[mojodrew]

Ever since reading the book "Absurdistan" ive been interested in the countries bordering the Caspian Sea.....
with all the oil interests in the region thatll probably play host to the next wave of imperialist wars
anyone ever been?
by the caucases i mean azerbaijan, turmenistan, iran, etc.

[speakeasy]

Those countries epitomize being "off the beaten path". Do it man, that's some serious bragging rights to go to an -istan country.

[thegmanifesto]

(10-27-2009 03:44 PM)mojodrew Wrote:  

Ever since reading the book "Absurdistan" ive been interested in the countries bordering the Caspian Sea.....
with all the oil interests in the region thatll probably play host to the next wave of imperialist wars
anyone ever been?
by the caucases i mean azerbaijan, turmenistan, iran, etc.

Tons of good caviar there for cheap on the black market. Tons of money to be made as well.

I would be careful if you are thinking about throwing your hat into the ring though.


- MPM
The Guide to Getting More out of Life
http://www.thegmanifesto.com

[kerouac]

I think that region gets a lot worse rep than it deserves.

I found this pretty informative link

I think one good experience, one that a lot of Europeans have told me about, is the trans-siberian railway. It's not connected with the Caucasus, I don't think, but it would be one hell of a journey to go across Russia, and then down and around the Caspian.

Another journey I think would be incredibly interesting would be to try to travel through the Silk Road. Maybe when the situation in Afghanistan settles down a bit...

[College Game]

The reading that I did that sparked my interest in the area was Anna Politskitscova's (horribly mispelled) work on the first and second Chechen wars. Chechnya is like the Somalia of the Caucuses. Also, some of the best wines in the world come from that region.

Also, I have heard incredible things about the Rep. of Georgia.

Also, non-coincidentally, the recent sight of a Russian invasion.

[kerouac]

(10-28-2009 12:25 AM)College Game Wrote:  

Also, I have heard incredible things about the Rep. of Georgia.

Yeah, I think it's safe to say one should stay away from Chechnya for a while. Georgia on the other hand, as well as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran...

Turkmenistan sounds a bit sketchy, but man, Turkmanbashi must have been living it up.

Ossetia


Chechnya