Zenit St.Petersburg drove in a fans 1986 Honda all the way to Vladivostok (11,000 km) to see their team play in a Russian Cup game. It took them 19 days, with numerous repairs on route. At one stage the petrol tank sprung a bad leak, the front seat passenger sat with a large plastic container and a hose in his lap to feed the engine. The car eventually made it but subsequently collapsed, and they had spent all their money. Zenit heard of this loyalty, paid to fly them back and bought them a new Toyota. The old car was shipped back with honors and is now in Zenit's museum of history). However Russia is also upgrading existing highways and city rings roads into Kazakhstan, the so-called Meridian Highway. See: "Key Logistics Hubs Along The Meridian Highway" https://www.russia-briefing.com/news/key-logistics-hubs-along-russias-meridian-road.html/ which will ultimately allow pan Eurasian road haulage.
So why the alternative "southern" route through Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Turkey? Two reasons: Simply to ensure the Russians remain competitive as there is an alternative, and secondly, to allow goods and products to be shipped to and from other countries that cannot be accessed from the northern (Trans-Siberian & Meridian routes).
What I meant by "transport sanctions" was that the import sanctions against EU foodstuff, etc are in place even for products transiting through Russia.
"... but roads don't generally follow Chinese geopolitics when Eurasian infrastructure is concerned."
Again, sort of. The "South Caucasus" is essentially Armenia, and is totally left out of the loop because of the problems they have with Turkey and Azerbaijan. The Armenian-Turkish border has been closed since 1993. This means the Trans-Eurasia routes either
1) Head through Turkey and enter the EU completely bypassing Armenia, or
2) Cross Kazakhstan, into Azerbaijan, Georgia and cross the Black Sea to the EU.
Armenia has a border dispute with Azerbaijan to the North due to the situation with Nagorno-Karabakh, so its rather isolated itself.
This means that the "South Caucasus" as you put it - which is essentially Armenia - isn't well connected at all, and is only really sustained by trade routes heading north and to and from Georgia, or via Iran, which is totally sanctioned.
I just say The Caucasus. No north or south divide. I have a hard time saying russia is europe.... though some of it technically is.... theres a sign along the trans sib with the border marked. And Turkey. ? Asia minor is what I thought it was....
There are differing opinions on what the Caucasus is. And of course it also includes Russia. Some have it extending as far as Iran. Most Europeans would regard it as being Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan from the EU perspective. Anyway, the point is that Armenia, which we all seem to agree is part of the South Caucasus, isn't well served or connected to the BRI or other routes due to its on-going, closed border crossing issues with Azerbaijan and Turkey, and is therefore not really on any of the East-West Eurasian routes between Asia and Europe.
Guys you can take a free subscription to the Silk Road and Russia Briefing websites just go to www.silkroadbriefing.com and www.russia-briefing.com and click on the subscribe button for each. Its a simple form then you get access to magazines, books, updates and so on.
I have a whole different question I’d like to pose to the group: Is anyone familiar with the ‘back to Jerusalem’ movement among Chinese Christians? Back in the 1940s, the Christians there got the idea to evangelize along the historic Silk Road, among Muslim communities that would not be open to Westerners but would never suspect anything of the Chinese, all the way ‘back to Jerusalem.’ The idea got dropped during the Mao era (as most of these folks were landing in prison or killed) but it picked up in the 1990s when there was more religious freedom. There’s been secret Bible camps training folks how to insert themselves in the culture of certain Muslim countries along the Silk Road, basically for life.
It’s very hard to tell how many of these folks are out there now. The South China Morning Post reported on a group of missionaries in Iraqi Kurdistan not long ago and you may remember some missionaries who were killed in Baluchistan about 2 years ago. Is anyone familiar with this movement or (better still) run into any Chinese who may have a business visa into a Muslim country but may be doing some evangelizing on the side?
I've not run into anyone like that in 30 years. China is officially atheist and there is no religious education in schooling. That creates its own social problems, such as selfishness and amorality, both of which plague Chinese society today. Christianity is an alien religion to China anyway, and never took root. As for Chinese missionaries operating in Central Asia, I've never heard of any contemporary Chinese nationals attempting such a mission.
There may be ethnic Chinese from the United States who try, but that is rather different from mainland Chinese. It's the law of diminishing returns; attempting to export Christianity from a country with minimal Christians, to a region that is outwardly hostile to anything non-Muslim. It doesn't make any sense and I very much doubt it happens.
Any evangelizing from mainland China heading overseas tends to be in the various Buddhist factions, or Tao. There are plenty of holy sites for both right across Asia and believers tend to stick to areas where they will be welcomed and can visit respective seats of learning without oppression, such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, Japan and so on.
