The Informed Traveler
The Informed Traveler
Comox Valley, BC & Undiscovered Turkmenistan
On this week's podcast travel expert Onanta Forbes will join us to share her recent journey to Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. It's a beautiful area of BC to spend a few days at and that's exactly what Onanta did a few weeks ago so we'll get the highlights. And there's been lots of talk about overtourism these days so later in the podcast we'll learn about an area that does not have that problem. It's Turkmenistan in Central Asia, part of the 5 Stan's as they like to call them so we'll chat with the founder of Undiscovered Frontiers, a company that specializes in tours to that area.
Well, hello and welcome to the Informed Traveller Podcast, a weekly travel podcast where our goal is to help you become a more informed traveller. Now, I'm your host, Randy Sharman. On this week's podcast, travel expert Onanta Forbes will join us to share her recent journey to Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. It's a beautiful area of BC to spend a few days at, and that's exactly what Onanta did a few weeks ago. So we'll get the highlights in a few seconds. And there's been lots of talk about overtourism these So later in the podcast, we will learn about an area that does not have that problem. It's Turkmenistan in Central Asia, part of the Five Stands, as they like to call them. So we'll chat with the founder of Undiscovered Frontiers, a company that specializes in tours to that area. But first, let's kick things off chatting with travel expert Onanta Forbes, who joins us each week to discuss some of the travel news and travel trends. You can follow her adventures on Instagram, Facebook, and Instagram. Onanta Forbes.com is her website. Hi, Onanta. Hi,
SPEAKER_01:Randy. How are you?
SPEAKER_03:I'm well, thank you. A couple weeks ago, you took a trip to Vancouver Island, Comox Valley area. So we're going to discuss your adventures and all the things you saw and did. So where do you want to start?
SPEAKER_01:Well, you know what? First of all, I'm going to shout out to my client that I've had for many years, who always has gone to Comox, stayed at the Kingfisher where I stayed. And I thought, thinking, what's going on out there? She's really happy. And it was
SPEAKER_04:a
SPEAKER_01:great trip. So not only do travel agents give inspirations, our guests give inspiration back. So our journey began with a great nonstop flight from Calgary to Comox, very short. So a nice getaway for people out west. And there's many ways to get to the Comox Valley region mainland with service through WestJet, Air Canada, Pacific Coastal. And it's also, if you're driving, it's well served by Highway 19 and south to Nanaimo, Victoria, and north to Campbell River. So lots of ways to get there also by BC Ferry Service from Comox to Powell River. So there's, you know what, there's lots of opportunity. to go to this destination. And just to kind of tell you the location of it, it hugs the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, south of Plano River, to the north of Parksville, and spreading into the Central Mountains. It's the traditional territory of the Comox First Nation, and the three main communities are Comox, Courtney, and Cumberland. And there's several small hamlets in the area. So to describe each, Comox is a sea side community that's very popular with voters. Courtney is the big city in Comox Valley and the downtown core includes unique shops, restaurants, pubs and cafes. When I say the big city, it's not a really big city but to them it is. And it has really a good art culture in the city which is evident in the numerous galleries and museums and festivals. What I really liked about it, it has a great trail and park system. So we love to walk. So you have the opportunity to walk. My partner went for runs one day. And so lots to do. And Cumberland, it's a former Coal mining town is really quite charming. It's only like one main street, but it's definitely something you should try and go and see. Now, we had a car, and I do recommend that you had a car. The guest I was sharing with you doesn't have a car, but she spends the whole time at the Kingfisher Oceanside Resort and Spa. to do her spa days. And you can definitely tell the girlfriend's mom and daughter family getaway to this resort to enjoy that. And we loved it. Like, yes, there's spa treatments, but it also has really nice dining options. And so some of the highlights I found there were, It has the Pacific Miss Spa and Hydropath. So this is where they have, like, sandstone-sculptured caves, massage pools, river walks, and waterfalls, as well as the spa treatments. And my spa treatment, I was able to overlook the beautiful water, ocean that, you know, surrounds the resort. It has the Ocean 7 restaurant, an aqua bistro and wine bar. This is where you can really enjoy fresh cuisine with, you know, like maybe a date night, you know, meet some friends there. So not only do people of the Kingfisher go to the restaurants and wine bar, but people outside the area. So I really do recommend that you make reservations ahead of time because it does book up very quickly. The accommodations are amazing. You know, amazing views. What I really like, like for me, my happy place is near water. So being near the ocean was pretty amazing. We were in a suite that at the end of our day where, you know, we went out and did our adventures, we'd come back. We had a deck with Anne Arundel chairs. We were able to just sit and relax and enjoy the wildlife. There was two eagles that were always nearby. I thought they were my eagles, just for my entertainment. It was really amazing. So this in front of us is the path. of the inside passage. So we were able to see the cruise ships go up the inside passage every night going to Alaska.
