Blogs from Uzbekistan, Asia - page 4

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Asia » Uzbekistan » Samarkand September 17th 2016

17-9 After crossing the border we arrived in Tashkent for our stay in the City Palace hotel, we must have seen five brides and grooms having their wedding photos taken in our hotel the night we arrived, they all looked so young. Our guide explained most weddings were arranged and the couples were normally somewhere between 17-21 years old when they married. It was a normal practice for the brides to not meet their husbands until the wedding day, the young girls looked beautiful in their gorgeous white wedding gowns and they looked very happy and not at all nervous which we were surprised to see. 18-9 We explored Tashkent, walking through the parks and gardens. We had not known that in 1966 much of the old city was destroyed by a huge earthquake which left ... read more
Families in the Mahallya
Food bazaar
In the Mahallya village

Asia » Uzbekistan » Bukhara August 15th 2016

SAMARKAND to SCHOOL 13 AUGUST 2016. My stage 1. TDA stage 74. Distance: 125.7 Kms SubT. Kms 125.7kms Road Condition: 75% broken road/deep potholes25% decent bitumen. Weather: 39c blue skyTime in Saddle: 4:59:36 hrs Av Speed: av. 24.3 kph. Av Cadence. 72 RpmElevation: 450 m up; 750 m downCalories burned : >5000 First day done! Always a relief to get past it. Reasonable ride, started out at 5.45am, lunch @ 8.30am, camp 11.00am. Now sitting in the shade of a school building, with tent on the oval. Very hot, cloudless sky, however doesn't seem as burning as Australian sun. The scenery similar to that around Chinchilla, scrubby sandy, rocky ground. Melons are the crop, with plenty of road side stalls. Limited coke stops- 1. Every one is flaked out in the shade. Bird bath felt like ... read more
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Asia » Uzbekistan » Samarkand August 12th 2016

SAMARKAND, UZBEKISTAN, 12 AUGUST, 2016. Today is the last day in Samarkand, the day the bike all came together, thankfully. Tomorrow we start the ride to Bukhara, 260 kms over 2 days. I hope I am up to it, as it has been a while since I've done a long day(s)! Likely temps will be 39-40c by 10am. Riding days from camp start at 5.30 am to minimalism the heat impact. Today visited inside the Mausoleum of Amir Temur. He ruled from his capital, Samarkand, to Istanbul, north into Russia and south west into Iran. His tomb was most impressive, with gold and blue highlights. A small mosque behind was equally magnificent. On return to hotel, in a park adjacent to the Registan, there was an appealing open air cafe where I consumed a trio of ... read more
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Asia » Uzbekistan » Samarkand August 11th 2016

It appears that photos added to last blog didnt post. Not sure why, slow internet? Will try again,... read more
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Asia » Uzbekistan » Samarkand August 11th 2016

SAMARKAND. 11 AUGUST 2016 HOT 38c BLUE SKY. First thing, I went to the airport this morning and took delivery of the bike and camping gear. Seemingly all survived well on their magical mystery tour! I put the bike together as much as my limited skills allowed. For some reason the bike shop disassembled the derailleur, so I Will seek out expert assistance tomorrow. A fellow departs the tour here in Samarkand, and gladly took possession of the box to repack his bike for the return journey to San Francisco. Travel bags have now been repacked into daily bag, with every day essentials, and weekly bag which only comes out on rest days. Hopefully the correct items are in the relevant bags. Walked up to the Mausoleum of Amir Timur who founded Samarkand in the 13 ... read more
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Asia » Uzbekistan » Samarkand August 11th 2016

Photos attached hopefully.... read more
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Asia » Uzbekistan » Tashkent August 9th 2016

8 and 9 AUGUST, 2016 Departed Bangkok on a 9.5 hour non eventful flight to Istanbul. Waited at airport 6 hours ( no seating, so aimless wandering), before departing (6hours) to Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Discovered on arrival that I flew solo. For some reason Turkish Airlines didn't load my bike box, containing bike, bike tyres, spares, camping gear!! Tashkent arrivals was the worst schmozzle I have ever had the misfortune to experience. Bags flew or rolled off the carousel, it was 30 feet long to handle probably 500 bags. No Bike Box!! After arrival I had only limited time before needing to race off to the rail station for the last train of the day to Samarkand. 3 hours south. I have visa limitations. Through the valiant efforts of Mem, she located that the bike was still ... read more

Asia » Uzbekistan » Tashkent August 6th 2016

Here is my last stop in Uzbekistan. From Samarkand, it was just another 3 hours speed train to reach the capital of the country. Trust me, this is a very different experience from anything I saw so far in Uzbekistan. There are very few Muslim religious monuments around the capital. Tashkent is a new city as it has been fully destroyed by an earthquake some 50 years ago. So nothing glorious in term of Islamic buildings around here. They have a nice Orthodox Cathedral....but that was too an interesting experience as the roof of the edifice had been removed...I guess no risk of rain here during the summer....best time for some renovation! I'm staying at the Radisson....back to a proper bed and a more than decent bathroom....all this for a modest 45usd a night. You book ... read more
Tashkent
The main Orthodox cathedral of Tashkent, in a mainly Muslim country...
Tashkent

Asia » Uzbekistan » Samarkand August 4th 2016

After Khiva, after Bukhara, here is Samarkand. The big question is...in which order is it better to visit these three amazing cities. For me Khiva will remain the favorite. Samarkand is a huge city...with some stunning sites...but the feeling of the place lose a lot to it. I was not very sure I wanted to take another shared taxi. So I went the easy way from Bukhara and took a fast train. It's still 3 hours apprt from both cities, but the train is pretty comfortable. I had the first issue of my few days of traveling in Central Asia. Had done a booking through booking.com. On arrival, they wanted me to pay the black market rate...which was a solid rip-off. Argued with the manager...that did not go nicely...and took my bag and left. 20 minutes ... read more
This is a pretty cool place...at any time of the day...
Gur-e Amir Complex
Welcome to Uzbekistan

Asia » Uzbekistan » Bukhara August 3rd 2016

Hello from South Africa! Oups, I'm sorry, I'm still blogging about early August....in Uzbekistan! No diving today, but we had an amazing number of hammerheads over the week-end....blog coming...on day! After small size Khiva, here I am in Bukhara. Good news, the old city is also pretty much manageable on foot. Took me most of the day to get taxi from Khiva to Bukhara. There was not wait to go to Urgench, but than I wasted a good 2 hours before we finally left for Bukhara. It's close to 500km, and it took us close to 7 hours, with a nice little lunch stop in the middle. Not a lot to write on the drive, beside that fact that this is a pretty dry place! In Bukhara, I stay at the Amulet hotel. Had to negotiate ... read more
Welcome to the cover pic of the Lonely Planet Central Asia....smile!
Mantis, I had a lot of them!
Ark, the main fortress, way more impressive from outside than inside...




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