Hence this book, Chasing the Sea: Lost Among the Ghosts of Empire in Central Asia, talks about a road trip from Tashkent to Karakalpakstan, where millions of lives have been destroyed by the slow drying up of the sea.

It is the story of an American travelling to a strange land, and of the people he meets on his way: Rustam, his translator, a lovely 24-year-old who picked up his colorful English in California, Oleg and Natasha, his hosts in Tashkent, and a string of foreign aid workers.

In Tashkent officials say the chaos only underscores the need for a strongman rule.