We’ve only got one day in Tashkent so we need to make the most of it. It’s also going to be hot and challenging, so we need to be strategic.
We peruse our list of must sees and plan how we will manage it.
The hostel feeds us a beautiful breakfast and we decide that the only walking we will do is this morning as it will be too hot later on. I get a kick out of the Bill Clinton book on their shelf.
We head to the Metro station nearest to us, Minor, as we’ve read incredible things about the stations. I stupidly didn’t download a picture of the metro map and don’t see one when we get inside which is a bit problematic. No reception done there to rectify that issue. We are headed to Amir Temur square and to see the Famous Uzbek hotel.
The architecture of the hotel is stoic but beautiful in its own way. The square is a square, the statue a statue but the gardens are beautiful. We see a really neat street in the distance with string lights overhead. You can tell it would be beautiful at night. We head in that direction. As we follow along what must be the site of a night market we come across a beautiful park filled with carnival style games and a giant trapeze. The sprinklers are running in the park which to be honest is what draws me over initially and I encourage us all to get a little wet to cool off.
I’m actually amazed at how green things are here given the temperatures and realize how much water must be needed to make this happen. We discover later in our travels that the amount that Uzbekistan irrigates is actually a point of contention with Tajikistan as apparently the river that flows from Tajikistan is depleted substantially once it reaches Uzbekistan. I’m not sure if that’s true or not. Something to do a little research on later.
Some of us need to change money and we’ve been told that banks are the only place to do this. So while some of us sit in the grass and enjoy the shade others head to the bank for money. The cash machines have not worked for us so far which isn’t ideal. I’ve successfully pulled money from ATMs in other countries, but not here. It makes things a little challenging but we haven’t gone hungry yet.
The great thing about here and Almaty are the amazing parks everywhere and the way they are filled with activities (and light in Uzbekistan) in the evenings. It is so hot during the day that most people must stay indoors during the heat of the day and then come out in the evening when it’s cooler. It means that the parks of full of life with games and music. It sure makes Vancouver feel a little dull.
We head back towards the metro station passing by a beautiful museum and then back down to the cool of the underground we go. I’ve downloaded a metro map so I am better prepared now!
We take the blue line and connect to the red line, we managed a connection! Go us! And get off at Churso Bazaar. Apparently ranked among some of the best in the world. It is an indoor and outdoor enormous market where you can buy just about anything you want. We stroll through the aisles of fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, eggs, baked goods, spices and more and then head indoors to the meat section. This is in a league of its own. You can buy any part of any animal you want. By the time we get to what looks like enormous beef tongue I’ve had my fill and we head back to our meeting spot and grab a coldish drink while we wait.
The heat here is truly unbearable. We had managed in Kazakhstan pretty well but here we are in the +40s and it takes its toll. We would like to get for lunch but the prospect of a 15mins walk is just too much. So we go searching for taxis. With 11 people it’s always a bit of an ordeal but we manage and head to a local Uzbek restaurant, Rayhon, which had some AC thankfully.
Ordering is always an ordeal as there is very little english and I’m always terrified we will order something beyond my comfort level. Thankfully after fumbling with the translator app for awhile they produced an english menu for us.
I should mention that we do get a lot of looks here. Not only are we white and probably not dressed the way they would like, but we are a huge group. We have tried to dress discreetly, but it’s hot and so while my shorts are below my knees or my skirts long, I do where a tank top some days and the girls are wearing a shorts and tank tops. I find that most people are understanding of us and haven’t felt discriminated against.
After lunch we go to the Hazrati Imam Complex and visit the Mosque and the Muyi Muborak Madrasah (Moyie Mubarek Library Museum), where we see the oldest known copy of the Quran. It’s pretty special and I feel really lucky to be in its presence. You can feel the history in these places and it’s very awe-inspiring. We lie in the grass in the Complex and rest and plan our next move. We are leaving Tashkent in a few hours and have seen what we want to see so we decide cold drinks are in order. Off to the gentlemen’s pub we go - which thankfully appears to just be the name of a pub.
We head back to the hostel and I steal a quick shower before our taxis pick us up for the airport.
We are off to Bukhara next where we will spend two nights.
The check in process here is very confusing. We don’t realize that we are on a round trip flight plan that heads out to Urgench (past Bukhara), then back to Bukhara, then back to Tashkent. We insist on multiple boarding passes which confuses the agents and it’s not until our stop in Urgench that we realize that we just stay on the plane and people get on and off as necessary at the various stops.
As I’ve said before, I’ve been very impressed with Uzbekistan Air. The planes are very modern and the piloting has been great. We arrive into Bukhara and it’s totally deserted except for one lady who waits to see if we have anything to declare....which we don’t.
As we come out we see our drivers which were pre-arranged through the hotel. The night is warm but the air feels nice as we head to the old town with the windows rolled down. We chat a little with our driver and he tells me it was 48° there today. Yikes.
Bukhara old town is beautiful as we drive in. The old town square is lit up and we can hear music playing. Our hotel is beautiful and comfortable and as we settle in for the night, I can say sense, and it turns out to be true, that I have one of the best sleeps I’ve had so far on this trip!
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