Hmm... that depends on who you want to look at in terms of potential winners. For China, of course, it's a win -- they get the resources they need and more control of their supply chains. For Africa, that question is a little more complex and I don't believe we can group all of the 54 countries together and give a broad value judgement. In some markets, we have simple sale of what a country produces which benefits the broader economy, etc. In others with more corrupt or self-serving regimes, not much of this economic exchange makes its way to local people, etc. There are also vast differences between projects in terms of environmental impacts and labor conditions. Basically, the gamut runs from China being a mere buyer of what Africa sells to Chinese companies engaging in rampant corruption, running dangerous operations, destroying the local environment, and padding the pockets of the local political elite. We can't really give a one size fits all type of analysis here.
Many thanks Wade for your insightful reply. I was disputing a comment made by Weilin Huang, former ambassador, who noted that China-Africa extractive projects produce a win-win for all involved.
Good afternoon from Naivasha thats East Africa hehehe. So this Corona pandemic, will it make people NOT want to have everything MADE IN CHINA, after all, we can all make stuff, we can all grow stuff (UK is importing Kenyan veg as we speak - bless them) and will any anti Chinese feeling if it even exists (though i suspect it might) effect the BRI . ? personal view points please....
Lots of anti China feeling here after treatment of Africans in China...
While I would like to say that the world will stand up and tell China that they can't treat people that way, we don't really have a working model of that happening. While public sentiment can have a major impact on China's initiatives abroad, it's often a temporary phenomenon. Public outrage is ultimately a pretty forgetful thing. Pragmatism and bags of money usually win the day. However, I believe that now -- perhaps more than ever -- many emerging markets are looking for an alternative to China ... but the reason why they deal big with China in the first place is that there aren't many other takers. China can offer things which most other "developer nations" can't or won't. While we can all get angry and shake our fists towards Beijing, I don't believe that it will last ... given the pandemic subsides sometime in the next few months.
What’s Georgia like? And similar questions to Julia. Do you need some basic language skills to get by and is it relatively safe for female solo travellers?
I know what you're thinking: wine, wine, wine! I did a project on Georgian wine when I was there -- got into some pretty fancy places and drank some extremely good wine, which they have like a limitless variety of. Don't know what happened to that story ... it got buried somewhere. I should probably try to dig it out.
Anyway, on the subject of Georgian (and Armenian) wines, the local wines are made in the "Qvevri" style, not in the "Western" (French) style.
So what the hell am I talking about?
A Qvevri is a huge, lemon shaped terracotta jar, big enough for a man to stand up in. These are locally produced and fired. Then a large hole is dug in the ground, usually in a covered area, and the qvevri is buried up to the neck in the soil. It is sanitized inside with lime, then coated with beeswax to seal it.
At harvest, grapes are picked - roughly, along with smaller branches and everything gets put into the Qvevri. No treading, no messing about, twigs and skins and pips and all. They typically use Saperavi grapes for red and Rkatsiteli for white, although there are other varietals. The Qvevri is filled up, and sealed, and left to ferment.
The inclusion of all the twigs and skins and stuff gives the wine a more tannic flavour than is the norm n the West.
After 4-8 weeks, depending on how strong a flavour is required, the Qvevri are reopened, and all the lees (twigs and stuff) have floated to the top. These are extracted and set aside. The jar is refilled with a previous vintage to top it up and then left to mature.
These days, they are generally left to mature in the Qvevri for just 1-2 years, then bottled. That's probably too young - in older times vintages were left for up to 10, 25 and even 50 years. It is possible to find 10 year old bottled Qvevri's on the local markets, but they are expensive.
It's what happens with the white wines that is the more interesting - because of the additional tannin, they take on an extraordinary amber hue, and although astringent (that tannin again) do display a remarkable complexity quite different to the Western methodology. They are rather an acquired taste, but once appreciated they are fabulous. But please don't call them "orange" wines, and even "amber" is misleading. Use the proper term, "Qvevri" (Georgian) or "Karas" in Armenia.
Reds are. not left on lees for so long, it becomes too much. Although I have heard of some older Georgians enjoying these, apparently the wine turns black. A light Saperavi Qvevri is also a joy.
What about the Lees - all the sticks and twigs they fished out of the wine?
They press those and extract the liquid. That is then distilled, and becomes a fiery spirit locally known as "Cha Cha". Sometimes it is flavoured with herbs or fruits. You can buy them in plastic bottles from roadside vendors. It's basically a Georgian style of Grappa.
So there you have it. Look out for "Qvevri" on Georgian or "Karas" on Armenian wines, and that's the real deal.
PS: The best of these are made by Monks. Go visit a local Monastery in the Caucasus with a vineyard. You can get drunk with the Abbot. Gaumarjos!
Yeah I have a one track mind when it comes to booze. I quite fancy visiting all the places that lay claim to being the origins of wine although not sure how I feel about doing Iran though, don’t much enjoy travelling through dry countries ;-)
Hi Sarah. Its always good to learn some pleasantries. Georgian is a unique language. The alphabet is mostly impossible. But it rolls off the tongue nicely.
