.....previously in Thailand......
It was almost exactly two years since we last flew to Tashkent with Uzbekistan Airlines, and they seemed to have upped their game somewhat in the intervening years. The smiling cabin crew and delicious and plentiful food were big improvements, and we enjoyed the views of Chinese and Central Asian deserts and mountains out the window. We forgave the two hour delay and were very excited to have arrived in the capital of Uzbekistan.
Our first couple of days were a bit slow to get going. Our accommodation had nothing going for it apart from it's location across the road from the central train station. We could have lived with the odd characters wandering around (one guy had a bruised and bandaged face), but really couldn't believe there was no fan in our room considering it was 41 degrees outside (a problem that was rectified for the final of our three nights, after our complaining!). Some of our US dollars bought especially for the trip were deemed not perfect enough for the banks to change into som, the local currency, causing us slight panic. Some of the strict government rules had been lifted since our last visit. We were now free to pay for accommodation with local currency, although the extremely irritating policy of only being able to stay in places that could give an authorized registration slip was still in place. But soon these small things were ironed out and we enjoyed a couple of days around the capital city.
A big positive change from the last time we were there was being able to take photos in the underground metro system (a further example of the loosening of government rules). The whole labyrinth was so photogenic in a funky Soviet way, and we spent hours riding on different lines, and stopping to take photos at the different themed stations. The payment system for public transport in Tashkent is the most sensible we have come across. It's 1200 som (US$0.13) for a trip anywhere on the metro or local buses. So easy and simple!
Our best experience whist in Tashkent was when we escaped from the heat into an air-conditioned cafe, and started chatting with two young students studying for their IELTS exam. After a conversation they invited us for lunch the following day. We met them, along with the clever younger brother of one of them, and spent a pleasurable couple of hours conversing with them in a nearby restaurant. Their English was excellent and easy to understand, and we had the added bonus of being able to ask questions about their culture. The most interesting thing for us was one of them desperately wanted to train to be a pilot and move to New York, while the other was going to take over the family export business and settle down in Tashkent with a wife and take care of his parents. Such different motivations for learning English, but both smart and very determined.
We loved the huge lunch they ordered consisting of plov (pilaf) with lamb and horse meat, samsas (something like a meat pasty), suzma (a kind of cross between cheese and yoghurt), flat and tasty Tashkent nan bread, dill and yoghurt dip, salad and cherry juice. We had already decided we wanted to try plov again, after eating some extremely oily varieties last trip that we really disliked, so it was a good opportunity to try some recommended by locals. It was all absolutely delicious- even the horse, which tasted like a strong corned beef. It was most embarrassing when the youngsters gave us presents and insisted on paying for the meal, and we came to a deal that we would take them out on our return to Tashkent later in the trip. Very sweet.
We wandered the city streets looking at monuments of fearsome past warrior leaders, slightly derelict public gardens and religious buildings, but the 40 plus degrees temperature had us fearing sunstroke, so we tried to stay in the cool and shade as much as possible. Having said that, the heat was dry and nowhere near as draining as what we had experienced in April in Bangkok.
The sparkling white Minor Mosque was quite surprising, as we were allowed entry in short sleeves and shorts. Another example of relaxed attitudes to religion in the region. Although a modern building, the grand old style was evident and there was a cool peacefulness about the place.
We discovered a new region of Tashkent along a peaceful and tree lined canal through the middle of the city. Due to the hot weather, people of all ages were taking advantage of all the clean gushing water, and bathing and swimming in the cool shade. It looked extremely inviting, and had we had our bathers, we for sure would have joined in. It was still very pleasant strolling along the side and trying to guess the variety of the many mature deciduous trees, amongst them plane, horse chestnut and ash, and many others we couldn't identify.
For a detailed look at Tashkent from our previous trip, with lots of pictures and a bit of history, see here.
People in Tashkent were so incredibly kind, and whenever we stood still looking confused for more than a few seconds (it happened quite often), some lovely English speaking person would stop and ask if we needed help. A good example of that was when we were waiting for a bus to take us to the southern train station to catch our train to Samarkand. A well dressed man approached us, asked where we were going, told us which buses we could take and how much it would cost. Then, care of his app, he told us one would be arriving in one minute and that we should get ready, then waved us off as the bus left!!
Although we had visited Samarkand less than two years ago, it seemed a convenient stop on our route to Tajikistan. Border crossings are complicated in Central Asia, with much opening and closing with little notice, and a lot of planning is needed. So, we took one of the spick and span, perfectly organized trains from Tashkent to the grand Silk Road city of Samarkand.
We won't go into the details about Samarkand history and the various mammoth and beautiful monuments- all of this was comprehensively covered here, on our last visit.