SPEAKER_03:It's funny you mentioned that because I was going to ask, I said, did you see any cruise ships? Because I recall my cruise ship days and I did two tours of Alaska sailing by Comax all the time.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Oh, and it was. It was really spectacular. It was kind of a game to see who it was. We saw the Disney Wonder, Silver Sea. It was Royal Caribbean So it was fun to see it as well. So lots of things to do while you're there. Like we enjoy the outdoors, like lots of hiking and walking, as I've mentioned. So some of the trails and like you could go to Strathcona Provincial Park, Sea Bay Nature Park, as well as just. You know, just different places where, like going into Comox, we went to the marina and just walked around the marina and then walked around the town. If you enjoy, like, fishing... You know, one of the places we also went with the car was Campbell River, which is just 45 minutes north of the Comox Valley. This is where you are. It's worth it, especially if you like to fish or are an angler. It's a prime location for whale watching due to just the geographical features of where it is and the rich waters around. And it attracts various whale species like orcas and humpback whales and different marine mammals and wildlife. And there's different locally operated tours that will take you to go to see different places. And we chose Homolka Wildlife and Cultural Tours for our whale watching experience. And it's a great way of combining like the wildlife viewing with indigenous storytelling and cultural insights, which I really like. We went on the Salish Sea whale watching tour and we were in this beautiful state of the art. It was only a year old, warm and comfortable boat because you are able to sit in the front, those seats, breezy and windy. We, we were there in mid June. Um, but you can come inside too and enjoy it. And then we have these great wildlife guides, Janet and Guy. And what I really liked about it is that they were excited as us to see the wildlife. Oh yeah. They were like, so like, you know, they were, they were so respectful of the community that they shut the boats down when they were getting close. Like we saw five, um, orcas, um, it was really quite neat because I think I've seen other whales, but never an orca. So that was quite neat to see how the hugeness of them. And to just hear about the First Nation history and culture, I think that's really important to support our local communities when we do travel. And they're so interesting, very interesting. And there was an area where there was a huge number of whales eagles and you know it and so it was it wasn't hard to spot them they were in the different trees and we were at a time frame where they were feeding and it was it was just really neat to see and to be a part of that I don't know it was just nature nature is a good word for it because I think we sometimes maybe don't take advantage of it or take it for granted.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_01:Seeing, seeing all these different things that are just right in our neighborhood, really, um, as far as being in the next province and such. So a totally enjoyable time. We also did, um, a day where we went out to two islands, uh, or Denham Island and Hornby Island. So you have to take the ferry out there. And it's very popular. So make sure that you have enough time to make the trip out. It's like 10 minutes to cross, so it's not a big deal. But a lot of people do it, right? So it's really quite interesting to go out there and just enjoy the walks on. you know, the ocean or just see, go enjoy some local food. It's very laid back, very artsy. And in fact, when we went to Hornby, I was so surprised. There's this little hamlet that had these great shocking experiences, like really neat shopping and pretty upscale. And yeah, I would definitely recommend that you go out. But as far as you know, plan to make your most out of your trip to the Cone Mountains Valley, I would definitely, you know, plan ahead and be prepared. And so what I would do is like download your trail map. So say you're going to Forbidden Plateau or Seal Bay Nature Park, you can download your trail map so that you don't have to rely on cell service, which may be limited in remote locations. Prepare for all weather. So The valley's climate can change quickly, even in summer. So bring waterproof layers, sturdy hiking boots and gear for warm and cool conditions. I definitely took an umbrella and I made sure I, you know, you do use it. Book your ferries and your accommodation early. BC Ferries route, especially between NIMO and Vancouver, can fill up quickly and keep travel season. So book in advance. To get your best options. And also we kind of chatted about it. Support local business. So like independent boutiques and dining of family-run cafes. One that we did enjoy was Atlas Cafe in downtown Courtney in the town of Comox. And then, as I say, like explore nearby destinations. So planned day trips to Denman Island, Parksville and Campbell River. And it does expand your adventure. One of the things that you see the second you land in Comox that I know you'll enjoy was like the Comox Air Force Museum. It was really neat to see all the different planes and discover the history of the Air Force Base. Oh, cool. And then they have a military museum about the military history on Vancouver Island. Nice. If you like golf, it's year-round because of the mild climate and beautiful courses. There's Mount... uh, Washington ski area, which is a popular destination for winter sports. So I don't think he'll be bored. It
SPEAKER_04:doesn't sound like it. It doesn't sound
SPEAKER_01:like it. You can just relax, you know, at your end of the day. Like that's why a great resort, like the Kingfisher comes in. There's lots of opportunity and accommodation throughout. Um, but this was the one we explored this time and, and, um, Totally enjoyed it. It was like a quick trip in respect. It was only five days that we went, but we saw a lot. We did a lot. And we had downtime as well.