Older people speak Russian and even some German, the younger generation speak very good English. There is no need to learn Georgian to survive. You'll pick up the basics very easily.. they appreciate it very much.
Safe for a solo female? I'd say yes but better ask another female.
Georgia in 2010 was awesome. By 2016 it was deff no longer 'off the beaten track'.
I must have spent 6 months there in total.
I love the food. The red wine in plastic bottles is awesome. Cha cha is the very fiery spirit.
And replying to you brought back happy memories as I sit here in Kenya during Corona.
Thank you.
And as per my last reply on Tajikistan i have 5 or 6 posts on my old and sadly defunct blog that i can re do. But ill need more time to get them up.
One thing if you're flying in via Istanbul, the gates to Tbilisi aren't marked "Tbilisi" - they are marked "Tiflis" which is the old Ottoman name for the Georgian capital. That pisses the Georgians off, but then the Turks aren't the only ones to do that, LOL
Lots of solo women traveling there. It's probably one of the easier places in the world to travel. A tourism infrastructure exists but it's not overrun. It's in that happy place where you can get everything you want and need, experience the local charm, without the hassles of an over-developed travel sector.
Hey folks - am just signing on now from the Seattle area. We are a bit behind, time-wise. I've spent time in Kazakhstan (2007) and Mongolia (last year) and have a question for those who've traveled through the 'Stans more than I have: Wouldn't you say you need to be pretty proficient in Russian? That's what I ran into in Kaz (although it has been 13 years, I admit). And are there any women here who've traveled alone? Would love to see places like the Fergana Valley but how safe is it for women?
Hello Julia, I asked a Kazakh female friend who has traveled widely your question. She said that traveling as a single female in Kazakhstan is "the same as everywhere." She went on to say that after traveling solo through Cuba, China, all over, the place where she had her most dangerous run-in was in Belgium. "If you're just a normal lady who is not looking for some risky, dangerous, and extreme situations, everything will be fine." She also said that the cities are safer and are pretty well controlled. As for visiting remote places they can be more dangerous. She says that she's available for more questions if you have them.
Russian is pretty much the language of Central Asia given its Soviet past and the fact is was a mandatory subject on the curriculum in all USSR states until 1992. However in some countries that is diminishing, such as Mongolia. There, it is only taught at basic level and higher levels are optional. The Mongolian language is mandatory, while English is the more dominant foreign language followed by Korean and Mandarin. This means that in Mongolia people aged above 40 will speak Russian, below that it is uncommon. But in other countries it remains dominant, and especially those with larger economic ties to Moscow, such as Kazakhstan, where Russian is still the largest single bilateral trade partner. However, delving deep into Central Asia, a basic understanding of generic Arabic also becomes useful.
Thought this would be interesting: One way to figure out where a country is going linguistically is to look at their children's books. When I was in Kazakhstan, there were tri-lingual books in Russian, Kazakh and English. That was the latest rage. The Kazakhs I talked with (even those in the north of the country close to Russia) said that Russian was on the way out within a generation and that the future was Kazakh and English. EVERYONE wanted to distance themselves from the Russians and learn English as fast as possible.
Last summer in Mongolia, I was amazed to see tons of English-language signs in Ulaanbaatar and even in the suburbs where the tourists don't go. Considering the vast amount of trade Mongolia does with China including the BRI, I thought I'd see a lot more Chinese signs. There were none. Zero. Zilch. I was amazed, too, to note how fluent in English many teenagers are.
Very true. If you want to gauge where a country's head is look at what the education system is teaching its kids.
Mongolia is one of those fascinating countries that have become playing fields for the world's more powerful countries to tee off against each other in -- Russia, China, the US, even India to a certain extent. One of the great shows of our time is watching as to whether they can maintain this balance in the long-run.
Hello Julia, Welcome aboard! Excellent to see you on here.
To answer your first question, I'd say no. I don't really speak Russian and have traveled extensively through Central Asia. It's actually never been an issue ... which, now that I think about it, seems like it probably should have been more of a difficulty. But I imagine that it could have been very different 13 years ago. Now, I believe it's a safe assumption that a large amount of people there under 35 have probably had some form of English or Mandarin education, so if I can strip down and simplify they way I speak I can usually communicate. For the 20-somethings -- and especially those in the cities -- English language proficiency is pretty high.
As far as women traveling alone, I'll let someone with more experience with this respond :-) However, I will say that I've met some solo-traveling women in that region and they didn't seem to think that it was a big deal. However, they were also tough AF and did things that I probably wouldn't even do ... at some points I actually felt that they were a little reckless ... so maybe they're not the best examples to use here.
I'll ping some local women and see what they have to say. They're probably better qualified to respond to this than me.
