Aksu Inn - Excursions to South Kazakhstan

[TheOnionMan]

Some may have heard about Panayoti Kelaidis' botanical travels to Kazakhstan in August of 2010, so I thought I'd post this message with links to the Aksu Inn, which Panayoti speaks most favorably about as a home base for exploring the botanical wonders of southern Kazakhstan.  In particular, Panayoti speak highly of Yevgeny Belousov, the contact for the Inn and web site, said to be an extraordinary photographer; judging from the photos I have seen I would have to agree.  One of the items available on their web site is a photo CDrom for purchase, with hundreds of high resolution images.  Let me share some of the links here.  Yevgeny has also given me permission to post some of his photos of Kazakhstan Allium on this forum, so look for a few photos to be posted on the Allium 2010 topic.

Homepage:
http://www.aksuinn.com/eng/

Aksu Inn - About us:
http://www.aksuinn.com/eng/content/innkeepers

Photo galleries:
http://www.aksuinn.com/eng/gallery#disc
...for the botanically minded:
http://www.aksuinn.com/eng/gallery/flowers-plants   
   (some crazy-good plants there, I want Scutellaria subcaespitosa and Corydalis severzovii )
...for birders
http://www.aksuinn.com/eng/gallery/birds

The CDrom is available for $15.  It is not entirely clear how you can buy the CD, all links lead to a "contact" form, so maybe one justs writes a message to them to find out how a transaction might occur.

[Maggi Young]

About the CDRom..... yesterday I filled in the contact form to ask how I might purchase the disc.... I'll let you know when I have a reply.
 

[Julia]

Maggi if you find out any info about how to buy the cd rom it please can you let me know.
The photo's look amazing.

[TheOnionMan]

A few weeks back I was looking at this site, and I could swear there was a link to buy the CD online, buy last night when I mas posting this message I could not find it.  Did I dream it?  I have seen some of the images, a few that Panayoti showed me, and they are very high quality.

[Maggi Young]

I think I did find a place which said "buy the CD here" or somesuch, but when I clicked on it it was only the contact form. 

[TheOnionMan]

I think I did find a place which said "buy the CD here" or somesuch, but when I clicked on it it was only the contact form. 

Yes, the "buy the CD here" links are scattered around in the pages, but all go to a "request for information" form... but I could swear there was one page that actually had a way to purchase the CD right off the web site... can't find it now, maybe I was dreaming.

[ArnoldT]

Mark:

I think you had some of those 'bulb lust' hallucinations that effect us at at one time or another.

[TheOnionMan]

Mark:

I think you had some of those 'bulb lust' hallucinations that effect us at at one time or another.

You may be right Arnold... I received seed of Ungernia sewerzowii, a fabulous Amaryllid from southern Kazakhstan not far from where Aksu Inn is located, and I get lightheaded just looking at these pics found on a Russian site:

Ungernia sewerzowii
http://www.plantarium.ru/page/image/id/12700.html

seed heads
http://www.plantarium.ru/page/image/id/38905.html
http://www.plantarium.ru/page/image/id/38907.html

[Lvandelft]

Nice to see some Dutch bulb specialists picknicking in the Kazakhstan fields 

[ArnoldT]

Mark:

Check the PBS archives there was just some emails about the Urgernia by Jim Waddick.  The fellow (PK) from Denver Botanical Gardens  was just over there and brought back some images and seeds I'm sure.

There are also some new images on the PBS Wiki Wiki.

[TheOnionMan]

Check the PBS archives there was just some emails about the Urgernia by Jim Waddick.  The fellow (PK) from Denver Botanical Gardens  was just over there and brought back some images and seeds I'm sure.

There are also some new images on the PBS Wiki Wiki.

Oh, I see the page was just updated a few days ago with three pics from Panayoti, last week when I looked there was just one photo of some bulbs by Jim Waddick. 

http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/Ungernia