SPEAKER_03:And you got to watch the cruise ships, which are really amazing. Especially when they're all lit up. You can catch them when the sun's going down or something, and they're all lit up. It's really a spectacular sight, I think, anyway.
SPEAKER_01:It is. And, you know, when the sun goes down, great, you know, opportunity to see that, enjoy glass of wine. Sunsets were pretty amazing.
SPEAKER_03:Excellent. People can look at some of your images, too, by the way, on Instagram and Facebook and X of your trip to the Comox Valley at Onanta Forbes. OnantaForbes.com is your website. Some great insight, Onanta. Now I want to go. I want to visit there. I've sailed by it many times and never been.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I would definitely recommend it. You know, and it's good for singles, couples, families. Like there's something for every type of traveler. And it's in Canadian dollars.
SPEAKER_03:Which also helps.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, it does.
SPEAKER_03:Awesome. Thanks so much.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you.
SPEAKER_03:This is the Informed Traveller podcast. I'm Randy Sharman. Just want to remind you of our website, theinformedtraveller.org. That's where you can find our contact page if you have any questions or comments about the podcast. You can also email me, too, with any questions you might have. My email address is randy at theinformedtraveller.org. And if you want to get up-to-date travel info through the week or just see a few amusing travel stories and links, you can like us on Facebook at facebook.com slash informedtraveller. on Instagram at informedtraveller or on X at informedtraveller. Plus, you can now sign up for our monthly newsletter. It's released at the beginning of every month. Our July issue is now available. Just go to our website, theinformedtraveller.org, click on the newsletter button, and it'll take you right there. Or better yet, subscribe to it and have it arrive in your inbox each month. Well, we've talked about hundreds of different destinations on this show over the years, but since It's safe to say we've never talked about our next destination, Turkmenistan in Central Asia. It's part of the Five Stands, as they like to call them. So joining us now to tell us more about Turkmenistan is Abdillah Geldiev. He is the founder and managing director of Undiscovered Frontiers, a company that specializes in tours to that area. Their website is undiscoveredfrontiers.com. Hi, Abdillah. Hi, Randy. So good to be here. So good to be at your podcast. Hi, Abdillah. I'm very excited to learn about Undiscovered Frontiers and all the different places, like the name says it all, Undiscovered Frontiers. Tell me how it began.
SPEAKER_05:Well, before explaining how the idea of Undiscovered Frontiers emerged, I think it's important also to mention how a guy from Central Asia, from Turkmenistan, ended up in the United States and how I took in charge the role of Undiscovered Frontiers So I came to the United States as an international student to Loyola University in Chicago. Then I completed the studies. I came to the state of Michigan, took some additional classes, courses, and ended up working in the travel business and followed the travel industry career opportunities. As you know, in 2020, the whole world stopped because of the COVID.
SPEAKER_04:And
SPEAKER_05:anyone who is in the travel business knows how severe and devastating that was for the travel business. And not only the travel business, the whole world stopped.