However, being able to speak Russian definitely helps. I've been studying to get better at it, as my next trips there are probably going to require it more.
Exactly. You can get by without Russian but it's more fun if you can learn some.
Hi. I picked up about 120 words in Russian just so I could get what i wanted and exchange pleasantries. I learnt single words and strung them together. Kinnda worked. Was 8 continual months in the former Soviet states as a backpacker. Hitched across the Pamir, was at the 7 Lakes in Tajikistan, Aral sea. So I'd say it helped when needing to communicate with older people who run the family homes. But you can always get what you need without a common language. They know the needs of travellers, so you are half way there. You learn to recognize the Russia alphabet after a few days.
And at the opposite end of the spectrum, 1 know about 4 words in Chinese and survived China ok. I never went hungry or slept rough but, I got lost more than a few times. But that was more due to the fact that we can't identify the characters, (easily). Zhou was the only one I could make out as its quite common. LANZHOU, GUANGZHOU etc
Trevor, what was Tajikstan like? I applied for a journalist's grant (didn't get it) once to do some research there and the place sounded really primitive; kind of like Afghanistan lite. And apparently the roads are bad too. Thoughts?
Well I wouldn't suggest primitive, it's hardly Neanderthal and Dushanbe is a pretty cool capital city. It is mountainous with a harsh climate; highway infrastructure always suffers under such conditions right across Central Asia - there's nothing backwards about that it's just how it is. The politics are tribal, and it's the centre part of a new Great Game with China, India and Russia all vying for influence. The Tajiks play them off against each other which tends to lead to uncertainty in development - which in some ways is good (less crappy cheap development) and some ways isn't (much needed upgrades). It's a beautiful country that needs good quality tourism facilities, not dusty, expensive to maintain highways to cross border areas selling plastic buckets or to Chinese funded cement export factories.
Trevor is in Africa right now, so I believe he's probably sleeping, but I imagine he'll answer when he wakes up.
The last time I was there was in 2017. It has a bit of a Wild West feel. It's one of those countries that are taking their first steps to opening up a little more to the outside. Although I had a mild, though very weird situation with the security apparatus -- I'll put it like that -- which is a holdover from another era.
What was interesting was that when I tried to go through security at the airport when leaving the guy running the metal detectors let me go around because he said he saw me walking through the streets a couple of days before. It was one of those gestures of hospitality that happen when a country doesn't get that many tourists that really makes a country nice to travel through ... but then again ...
Hi Julia. I was there in 2015. In short i loved it. I stayed 43days of my 45 day visa. Hitched across the Pamir.
People were great. The homestays are so good.
I have an old defunct blog with at least 2 posts from Tajik. I will resurrect them and then you can read about the Pamir trip. Itll take me a few days as i only use a tablet.
Roads? They are fine. Bit bumpy and lots of dust. :) (evil grin) : P
Would love to see them. Homestays? They don't have lodging there or the Tajiks are into AirBnB?
Hi Julia. I put together my Pamir Highway post, taken from my old blog.. its live now. Its linked on twitter @NomadicBackpac1 or i can put the link on here for you directly if Wade agrees.
Cheers
Thank you for the reply. There were a few 'hostels' and of c hotels but out in the sticks, homestays are the way to go. Just like a hotel but in a home. Cant say re air B&B as i ve never used.
We should have you on here as a guest at some point to talk about these travel experiences.
Yes, let Trevor act as a guest! I was interested to read. Great experience behind
Thanks for the shout out Georgiy
After watching the video about “winners and losers”, I got the opinion that the new silk road is being built against the wishes of the market - there are a lot of unprofitable projects. What are the authors of these projects counting on?
Hello Georgiy,
Thanks for watching! That's true, as of now the scale of some of these projects are against the wishes of the current market, but the word "current" is key here, as many are designed to be the catalyst for completely new markets and sectors. They are designed to break the inertia of current economic situations and revolutionize the economic capacity of the places they're in. When building new cities or large scale projects like this, there is going to be a phase where if we look at the way things are right now they don't really make much sense, but if we look at what countries are trying to achieve it becomes clear that they are trying to become something very different than what they are now. So they force development for a while in hopes that economic fundamentals kick in later.
I don't believe the problem with the BRI so far has been economics. If you take a long-term view, many of these projects and endeavors are very sound. The problem, so far, has been in the realm of politics, and an incredible amount of economic potential is being squandered due to poor local governance and the BRI's rather weak institutions.
Is it possible to say that this situation is unique? When a country wants to set the direction for development. Did the old Silk Road form more naturally?
The scale and speed is certainly unprecedented, but I wouldn't say it's particularly unique. Many cities have masterplanned origin stories. We just tend to forget about them as time goes on. While the trade routes of the old Silk Road we're as engineered as the BRI, I would say that what's driving the creation of both is pretty much the same. That's part of what makes this so interesting!
