Back to The Future!!!
What an arrival into Uzbekistan!!! The lovely state-run Uzbekistan Airways flew us in on a gorgeous Boeing 777-ER (Thanks for such a comfortable ride, Dad!) over the breath-taking Pamir and Tian Shan mountain ranges. It’s really quite shocking to continue to look out your window hour after hour and see giant, snow-capped mountains and enormous spanning deserts. All in the same area…..WOW!!
We got off the plane expecting to see someone with a sign and our names but there were some miscommunications and we were on our own. Now….after this much travelling we should be able to handle this just fine, right? Well, it’s always a new adventure and we had to fend off a few shady Russian taxi mobsters before successfully talking a taxi driver down from $20 to $5. Not knowing the city is always a bit stressful when getting into an unknown taxi, so it was even a bit more stressful when the taxi didn’t start, our driver had to do a push-start, and we had to coast through stop lights due to a completely burnt out clutch. Not too stressful and quite funny!! We got to our hotel unscathed and after confirming only overpaid for the taxi by about $2. Hey….well at least we didn’t pay $20 (good reconnaissance, Becca!!)
Our home for the next week…Hotel Raddus JSS…located in the modern section of Tashkent built after the 1966 earthquake. It was quite a nice stay and included breakfast but cost $40 a night….gosh we wish we were still paying SE Asia prices. Positively, the hotel was located in a quaint neighborhood with beautiful homes featuring gorgeous Central Asian woodwork and a cozy courtyards. It was also a few blocks from the Metro (you know how we love public transport) and we used that to our advantage since picking up a taxi in Uzbekistan is a bit different than anywhere else in the world. Just a quick synopsis….you walk to the side of the road, wave your hand, and ordinary cars line up to negotiate with you. These aren’t taxis, folks, they are just guys driving around the city doing nothing and figure why not pick up someone and make a few bucks. Now..imagine you speak no Russian or Uzbek (they all speak both)…how would you communicate without a map? Yea…it’s tough. One piece of advice….find the nicest hotel, walk inside like you live there, and ask them to arrange a taxi for you. It worked a few times but really the train is much better! We were tremendously impressed with this Metro system. Although not as modern as Hong Kong or efficient as The EL (yea…right!) this is true Soviet engineering mixed with beautifully crafted subway (each of the 36 honors a specific Uzbek whom is famous for something) stations, of course by the Uzbeks not Russians. These stations are so beautiful in fact, that you can’t take pictures….well, that’s not really the reason as they were initially built as subterranean bomb shelters in case of (you know) WW III. Guess they still want to keep people guessing so they still won’t let you take pictures.
So our main objective of being in Tashkent a week prior to the start of our Silk Road Adventure was to obtain the necessary VISA’s for the rest of the Silk Road countries. We had two on our list, Kyrgyzstan and China. Working with both Consulates would turn out to be an eduation in the polar opposites of bureaucracy. Initially, we enlisted the help of our soon-to-be (more personal info to follow) Silk Road guide, Babur. This is really a necessity (no matter what the guidebooks say) in obtaining paperwork in a city like Tashkent. OK….let’s tackle an additional entry into China first. After shuttling around to multiple would-be locations with Chinese flags we finally made it to the Consular Section. Can you imagine if we had to accomplish this without native speaking assistance? Upon arrival we are issue the formal Chinese response….complete paperwork, return paperwork, wait 7 days, then receive VISA. Wait a minute we are Americans….we will pay more for everything…can’t we just increase the fee and get it sooner??? Sure that will be a 200% increase for one-day service…..OUCH!! While we are filling out the paperwork let’s shuttle over to the Kyrgyz Embassy and see what their process entails. After two quick stops and the time it’s taken you to read this sentence we had our Kyrgyz Visa for under $50 a person. After the Chinese Consulate counted our small fortune paid we had our final Silk Road VISA and could relax knowing that we won’t (crossing our fingers) have to obtain another stressful VISA for a few months.
As we finally got to take a breath and experience the city of Tashkent we were pleasantly surprised by many things. First, the diversity of this city (let alone Uzbekistan as a whole) is quite something and as we will (you will too) come to learn its history, we now know why. Persian, Arab, Chinese, Mongolian, Turkic, and European cultures have all passed through this crossroads of the world and left their indeliable mark. You see it in the eyes, hair, language, and religion of everyone that passes you by. This is by far the most diverse culture we have experienced thus far in our Asian journeys.
Secondly, the style of the city took us by surprise!!The Soviets have, unfortunately, left these gorgeous people stuck in the 1980’s. Don’t get us wrong….it’s not just the architecture because Uzbekistan has done a tremendous job of revitalizing their national pride in buildings and monuments since their independence in 1991…in all actuality, its the fashion, hairstyles, music and cars… all frozen in time since the days of Marty McFly. Picture some of the prettiest women you’ve seen walking down the street with teased bangs, black-and-white stockings, and layered neon tank tops. Now…picture very attractive men with over-gelled bangs, Risky-Business sun glasses, and dark acid-washed jean jackets…that’s a pretty good snapshot of what is currently(!!) dominating the fashion trends here. We have to admit it is primarily the 1 million Russians still residing in Tashkent that are contributing to this phenomenon. Through our interactions with many native Uzbeks by the time we return (who knows when that will be?) we anticipate dramatic improvements…As a self-deprecating side note…it’s not like the zip-off, parachute pants and hiking boots that we are wearing are helping the situation…..HAHA!! Last but not least, we were completely excited about our initial forays into Uzbek cuisine (descriptions to come later) and really looking forward to experiencing the gamut of shashlyks, soups, salads, and breads as we took off on the road with our trusty guide, Babur and steady driver, Mr Abdur-Rashid. Let’s get on the GOLDEN ROAD OF SILK!!!
Wait a minute….. First, we had to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary in true Uzbek style. How about a trip to the local ballet? What a great idea and a budgetary decision as it only cost us a total of $3….yea, we know….cheapies!! The ballet was held in the Alisher Navoi Theater, a gorgeous structure built with local Uzbek materials of marble, gypsum, and stone. The love story acted out was very appropriate (only kidding) as it was a love triangle documenting the history of Afrosiab (now called Samarkand), a city we would be visiting very shortly. Interesting performances and elaborate set designs more than provided enough romance for us after what has felt like a short 4 years……although the last 3 months…well, enough said!!
Tags: Silk Road, Travel, Uzbekistan
Jeff and Becca
Your experiences getting to and around Tashkent are priceless…you two are becoming seasoned travels.Uzbekistan sounds like diversity is the unique feature…what a fantastic path you two have chosen..nothing will ever be the same to you after the cultural and social diversity you are experiencing.
I will bet there is no one that shared their 4th anniversay at the Russian ballet…when Sept. comes around 8 months will have flown by also…..