The first guesthouse we looked at was a fantastic travellers hub, particularity popular with over-landers. It ticked all the boxes for us- clean and quiet air-conditioned room with a bathroom and hot shower, a place for laundry and a central location. The courtyard was often filled with other travellers to exchange tips with, or just relax in the shade with free flow Uzbek tea and watermelon. The filling and varied breakfast changed every day, but always included fresh fruit, gallons of tea, bread, butter, cheese, salami, home-made jam and honey, yoghurt and eggs!
Our favourite monument from the last time we were in Samarkand was without doubt Shah-i-Zinda, or Avenue of Mausoleums. This visit we found little changed, although the crowds were absent and we did miss those Ramadan Ladies! The magical glow of the warm brick and the gorgeous array of bright greens and blues of the tiles on the exteriors of the buildings had us gazing in wonder, and the interiors of the tombs of various people important to Amir Timur were cool, shady and often dazzling with their rich decorations.
The other highlight of Samarkand was the Siob Bazaar. We are suckers for a good market, and Central Asia's are amongst the best we have seen. The mix of different looking people and aromatic, fresh and varied produce, was an exotic spectacle. The dried fruit and nut sellers offered what seemed like every kind of fruit and nut that exists, and we couldn't resist the blackberry ladies surrounded by mounds of juicy berries and shot glasses of rich juice. Happy sellers called out to us, and offered little tid-bits to entice us. We ate food from this market every evening for dinner, and not only spent next to nothing on food, but enjoyed fantastic and healthy meals.
More than anything, in Uzbekistan, we revelled in the tastiest bread, dairy products and produce we have ever come across, which was every bit as good as we'd remembered. In Tashkent we stocked up on walnuts and semi dried apricots, and in Samarkand we continued with the best peaches, plums and mulberries we've ever had- so juicy and full of taste. Our absolute obsession from last visit was smetana, an unbelievably delicious and creamy local yoghurt we convinced ourselves must be healthy (conveniently ignoring the 25% fat content!). We ate it with fruit or bread and jam, like a high tea.
Uzbekistan has always been synonymous with ice cream for us. The country seems to survive on it during the hot summer, and we were more than happy to join in! We made a point of trying a different type every day (one of us sometimes having more than one a day- not mentioning any names!).
We were constantly served watermelon everywhere we went in Uzbekistan- it's the national food, and they adore it. Normally, we wouldn't be too fussed with watermelons, but here they taste incredible, like everything else!
It's still unknown to us how the produce here tastes so good, but the freshness, aroma and unbelievable taste is unlike anything you can buy in Australia or the UK. It's all seasonal, obviously straight from the garden/farm, often less than perfect looking, and doesn't last long. But the quality is very high.
Of course, the ubiquitous teapot is always on the table, and Sal in particular loved the green tea that was often served.
Only a week into the trip, and we hit our first obstacle. We had applied for an e-visa for Tajikistan, having read it would be issued the following day. One week later, we were still waiting in Samarkand, a city we loved, but had thoroughly explored (twice!), and had to make a decision what to do. For sure we didn't want to lose the US$100 we had already paid for the visa. Fortunately just as we were making plans to buggar off to another country, the visa came through, and we were on our way to Tajikistan! Yipee!
....onto Haft Kul (Seven Lakes), Tajikistan....
It was almost exactly two years since we last flew to Tashkent with Uzbekistan Airlines, and they seemed to have upped their game somewhat in the intervening years. The smiling cabin crew and delicious and plentiful food were big improvements, and we enjoyed the views of Chinese and Central Asian deserts and mountains out the window. We forgave the two hour delay and were very excited to have arrived in the capital of Uzbekistan.
 |
| Tashkent metro station |
 |
| Flying over Central Asia (spot the wee plane) |
Our first couple of days were a bit slow to get going. Our accommodation had nothing going for it apart from it's location across the road from the central train station. We could have lived with the odd characters wandering around (one guy had a bruised and bandaged face), but really couldn't believe there was no fan in our room considering it was 41 degrees outside (a problem that was rectified for the final of our three nights, after our complaining!). Some of our US dollars bought especially for the trip were deemed not perfect enough for the banks to change into som, the local currency, causing us slight panic. Some of the strict government rules had been lifted since our last visit. We were now free to pay for accommodation with local currency, although the extremely irritating policy of only being able to stay in places that could give an authorized registration slip was still in place. But soon these small things were ironed out and we enjoyed a couple of days around the capital city.
