Does it Yurt? Travels in Central Asia by Stephen Bland

Does it Yurt? Travels in Central Asia by Stephen Bland

Conjuring images of nomadic horsemen, spectacular monuments, breathtaking scenery and crippling poverty, Central Asia remains an enigma. Home to the descendants of Jenghiz Khan's Great Horde, in the nineteenth century the once powerful Silk Road states became a pawn in the 'Great Game' of expansion and espionage between Britain and Russia, disappearing behind what would become known as the 'Iron Curtain'. With the collapse of the USSR, the nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan were born. Since independence, Central Asia has seen one civil war, two revolutions and seven dictators.

An insightful mix of travel, history and reportage, in Does it Yurt? journalist Stephen M. Bland takes the reader on a voyage of discovery. Travelling to a desert sea, a collapsed Russian gas rig daubed the 'Gate to Hell' and along the 'Heroin highway' atop the roof of the world, the author sets out to explore these lands, unearthing the stories of the people and places behind this fascinating region.

Written sharply, vividly... If you're looking for an antidote to chirpy travel-guide descriptions of Central Asia, then this is the book for you.'
-- Sam Tranum, author of Daily Life in Turkmenbashy's Golden Age.

'Packed with insights into every corner of the region.'
-- Paul Wilson, Trailblazer Guides writer and author of The Alphabet Game.

'Weaves together my favourite elements of a travelogue: historical context and current observations mixed with a dry sense of humour and amusing anecdotes... Does it Yurt? will result in my journey to Central Asia being that much more rewarding.'
-- Ric Gazarian, author of 7000KM To Go and Hit the Road India; top 500 travel blogger.

'Stephen M. Bland's writing captures the magical whirlwind flavour of Central Asia in this very perceptive and insightful book. Those who have visited this wonderful part of the world will instantly recognise and reminisce on the many stories of potholed journeys by shared taxi, generous encounters with friendly locals and the inevitable run-ins with bumbling bureaucracy. Those who haven't yet visited will be inspired to book their next adventure as soon as they can put the book down. A thrilling ride from start to finish.'
-- Nick Rowan, author of Friendly Steppes: A Silk Road Journey

'Deserves to be shared among friends, as well as having a designated place on your shelves. Stephen M. Bland succeeds in bringing the region alive, and his story is an interesting and hard-to-decline invitation to join in his travels.' -- Eugenette Morin, writer

JOSEPH L. BADARACCO JR. John Shad Professor of Business Ethics at Harvard Business School COLIN DOEG a former journalist, is a public relations consultant COLIN D. DUNCAN Director of Public Affairs, British Nuclear Fuels plc, UK CHRISTOPHER FLINT Group Security Adviser, Cadbury Schweppes plc. KATE GRAHAM handled the PR response to the Piper Alpha disaster and now provides consultancy and management training in media response and lectures widely in crisis management MATTHEW J. HARRINGTON Executive Vice President/General Manager of a leading international PR company, Edelman Worldwide based in San Francisco, USA JOHN D. NOULTON Public Affairs Director, Eurotunnel JEFF SIMMS journalist with a design, marketing and publishing agency Picquet Communications, UK JONATHAN STREET is Managing Director of Jonathan Street Public Relations, UK TIM TAYLOR is a solicitor and partner in Hill Taylor Dickinson with offices in the City of London, Piraeus, Dubai and Hong Kong with experience of several high profile disaster cases FRANCIS THOMAS is Group Media Relations Manager, The Boots Company plc, UK Dr CHERYL TRAVERS lectures on organisational behaviour and human resource management at The Business School, Loughborough University, UK JERRY V. UNSEEM former Research Associate at Harvard and currently on the editorial staff of Inc. magazine

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781910886298
ISBN 10	1910886297
Title	Does it Yurt? Travels in Central Asia
Author	Stephen Bland
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Silk Road Media
Year published	2016-10-01
Number of pages	406
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.