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| Spiekermann
Newsletter... |
Seasons Greetings Fellow Globetrotters!
Summer is almost over and it is our busiest time of the year
plus our office is humming as we focus our attention on our
calendar of upcoming tours and all the preparation that goes
into getting the word out.
Michelle was glad to spend 8 days in Sicily as did Mohamed
Halouani (separately) and the two of them are comparing notes
for an upcoming tour of the island. Both are very enthusiastic
about the possibilities.
After spending time in January with our guide Asrat Kahsay and
the rest of the group on our tour in Ethiopia, Ihab came back
and proclaimed it his new favorite destination. We cannot
stress enough how special Ethiopia is. As was discussed in a
previous newsletter, it is a challenging trip in some regards
as the roads are not great and neither are the accommodations
outside of Addis Ababa. You should be in good health to endure
the long drives and the dusty conditions. Keeping all this in
mind, we have yet to hear from any of our travelers that they
are sorry they chose to visit the country. Each person takes
something different away from their experience. Asrat continues
to get high praise for his excellent work and we (Spiekermann)
are actually the envy of other tour companies because of him.
As we have for the past few years, we are offering our
traditional departure in January of 2008 to coincide with the
Timket Festival.
Just want to mention a few countries that have received high
praise from our travelers this past season: Mali, Tunisia,
Syria and Jordan all made the list. This was only our third
season offering the Mali tour and folks agree that Mohamed
Halouani is a big part of what makes this destination such an
exciting one. Speaking of Mohamed, he also gets high marks as
the host in his native country, Tunisia. There is so much to
see and do in this little country that is much more modern then
its North African neighbors. And then there is our tour to the
Levant which continues to be at the top of everyone’s list of
favorite destinations due in large part to our guide Ghiath
Abdalla. He is the heart and soul of this tour.
When you turn the page you will find that this month’s
newsletter is radically different then all of its predecessors.
We have moved the calendar to the back page where the response
card has always been. We have included a self-addressed
envelope and survey that we hope you will fill out and mail
back to us along with a response card. Our biggest change is
that we have dedicated the two inner pages to our upcoming
tours to Egypt. We have a great line-up and an equally
impressive list of lecturers. We have seen the demand for Egypt
increase and wanted to offer an alternative to the standard
tours that one finds in travel brochures. Yes we offer the Nile
cruise but we add extra time in Luxor to visit Abydos,
Dendarah, the Valley of the Nobles and village of the workers.
Besides the great pyramids of Giza we take you to where it all
started Dahsur, Sakarra and Meidum. In Aswan you will visit
Kalabsha, a jewel of a site that is seldom visited. Alexandria,
Fayyoum, Mt. Sinai, Amarna are just a few of the places we will
take you to. Or maybe you are ready for a desert exploration.
In October our tour will take you by four wheel drive vehicles
along desert tracks to the various oases that thrive in a sea
of sand. Turn the page to learn more about our offerings.
As always, if you have someplace in mind that you would like to
travel to let us know. You can call us at 1-800-645-3233, or
send your suggestions to: info@mideasttrvl.com
Enjoy your planning!
The Staff at Spiekermann Travel
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Ihab's Trip review to Uzbekistan (June 2007)
After a series of flights, with tight connections in several
airports, I finally arrived back to Detroit enriched with
beautiful memories of my 10-day visit to Uzbekistan. I
accompanied a cheerful group of 16 travelers, many of whom are
loyal alumni that have taken anywhere from 1 to 5 trips with
us. It was a pleasure to meet them in person and share this
thrilling adventure with them. I would rank our local
guide “Otabek” as one of the TOP guides whom we work with. His
depth of knowledge, his witty sense of humor and his leading
skills ensured that our trip would be a smooth, flawless and
rewarding one. Combined with the joyful attitude of our
travelers, and a country rich in magnificent monuments and
inhabited by hospitable people we had the recipe for a very
successful tour!
I never expected the architecture of Uzbekistan’s beautiful
cities like Khiva, Bukhara, and Samarkand to move me so much.
In their grandeur they rival the majestic buildings and
edifices of Iran. The Great Silk Road that connected China and
Rome played a very important role in the development of this
area. The amalgam of cultures, ethnic tribes and religions make
the modern Uzbeks a very eclectic mix and they all share a
wonderful sense of hospitality to visitors of their land. Of
course the dominant figure in the country is the controversial
Timurlane, or Timur Lank or Amir Timur who from his state
capital of Samarkand, built a vast empire and erected fantastic
monuments.
The Uzbek people are very colorful, displaying a wide variety
of local dresses and head gear. One of their very prominent
characteristics is the wide spread of gold teeth, a remnant of
Soviet occupation and a way of hording their wealth! Those
teeth greeted us everywhere with broad smiles and constant
offers to have our pictures taken with them or them taking our
photos. Body and sign language came in handy and was quite
useful in a country where English is not widely spoken. The
majority of the population speaks Uzbek, or Russian or one of
the local Central Asian languages such as Tajik and Turkic.
