JFK-Istanbul, Turkey-Tashkent, Uzbekistan

JFK to Istanbul (9 hours) to Tashkent,Uzbekistan (4 more hours), They say it’s good luck for a bird to poop on you. I hope it’s true. It happened to me this morning while waiting for the airport shuttle. I hightailed it to the bathroom and scrubbed. The least of it was a soggy sleeve. The worst was I had to sleep in it. And, yes. JFK TSA had an interest in the Miralax, so where’s the luck? Before our flight, we chatted with some people in the lounge. One couple was from Sydney, and the single woman was a New Yorker. it came about we are all Jewish. David had just read an email from friends in Jerusalem and was brought to tears…real sobs. The Israeli folks who were ardent doves and worked against building more settlements and hoping for a two-state solution are distraught. Our flight was on time landing in Istanbul, but our connection to board the one for Tashkent, Uzbekistan left in an hour. That sounds like ample time, but the airport is enormous. We scored a tram that was at our gate and took Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride through clusters of travelers and around kiosks. He never stopped, his horn being his permit to break land speed records in an eight wheeled vehicle in an airport. Our plane wasn’t at the gate. It’s was in an annex field of what looked like the lost souls of Turkish Airlines. We took a bus across the main field, through a tunnel, over a bridge to the sad little collection of commuter planes bound for lesser destinations (Tashkent, Beirut, Thessaloniki etc.) Our Business Class ticket included this flight. The accommodations were the same, but Business Class was empty. After we settled in they made us eat again. It was our second breakfast in four hours. Flying into Tashkent was beige. This is not the Fertile Crescent. The airport is old and tired looking with Soviet era sterility. Everything is bleak and parched, even the decorative plants lining the walkways. Signs are in Russian, English and Uzbek. This Stan may have left Russia, but Russia hasn’t left this Stan. Fortunately, our driver, Dominic of S. Korean heritage who was born here, met us at baggage claim. We had none to claim. Remember that tight connection in Istanbul? The bags should arrive tonight. The glitch is that there is no such thing as delivering them to our hotel. We have to get them and go through customs. Our guide will be here to take us and make sure things go smoothly. I’m eager to get this sent so you know we arrived safely. Pictures won't be attached to these posts as I'm having trouble attaching them. I'll add them later if possible Toby