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Uzbekistan Travel Blogs

Russia conquered Uzbekistan in the late 19th century. Stiff resistance to the Red Army after World War I was eventually suppressed and a socialist republic set up in 1924. During the Soviet era, intensive production of "white gold" (cotton) and grain led to overuse of agrochemicals and the depletion of water supplies, which have left the land poisoned and the Aral Sea and certain rivers half dry. Independent since 1991, the country seeks to gradually lessen its dependence on agriculture while developing its mineral and petroleum reserves. Current concerns include terrorism by Islamic militants, economic stagnation, and the curtailment of human rights and democratization.To be updated

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By trabella
July 23rd 2008

I love Uzbekistan Asia » Uzbekistan » Samarkand

friendly game of Backgammon

Apart from all the sightseeing that we've been doing, most of our time is based around eating. Eating is definitely a big part of the culture here, so it's needless to say that I love it here! They also eat LOTS here, I'm talking double what we probably eat back home for each meal! There always tends to be salads, soups, bread, then the main course - which is often Plov, kebabs, or other meat dishes. When it comes to drinking (vodka), it is impolite to refuse the initial drink, but as you go on, there's even more pressure to drain [View Full Entry]

Malika - part of our host family in Sentab village

By trabella
July 17th 2008

Medressas, Mosques, Minarets and Mausoleums Asia » Uzbekistan » Bukhara

view of minaret at Miri-iarab Medressa

We thought we were going to be home free after reaching Bukhara as we were back in civilisation which meant being able to drink cold water. Well, things aren't that simple around here! As hard as it is to believe, it is also actually hotter here than it was at the yurt camp, I am guessing the thermostat has edged over 50 degrees...And the search for cold beer and water led us halfway around the town and it was only after stopping at 7 shops that we were able to find colder than room temperature drinks! Even as the sun goes [View Full Entry]

By Ergens onderweg
July 14th 2008

Osh - Andijan - Tashkent Asia » Uzbekistan » Tashkent

Toktogulmeer

De taxirit van Bishkek naar Osh is er één die we zo snel mogelijk willen vergeten al zal ze ons nog lang heugen.. In ’t kort: de rit zou 10 uren duren, iets voor halfweg krijgen we autopech, 6 uur later kunnen we terug vertrekken, we moeten ergens overnachten en komen pas een dag later toe in Osh. De sfeer in Osh is helemaal anders dan die in het noorden van het land. Auto’s, mensen, stootkarren en dieren vechten voor een plaatsje op de smalle straatjes. Er is een drukte van je welste: dit moet de Oriënt zijn! In Osh steken [View Full Entry]

By trabella
July 14th 2008

48 degrees and rising Asia » Uzbekistan » Khiva

view of the south city walls

I'm glad I prefer the heat to the cold, as it's boiling here!!! It's dry heat though, so I'm not actually feeling it that much, but a couple of people in my group are struggling. I am now travelling with 1 Canadian, 2 Irish and a fellow Aussie. The combination of all our different accents and slang is amusing us, although confusing our tour guide at times! After leaving the capital, we flew to Urgrench a small agricultural town in the North West region and then made our way to Khiva, a captivating ancient city. Now I'm not very good at [View Full Entry]

By BossManBing
July 9th 2008

Uzbekistan - Khiva Asia » Uzbekistan » Khiva

Muezzin Bridge

The next day I finally have an easy border crossing and enter Uzbekistan. I stay in the historic town of Khiva, inside the ancient city walls. After Turkmenistan it feels really nice here - people are friendly, relaxed and interested, and of all the muslim countries I've been to, it's by far the one that ahs best integrated the religion into their lives without it interrupting it. I walk the streets of the old town, taking lots of photos of mosques and madrassas. I was sorry to only spend such a short amount of time here, but did have my first [View Full Entry]

By BossManBing
July 9th 2008

Uzbekistan - Bukhara Asia » Uzbekistan » Bukhara

Bukhara Madrassa

On to Bukhara - another ancient and historic city - famous for it's huge prison. The weather really begins to heat up in Central Uzbekistan and my farmer's tan comes on quite nicely. (For some reason, city tours always happen in the heat of the day). Bukhara had the feel and charm of Khiva, but it was much bigger and more touristy. The city walls were huge and imposing and the central square, with it's large pond and surrounding shashlyk (kebab) restaurants, was stunning. One evening, I went to what was alledgedly a cultural evening at a restaurant in the courtyard [View Full Entry]

By BossManBing
July 9th 2008

Uzbekistan - Samarkand Asia » Uzbekistan » Samarkand

Muslim Mausoleum

Next was Samarkand, a much bigger city than Bukhara, with as much history, but without the warm fuzzy feeling. This very much felt like a big place - the people weren't as friendly and everyone seemed out to make a quick buck, but there historic sites were good (if heavily renovated due to earthquakes) and I got to stay in a traditional Uzbeki yurt in the Kyzylkhum desert before coming into town, with an obligatory evening camel-ride. From Samarkand I travelled to the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, which is a huge, sprawling metropolis, with even less going for it than Tbilisi. I [View Full Entry]

By trabella
July 9th 2008

A taste of Tashkent Asia » Uzbekistan » Tashkent

fruit seller

I am now in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan and starting to feel like I'm functioning normally again after a week of madness. I have been suffering from a severe lack of sleep - partly my fault as I decided to have a big night (or two) in Bangkok over the weekend, but also because I was stressed about whether I was really going to be able to get my Uzbek visa processed in one day in Bangkok as regular processing time is 1 week. Thankfully all was sorted although only after having to sit in the Visa Office of the [View Full Entry]

By mcooper
June 22nd 2008

sweltering in the stans Asia » Uzbekistan » Samarkand

P1020648

Well, another installment while we can! Here are some pictures from our time in Uzbekistan, which is almost drawing to a close. It was a long tedious 3 day train journey to make it into Uzbek but worth the suffering - just! We have met some fantastic people, exclusivley Uzbek. The architecture here is just amazing. I always love being in Islamic countries, you can't beat hearing the call the prayer as the sun goes down on a hot summers night. Paul and I have both been sampling all the local cuisine and suffering the terrible consequences. however, the watermelon here [View Full Entry]

By burningmatt
June 20th 2008

And now for fairness... Asia » Uzbekistan » Khiva

I will laugh at an English tourist... You set off for a 6 week trip. You decide on day 1 that you're so homesick that you want to go home. What do you do? You give up and go home almost immediately. Well this one did, but not before coming out with: "so this is raw onion?" and (passing by the mausoleum of Ismail Somoni) Me: "Somoni's really popular in Tajikistan, they've even named their currency after him." Him: "What's their currency called then?" Me: "Um, the somoni." The Somoni mausoleum was restored to shiny newness, like almost everything of antiquity [View Full Entry]

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