MORE BERRIES THAN YOU CAN SHAKE A SALAMI AT - Samarkand and Tashkent, Uzbekistan

......previously, our first few weeks in Uzbekistan in the deepest southern town of Termez.........

As a large portion of the Uzbek population were visiting relatives during the end of Ramadan, we reluctantly had to change our travel plans. The train we were hoping to take from Termez to the Fergana Valley was full, so we chose to go as far as Samarkand, and spend a few days there before returning to Tashkent. 

The magnificent Bibi-Khanym Mosque, Samarkand

We normally travel in platzkart class on Russian-style trains. As it's the cheapest class, and for us, perfectly comfortable, we never had need to think about upgrading. However, this time, due to the busy time of year, we could only book kupe class, the next step up. It was a good opportunity to try something new. But as it turned out, kupe lacked the open and social feeling of platzkart that we enjoy, with only 4 beds in a compartment instead of 6 or 8, and a door that closed. There was no AC, only a tiny window in the top, next to our heads, and we were glad for the fresh air when we boarded as it was baking hot. As the journey went on, though, and the night cooled considerably, fresh air tuned cold, and Sal in particular, had no sleep due to a chilly wind coming in the window all night. 

Kupe class on Uzbek train (we were up top)

It was our third visit to the important Silk Road city, and although we were not as awe-struck as the first time, the magnificence of Samarkand never fails to impress. We arrived early at our favourite guesthouse in Uzbekistan, a homely, leafy family place set around a central courtyard. We were immediately welcomed with a huge breakfast, after which we thankfully collapsed into a comfortable bed to recover from the trip. 

Bibi-Khanym Mosque, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

We spent three relaxing days, wandering around a few of the lesser visited sights we missed on our other visits- it is difficult to see past the mammoth and sparkling big sites in Samarkand, such as our favourite, Shar-i-Zinda. 

A few remaining tiles, Ishratkhana, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

A quiet spot, Ishratkhana, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

A beautifully calm morning was spent visiting the mausoleum of famed Islamic jurist Abdu Durum. It was a quiet complex, with few people around - the couple of men that were praying there gave us some pastries and water. The ancient setting around the fish pond and the surrounding four huge plane trees was pleasing and cool and we sat there for quite some time.

Quiet place to pray, Abdu Durum Mausoleum, Samarkand

Handsome minaret, Abdu Durum Mausoleum, Samarkand

Peeking in the entrance,  Abdu Durum Mausoleum, Samarkand

Wooden carving on ceiling, Abdu Durum Mausoleum, Samarkand

Lovely setting around a pond, Abdu Durum Mausoleum, Samarkand

Stunning colours, Abdu Durum Mausoleum, Samarkand

We wandered up the hill to see the stunning view from the ex-president Islam Karimov's mausoleum (he was born and grew up around here). It was interesting to see so many local pilgrims here, praying and visiting the tomb. A thought-provoking comment about Karimov from the legendary Central Asian planning website Caravanistan:

"Karimov stole billions from his people and stymied the economy, forcing millions to find work in Russia as badly treated migrant workers.

He also closed the borders, restricted religious freedoms, forced children to pick cotton (while draining the Aral Sea to water that cotton), had thousands of opponents murdered and tortured, and thousands more jailed. Yet, you will find his mausoleum thronged with pilgrims searching for a blessing from the revered forefather. In Central Asia, ancestors have a presence in daily life after they passed away; they spread their spiritual energy and mediate individual relationships with God. Even if they ruthlessly oppressed you."

What a view from Karimov's tomb complex, Samarkand

Locals praying at the tomb

Highly decorated and popular place to visit, Islam Karimov's mausoleum, Samarkand

Samarkand bazaar was a wonderful mixture of produce, handicrafts, gourmet treats and practical items. The touristy spice stall vendors were hell bent on selling tourists saffron, ladies in scarves sold diary products from buckets on the ground, nougats and halva were piled up in tempting piles, and the aroma of fresh bread came from the bakery section as famous Samarkand-style round loaves were baked and raced around in delivery carts. The fresh fruit was what we were eying, and we ended up with bag loads of gorgeous strawberries. Apricots and cherries were also coming onto the market, and boys juicing strangely pallid pomegranates stood on every corner. Around the edge of the outdoor market were the shops selling a huge array of cheeses and salamis - they really love their salami here. 