SPEAKER_03:We don't need to be reminded. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05:So, yes, eventually, you know, then the travel was back. You know, I was offered another career opportunity and I was working as a travel consultant. Then, you know, one day my older son, he approached me and said, well, dad, you know, you have like almost 20 years of experience, you know, most part of the world, especially Central Asia, you know, why don't we start our own company? And I said, well, son, it's a good idea, but your dad is kind of busy right now. So anyhow, so he was the, you know, he was the originator of the idea and that seed was already sitting inside me for years you know so so eventually we started this brand you know my son helped me out with building the website and doing lots of things now little bit of the background you know why undiscovered frontiers you know central asia and it's known as five stands as well i sincerely believe that the north american travelers completely do not know that part of the world because that part of the world, five stands, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan sounds like a tongue twister, but those five countries are the melting pot of different cultures, events, geopolitical events, lots of great historical moments,
SPEAKER_04:you know,
SPEAKER_05:traversed and transitioned through that part of the world, you know, you name it, Genghis Khan, you know, Alexander the Great, Darius, you know, the Achaemenians, Persians, you know, Parthians, all those great, you know, empires emerged, you know, and it was rise and fall for those empires. So Undiscovered Frontiers, the main philosophy of the company is unveil open and you know let the travelers to explore discover and connect with that part of the world what we do is what we really do we give the opportunities like insider access experiences because i was born and raised in that part of the world you know i know every cultural aspect of that region you know and it makes undiscovered frontiers stand out among any other competitors who are offering the tours. We do not do the repetitive things. We want our travelers. What's the most important about the travel? When you go, you see the country. When you come back and you say, wow. I've seen things. I met people. I remember that guy. I remember this family. That makes the trip unique. And that's the philosophy of Undiscovered Frontiers. Go beyond the borders. Explore the places that others do not explore.
SPEAKER_03:Well, I think that would be important, too, to know the cultural norms. And I can speak for myself because I've never been there. So I don't know what some of the cultural norms are. So this really is a classic example of needing someone to hold your hand to make sure that you're following the proper things, right?
SPEAKER_05:Yes, indeed. Yes, indeed. That's a very strong point. Yes.
SPEAKER_03:So let's talk about Turkmenistan. And like you said, it is one of the five stands. I've never been there. So what makes Turkmenistan stand out for you? Obviously, well, it's your home country. That's probably one.
SPEAKER_05:Right, right. Well, I would like to first of all geographically describe the location of Turkmenistan. So it makes kind of sense where we are and where we are located. where we are looking on the globe, right? So Turkmenistan in north borders with Kazakhstan. Northeast of Turkmenistan is a country, is a gem, Uzbekistan. Southwest of Turkmenistan is Iran. And western part of Turkmenistan is Caspian Sea, as well as a little bit south and part of Turkmenistan shares a minor border with Afghanistan. So the country itself is geographically sandwiched. But looking back to the heydays of Turkmenistan, it was the part of the Great Silk Road. So all the trade that started all the way from China and stretched all the way through the territory of Central Asia, the one branch goes into Iran, and then further it stretched all the way through the Eastern Europe and reached the markets of Venice, Italy. The territory of Turkmenistan is approximately 492 square kilometers. It's roughly like 190,000 square kilometers. So it's almost the size of Alberta. Now, the major territory of Turkmenistan is covered with Karakum Desert. It's a huge, one of the largest sand deserts of the world, and 80% of Turkmenistan is Karakum Desert. And that is, you know, some sort of stereotype. Everybody thinks like, oh, it's all over desert. Oh, no. Oh, no. Turkmenistan, the main towns and cities are like an oasis and they are all stretched with the foothills of the Kopetal Mountains. So there are Five regions or five states in Turkmenistan. And all those five regions or states mainly concentrated and located with the flow of artificial canal created by the Soviets. And that canal stretched from east to west of the country almost 900 miles. So can you imagine... A canal created by the human labor, you know, started with 1954 and ended by 1988. So that is, in general, Turkmenistan. Now, I will also mention about the unique things about Turkmenistan, the people of Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan has one of the most fabulous UNESCO sites, you know, inscribed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO. And yeah, this is a general, a small summary for Turkmenistan.
SPEAKER_03:So are these planned tours or how does it work? Do you have something already, an itinerary already set out for your guests or is it, you know, you kind of tailor it to whatever they want to do?
SPEAKER_05:Very good question. Thank you, Randy. So we offer mainly tours. tailor-made private journeys. We do customize our journeys based on the traveler's interests, duration of time, how much time they would like to spend, what is their main interest. We talk with our travelers and identify what exactly they want to see, what's their interest. At the same time, we do have scheduled group meetings cultural and heritage group tours. So we have small groups. The minimum number is seven and we do not go beyond then 14 people. So we would like to have those small groups and we arrange the tours with that group. We arrange tours to all five stands. So it's quite an intensive tour. It's like 23, 25 days. So a person who wants to see whole five stands can join one of those tours as well.
