Heading out again to Asia (9/10/03)

The guy said in his e-mail, "Pack for Denver."

And I found myself wondering, what the heck does that mean?

I also found myself wondering, what the heck I was doing, heading back — yet again — to the former Soviet Union on a long-shot project on the other side of the world?

That's right. I'm doing it again.

Call me a slow learner.

Sometime Friday I'll be getting on the first of several flights that will send me in that direction, and I suspect that my first reaction when my rear end settles down into that uncomfortable airline seat will be to want to cry.

Not because of the departure from home, though that's tough enough.

The real torture is the travel itself. It's something like 25 hours from doorway-to-doorway, with long, empty hours of flights and layovers in between.

The work is great, often very rewarding. The cultural experiences are often delightful. But getting from here to there is a real pain in the you know where.

This time around, there's the added question of what season I'll be dealing with.

On Friday, I take off for Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to do two weeks of work for an organization called Freedom House, trying to figure out alternatives to the government-controlled system for newspaper distribution in that country. As you might guess, when the government controls the newspaper distribution system, few newspapers are distributed which are critical of the government.

That's the challenge, and that's what makes the trip worthwhile, even though I can't really spare the time away from the newspaper here, my family, my community, and business in general. I'm a sucker for a challenge.

After two weeks of that journalistic version of alligator wrestling, I'm headed to Tajikistan for the International Center for Journalists, trying simply to break new ground and introduce the concept of newspapers which aren't dependent upon government or politicians but, instead, rely upon readers for their support.

Again, it's a challenge that can get you to leave the comfort of home.

Trouble is, what the heck do you pack?

My contact in Bishkek — a former Colorado newspaperman — said, "Pack for Denver."

But that apparently means bring everything you own.

According to the most recent Internet weather reports, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, has been running highs of about 90 and lows of about 60. But my contact there says it also snowed last year on Sept. 15.

And while the lows sound okay, most times I check in I find that the temperature is about 80 at midnight. Not what I'd call sleeping weather.

Dushanbe, Tajikistan, is even worse. No mountains nearby, as is the case for Bishkek. So it's just plain hot. Highs the past week or so have been near 100. Lows have been near 70.

That doesn't sound like Denver. It sounds like Phoenix.

So what do I pack?

Don't be surprised if you see a U-Haul trailer behind the car as I head for the airport.

I'm taking everything.[[In-content Ad]]