Uzbekistan: (fun?) facts

Some more Central Asian / Uzbek fun facts we came across during our journey:

1. Uzbek people have rows of glistering gold teeth.
2. Tashkent's metro was designed as a nuclear shelter by the Soviets (which means that taking photographs is prohibited) - and each station has a unique design, some of which are truly amazing.
3. In Uzbekistan, you're expected to haggle for everything: in hotels, for taxis, buses, trains, in barbershops, at the market. Fun, but it can be quite tiring.
4. The largest note in Uzbekistan is 1000 sym, which is worth about 0.60 EUR. Changing foreign currency inevitably leaves you with impressive stacks of notes to carry around, making wallets all but useless.
5. The bulk of the Uzbek agriculture exists of cotton plantations (your T-shirts could very well originate in Uzbekistan): the Soviets put up vast irrigation works, tapping water from the Amu-Darya and Sur-Darya rivers. One result of this is the dramatic near-disappearance of the Aral Sea, a massive ecological disaster causing widespread health problems across the region.
6. The 30 km long highway between Khiva and Urgench boasts what is probably one of the longest trolleybus lines in the world.
7. Catching an opera or ballet performance in Tashkent's Alisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre costs as little as 5000 sum (ca. 2.5 EUR).