Paying for her strawberries, Samarkand bazaar

Gorgeous ceramic section, Samarkand bazaar

'Ere, try this one on for size

Yummy array of early spring fruit, Samarkand bazaar

The train back to Tashkent from Samarkand was aboard the very civilized and touristy highspeed Afrosiyob train, complete with AC, airplane-style seats, and a snack and coffee included in the fare. The only interesting activity was trying to board alongside a large group of enormous Indian tourists, causing complete chaos and noise as only Indians can. Half of them ended up to be in the wrong carriage, and had to back themselves and their considerable amounts of luggage out while everyone else was trying to board. Soon we all settled down and enjoyed the short trip in comfort. 

Back in Tashkent, we continued our casual sightseeing- an impressive graveyard full of Soviet-era busts of Russian officials, a madrassa converted into a traditional crafts workshop, and a palace which design was based on industry. A fantastic find was Mirabad Bazaar, much closer to us than than huge and famous Chorsu Bazaar. This charming market with friendly vendors had everything we needed all contained under an attractive round flat roof. We actually discovered a new, slightly more expensive strawberry variety that was so unbelievable delicious there's almost no words to describe. 

Imposing busts and graves, Chigatay Cemetery

Crafty Abdulkasym madrassa, Tashkent

Brutalist architecture, Friendship Palace, Tashkent

Friendship Palace, complete with bolts falling from the roof, Tashkent (spot the cap)

Mirabad Bazaar, Tashkent

Delicatessen shop selling all sorts of meats and cheeses, Mirabad Bazaar, Tashkent

All of a sudden a month had passed since our arrival in Uzbekistan, and it was time for us to leave the country. We had, by now, formulated some sort of plan, and decided to make a few stops in Kazakhstan on our way to Kyrgyzstan. We could hardly wait!! Please stay tuned, and we promise the next blog post won't be so long in arriving. We were a bit overwhelmed when we first arrived, and took a little while to get ourselves into gear. 

Giant plov pot, Tashkent

Moody under the city, Tashkent

Rush hour, Tashkent metro

More beautiful metro art, we are fascinated by it!

A few general notes about travel in Uzbekistan:

Having arriving into Uzbekistan from Penang in full hot season in April, where the energy was drained out of us, and the feeling of lethargy was difficult to shake, we absolutely revelled in the cooler spring weather of Central Asia. Days were sunny and warm, and nights just the right temperature for sleeping soundly.  

Unusual statue on a grave, Tashkent

As previously stated, accommodation costs had risen in the three years since we last visited in 2019. We stayed at a mixture of hostels and guesthouses, and the were all clean and friendly. Most accommodation offered a substantial breakfast, sometimes included and sometimes for a few dollars extra. We paid between £16- £22 a night for a double room, usually with our own bathroom.

Our comfy, homey room in Samarkand, Uzbekistan

I'm sure we've mentioned it before, but we absolutely love the ease of the public transport in Central Asia. In all the places we visited in Uzbekistan, local buses were one price for a single trip, no matter how far one went. In Tashkent, this was the same for the metro. 1,400-1500 som (£0.09-£0.10) was paid to the driver as one exited the bus. So easy. The long distance trains seemed somewhat pricey, but it's all relative. Our longest train trip, which was 14 hours, cost 170,000 som each, about £12.

