Uzbekistan: Historic Sites at a relaxed pace

After a few weeks of moving rather fast across Kyrgyzstan and Kazachstan, we decided to take it a bit easier in Uzbekistan, also because we had to wait for the Turkmen transit visa anyway.

Tashkent is quite a nice place, although there aren't really any "sights" that are absolutely necessary to see: there are some medrasses and mosques, the obligatory Soviet-era concrete showcase buildings and giant empty squares and parks, but none of that makes Tashkent very impressive.
It is however a quite easy-going place, which feels safe (at least during the day) and it just is a good place to learn a bit how the Uzbeks go out and about doing their business. And the metro is a wonderful place!

Samarkand is quite something else: it is probably the most touristy place we've come across (except perhaps Xi'An in China), but with the Registan and the Shah-i-Zinda it does contain some of the most moving sights of Central-Asia and definitely is a "must-see" for anyone with even the slightest interest in historical sites.
We stayed for about a week in Samarkand, taking in the monuments at a very relaxed pace and just lingering about in the town. We stayed at a good-value backpacker hangout bed and breakfast (Bahodir B&B), met some nice people and just relaxed and worked on our laziness skills.
Floris finally had his beard tidied up just opposite the Registan: relaxing, fun and cheap!

From Samarkand, we took a night train to Nukus in the far West. The train was cheap but otherwise not a huge success: travelling through the desert with a window that didn't close properly made it a sandy and cold ride. In Nukus, we saw the impressive art museum (see later post) before moving on to Khiva.

Khiva was well worth seeing because of its definite charm, history and moving architectural sights. It was however a bit empty: the old town is reserved exclusively for tourism with tour groups roaming the streets and shopkeepers trying to sell them their souvenirs.

Then, another haul through the endless Kyzylkum desert to Bukhara, where we stayed overnight just to take the train to Tashkent the following morning, to pick up our Turkmen visa. We just had a short stroll around Bukhara, but we're going back there later this week to see the town properly, before crossing into our last "-stan".

The Turkmenistan Visa

The only visa we weren't able to get in Shanghai (apart from those after Iran, which should present no problems) is the Turkmen visa. The guidebook and other travellers assured us that Tashkent is the best bet to get a transit visa.

We went to the embassy early in the morning to put our name on a waiting list: we thought we were there at 7 a.m., but that turned out to be 6 a.m. as our watches were still on Kazakh time. Listed as number 10, we were urged to come back to apply for the visa at 11 a.m.

Of course, this list used by the Uzbek guards turned out to be little more than a joke: the only real way of getting in the embassy is paying them (we heard 10 USD) or just being very patient. We opted for the last option, meaning we queued outside for over 1,5 hour in a blazing midday sun.

Other people had different strategies, the best of which was the one used by an elderly Uzbek woman: she used her full weight and her impressive bozom to literally brush the rather embarrassed guards aside. The guards didn't really know what to do with such a theatre, and she did manage to get in before us.

About 15 minutes before closing, we managed to get inside the embassy as well and we frantically started filling out those long-awaited application forms. We applied for a 5 day transit visa, entering on the 9th of October. According to our application, we will stay in some of the best hotels the country has to offer (Grand Turkmen Hotel and Ashgabat Palace or something of that sort) and use mainly taxis for transportation. We will take the southern transit route (Bukhara-Turkmenabat-Mary-Ashgabat). Just after we handed over our forms, 2 copies of our passport and 2 passport pictures, the office closed - even as there were still people filling out forms. Moreover, there were people who didn't manage to get in at all.

Next week, we are going back for another day of queueing and waiting - and hopefully also actually getting that visa.

Tashkent metro: artistic impression

Taking pictures in Tashkent's metro is prohibited because it is constructed as a nuclear shelter, but the metro is truly charming: each station has a different design and these are often amazing.

Shown below is Floris's impression of the Cosmonaut station, where tribute is paid to the Soviet space program and its heroes.

The metro is one of the few places in Uzbekistan where foreigners are often requested to show their passport, although we haven't been bothered with that (yet).