SPEAKER_03:Okay. So what are the accommodations like? Just sort of give me an overview of where you stay. Is it go, go, go, or do you have some time to yourself? How does that work?
SPEAKER_05:Yes. So, you know, five stands, you know, each stand is a wealthy country. And Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, each country is very rich in terms of the natural resources. Now, not many people know that Turkmenistan is very rich with natural gas. So it's considered one of the fourth largest gas reserves of the world.
SPEAKER_04:So
SPEAKER_05:what I'm trying to say, lots of money. comes from the natural gas and the government of Turkmenistan invests and improves the tourism industry by constructing luxurious and comfortable hotels, improving the tourism infrastructure. you can choose from, you know, the low category budget hotel to the mid-level comfort hotel, and you won't believe me, to the luxurious, like a real luxurious five-star accommodations. I mean, in Turkmenistan, there are like, in the capital city of Ashgabat, you know, it's known as a city of the white marble. So when you go and you are in Ashgabat, it blows your mind, you know, that You know, everything is made of marble. And there is like some sort of Guinness record obsession as well. So you can see, you know, the tallest flagpole in the world. You know, you can see the biggest horse monument in Turkmenistan. Because now there are also very important to mention that Certain things in Turkmenistan and in Turkmen culture is considered as a heritage. And like Turkmen horses, you know, I think since I mentioned about the monument, why I don't mention about the horses. So Turkmen horses are known to the world. And, you know, they've been some sort of a good that was traded on the Great Silk Road. And those horses were taken as far as to the Chinese emperors.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah,
SPEAKER_05:so even there are some historical chronicles saying and, you know... mentioning that even the Alexander the Great's horse was a breed which comes from those steppes, from that region, you know, the famous Bucifalus, his horse is known as a Turkmen or Akhal-Tiki horse. Anyhow, so Turkmenistan is also known for, you know, carpet weaving culture and it is also one of the oldest traditions and techniques that survived until the present days and it was inscribed as intangible heritage on the UNESCO list. So now, We spoke about the hotels. Yes, there are comfortable hotels. And, you know, it's the same comfort that you would find if you fly to, you know, any Arabian country. You go to Oman, you go to, you know, North Africa, Egypt, you go to Morocco. You know, all the hotels know the standards and the requirements for the international traveler.
UNKNOWN:Okay.
SPEAKER_03:This is going to sound like a crazy question, but how do you get there? Like, we're from North America. There's no nonstop flights from, say, New York to Turkmenistan, as far as I know. Yeah, you
SPEAKER_05:know, you will be surprised that actually there is a flight now from Detroit. So, you know, I love... Turkish Airlines, you know. Turkish Airlines is one of the best and easy airlines to reach Turkmenistan or any other stands. So, give an example, the Detroit, you take a flight from Detroit to Istanbul, Turkey or Türkiye. And from Istanbul, you connect to the capital of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, you know, which is, yeah. So there is a direct flight. There are flights from New York, flights from the West Coast. So, yes, it is accessible.
SPEAKER_03:So it is easy to get there then.
SPEAKER_05:It's straightforward. You get on a plane. You are in Central Asia. And you explore all those beautiful UNESCO sites, all those beautiful places and gems that are hidden for the international travelers.
SPEAKER_03:So now, okay, speaking of that, when I get off the plane in Turkmenistan, is there someone greeting me there? How does that work?
SPEAKER_05:Now, a very good point. So if you want to travel to any of the stands, including Turkmenistan, it's very wise to use the services of a travel company, a tour operator. And let me explain why. Because Turkmenistan is one of those countries that has a letter of invitation process. So any international traveler who wants to travel to Turkmenistan needs to obtain so-called letter of invitation.
SPEAKER_04:And
SPEAKER_05:in order to obtain the letter of invitation, there should be a travel company involved that books your hotel, that books your local guide, that books your sightseeing activity. So once you land in Turkmenistan, let's say we actually have our clients going to Turkmenistan this September So once they land, they will have a person, the driver, who will be waiting them at the arrival launch with the name sign. You know, meet them, greet them, take them to the hotel. You know, they check into the glamorous hotel. You know, they enjoy the view of the marble Ashgabat. And the next day, they start their Turkmenistan adventure.
