Oldtimers.
When I was in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, they took me to see all their palaces, fountains, and squares. I asked to take me to meet some real people outside those regular sightseeing places. It wasn't easy to organize, but it was done. I spent almost two hours talking to these beautiful people. Oldtimers or "aksakals" (meaning "white beards" in Tajik) happened to be very welcoming and even happy about me and my interest to them. We talked about Soviet past, religion, relationship between old and young, about how to make better pictures of them. At the end of our session I was invited to spend a week at a house of each of them, so I could dig really deep into their culture. I promised to do it next time I got to this amazing Central Asia country. You simply can't say no to oldtimers.