Ready for boarding, Uzbekistan trains

Samarkand train station, Uzbekistan

It's probably pretty clear that we adore the fresh produce in Uzbekistan. Everywhere we went, seasonal fruit and veggies and freshly baked bread were available. Dairy products were delish and always full fat- none of this diet crap in Central Asia! Smetana (a cross between Greek yoghurt and sour cream) is our favourite, and this time we discovered Central Asian-style kaymak. We had tried kaymak in Serbia, but unlike it's Balkan cousin, the variety here isn't salty, more like a clotted cream. We tended not to eat out a lot, preferring to make ourselves picnics with salad, local pickles, eggs and smoky cheese, traditional round bread, and fruits and smetana. When we ate out, we enjoyed meat. Lamb, beef and chicken are usual here - on skewers (shashlik) and from a spit (doner) are the two most common types.

Yum chill and garlic

A takeaway meal, rotisserie chicken and Uzbek wine!

Interesting flavour juice (we didn't try)

National obsession, plov

Messy looking, but delicious beefshtek and goulash

Perfectly presented cherries and berries

Beautiful produce in Uzbek market

A fine discovery was Uzbek wine- the different brands we tried varied from delicious to headache inducing, but at less than £2 a bottle, generally very enjoyable indeed! Beer was also available with mixed results. We have been so spoilt having spent a long time in the Balkans during the past few years - you really can't beat that area for premium alcoholic drinks at rock bottom prices. Ditto for the cafe culture- there isn't one in Central Asia. Tea, or choy, is king here. We got our pathetic coffee fix in the mornings with the local instant variety. 

Uzbek wine

Most streets and parks in the cities we visited were lined with mulberry trees - both red and white varieties. No-one seemed too fussed about collecting them, but we scoffed as many as we could whenever we saw easy to reach fruit.

An idea of our stops within Uzbekistan

 

Lovely Uzbek girls

Hilarious Uzbek picnic set- what more do you need besides shashliks, vodka and a machete?!

.....we're off to Kazakhstan for a short time- keep in touch!.......

WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE SMETANA- Khiva, Uzbekistan

....previously in Samarkhand, Uzbekistan.....

Arriving at Samarkhand's immaculate station we were once again struck by the lack of rubbish, as almost everywhere in Uzbekistan. We now had an idea of how it worked, however, having seen the street cleaners on the main roads, the gypsies recycling everything at the markets, and the housewives sweeping their backstreets at  six am.

The train ride from Samarkhand twelve hours north west to Urgench was our first long distance sleeper train in Central Asia- hopefully the first of many! We had chosen platzkartny class (or third class), and were pleasantly surprised to find it spacious, clean and organized (apart from the toilets towards the end of the journey!). We were given a set of clean white sheets, and as it was 11pm, we deposited our bags safely in the storage under the bottom bunk, climbed into bed and fell asleep. Unfortunately the other man in our area didn't enjoy the window open as much as we did, and Sal had to wrestle with him for a crack in the window the entire night. What is it with Asians and fresh air??!!

Inside Khiva's old city walls

Our route through Uzbekistan

The scenery when we woke was scrubby desert, with the occasional village, until the outskirts of Urgench where it became more industrialized and surprisingly green. Every square inch here seemed to be taken up with orchards and small farms, and the crops were mostly water costly cotton and rice. It was the forced growing of cotton by the Soviet regime that devastated the Aral Sea (more about that in Kazakhstan).

Surprisingly fresh, we arrived at Urgench, fought out way to the front of the line in the booking office, bought a train ticket out for the following week, caught a bus and a marshrutka (minibus), walked through Khiva, found a room........and then collapsed for most of the rest of the day!! 

Decrepit Amir Tora Medressa, being renovated by the Chinese, Khiva

Resting in a mosque during the heat of the day, Khiva

Loved this plain, but so beautiful mosque- Ok Mosque, Khiva

Photogenic children in Khiva

If we thought it was hot in the rest of Uzbekistan, the 40+ degree temperatures here soon changed our minds! Our first priority for the room was strong working AC, and we spent most of the middle of our days resting in it. The room was extremely comfortable and snug, with everything in working order. We were again struck by the seemingly strange phenomenon, that in a country that becomes so incredibly hot for a large part of the year, no fans were to be seen- not in any of the rooms, eating areas, shops or public places. Of course, we stuck to our mornings and evening to see things- it was still hot at eight pm. The few times we ventured out in the middle of the day, we felt our faces would melt off! As well as being cool, early mornings were quite magical around town, with no stalls open and the only souls about a few ladies busying themselves with brooms cleaning the old city.

