How useful is Russian in Central Asia: When planning a 6 week trip to Central Asia one of the most consistent topics on forums, blogs and guidebooks is the usefulness of Russian in the region. There is a mixed bag of information as everyones experience and language level will be different. As a result our experiences may not be the same as someone else. We can only write from our own perspective. Prior to entering Central Asia we had spent 6 weeks in the Caucuses where we found Russian to be extremely useful, you can read more about that here. Central Asia’s relationship with Russian: Today Central Asia’s relationship with the former Soviet Union is obvious. Wide tree lined boulevards are common in the regions capitals, Lenin statues are found lurking in parks, Lada’s trundle along highways and dirt roads and Russian is everywhere to be seen. The influence of…