Everywhere we went, we saw beautiful crafts and alluring
souvenirs. We often wondered how they compete in a country that
does not benefit from an overflow of tourists. The abundance of
crafts: ceramics, textiles, glassware, carpets, musical
instruments, metal ware, pottery, antiques and wood carvings
can discombobulate the savviest of travelers. I just could NOT
make the leap and start shopping until we were about 2 days
from departing when I finally knew what I was looking for and
what would be a fair price to pay. I brought my wife an
exquisite collection of hand-made silver necklaces and
pendants, some made in India, some local and some from as far
as Afghanistan. I was also lucky to fall in love with a small
Azerbaijani –designed rug woven in Afghanistan! The one thing
that travelers must be aware of is that customs are very strict
about any items that even remotely look old/antique. I learned
my lesson the hard way and now I have a beautiful brass pot
inlaid with semi precious stones kept hostage in the country
(Otabek kindly agreed to keep it indefinitely for me until I
can figure out a way to liberate it from Uzbekistan!
Uzbekistan is endowed with a stunning array of UNESCO World
HERITAGE sites. I connected with my group in the fabled walled-
city of Khiva. What a treat to start my trip in this well-kept,
ancient city as I was still a bit jet lagged and strolling its
quasi-empty alleys and streets acted as a restorative. It is
well deserving of its moniker “Open Air Museum” with its
cluster of beautifully decorated and colorfully-tiled mosques,
domes, mausoleums, madrasas and palaces! What a stunning
introduction to Uzbekistan! That evening, I shared with my
group a delightful dinner at a private home where our hosts
prepared for us many tantalizing local dishes, starting with an
array of tasty mezes such as eggplant, cucumber salad, beets
and carrots as well as a hearty soup. Our small and beautifully
decorated hotel was within walking distance of the city walls
which allowed us to have many strolls back and forth and tour
members have enjoyed the souvenir-hunting experiences.
Our next stop was a full day’s drive through an arid desert to
the Noble city of Bukhara. Once devastated by the Mongols and
Ghenkis Khan’s armies, it revived again, even more beautiful.
Laying in a fertile oasis on the Great Silk Road, Bukhara was
the center of science and culture. Our small hotel was blessed
with a spectacular view from its courtyard overlooking the
impressive Poi Kalyan Minaret and the adjacent blue dome of
one of the Madrasas!
Having been at one time a capital city, Bukhara was famous not
only for its mosques and madrasas but also for its uniquely
shaped caravanserais, and multidomed markets and baths. They
are still well-preserved and still used as shopping malls, with
each set of domes specializing in a particular trade: dome of
jewelers, dome of hat sellers and dome of money exchangers.
Bukhara is the place to purchase a rug or carpet or the
indigenous and famous embroidered suzannis (used as wall
hangings, floor pieces, table clothes or bed covers). One of
the beautiful characteristics of this city is its inner heart,
which is situated around a man-made pool surrounded by
restaurants and cafes. A place where the locals gather for
socializing and escaping the heat of their un-air conditioned
apartments. One evening some of us had a very touching
experience when we visited the Jewish quarter and found one of
the only 2 remaining synagogues open. As we walked in we knew
we were witnessing what is left of a disappearing population
(500 remain in Bukhara). The caretaker offered to show us
around and he took us to the attached school to see some of the
classrooms and then showed us some priceless ancient Torahs.
A few days later our journey took us to Samarkand, Amir
Timur’s “Heart of The Silk Road”. A contemporary of Rome,
Athens and Babylon, Samarkand celebrated its 2500 years’
anniversary. It should be stated that its existing grandeur is
owed to Amir Timur and the Timurid Dynasty which made it the
capital of a powerful state. The legendary heart of the city is
the architectural gem called Registan Square. The square has
been the center of trade and public life for the city since
ancient times. Dominated by a grouping of three colossal
madrasas the ensemble is a unique world jewel. Laying our eyes
on the square touched all of us as we all stood in awe. It
reminded me of my first sight of the main square of Isfahan! It
just took my breath away! We then spent a full day touring the
many monuments of the city and one afternoon, we headed to the
neighboring state of Tajikistan (only an hour and a half drive)
to visit the remaining layers of the ancient city of Penjikent.
We were all disappointed that the Tajik authorities did not put
any stamps in our passports and they did not even care to view
our passports when leaving their country to go back to
Samarkand! That evening we attended a very spectacular and
almost mystical Sound & Light show at Registan Square.
On many occasions we were so pleased to have our meals in
private houses, which not only were some of the best meals we
had, but it allowed us a behind-the-scenes view of how Uzbek
homes looked like on the inside. Typically with a courtyard, a
covered Iwan –or open-air roofed terrace, and the living
spaces on the upstairs, so as to be away from the eyes of
visitors. We enjoyed many wonderful meals, accompanied by a
cold Russian beer and some of the most delicious fruits I have
ever eaten, especially their peaches, apricots, cherries,
melons and tiny apples! One day we even had a treat when we
went for a wine tasting event where we sampled a good variety
of Uzbek wines, let me tell you, some were awarded in
International competitions!
Well, under the space limitation and trying not to bore you my
esteemed readers, I will stop here and will not expand further
on my experience, which you can probably tell by now has been
an unforgettable one. I almost want to go into every detail and
reflect on each and every wonderful moment and experience I
had. There is no way I can fairly convey my thrill and
enchantment with Uzbekistan and I highly urge you to visit this
intriguing country to savor all these beautiful things for
yourself. We are planning 2 yearly tours to the Central Asian
republics: one in May 2008 (tentative dates May 16-31) and
possibly will be led by my colleague Michelle Gervais whom many
of you know and have met on some of our other trips; and the
other will be during the first 2 weeks of October 2008. We hope
that you will take the opportunity to join us and create your
own memorable moments.
Sincerely,
Ihab Zaki
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