Blogs from Uzbekistan, Asia - page 6

In the wake of the successful 2014 trip to 2 'stans, namely Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, another 'stan was on the cards, this time in the shape of Uzbekistan. A flight from Tashkent's domestic terminal to Bukhara's (only) terminal kicked off the first leg of the journey, and the first glimpse of the city made it pretty clear that this was the essence of the Silk Road of traditional times, which has barely been altered by the onslaught of modernization. Lunch at a local chaikhana (canteen) was quickly followed up by a flash tour of three attractions on the city's outskirts which typify the traditional and grand nature of Uzbek architecture and style. Throw in a local market with bargain-basement prices for good measure, and it all served to make the already-evident charms of the Emir's palace ... read more

Day 89 Saturday 16th April 2016 – Tashkent to Samarkand Moving city today and we are both excited about this one because we are going by train. Both love train travel and we take this option every time we can, so both were looking forward to Uzbekistan because we can get so much of it. Up at 6, for an early breakfast and a check out and then a taxi to the train station. Uzbekistan has a superfast train called the “Afrosoiyob” which travels at 250km/h between Tashkent and Samarkand. Contemplated getting tickets for it but they were more expensive and although they would get us to Samarkand earlier we couldn’t book into our hotel earlier, so it wasn’t going to help us. Personally I think the “Afrosoiyob” train would have to be the ... read more

We drive out of the large city of Tashkent, on a well-maintained dual carriageway, passing large Soviet-style buildings, modern factories and extensive newly built apartment blocks. We are soon gradually increasing in altitude as we head towards the distant mountains, and the Kamchik Pass, which winds its way through a section of the Tian Shan Mountains. The temperature starts to fall, the road narrows, the views become more extensive as we see snow covered peaks in the distance. We stop for a break at some roadside stalls, but decide against buying any of the white balls of dried goats cheese, which the locals are encouraging us to try!! The road is partially blocked by great flocks of sheep, leaving the hills before the start of winter weather, hastened along by shepherds, as the black sheep swarm ... read more

We start our journey across the Kzyzlkum desert, from Khiva to Bukhara, 450km of sand and scrubland, which will take 9 hours. The first 200 km is on a recently-made smooth dual carriageway but after this we bump and bounce our way along a rough, frequently potholed road and eventually arrive in Bukhara shaken but not quite stirred!! We have our evening meal in the hotel, which is one of our worst meals so far, and unfortunately several of the group, including both WanderingPeter and Alison are struck down with a dose of "Bukhara Belly" which curtails our exploration of Bukhara somewhat. One or other of us, however, does manage to see the wonderful Kalon Mosque, the Kalon Minaret (1127), demonstrations of the famous Bukhara carpet weaving and a meal at the house of a miniaturist ... read more

At last, we are traversing a section of the ancient Silk Road - travelling around the major "Silk Road Cities" of Uzbekistan. We arrived in the early morning in Tashkent - the exotically named capital city. Driving around the city we were amazed by the tree-lined, wide roads with extensive Russian-style buildings. A massive square, with a central statue of Timerlane on horseback - the Uzbek national hero, had pride of place. The whole square was surrounded by impressive large white buildings, headquarters of banks and industries, and the stark soviet built Hotel Uzbekistan. The Kukeldash Mosque, with its turquoise-coloured dome sparkling in the sun was magnificent, together with sandalwood pillars, tile and brick work. The adjacent medrassahs, a small museum, housing the world's oldest Koran, and other buildings formed a scene of Central Asia and ... read more