Korean Job Discussion Forums

ekim · Joined: 27 Apr 2006 Location: Ansan, Korea

Hey, I'm hoping to travel around China this fall, and was wondering if anyone's crossed from Kashgar in Western China into Central Asian countries like Kyrgyzstan, or Kazakhstan, and maybe gone onto Uzbekistan?

I'm mainly concerned with the Visa issue. I read you need to get an invitation from a citizen in the country, a business, or maybe a travel agency to enter some of these places. Does anyone have experience with this? Is it easy?

soviet_man · Joined: 23 Apr 2005 Location: Seoul

VISAS:

KYRGYZSTAN is very easy. No visas are required for stays of one month or less.

KAZAKHSTAN is fairly easy. Visas are needed, but invitation letters are not.

UZBEKISTAN is difficult. You need visas + visa invitations (even for transit visas).

China Southern Airlines and Hainan Airlines operate about six flights a day from Kashgar/Kashi to Urumqi. You could buy tickets for this in Seoul.

Then there is a twice weekly train from Urumqi to Almaty (Kazakhstan).

Almaty is a good base. From there trains go to: Tashkent, Bishkek, Moscow, Samarkand and Astana.

In theory, you could potentially book tickets from Almaty to places as far away as: Iran, India or Turkey by rail.

ekim · Joined: 27 Apr 2006 Location: Ansan, Korea

Thanks for the help soviet man. Do you have any advice or descriptions of traveling around the region, like where's boring, nice, dangerous, interesting, or fun? Again, thanks a lot.

huffdaddy · Joined: 25 Nov 2005

When did you go to Kyrgyz, sovietman? According to the website I found, they now require visas, but not a letter of invite for less then one month.

See http://www.kyrgyzembassy.org/visa_requirements.php.

I spent four months in Uzbekland, so if you want some information about visiting there, let me know. I'd suggest that you learn Cyrllic and a little Russian before you go (if you go to the -stans). Or at least some Uigher/Uzbek/Kazakh - they are pretty close to one another.

ekim · Joined: 27 Apr 2006 Location: Ansan, Korea

Actually, Uzbekistan is where I most want to go. I've been eating at an Uzbeki restaurant a lot lately - love the food - and went drinking with some Korean-Uzbekis later at a Russian bar/disco in Ansan. They're a real cool crowd. Haven't "hung" with any of the native Uzbekis yet, but the one Kazakhstan guy was really friendly. I agree, I'll need to learn some language. No doubt.

Lonely Planet's website made Uzbekistan sound dangerous at the moment (politically), but said Kyrzystan was probably the most hospitable and foreigner-friendly. What do you think?

huffdaddy · Joined: 25 Nov 2005

soviet_man · Joined: 23 Apr 2005 Location: Seoul

Apologies. My mistake. Kyrgyzstan does need a visa, but not visa support.

Still, Kazakhstan and Kyrgystan are the easy two. The other four (Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan) all need invitations and paperwork.

If you want to meet Russians/Uzbekis, a good place in Seoul is around Gwanghui-dong (get off Dongdaemun Stadium subway exit #11). Look for the cyrllic writing and you'll find your way. There are a few Uzbeki restaurants and businesses around there and a good Uzbeki bakery with traditional bread and meat. I hang around there a bit.

ekim · Joined: 27 Apr 2006 Location: Ansan, Korea

[quote]Is everything covered in dill? Is the osh/plov steeped in cottonseed oil? Is the shashleek one step away from sending you into a coronary bypass unit?

Unfortunately I'm useless even in English when it comes to actually knowing what I'm eating - which probably protects my mind from the horrible truth at times - but the Uzbeki restaurant I eat at is run by native Uzbekis, and frequented by all the native dudes. Downtown Ansan is where all the factory workers and cheap foreign labor live, so there're a lot of authentic restaurants from different Asian places.

The Korean-Uzbekis I met at a Russian bar where I eat the shashleek and drink. The shashleek - the one name I know now - is f$*@in' wicked. It's like a two dollar steak on a skewer. Amazing. All my friends have loved that one. It's a life saver. That place is run by Koreans who were born and raised in Moscow. Have you ever talked to a HOT Korean girl in English and she had an even hotter Russian accent? DAMN. Maybe that's why I wanna go into those former Soviet Republics.

Thanks a lot guys

hkk79 · Joined: 27 Apr 2006

Yo..if you are planning to go Cambodia, you may just apply an eVisa at their official Cambodia Embassy website..

Apply Visa Online

huffdaddy · Joined: 25 Nov 2005

ekim · Joined: 27 Apr 2006 Location: Ansan, Korea

How much money would you spend in a day, on average? How much would you recommend for a month?

huffdaddy · Joined: 25 Nov 2005

Tiger Beer · Joined: 07 Feb 2003

huffdaddy · Joined: 25 Nov 2005

soviet_man · Joined: 23 Apr 2005 Location: Seoul

Yeah it is good.

The friendly old women there (I guess she must 60 something) is a native Uzbeki from what I can tell. She always manages to mumble a few Russian words whenever I infrequently drop in.

I also found a shop nearby selling supposedly Mongolian vodka (in that Mongolian officetel building). Although I have my suspicions it was just cheap soju in cryllic labelled bottles. There is also ton of other foodstuffs (canned goods, frozen foods) there that you can't get anywhere else.