A big positive change from the last time we were there was being able to take photos in the underground metro system (a further example of the loosening of government rules). The whole labyrinth was so photogenic in a funky Soviet way, and we spent hours riding on different lines, and stopping to take photos at the different themed stations. The payment system for public transport in Tashkent is the most sensible we have come across. It's 1200 som (US$0.13) for a trip anywhere on the metro or local buses. So easy and simple!
 |
| Arty designed metro station, Tashkent |
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| Grand metro station, Tashkent |
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| Yuri Gagarin, first man in space, Kosmonavtlar metro station |
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| Inside Tashkent metro train |
Our best experience whist in Tashkent was when we escaped from the heat into an air-conditioned cafe, and started chatting with two young students studying for their IELTS exam. After a conversation they invited us for lunch the following day. We met them, along with the clever younger brother of one of them, and spent a pleasurable couple of hours conversing with them in a nearby restaurant. Their English was excellent and easy to understand, and we had the added bonus of being able to ask questions about their culture. The most interesting thing for us was one of them desperately wanted to train to be a pilot and move to New York, while the other was going to take over the family export business and settle down in Tashkent with a wife and take care of his parents. Such different motivations for learning English, but both smart and very determined.
 |
| Our new friends, Tashkent |
We loved the huge lunch they ordered consisting of plov (pilaf) with lamb and horse meat, samsas (something like a meat pasty), suzma (a kind of cross between cheese and yoghurt), flat and tasty Tashkent nan bread, dill and yoghurt dip, salad and cherry juice. We had already decided we wanted to try plov again, after eating some extremely oily varieties last trip that we really disliked, so it was a good opportunity to try some recommended by locals. It was all absolutely delicious- even the horse, which tasted like a strong corned beef. It was most embarrassing when the youngsters gave us presents and insisted on paying for the meal, and we came to a deal that we would take them out on our return to Tashkent later in the trip. Very sweet.
 |
| Plov with lamb and horse-yum! |
We wandered the city streets looking at monuments of fearsome past warrior leaders, slightly derelict public gardens and religious buildings, but the 40 plus degrees temperature had us fearing sunstroke, so we tried to stay in the cool and shade as much as possible. Having said that, the heat was dry and nowhere near as draining as what we had experienced in April in Bangkok.
 |
| WW2 monument, Tashkent |
The sparkling white Minor Mosque was quite surprising, as we were allowed entry in short sleeves and shorts. Another example of relaxed attitudes to religion in the region. Although a modern building, the grand old style was evident and there was a cool peacefulness about the place.
 |
| Interior dome of Minor Mosque, Tashkent |
We discovered a new region of Tashkent along a peaceful and tree lined canal through the middle of the city. Due to the hot weather, people of all ages were taking advantage of all the clean gushing water, and bathing and swimming in the cool shade. It looked extremely inviting, and had we had our bathers, we for sure would have joined in. It was still very pleasant strolling along the side and trying to guess the variety of the many mature deciduous trees, amongst them plane, horse chestnut and ash, and many others we couldn't identify.
For a detailed look at Tashkent from our previous trip, with lots of pictures and a bit of history, see here.
People in Tashkent were so incredibly kind, and whenever we stood still looking confused for more than a few seconds (it happened quite often), some lovely English speaking person would stop and ask if we needed help. A good example of that was when we were waiting for a bus to take us to the southern train station to catch our train to Samarkand. A well dressed man approached us, asked where we were going, told us which buses we could take and how much it would cost. Then, care of his app, he told us one would be arriving in one minute and that we should get ready, then waved us off as the bus left!!
Although we had visited Samarkand less than two years ago, it seemed a convenient stop on our route to Tajikistan. Border crossings are complicated in Central Asia, with much opening and closing with little notice, and a lot of planning is needed. So, we took one of the spick and span, perfectly organized trains from Tashkent to the grand Silk Road city of Samarkand.
 |
| Samarkand woman |
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| Interesting tombstone in graveyard, Samarkand |
 |
| Old boys putting the world to right, Samarkand |
 |
| Classic Registan view, Samarkand |
We won't go into the details about Samarkand history and the various mammoth and beautiful monuments- all of this was comprehensively covered here, on our last visit.