That was supposed to say "weren't as engineered as the BRI."
And, as I understand it, opposition politicians can use these failures to seek their own benefit?
Definitely. They often use the incumbent party's partnerships with China to serve as a public firing rod and playing on xenophobic fears -- "They're selling the country to China" -- meanwhile hurting the long-term prospects of their own country. However, China is very patient. As for many projects, once the deals are made they tend to be made for good -- projects may get called off and go stagnant from time to time but they often rear their heads again and development continues.
Indeed. Of course they do. The vast majority of the projects along the Belt & Road Initiative are valid, and much needed. People baulk at the cost, and the Chinese can take their pound of flesh. But well planned infrastructure will pay its own way by people using the infrastructure build. Sri Lanka spent US$350 million to build a highway from the main airport to its tourist resorts in the south, and borrowed a lot of that money from China, whose SOEs also built the project. It was an expensive road. But the regional annual tourism income grew by US$1.5 billion. People complained about the cost of the road, but it's still a good deal: spend US$350 million and get back US$1.5 billion a year. When examining the cost of BRI projects, you must factor in the projected later income. Of course there will be white elephants from time to time. But the majority of the projects are sound. Why China? Because it is an A+ economy and can borrow at cheaper rates than say Tajikistan which is B-. The Chinese borrow, then pass on the money at rates they cannot get on the international markets. That money is used to build infrastructure as long as Chinese SOEs do it, and the Tajiks (or anyone else) has shiny new roads/ports/airports/ etc etc to use. See also: https://www.silkroadbriefing.com/news/2020/02/05/chinas-belt-road-initiative-trade-opportunity-stupid/
Good evening, greetings from Kenya
So yes I have travelled across China twice, been through Khorgas, and in Doidoi, and over the Khunjerab. Most of what I know re the BRI i have learnt from reading your stuff on VBJ and on Forbes.
Ok , but they have established rail networks from Vladivostok, (and connecting boats from Japan and Korea) and BJ of course that go across Russia, through Belarus , Poland and across europe.
Why the China, Kaz, caspian sea, Azerbaijan , Georgia, black sea, Turkey routes.? Or rather, what made everyone favour the BRI over the Russian route?
Hello Trevor,
Good question. The BRI and Russian route are pretty much the same. It's a network that interconnects everywhere. We have kind of a hyper-focus on China and a tendency to view Silk Road development through the lens of China, when these projects -- especially the trains -- are truly international. The first regular China-Europe route that actually regularly worked (the vanguard for the current network) was actually created by a Western multinational.
One of the incentives of going through the middle corridor -- Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey -- is to bypass Russia and their transport sanctions which arose during the spat with the EU and USA over Crimea. Chris can probably chime in and talk more about this. Another incentive is to engage the markets of the middle corridor, which I believe is something that should grow in coming years. I guess you could also make the argument that the middle corridor is a way to access the markets of SE Europe.
Ok thank you. I always wondered about that.
Slightly off topic, When they opened up the Kazbegi route from Georgia to Russia in 2010(?), it was like 5 trucks a day. When i went back in 2015 due to the Ukraine situation, everything went via Kazbegi. Kilometer after kilometer of trucks. Is that still the same or are trucks going through Belarus into Russia now or has normal activity resumed, in the Ukr border areas.?
Honestly, I'm not sure how this is now. Chris, do you know?
You're talking about the Military Highway. Kazbegi is the only border crossing between Russia and Georgia and is consequently busy. Political differences can sometimes lead to it being closed, so be aware. It is currently closed due to the virus situation.
I'm not sure what you mean by "trucks going through Belarus into Russia now" as the two countries share a 1,230km border and there are multiple routes across. There are also no border controls for Belarussians and Russians using these, so these routes have long been open; no difference there. (Although they are currently closed due to the virus). Belarus and Russia are part of the Eurasian Economic Union which is why there is free border, but note that foreigners can only cross at designated ports - typically Minsk or Brest and not via the road system into Russia.
Yes. When I was last in Kazbegi, there was the situation in Eastern UKr and there were UKr plated trucks trucks going through Kazbegi into Russia. So sorry if i mucked up my question, I was wondering why another route wasnt more viable than getting trucks on the black sea cargo ships or going all the way thru Turkey, just to get into Russia. A route though Belarus would have seemed more convenient to me. And am asking are there still truck jams along the Military highway?
Two answers to your question:
1) Belarus isn't a viable route at present. The Belarussians closed it due to the flow of weapons heading in from Ukraine and the civil war going on there. Belarus is concerned about having factional Ukrainian militia creating problems in the country.
2) No truck jams right now. There is a Coronavirus pandemic and Russia has closed its borders. Freight is sent via rail or air.