Sweeping in the early morning, Khiva

Keeping the city clean, early morning, Khiva

Spic and span Khiva

A bit of Khiva history- Khiva was a minor stop on the Silk Road even in the 8th century, but never really made it to the limelight (even under the powerful Khorezmshar empire during the 10th-14th centuries) until it became firstly an important capital under the Shaybanids, and then one of three khanates in Uzbekistan in 1747. In some ways, it was the heyday for the town with trade thriving in many goods, including slaves, but the savage rule of the emirs meant a lack of importance for religion and education. It became a far flung part of the Persian Empire in the 18th century, then the khan eventually became the last khan to surrender to the Russians in 1873.

One of many beautiful brass knockers, Khiva

Our favourite lane, Khiva

Old guys hanging out at a blacksmith's workshop, Khiva

We fell in love with Khiva on our first outing. It had a completely different character from Bukhara or Samarkhand, and it's containment within the small city walls, the proximity of the buildings inside the walls, and the narrow lane ways with high buildings on either side gave the town a unique flavour. 

Glowing morning light, Khiva

Popular means of transport around Khiva

Kids playing in the streets of Khiva

Something around every corner, Khiva

The colours were different, too, with white, navy blue, gold, emerald green and dark green added to the turquoise and aqua blues we had already seen. We particularly loved the small bright green tiles placed in walls and towers at even intervals as decoration, and the minarets with their stripes of bright colour. The painted interiors often had an unexpected splash of orange, and combined with the dusty brown mud brick walls and domes, the effect was striking. Around every corner were pleasing shapes in the skyline.

Angelic light in Pahlavon Mahmud Mausoleum, Khiva

Soaking up the colour, Tosh-hovli Palace, Khiva

Coloured ceiling at Tosh-hovli Palace, Khiva

Soaring ceilings, Tosh-hovli Palace, Khiva

Detail of the intricate patterns, Tosh-hovli Palace, Khiva

Contrasting light brown mud walls, Khiva

Brown on brown, Khiva streets

Mudbrick tower, Khiva

Lovely green tiles dispersed everywhere all over Khiva

The unfinished Kalta Minor Minaret, Khiva

View of Khiva at sunset

Grand old Russian car, Khiva

Puppets for sale, Khiva

Dyed wool ready for suzani making

Wandering the outside of the monuments of Khiva was by far the best attraction of this "living city". We did splash out and buy the ticket that allowed entry to pretty much all buildings (no negotiating on that one!), but we found that sometimes the insides were either a bit plain, or housed dimly lit and random museums. Exceptions included the old Russian school with a magnificent exhibition of a famous photographer's work from the 1920s and 1930s, the Traditional Arts Museum, with beautiful old rugs and ceramics, and a character-filled carpet and suzani (embroidered hangings) centre.

Beautiful courtyard, Khiva

Suzani making workshop, Khiva

Weird and confusing museum display, Khiva

VERY popular hats in the old days of Khiva, Islam Hoja, former leader of Khiva

The best interior, however, was the dazzling Tosh-Hovli Palace, a maze of dark corridors opening up to two surprise courtyards which housed soaring tiled doorways, with colourful roofs, wonderful wooden carved posts and even a stone platform for a yurt.

A close second was the Juma Mosque, with it's dark interior and 218 differently carved wooden posts. The light at different times of the day could be atmospheric, especially when there weren't many people around. A nice addition to Juma Mosque was the nearby wood carvers, all working on doors and posts in their workshops.

Master craftsman at work, Khiva

Young apprentices learning on the job, Khiva

Tenth century Islom-Hoja Mosque and Minaret were the highlight buildings for us (along with the funny squat Kalta Minor Minaret), and the lofty towers with their beautiful colourful stripes were able to be seen from most parts of  Khiva. Richard was very tolerant of Sal's moaning after she strained her leg climbing the extremely steep steps up to the top of the 33 meter minaret (Rich's knee not up to it). A surprise musical performance in the adjoining courtyard was a pleasant inclusion on one of our evening wanderings. 