The first guesthouse we looked at was a fantastic travellers hub, particularity popular with over-landers. It ticked all the boxes for us- clean and quiet air-conditioned room with a bathroom and hot shower, a place for laundry and a central location. The courtyard was often filled with other travellers to exchange tips with, or just relax in the shade with free flow Uzbek tea and watermelon. The filling and varied breakfast changed every day, but always included fresh fruit, gallons of tea, bread, butter, cheese, salami, home-made jam and honey, yoghurt and eggs!
 |
| Shady courtyard at guesthouse, Samarkand |
Our favourite monument from the last time we were in Samarkand was without doubt Shah-i-Zinda, or Avenue of Mausoleums. This visit we found little changed, although the crowds were absent and we did miss those Ramadan Ladies! The magical glow of the warm brick and the gorgeous array of bright greens and blues of the tiles on the exteriors of the buildings had us gazing in wonder, and the interiors of the tombs of various people important to Amir Timur were cool, shady and often dazzling with their rich decorations.
 |
| Morning light on Shah-i-Zinda, Samarkand |
 |
| Inside a grand mausoleum, Shah-i-Zinda, Samarkand |
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| Shah-i-Zinda, Samarkand |
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| Moody light in tomb, Shah-i-Zinda, Samarkand |
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| Minus the crowds this visit, Shah-i-Zinda, Samarkand |
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| Catching the light, Shah-i-Zinda, Samarkand |
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| Intricate tile work, Shah-i-Zinda, Samarkand |
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| Pretty interior tiles of mausoleum, Shah-i-Zinda, Samarkand |
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| Soaring colours, Shah-i-Zinda, Samarkand |
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| Rich getting some attention, Shah-i-Zinda, Samarkand |
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| Looking out at the beauty, Shah-i-Zinda, Samarkand |
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| Dripping colour, Shah-i-Zinda, Samarkand |
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| Tomb roof detail, Shah-i-Zinda, Samarkand |
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| Rich inside mausoleum, Shah-i-Zinda, Samarkand |
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| Wonderful decoration, Shah-i-Zinda, Samarkand |
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| Visiting the dead, Shah-i-Zinda, Samarkand |
The other highlight of Samarkand was the Siob Bazaar. We are suckers for a good market, and Central Asia's are amongst the best we have seen. The mix of different looking people and aromatic, fresh and varied produce, was an exotic spectacle. The dried fruit and nut sellers offered what seemed like every kind of fruit and nut that exists, and we couldn't resist the blackberry ladies surrounded by mounds of juicy berries and shot glasses of rich juice. Happy sellers called out to us, and offered little tid-bits to entice us. We ate food from this market every evening for dinner, and not only spent next to nothing on food, but enjoyed fantastic and healthy meals.
 |
| Fresh herbs, Siob Market, Samarkand |
 |
| Cultivating tools in the market, Samarkand |
 |
| Masses of salamis |
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| Walnut stuffed apricots |
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| Piles of dried fruit and nuts, Siob Market, Samarkand |
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| Apricot kernels (taste like almonds) |
 |
| Uzbek hats in Siob Market, Samarkand |
More than anything, in Uzbekistan, we revelled in the tastiest bread, dairy products and produce we have ever come across, which was every bit as good as we'd remembered. In Tashkent we stocked up on walnuts and semi dried apricots, and in Samarkand we continued with the best peaches, plums and mulberries we've ever had- so juicy and full of taste. Our absolute obsession from last visit was smetana, an unbelievably delicious and creamy local yoghurt we convinced ourselves must be healthy (conveniently ignoring the 25% fat content!). We ate it with fruit or bread and jam, like a high tea.
Uzbekistan has always been synonymous with ice cream for us. The country seems to survive on it during the hot summer, and we were more than happy to join in! We made a point of trying a different type every day (one of us sometimes having more than one a day- not mentioning any names!).
We were constantly served watermelon everywhere we went in Uzbekistan- it's the national food, and they adore it. Normally, we wouldn't be too fussed with watermelons, but here they taste incredible, like everything else!
It's still unknown to us how the produce here tastes so good, but the freshness, aroma and unbelievable taste is unlike anything you can buy in Australia or the UK. It's all seasonal, obviously straight from the garden/farm, often less than perfect looking, and doesn't last long. But the quality is very high.
Of course, the ubiquitous teapot is always on the table, and Sal in particular loved the green tea that was often served.
 |
| Mountains of melons |
 |
| Making manti (dumplings) |
 |
| Scrummy berries and smetana, our Central Asian obsession |
 |
| Smetana flavoured crisps |
Only a week into the trip, and we hit our first obstacle. We had applied for an e-visa for Tajikistan, having read it would be issued the following day. One week later, we were still waiting in Samarkand, a city we loved, but had thoroughly explored (twice!), and had to make a decision what to do. For sure we didn't want to lose the US$100 we had already paid for the visa. Fortunately just as we were making plans to buggar off to another country, the visa came through, and we were on our way to Tajikistan! Yipee!
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| Big and brassy, Samarkand |
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| Soviet mosaic, Samarkand |
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| Old Russian classic car, Samarkand |
....onto Haft Kul (Seven Lakes), Tajikistan....
