Hidden Jewel Of Asia – Uzbekistan

The day before we embarked on our journey to Uzbekistan ,I went to collect a document from my hospital. I was desperately trying to get it over with, as I had lots of last minute errands to run. The doctor in the office asked me why I was in such a tearing hurry. I told her ‘I am leaving for Uzbekistan tomorrow. Surprised, the doctor asked, ‘Where is Uzbekistan? I have never heard of such a place!’ This is the extent to which the country of Uzbekistan is hidden. Normally, travel means going to America, Europe, Wild Africa and the Exotic Far East. A country,  somewhere in Central Asia, is unlikely to attract the attention of a normal tourist.

Google will provide you with all the usual information such as its size, weight, length, breadth,  age, history and much more. I leave it to you to browse the net and  fill in the details.

In our stay of 10 days, we visited Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand and Tashkent. Four of us  – self, wife, daughter and son – in – law – travelled extensively by car from one place to another. I love travelling by car for many reasons. Firstly, it is very private and comfortable. You can stop where and when you want. It’s door to door, no check in ,waiting in airports, railway stations, lugging suitcases etc. We are not unnecessarily time bound. You can talk endlessly with the local driver, watch the country side unfolding as you travel and so on.

Khiva was first a sea, many aeons ago and then a desert with many lakes. As a result many of the lakes are salty. The soil is not suitable for plants but we saw a large number of flowering plants everywhere. We were told that the soils has to be washed and cleaned before anything can be gown. So, they plant fully grown flowering plants and change them when they wither away. Most of the madrasas which are beautifully tiled in hues of blue and green, have been turned into hotels. We were fortunate to have stayed inside the citadel area. Walking around this charming citadel, you get to see amazing sights; a huge kiln where a variety of bread is being baked, (we ate one hot off the oven and it was mouth wateringly delicious), shops selling long Ikat kaftans, traditional puppets and wonderful glazed blue pottery.  

In Bukhara, we saw Job’s mausoleum, a unique structure. Here, interesting bit of trivia, Job is called Ayub. A miniature artist  painted flawless miniatures as he sat selling his work, and the intricately carved knives reminded one of the mystique of these ancient places along the old silk route.

In Samarkhand,our favourite place was the Shikhar Zinda, which also has the fabulously carved gates of Jannat; a peaceful place filled with a holy, almost spiritual aura.

Babur, founder of the “Moghul Empire” was born on 14 February 1483 in the city of Andijan, Fergana Valley, contemporary Uzbekistan. Located 350 Km East of Tashkent.

The people speak Uzbek, Russian and Tajik. English is very rare and one has to use Google translator frequently. Be prepared. My Russian which I picked up 45 years back was quite rusty. When I tried speaking, it often caused laughter and great amusement  but it came in handy and helped to break  the ice.

The most striking feature of  Uzbekistan is their cleanliness. Starting with Khiva which is a one horse town to Samarkand and Tashkent, their towns and cities are extremely clean and well maintained. I did not find a single cigarette butt or any kind of litter on their roads, market places, restaurants and parks The towns are beautifully well laid out with broad roads, walkways, with long avenues of tall trees, innumerable parks and gardens. The city landscape is dotted with stately buildings from the Soviet era to modern post independence structures. The overall image is one of meticulous town planning, with care taken to maintain absolute cleanliness. It was a pleasure seeing an Asian country (both its urban and rural areas) surpass any Western one. It is very rare to find policemen on their streets.

Dustbins have been placed everywhere in the city,prompting the public to drop the litter in them.This idea ,I am told was introduced a decade ago and it has benefited everyone.The result is visible. All their drains are well maintained and clean. It was a pleasure to see a well laid out and absolutely clean drainage system.

Important city landmarks are lit up every night and this makes for an amazing sky line . There are also decorative lights all along the main roads that add to the beauty of the city at night, especially in Tashkent.

I did not see any beggars during our stay. The existence of a joint family system ensures that all the members of the family are looked after. Social responsibility extends to housing, feeding and clothing the less fortunate,the infirm and the aged. There are no stray animals to be seen anywhere.

The Uzbeks are an extremely proud and honest people. They refuse any tips if they feel they have not earned it. I found them very polite and helpful in their interactions.

Their remarkable cuisine, of course, deserves a mention. Kebabs, Plov (Pulav), Achichuk (Tomato Onion Salad), Samsa (Samosa) , Manty (Dumplings), Lagman (Meat Curry) ,Shivit Oshi (Green Noodles) are just some dishes of their cuisine that are worth trying. They also have a variety of the most delicious breads that I have ever tasted!Their restaurants offer fine dining in every sense of the word. The cost is extremely reasonable. Alcohol is easily available and is inexpensive when compared to Bangalore. You must try their Cognac.

Uzbekistan is reputed to be the most peaceful country among all the Stans.

GM’s Chevrolet cars dominate the streets. 94% of their cars sold in 2022 were Chevrolets. It’s very rare that one sees two or three wheelers on their streets. Taxi apps such as Yandex provide very good service. It’s faster and cheaper than our Uber.

Bollywood and their heroes and heroines are hot currency. Raj Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor and the Khans are very popular and so is Mithun Chakraborty! Uzbeks have a special corner for Indians as they love Bollywood movies.

Our routine was very simple; we would go on  a guided tour till 2pm and  thereafter unwind in one of their good joints over chilled beer,salads and delectable Uzbek fare. After a refreshing siesta we were ready once again to explore the culinary scene. There are a number of good restaurants to choose from. It helps to do a bit of research and select. The weather in mid April was just right – not too cold or too hot, with just anip in the air in the mornings and late evenings.

It is very simple to obtain an  e Visa on line. The procedure is smooth. It is issued on line and sent by email after a week or so. Uzbek airways provides good connectivity from Delhi and internally.

At the end of 10 days we had seen all that had to be seen,thoroughly enjoyed Uzbek hospitality and returned home with very happy experiences.

We were very fortunate to engage ‘Advantour.Com’ – tour operators specializing in Central Asia Silk Road travel for all our logistics and travel arrangements. Special thanks to Shavkat Khodjaev, Alyona Kovalyova, Farrukh Khalmurzaev, Marat Askarov for coordinating our travel.

They did a wonderful job and met all our requirements. Talkative Kamal drove us from Khiva to Bukhara and to Samarkand. He spoke non stop in Uzbek. It was totally one sided. Daler took us from Samarkand to Tashkent. He spoke in broken English and was able to communicate well with us.

We were provided three pleasant and knowledgeable English speaking guides. Mrs Saida in Khiva, Mrs Mahsuma in Bukhara and  Mrs Valentina in Samarkand. All of them were a storehouse of information, stories and anecdotes. All in all, they made our city tours extremely interesting and kept us engaged throughout the time we were with them.