Islom-Hoja Minaret- a sight visible throughout most of Khiva

View down an old street to Islom-Hoja, Khiva

Beautiful Islom-Hoja Mosque and Minaret, Khiva

Climbing to the top of Islom-Hoja Minaret, Khiva

Kalta Minor Minaret at sunset, Khiva

Fantastic young performer in Khiva's streets

A funny aside about all the museums and monuments were the ladies who worked on the door, seriously scrutinizing tickets and signing us in in their ledgers as we arrived. Often when we left, they would break into a smile and pull out something handmade, such as woolly socks(!!), from under the table hoping for a sale.

Center of the old part of Khiva

Typical village street scene outside the city walls, Khiva

This picture makes me so sad!

Two completely different little Uzbek faces, Khiva

One of our important stops was the market, and we were once again pleased with the amazing array of fruit and salad items, especially as we were in the middle of the desert. Alongside the usual covered market, was a scruffy dusty road filled with mostly women who had brought along a bucket of fruit and a couple of bags of vegetables from their gardens or small farms. It had an unorganized, yet cheery feel, with most of them not having scales or bags (most people seem to take their own bags), and we were often pressed to take something away for free. 

More colour at Dekhon Bazar, Khiva

Counting the som, Dekhon Bazar, Khiva

Mixed selection of goodies for sale, Dekhon Bazar, Khiva

Hooves, Dekhon Bazar, Khiva

We were allowed to scramble up onto the towering town walls, which were punctuated by four huge gates complete with niches where slaves were once kept and courtyards where they were sold. We walked along the walls as far as we could, looking down upon the winding streets and residents going about their business in their little mud brick homes with courtyards. Apparently, being a protected site, properties are not for sale within the walls, rather passed down through families. People living inside the walls would often have a tapchan (outside bed) to sleep on and laze in the hotter parts of the day.

Bird's eye view of Khiva

Up on the city walls, Khiva

East gate, once a slave trading area of Khiva

Outside city walls of Khiva at sunset

Having plenty of time in Khiva was a blessing, as it meant we could stop and rest in the shade (admittedly, often with an ice cream in hand!), and watch people come and go . People would come and sit with us, eager to talk, and we were happy to comply. A little boy in one family was particular cute, screwing up his face to remember English words and then blurting out "Cow!", "Children!" or "Theatre!" with a huge proud smile.

Mucking around with local kids, Khiva

Comparing beards, Khiva

We were still entranced by the wonderful variety in the looks of people's faces. Some more examples:

*We have included a list of costs detailed here for those who are interested (US$1= 8,100 som):

* Costs and information for Bukhara and Tashkent are included in this post

Accommodation for Samarkhand and Khiva:

Samarkhand, Hotel Abdul Nazrah US$20

Khiva, Lali-Opa Guesthouse US$20

Accommodation was, for the most part comfortable, with some sort of AC, WIFI, attached bathroom with hot water, and a hearty breakfast. Having said that, it was the most expensive part of our budget in Uzbekistan by far. It seemed strange to us to be paying next to nothing on transport and food, but still forking out at least US$20 for a room. The great thing about all the guesthouses we stayed in in Uzbekistan was the common areas in which to make contact with fellow travelers.
Often in our travels we arrive at a place with WIFI, and every single person in there has their head down in their phone or computer, not interested in speaking, or what is actually going on around them. Or we will be somewhere remote, with no tourists, where we miss the craic of a chat and a laugh with fellow roamers.
The route we took through Uzbekistan was full of friendly travelers passing through on bikes, motorbikes, cars, taxis and trains, and there were plenty of people to socialize with. We also seemed to be crossing paths with people often- people we'd seen in one town, showing up at the guesthouse in another.

