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We took Uzbekistan more as a tour than a regular trekking destination. Our plan was to meet my mother in Tashkent, see the great three and wheeze out to Tajikistan. Having crossed the Turkmen-Uzbek border at the furthest point possible from Tashkent (Nukus) meant a 20 hour bus ride from hell. Or maybe through hell, the Kyzylkum desert was an oven, and the windows-shut avtobus was a furnace. But we got there. (details concerning this trip are in the Baku-Tashkent post, click here).

We spent 2 days in Tashkent, sleeping at hotel Uzbekistan. 2 tasks were due for Tashkent: Tajik visa (see details) and site-seeing. Important bonuses: hot shower and lots of food. The bonuses were automatically taken care of, after all my mother was there. We went to see a few museums (applied arts, Amir Timur, history of Uzbekistan). if you have to choose one museum, I recommend the  history of Uzbekistan which is elaborate and interesting.

“Sharq” train of 8:20 took us to Samarkand (11,000 Sum if I remember correctly, 12:00 you’re in Samarkand). Having my mum along we asked the hotel owner (who speaks fluent French, whom we met by chance in Tashkent) to send us a car. His son waited for us with a proper sign and drove us in his tiny car to hotel Zarina. Samarkand the city is not much of a looker, but the sites, the sites are something. The Registan (7,200 Sum) was our first architectural wonder of the trip (not including Konye-Urgench, Turkmenistan. And a few other atrocities down there). The three Madrassas are amazing to look at. Note that the guards would probably ask for extra money for photographing, although they let us shoot “for free”. They also suggest a trip up the minaret, for a little extra. The nearby market is nice for fruit, spices and some other stuff. Shah-i-Zinda mausoleum is breath taking. brilliant. Just brilliant. It’s a long “street” of mausoleums of different shapes, size and decorating tiles. Worshipers walk along in traditional outfits.

Next day we walked around the old Jewish quarter, which offers a look of more traditional Uzbek life style. small houses made of mud dried bricks surround inner court-yards with tiny apple trees and vines, narrow streets and playing children. It’s just off the bazar. We entered a small synagogue, led by kids we met on the street. The rest of the day we spent in Shakhrisabz, 90 Km south of Samarkand. A young taxi driver took 12,000 Sum for each direction. In Shakhrisabz we climbed the Ak-Saray palace, or what remains of it, and walked along the city’s sites. All are nice, if you have the time. the interesting thing about Shakhrisabz is not only the destination, but the road. the road takes you up to a low mountain pass, following the river on both sides. you could easily imagine the old camel caravans going through the same pass. engineeres and camels like the same routes…

Another “Sharq” took us to Bukhara the next day, where we stayed at an hotel whose name I cannot remember. But it doesn’t matter as there are dozens of varying price and quality in around the area of the old town. In Bukhara we saw the Ark, which is a group of museums in what was the emir’s government buildings. The old Jewish quarter has two working synagogues. If they are closed nock on the door across the street, the Shamash lives nearby. The madrassas of the city, and so it’s bazars have turned into tourist souvenir shops, selling anything from Suzanne, traditional instruments, carpets, marionettes and whatever you can think of. Mum bought a Suzanne with 2 pillow cases for 120$. I have no idea if that’s a good price or not, but the negotiations started at 300$…

Next we headed to Khiva, in a shared taxi (30,000 Sum each, 5 hours). Hotel Islambek here. Khiva was very different than Samarkand and Bukhara. It is a city-museum, with locals living within. Every possible corner here is also used for selling you anything under the sun. the real magic here was walking into the living Khiva, where locals live in original houses, growing food in small gardens along the roads. The flagged poles signify grave-yards. Some skulls are actually visible.