Uzbekistan's Report Card
So far the cheapest visa to get, the country could definitely get more visitors by allowing 30 days visa-free like Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Luckily the law regarding camping has been relaxed so we were able to enjoy the country on a tight budget.
Uzbekistan received a TCP/IP score of ★★★★☆
Important Pointers
People & Culture (PC)
When it comes to weddings, perhaps inviting a traveller or tourist brings good fortune because we were invited to one only an hour into the country
Invitation for tea continued in this country too. By coincidence, the three days after we left Samarkand, we had very filling lunches at locals' home
Lots of cotton fields in this country which still get picked by hand
The children from the families we've stayed with are so smart and polite. At the age of around ten they're already helping out at home, in the kitchen, or out herding sheep
It seems not everyone is taught Russian at schools, so most of the people we met we couldn't have a conversation with
Infrastructure, Safety and Politics (ISP)
Main roads and highways are in great condition. Roads in the villages are pretty dusty off-road like
Everyone is getting a new home, or about to. Plenty of construction going on throughout the country with rows and rows of government built homes
We had one incident where the military or police came to the house we were invited to. It was the first time we noticed the local feeling agitated and scared about the authority because of us being at their home
The market vendors are honest with their prices. Bargaining was never a long conversation to complete the sale
Landscape & Nature (LAN)
Our route went through vast desert and lots of cotton fields. They still collect cotton by hands out in the sun
We climbed one pass (from Samarkand to Shahrisabz) and from the view at the top, it appears every piece of land is used for food production
The weather has certainly cooled down for us in October, temperatures around a nice 25℃
A side trip to To'dako'l reservoir was a nice beach detour, although the water was low for swimming, we succeeded in making donuts!
Value for Money (VM)
Food prices are cheap and relatively similar to the neighbouring countries
Tickets to the attractions were fairly cheap and not outrageously marked up (as in Southeast Asia). We paid for the Registon Square which was only 20,000 som ($4)
In Bukhara you were able to see attractions without paying a ticket first, so we reckon we saw much more here than in Samarkand
Our cheap easy lunches in big cities have consisted of fresh bread and yoghurt/kefir. They're filling and always available
Bread is an excellent staple because it is always fresh in the morning and cheap
Camping & Outdoor Living (COL)
Camping in Uzbekistan was easy as long as we weren't close to any property
Where we camped in Samarkand, several police drove pass but we never had any issues
People are generally okay when we asked to camp near their home, but only one time did someone said no because there'll be problems. This was maybe due to the old laws prohibiting tourists from camping
One time we camped behind the rows of government built homes and the construction workers were so kind they helped us with water and collected some wood for us too. They always check that we're not cold
Return for a Retour?
Due to the visa for Turkmenistan requiring a set date to enter and leave, we originally planned 25 days for Uzbekistan. The last two cities we didn't visit – Khiva and Tashkent – will be worth coming back to.
Posted using Partiko Android