View from Khiva guesthouse

Breakfast Bukhara guesthouse

Travel:

Bukhara to Samarkhand , train, 45,000 som 1.5 hours

Samarkhand station to town, bus 9,000 som 20 mins 

Ishratkhana mosque Samarkhand to Registan, taxi, 5,000 som, 10 mins

Samarkhand to Urgut shared taxi 6,000 som 50 mins

Urgut to Samarkhand marshrutka/damas 5,000 som 50 mins

Samarkhand to Urgench, train, 83,000 som 11.5 hours

Urgench station to Urgench bazaar  bus 700 som 15 mins

Urgench Bazar to Khiva marshrutka 2,000 som 30 mins
Khiva to Urgench train station taxi 25,000 som 30 mins

Urgench to Beyneu train 216,000 som 19 hours

Transport was reliable, comfortable and very cheap. We were able to take trains all through Uzbekistan, ranging form the amazingly fast, clean and spacious Afrosoiyob bullet train we took from Bukhara to Samarkhand, to the long distance sleeper trains from Samarkhand to Urgench and onto Kazakhstan. Within cities we traveled on local buses, shared taxis, non- shared taxis and marshrutkas (minibuses) without any problems. It was always easy and cheap.

Swish train from Bukhara to Samarkhand

Sleeper train Samarkhand to Urgench

Sights Samarkhand and Khiva:
Bibi Khanym 8,000 som

Khiva entire town entrance fee 47,000 som

Islom-Hoja Minaret 6,000 som

Food

Food costs were similar to Tashkent and Bukhara, but even cheaper as we headed north.

Our typical leisurely guesthouse breakfast in Uzbekistan was usually bread, eggs, cheese, salami, a pot of tea and coffee. Variations included rice pudding, semolina, cakes, mashed potato (!), biscuits, fruit, French toast, pancakes and honey. In Khiva, breakfast was a full meal including rice, vegetables, fried eggs, potatoes patties and sausage! Needless to say, all that food kept us going for most of the day!

We continued preparing our other meals fresh from the market- delicious flat breads, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, herbs, various types of cheese, salami, pickles, a creamy natural yogurt called smetana and loads of fresh fruits. Like the Iranians, Uzbeks love their ice cream and there are parlours at regular intervals around the towns. We loved this diet, after so many years of spicy Asian rice based meals, and the added bonus was the extremely cheap prices for such produce. But our reasons for self catering were also about the Uzbek food. Let me explain......
The national dish of Uzbekistan is plov, rice mixed with lamb and some vegetables. Sounds OK, right? Wrong. Every pot full we saw made us feel ill, dripping with fat and full of disgusting looking meat. Ditto almost everything else on the Uzbek menu. Greasy noodles with horse meat, fatty kebabs, gristly shwarmas, boiled meat porridge, chunky horse meat sausages, and samsa- savory pastries filled with God knows what, sometimes we were lucky, mostly not.

Bits of unappetizing meat

The chick peas look nice, shame about the rest.....

Plov, complete with oil

One of many funny local copies of famous products

In conclusion, we would without a doubt love to return to fantastic Uzbekistan- the people, transport, sights, and history were all brilliant. But it would be easier for us to do so when the government has changed the registration rules. Every hotel in Uzbekistan must provide tourists with registration (a little slip of paper to say when we stayed at the hotel), that we must then show to authorities upon exiting Uzbekistan. Also, some hotels will not accept tourists who don't have their previous registration slips. It's an annoyance as it restricts activities such as camping and home stays. We pretty much stuck to the big towns of the Silk Road, as to veer off meant finding affordable accommodation that provided registration. Hopefully in the future, if things change, it will be possible to leave the main tourist route and find some lovely small places to explore.

Rich at the entrance of Allakuli Khan Medressa, Khiva

Khiva street scene

Souvenir sellers, Khiva

The magnificent Allakuli Khan Medressa, Khiva

Old man in same spot every day, Khiva

So many cute kids around Khiva!

Interesting old man, Khiva

Got a smile in the end! Dekhon Bazar, Khiva

...onward to Kazakhstan's Mangistau region.....