Well its sort of correct. There are no "transport sanctions" against transporting goods across Russia. Trevor, you are correct about the "Russian route" which is currently our good friend the Trans-Siberian railway, and its component parts leading into Mongolia, Manchuria, Central Asia and elsewhere. It remains the primary Eurasian route and has strategic supply chains connected all the way along. See: The Trans-Siberian Land Bridge: 20 Key Cities Linking Vladivostok To Europe https://www.russia-briefing.com/news/trans-siberian-land-bridge-top-20-key-cities-linking-vladivostok-europe.html/
It is also possible to drive from St.Petersburg to Vladivostok, although it's a long way and a nine-hour time difference, and the roads aren't always great. (An amusing story from last year; three supporters of the football team Zenit St.Petersburg drove in a fans 1986 Honda all the way to Vladivostok (11,000 km) to see their team play in a Russian Cup game. It took them 19 days, with numerous repairs on route. At one stage the petrol tank sprung a bad leak, the front seat passenger sat with a large plastic container and a hose in his lap to feed the engine. The car eventually made it but subsequently collapsed, and they had spent all their money. Zenit heard of this loyalty, paid to fly them back and bought them a new Toyota. The old car was shipped back with honors and is now in Zenit's museum of history). However Russia is also upgrading existing highways and city rings roads into Kazakhstan, the so-called Meridian Highway. See: "Key Logistics Hubs Along The Meridian Highway" https://www.russia-briefing.com/news/key-logistics-hubs-along-russias-meridian-road.html/ which will ultimately allow pan Eurasian road haulage.
So why the alternative "southern" route through Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Turkey? Two reasons: Simply to ensure the Russians remain competitive as there is an alternative, and secondly, to allow goods and products to be shipped to and from other countries that cannot be accessed from the northern (Trans-Siberian & Meridian routes).
That route, also known in part as the "BTK" link (see: "China Connects To Europe Without Russia As BTK Route Runs South Via Caucasus & Turkey" https://www.silkroadbriefing.com/news/2018/02/01/china-connects-rail-europe-without-russia-btk-route-runs-south-via-caucasus-turkey/) and also links up as follows:
Aqtau Port (Kazakhstan) https://www.silkroadbriefing.com/news/2018/07/05/aqtau-port-kazakhstans-caspian-sea-belt-road-window-europe/
Turkmenbashi (Turkmenistan) https://www.silkroadbriefing.com/news/2018/07/04/turkmenbashis-caspian-window-turkmenistan-belt-road/
and the North-South International Transport Corridor https://www.russia-briefing.com/news/russia-connecting-india-via-international-north-south-transport-corridor.html/ which ultimately re-connects India with Iran and then heads north-east into Afghanistan and north into Russia. This latter route is not part of the BRI as China isn't involved, but roads don't generally follow Chinese geopolitics when Eurasian infrastructure is concerned.
Hello Chris,
What I meant by "transport sanctions" was that the import sanctions against EU foodstuff, etc are in place even for products transiting through Russia.
"... but roads don't generally follow Chinese geopolitics when Eurasian infrastructure is concerned."
Yes, definitely!
Trevor,
As for the BTK, Georgia, especially, is also trying to re-establish its manufacturing capacities -- even to the point of going out and revitalizing old Soviet factories (https://www.forbes.com/sites/wadeshepard/2016/06/30/how-chinas-hualing-group-revived-an-old-soviet-factory-to-help-restore-an-ailing-economy-in-kutaisi-georgia/) and has an array of new industrial zones popping up all over the country. The South Caucasus is one of the regions that stands to be most impacted by the re-establishment of trans-Eurasian economic corridors and is a fun place to watch.
Again, sort of. The "South Caucasus" is essentially Armenia, and is totally left out of the loop because of the problems they have with Turkey and Azerbaijan. The Armenian-Turkish border has been closed since 1993. This means the Trans-Eurasia routes either
1) Head through Turkey and enter the EU completely bypassing Armenia, or
2) Cross Kazakhstan, into Azerbaijan, Georgia and cross the Black Sea to the EU.
Armenia has a border dispute with Azerbaijan to the North due to the situation with Nagorno-Karabakh, so its rather isolated itself.
This means that the "South Caucasus" as you put it - which is essentially Armenia - isn't well connected at all, and is only really sustained by trade routes heading north and to and from Georgia, or via Iran, which is totally sanctioned.
There is more about the BTK route Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey and the issues Armenia has here: https://www.silkroadbriefing.com/news/2019/04/15/baku-tbilisi-kars-railroad-peace-prosperity-revival-silk-roads/
Hello Chris, I believe the South Caucasus -- or how it's commonly referred to -- is Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcaucasia. We could get technical and say that northern Georgia and Azerbaijan are part of the North Caucasus, but the term generally refers to the entire realm of the three countries. https://www.csis.org/programs/russia-and-eurasia-program/archives/south-caucasus.