UNKNOWN:Wow.
SPEAKER_03:Nice. So what's the food like? That's a silly question, too. All these silly questions to me sound silly. But what are some of the cultural delights that await people that are going to Turkmenistan that they can look forward to? You know, I
SPEAKER_05:always say... When people ask the questions, they are not silly questions. They are the questions that everybody needs to know that I'm very happy that you are raising and asking these questions. Now, you know, all five stands, and I will try to generalize it, you know, so to have a general idea for all five stands. You know, these are... The people, Central Asian people and the Turkmen people, they are nomads, right? So they graze the pasture with a huge sheep flock. So they are huge meat eaters. They like to eat meat. They like lamb. They like beef and they also eat camel. So we do eat camel meat as well. So lots of meat in the diet, lots of meat. However, Turkmenistan has a traditional cuisine. that mainly consists of the proteins and vegetables. Now, there are lots of international cuisine as well, the restaurants in Turkmenistan. You want to eat European food, here we are. You want to try Chinese food, we do have Chinese restaurants. But talking about the turpent food, it is mainly meat, you know, grilled meat, fried meat, baked meat, salted meat. You know, it's a lot of meat and it's known for shashlik. You know, what's that?
SPEAKER_02:No.
SPEAKER_05:It's a barbecue. So they put the meat on the skewer and they rotate it. Oh, my God, you will bite your fingers. That's delicious.
SPEAKER_03:It does sound delicious. I am a carnivore. So, yeah, that would be amazing. So what are some of the sites like you're talking about? The history must be amazing there.
SPEAKER_05:Yes, indeed. Yes, indeed. Now... Turkmenistan has several major historical sites. As I mentioned earlier, it is... lots of geopolitical events occurred on the territory of Turkmenistan, right? So it was when the Persians, Achaemenians conquered that part of the world, then Alexander the Great marched through the whole territory, the whole part of the world. And you know, Alexander, once he conquers any part of the world, he would leave one of his generals behind to look over the territories conquered, right? So Turkmenistan has a very rich history. Archaeologists, historians from all over the world, you know, British Museum and, you know, Metropole Museum, you know, the other museums like Hermitage. Lots of archaeological excavations are done in Turkmenistan. One of the biggest sites of Turkmenistan known as Ancient Merv. ancient mirth. So that is a very unique site and you need a bus to explore the whole site because it's huge, enormous, and there are different periods. So Ancient Merv is a UNESCO site located in the eastern part of Turkmenistan. So people do travel there. It's a highlight of itinerary. And Ancient Merv, that historical site, is known as a wandering city. And the reason behind is that every period, every ruler or the king would erect and construct a new town adjacent to the previous one. So it expanded by the time. It's huge. And, you know, you can trace the time of the Pathians. You can see the remains of the Seljuks in the Sultan Kala Fortress. You can see the mausoleum of the last Seljuk Sultan, Sultan Sanjar. You can see a lot of archaeology in Turkmenistan. There is another beautiful UNESCO site in Turkmenistan known as As Colonel Urgench. Situated in the northern part of Turkmenistan. That part was completely destroyed. And that town. And you know the great minds. And scholars of the east. Lived and you know studied. During the heyday of the Seljuks. You know the great minds like Al-Khorezmi. You know the famous scholars. Ibni Sina, known to the world as Abitsenna. You know, all those great minds, they lived in the city of Kurni Kurgic. What is left now? There are monuments. There is one of the tallest medieval minarets still standing. You know, it's huge because the base of the minaret is enormous. So like Genghis Khan and then the Timur, the great Timur. He marched through the Kyrgyzstan and Timur actually is the last person who destroyed that city. And he took the best craftsmen, the best architects, and he constructed his city of dream in Uzbekistan. The famous Samarkand was constructed by those craftsmen.
SPEAKER_03:Amazing. So what are some of the questions that pop up when you're talking to a potential client? Is it safety concerns? Is it language? And when would be the best time to visit?
