Howdy friends and family! My blogging activity has lulled to a slow, and you might have wondered if the bitter blasts of cold air on the Steppe had finally driven me to a hibernating slumber during spells of more than -40 this winter. Nope! Rather, I've been busily meeting new friends (and reuniting with some old ones) and trotting around the region. My
Nomad Club Card is worn with use, my feet have covered a lot of territory, and I have been richly blessed. Here are some highlights just to catch you up.
In early November, I zoomed south after a trip to northeastern Kazakhstan to visit Turkmenistan. It's a 2,000 mile journey and the difference was palpable as I went from frigid Pavlodar, where it was -20 Centigrade to +24 Centigrade in Ashgabat all in one day!
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Turkmenistan was the biggest, cleanest marble city I have every seen. White buildings lining spotless boulevards lined by fountains and statues in every direction. It was spectacular, particularly as the city emerges from a desert. From the plane window I only saw desolate sands in every direction as far as you can see. There are camels being traded at the market and, I've since been told, cobras swishing around in those deserts (ai ai ai). My highlights included visiting markets and marveling at the beautiful handicrafts and carpets (see pictures, below) with new co-adventurers I met along the way.
Carpet and hat escapades brought me back home just in time for the Annual Marine Ball in Astana where I got to glide around the room with my husband and feel fancy for an evening.
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In December, I once again escaped the cold Astana temperatures and ventured south to Uzbekistan. I fell in love with cosmopolitan Tashkent and felt surrounded by history in rich tapestries, the old city of Khiva, and even in the dust of Urgench. The trip was spectacular and I felt at home (after all, there was still a hanger with my name on it in the coat closet at the Embassy!) in the green city. I cannot wait to go back next summer and hope to visit Bukhara and Samarkand while I am there.
One quirky detail about Uzbekistan: The national currency, Som, come only in denominations of 1,000 (2,000=$1 USD). Here's what it looks like to pay for dinner in a restaurant!
My final travels in Kazakhstan last year were up to the northwest in the city of Aktobe, where, among other things, I had the pleasure of viewing traditional dances, songs, and
dombra performances by local school children.
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A whirlwind of new faces and new places, and I do have to admit that it did leave me dizzy and tired and very much in need of a long winter's nap.
Christmas in Aachen 
in and around Zurich. We visited Uli's friends from university living in the area and found good company for games, hiking in the snowy mountains and monastery in Einsiedeln,and culinary adventures of cheese fondue, raclette, and Swiss chocolate. We survived the drunken anarchy of the streets of Zurich to see the fireworks show and stayed up all night on NYE playing a new German board game, Village. We adventured in the city and marveled at the streets, stained glass windows by Chagal, Giocometti, and Polke (the latter my favorite), and the price of living in Zurich (making Astana look like a bargain!). I even saw Swiss cows (sans bells, unfortunately).