I just say The Caucasus. No north or south divide. I have a hard time saying russia is europe.... though some of it technically is.... theres a sign along the trans sib with the border marked. And Turkey. ? Asia minor is what I thought it was....
There are differing opinions on what the Caucasus is. And of course it also includes Russia. Some have it extending as far as Iran. Most Europeans would regard it as being Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan from the EU perspective. Anyway, the point is that Armenia, which we all seem to agree is part of the South Caucasus, isn't well served or connected to the BRI or other routes due to its on-going, closed border crossing issues with Azerbaijan and Turkey, and is therefore not really on any of the East-West Eurasian routes between Asia and Europe.
Thank you, sir! A lot “what to read”!
Thank you for the very detailed reply.
Guys you can take a free subscription to the Silk Road and Russia Briefing websites just go to www.silkroadbriefing.com and www.russia-briefing.com and click on the subscribe button for each. Its a simple form then you get access to magazines, books, updates and so on.
I have a whole different question I’d like to pose to the group: Is anyone familiar with the ‘back to Jerusalem’ movement among Chinese Christians? Back in the 1940s, the Christians there got the idea to evangelize along the historic Silk Road, among Muslim communities that would not be open to Westerners but would never suspect anything of the Chinese, all the way ‘back to Jerusalem.’ The idea got dropped during the Mao era (as most of these folks were landing in prison or killed) but it picked up in the 1990s when there was more religious freedom. There’s been secret Bible camps training folks how to insert themselves in the culture of certain Muslim countries along the Silk Road, basically for life.
There are occasional articles on this (http://www.religionwatch.com/chinas-missionaries-re-tread-back-to-jerusalem-on-the-silk-road/) and I’ve written on it myself, but what’s missing are folks who’ve actually run into these missionaries.
It’s very hard to tell how many of these folks are out there now. The South China Morning Post reported on a group of missionaries in Iraqi Kurdistan not long ago and you may remember some missionaries who were killed in Baluchistan about 2 years ago. Is anyone familiar with this movement or (better still) run into any Chinese who may have a business visa into a Muslim country but may be doing some evangelizing on the side?
I've not run into anyone like that in 30 years. China is officially atheist and there is no religious education in schooling. That creates its own social problems, such as selfishness and amorality, both of which plague Chinese society today. Christianity is an alien religion to China anyway, and never took root. As for Chinese missionaries operating in Central Asia, I've never heard of any contemporary Chinese nationals attempting such a mission.
There may be ethnic Chinese from the United States who try, but that is rather different from mainland Chinese. It's the law of diminishing returns; attempting to export Christianity from a country with minimal Christians, to a region that is outwardly hostile to anything non-Muslim. It doesn't make any sense and I very much doubt it happens.
Any evangelizing from mainland China heading overseas tends to be in the various Buddhist factions, or Tao. There are plenty of holy sites for both right across Asia and believers tend to stick to areas where they will be welcomed and can visit respective seats of learning without oppression, such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, Japan and so on.
Would you say that China-Africa extractive projects have produced a win-win situation to date?
Hmm... that depends on who you want to look at in terms of potential winners. For China, of course, it's a win -- they get the resources they need and more control of their supply chains. For Africa, that question is a little more complex and I don't believe we can group all of the 54 countries together and give a broad value judgement. In some markets, we have simple sale of what a country produces which benefits the broader economy, etc. In others with more corrupt or self-serving regimes, not much of this economic exchange makes its way to local people, etc. There are also vast differences between projects in terms of environmental impacts and labor conditions. Basically, the gamut runs from China being a mere buyer of what Africa sells to Chinese companies engaging in rampant corruption, running dangerous operations, destroying the local environment, and padding the pockets of the local political elite. We can't really give a one size fits all type of analysis here.
Many thanks Wade for your insightful reply. I was disputing a comment made by Weilin Huang, former ambassador, who noted that China-Africa extractive projects produce a win-win for all involved.
Good afternoon from Naivasha thats East Africa hehehe. So this Corona pandemic, will it make people NOT want to have everything MADE IN CHINA, after all, we can all make stuff, we can all grow stuff (UK is importing Kenyan veg as we speak - bless them) and will any anti Chinese feeling if it even exists (though i suspect it might) effect the BRI . ? personal view points please....
Lots of anti China feeling here after treatment of Africans in China...
While I would like to say that the world will stand up and tell China that they can't treat people that way, we don't really have a working model of that happening. While public sentiment can have a major impact on China's initiatives abroad, it's often a temporary phenomenon. Public outrage is ultimately a pretty forgetful thing. Pragmatism and bags of money usually win the day. However, I believe that now -- perhaps more than ever -- many emerging markets are looking for an alternative to China ... but the reason why they deal big with China in the first place is that there aren't many other takers. China can offer things which most other "developer nations" can't or won't. While we can all get angry and shake our fists towards Beijing, I don't believe that it will last ... given the pandemic subsides sometime in the next few months.