SPEAKER_05:Very good question, Randy. Now, I can speak and assure any North American or international traveler that Central Asia is one of the safest places to travel. And it's like some of the things, you know, yes, there are like minor pickpockets that all over the world.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, you can find those anywhere. You don't have to go very far to find.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah. So, you know, I want to mention a very interesting story that happened to me when I was a local guy in Turkmenistan. And we are talking like. 20-something years ago, right? So I was a local guide for the Italian tourists who came to Turkmenistan to write a book about a certain breed of the dogs living in the Karakum Desert. So this guy has his lunch. I had a lunch with him. We had a lunch at the restaurant. And what do you think? He left his wallet. And inside the wallet, he had like almost 3,000 euros cash. And we went to the hotel, like he comes to the hotel, you know, and all with this Italian hysteria. He runs to my room like, oh, my God, Abdullah, I left my wallet. What do I do? You know, oh, my God. I said, hold on, hold on, calm down. So I knew the number of that restaurant I called, you know. And that wallet is still on the table where we had
SPEAKER_03:this. Where he left it.
SPEAKER_05:You know,
SPEAKER_03:and
SPEAKER_05:he was like kissing that waitress. And he told me, like, it's impossible. Even in Europe, you left that money, it's gone. You know,
SPEAKER_04:you won't find
SPEAKER_05:it. And, you know, people are very honest. I mean, people of Turkmenistan are known as one of the most hospitable. They are such an open heart people. And, you know, when people travel, our clients go to Turkmenistan and they can come back. They are raving. You know, I know people who are becoming friends for years, you know, that, that makes the travel.
SPEAKER_02:That's really cool. Yeah. You know,
SPEAKER_05:when you come back and you reminisce those days, you say, Oh my God, I, I enjoyed it so much, you know? So yes, it is safe. And, uh, You should not. And the best time of travel is we need to admit that Central Asia in general is considered and known with its high temperatures, hot temperatures during the summer. So definitely we need to avoid to travel to Turkmenistan as well as Uzbekistan, Tajikistan in June, July. Those are the summer months. You know, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan due to the, and Tajikistan, they have more mountains, you know, it's more, has more of the mountainous terrain. So you can do some travel in August. But in general, for Turkmenistan, avoid June, July and August. The temperature can raise up to like 115, 120 Fahrenheit. So it's hot. So the best time to travel is March, April, May, and September, October, and till the mid of November are the ideal time to explore Turkmenistan.
SPEAKER_03:Perfect. Well, people can find out more information about all the stands and all the other places that Undiscovered Frontiers offers. Anything I might have missed you want to add?
SPEAKER_05:You know, I also want to mention one small thing that Turkmenistan is known for unique natural phenomena. And, you know, there is one place known as Darvaza. or the fire crater, you know. They call it the gates of the hell. So can you imagine a crater in the size of the soccer field and there is a huge flame, gas is burning there.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, wow.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, so it's one of the spots that all the people around the world are visiting. You know, 15 years ago, 20 years ago, When I was camping nearby Fire Crater, you know, there was nothing. It was like one or two tents, the whole beautiful sky, and, you know, the Dante's Divine Comedy, like, in front of you, you know, the ferno, the heavens
SPEAKER_03:in front of you.
SPEAKER_05:So now what's happening is the government of Turkmenistan finally thinks that it's a huge waste. And they want to shut down that creator. So eventually that the flames of the creator are not as active as they before, like 15 or 10 years ago. So maybe in a year or two, again, I'm like, I'm advertising now. The gas creator, it's maybe the last year or so to explore and see the gas creator. So don't lose that opportunity, Randy. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:It all sounds really amazing. People, again, can look on your website, undiscoveredfrontiers.com. Well, let's see. I'm a carnivore. I like eating meat. I'm a history lover. And I like warm weather, not too hot, though. So Turkmenistan sounds like a pretty good place, especially now when people are kind of looking for alternate places to visit, right? Yes, indeed.
SPEAKER_05:So Turkmenistan and all five stands is one of the last untouched places part of the world which is not spoiled by the massive tourism you know when you go to the site like the residence of the Parthian kings you know in most of the UNESCO sites when you go and I've seen lots of UNESCO sites all over the world no don't touch this don't go there you know and when you are in Turkmenistan you have that you know first line you know like a business class row you can I am first here. You get that royal approach everywhere. So that makes a huge difference.
SPEAKER_03:For sure. Abdullah Geldiev is the founder and managing director of Undiscovered Frontiers. UndiscoveredFrontiers.com is the website. It was a real pleasure chatting with you, Abdullah. Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_05:Randy, it was my pleasure to be on your show. Thank you so much for inviting us. Thank you.
UNKNOWN:Thank you.
SPEAKER_03:Thanks for listening. Travel safe and be an informed traveler.