Over a chilled lager the convergence of : a \240promotional email from Wild Frontiers;a conversation about how to celebrate our 50th year of marriage; disgruntlement with the continued summer rain and leaking roof in the studio; \240and \240Hugh’s increased interest in the history and geography of Central Asia and the Middle East, led to the decision to organise a trip. \240And we are just a few days \240away from this adventure to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan .

I have had to do some homework. I didn’t know much about this area. Programs like Race across the World, and Ewan Mcgreggor’s motor bike marathon demonstrated the hardships of travel here. Joanna Lumley was more encouraging describing the charms of the area and wearing a frequently changing, lovely, locally sourced wardrobe. But it was a travel documentary narrated by a French journalist, an extremely lengthy book charting \240history of the whole Silk Route and a marvellous photographic National Geographic book describing the travels of Marco Polo which has enabled us to plan our itinerary and excited us to see for ourselves.

It was The Silk Roads which originally grabbed our attention, but it is vast, extending from Venice to Xian. Some of the countries are politically a bit iffy for \240a not very brave woman with an active imagination. And I wasn’t very sure how I might cope with the physical hardship of travelling in a less developed country. So we are dividing the journey and this is the central Aisian link in the chain. The mountains and \240culture of Kyrgyzstan and the rich history of Uzbekistan.