What’s Georgia like? And similar questions to Julia. Do you need some basic language skills to get by and is it relatively safe for female solo travellers?
I know what you're thinking: wine, wine, wine! I did a project on Georgian wine when I was there -- got into some pretty fancy places and drank some extremely good wine, which they have like a limitless variety of. Don't know what happened to that story ... it got buried somewhere. I should probably try to dig it out.
Wanna get into a never-ending fight between Georgians and Armenians? Raise the question of who invented wine-making....
Anyway, on the subject of Georgian (and Armenian) wines, the local wines are made in the "Qvevri" style, not in the "Western" (French) style.
So what the hell am I talking about?
A Qvevri is a huge, lemon shaped terracotta jar, big enough for a man to stand up in. These are locally produced and fired. Then a large hole is dug in the ground, usually in a covered area, and the qvevri is buried up to the neck in the soil. It is sanitized inside with lime, then coated with beeswax to seal it.
At harvest, grapes are picked - roughly, along with smaller branches and everything gets put into the Qvevri. No treading, no messing about, twigs and skins and pips and all. They typically use Saperavi grapes for red and Rkatsiteli for white, although there are other varietals. The Qvevri is filled up, and sealed, and left to ferment.
The inclusion of all the twigs and skins and stuff gives the wine a more tannic flavour than is the norm n the West.
After 4-8 weeks, depending on how strong a flavour is required, the Qvevri are reopened, and all the lees (twigs and stuff) have floated to the top. These are extracted and set aside. The jar is refilled with a previous vintage to top it up and then left to mature.
These days, they are generally left to mature in the Qvevri for just 1-2 years, then bottled. That's probably too young - in older times vintages were left for up to 10, 25 and even 50 years. It is possible to find 10 year old bottled Qvevri's on the local markets, but they are expensive.
It's what happens with the white wines that is the more interesting - because of the additional tannin, they take on an extraordinary amber hue, and although astringent (that tannin again) do display a remarkable complexity quite different to the Western methodology. They are rather an acquired taste, but once appreciated they are fabulous. But please don't call them "orange" wines, and even "amber" is misleading. Use the proper term, "Qvevri" (Georgian) or "Karas" in Armenia.
Reds are. not left on lees for so long, it becomes too much. Although I have heard of some older Georgians enjoying these, apparently the wine turns black. A light Saperavi Qvevri is also a joy.
What about the Lees - all the sticks and twigs they fished out of the wine?
They press those and extract the liquid. That is then distilled, and becomes a fiery spirit locally known as "Cha Cha". Sometimes it is flavoured with herbs or fruits. You can buy them in plastic bottles from roadside vendors. It's basically a Georgian style of Grappa.
So there you have it. Look out for "Qvevri" on Georgian or "Karas" on Armenian wines, and that's the real deal.
PS: The best of these are made by Monks. Go visit a local Monastery in the Caucasus with a vineyard. You can get drunk with the Abbot. Gaumarjos!
super interesting, thanks for sharing
Oh i miss that red in those PET bottles. There was a little wine shop on the main square in Kazbegi. Oh happy memories..
Yeah I have a one track mind when it comes to booze. I quite fancy visiting all the places that lay claim to being the origins of wine although not sure how I feel about doing Iran though, don’t much enjoy travelling through dry countries ;-)
Hi Sarah. Its always good to learn some pleasantries. Georgian is a unique language. The alphabet is mostly impossible. But it rolls off the tongue nicely.
Older people speak Russian and even some German, the younger generation speak very good English. There is no need to learn Georgian to survive. You'll pick up the basics very easily.. they appreciate it very much.
Safe for a solo female? I'd say yes but better ask another female.
Georgia in 2010 was awesome. By 2016 it was deff no longer 'off the beaten track'.
I must have spent 6 months there in total.
I love the food. The red wine in plastic bottles is awesome. Cha cha is the very fiery spirit.
And replying to you brought back happy memories as I sit here in Kenya during Corona.
Thank you.
And as per my last reply on Tajikistan i have 5 or 6 posts on my old and sadly defunct blog that i can re do. But ill need more time to get them up.
Stay tuned. Im on twitter. @NomadicBackpac1
Georgia is great, safe and you should go.
One thing if you're flying in via Istanbul, the gates to Tbilisi aren't marked "Tbilisi" - they are marked "Tiflis" which is the old Ottoman name for the Georgian capital. That pisses the Georgians off, but then the Turks aren't the only ones to do that, LOL
Thanks guys, really helpful
Lots of solo women traveling there. It's probably one of the easier places in the world to travel. A tourism infrastructure exists but it's not overrun. It's in that happy place where you can get everything you want and need, experience the local charm, without the hassles of an over-developed travel sector.
Sounds ideal