Central Asia with Baraka Journeys

My husband, Ed, and I took a wonderful 25-day tour to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan with Baraka Journeys (South Pasadena, CA; 626/570-1700, www.barakajourneys.com), April 13-May 7, 2008.

The cost was $5,980 each plus international airfare. This included everything, even drinks, all tips and a Lonely Planet guidebook as well as a hotel room and dinner in Frankfurt on the way over.

We felt safe at all times. People were very friendly. We were asked a couple of times why no Americans visited anymore.

Accommodations were anything from 5-star hotels to charming bed-and-breakfasts in town centers.

Food was plentiful and good. Meals started with a salad course, usually four or five varieties, followed by a main dish with some kind of meat, plus dessert. A number of meals were in the homes of local families or artisans.

One memorable dinner was in a museum (the former home of a rich man) built to look like a mosque. This meal included entertainment by a folk dancer accompanied by a singer playing a drum.

This tour was perfect for anyone interested in crafts and textiles (we visited silk weavers, potters and felt-rug makers), archaeology (the mosques, madrasahs and mausoleums of the Silk Road) or photography. Photo ops included markets, bazaars, horse games and fashion shows of contemporary designers using traditional fabrics and embroidery.

We saw folk dances and music performances by both professionals and children at a craft center and at a school for the deaf.

Our days were very busy. Shopping was wonderful. All of the guides spoke excellent English and were enthusiastic in sharing their part of the world and the romance of traveling the Silk Road.

I would be happy to answer any questions. E-mail me c/o ITN.

CLAUDIA FITZGERALD

Torrance, CA