Part 3 - 🇰🇿 🇰🇬🇨🇳 Central Asia - Block Explorer
Channel: Blockchain Travel
Date: 2019-02-23

Central Asia is most notable for being home to the 'stans': Rugged countries with limited arable land, historically coveted for their position between Europe and East Asia, rather than for their resources (although petroleum and natural gas reserves in the region are becoming more and more important). They are home to generally poor, primarily Muslim, historically nomadic, mostly Turkic-speaking peoples (the exception is Tajikistan). All but Afghanistan, (which is sometimes categorized separately for this and other reasons) are former Soviet republics, and with the exception of Kyrgyzstan, have so far have retained authoritarian, secular governments.

Afghanistan 
One-time backpacker Shangri-La, but after 30 years of bloody (and ongoing) war, famine, and nightmare politics, it holds considerably less touristic appeal today.
Kazakhstan 
The world's largest landlocked nation is sparsely populated, dominated by archetypal Central Asian steppe, with deep reserves of fossil fuels, and pockets of beautiful wilderness for outdoors enthusiasts.
Kyrgyzstan 
A truly beautiful country high in the mountains, and with the exception of the admittedly fascinating but unsafe Ferghana Valley, Central Asia's easiest and perhaps most pleasant place to visit.
Tajikistan 
Tajikistan, Central Asia's poorest backwater, is truly is off the beaten path, but with incredible landscapes and Persian culture, and off-again, on-again civil wars.
Turkmenistan 
An amalgam of desert moonscapes and arid mountains, dotted with the ruins of great ancient civilizations, and ruled until recently by a post-Soviet lunatic cultivating one of the most bizarre cults of personality in history, this is off-the-beaten-path, difficult (courtesy of rotten officialdom), but potentially very rewarding travel.
Uzbekistan 
With cities such as Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, Tashkent, and other old Silk Road citadels, this country has way more than its fair share of culture and history. The people are warm and friendly and the country naturally is nothing short of beautiful. The government will go out of its way to complicate your trip, though.
Due to culture and history, Iran, Mongolia, Western China (Inner Mongolia, Tibet, Xinjiang, Gansu, Qinghai, western Sichuan and northwestern Yunnan), parts of Russia (Buryatia, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Tuva, Altai, Khakassia) and Pakistan is often also included.


Part 3 consists of the following episodes:
22. Almaty, Kazakhstan
23. Shymbulak / Medeu, Kazakhstan
24. Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
25. Urumqi, Xinjiang China

Music by Frarnce: https://www.soundcloud.com/frarnce

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