We’re on our third “honeymoon” and it was quite the journey to get here, literally and figuratively.
In 2019 Laurie and I decided it would be fun to visit Heather at her new post in Uzbekistan. Tickets were booked for April 2020 and the planning commenced. Then Covid changed everything for a few years. Heather’s focus in UZ switched to getting US Citizens out and we all hunkered down.
In 2015 Derek and I honeymooned in Morocco, with the keynote of the trip being a guided 10 day cross country bike tour. We travelled ancient camel trails staying at magical kasbahs, camping in hidden valleys, and a starry night at a nomad camp on the Sahara. We pledged to do a special trip every five years as a Honeymoonversary.
So, in January 2020 when Alaska Air partnered with Fiji Air we decided to go to Fiji. Again, cue Covid. We rebooked for 2021, and we were again thwarted by Covid as they were still locked down. In 2021 we vacationed on Hawaii’s Big Island and then in 2022 made it to Fiji. That trip’s centerpiece was a guided five day cross country hike staying in small indigenous villages. It was a great trip… But after two island vacations Derek stipulated that the next trip “not be an island”.
Finally, in 2025 the stars aligned for our third honeymoon. Uzbekistan is double landlocked, one of only two countries in the world (the other is Lichtenstein), so it definitely fulfilled Derek’s criteria. And, serendipitously Heather is back in Central Asia, in neighboring Tajikistan.
My travel prep always involves finding literature set in the region, as well as hours pouring over maps and guide books to plan the perfect blend of experiencing different cities and areas without spending too much time in transportation.
That said, it’s always going to be a heck of an endeavour to get anywhere from Homer.
We both worked all day on 1st October and then set off to Anchorage at 5pm.
We launched vacation mode with dinner at Siam in Soldotna; I finally had the pineapple fried rice that I have been eyeing for a couple years. It was delicious!
We caught a 1am flight to PDX and had an hour or so to connect there for JFK, arriving around 3pm. I remembered that Charles Francis had recommended that “if you ever have a layover at JFK stay at the TWA Hotel”. So, that’s what we did… And it was a lot of fun, expensive compared to our typical choice, but perfect as far as ease, interest, and comfort.
We had dinner at the rooftop/observation deck/poolside bar; I even had a cocktail (a Paper Plane, Derek had a Whiskey Charlie). Next day at 1ish was a direct flight to Tashkent. I second the recommendation – if you ever have a layover at JFK, splurge on the TWA Hotel!
Travel blogs and guidebooks had prepared us for the bombardment by taxi drivers at the terminal… But after a song and dance we negotiated a ride to our hotel for $5.
After a 48 hour trip and all the $$$ and carbon involved in getting to this kind of destination my goal is always to have at least 3 weeks on the ground. Which we do. Thank you HEA for the great PTO and flexibility!
More to follow….
Quillpig 