Travelfood

Ever since I saw the TV series Silk Road, I have been fascinated by the great civilization of Central Asia. There is no doubt that during the dark Middle Ages of Europe life was much more developed on the plains of the Silk Road. During my visit in Samarkand, the guide told me that the local scientists knew with the help of a huge observatory that the world was round long before Columbus was even born. During the last decades the region has nevertheless been under the influence of the Soviet Union and apparently up until now Uzbeks have forgotten about their great past and what opportunities that could rise with tourism. 

When I started to seriously plan my trip to Samarkand, I quickly understood that I would need a local to arrange the details of the trip. With the help of Internet I found someone who arranged the hotels, the internal train trips, the guide and all formal papers for a small fee. When arriving to the airport, formalities took a longer time than usual and it is important to report all the currencies exactly as they are expected on the forms. Upon departure it was revealed that I had foreign bank notes not accounted for and they were “confiscated”. After my arrival everything worked well, though. The Registan train trip from Taschkent to Samarkand was comfortable and the plains and snow-peaked Pamir mountain range looked stunning through the train window.

It is easy to find Internet pictures of the beautiful mosques of Samarkand, such as Zibi Mahd. I guarantee that the real views of those buildings are more stunning than the pictures! At least in March there were few other tourists than myself in Samarkand and the locals looked at me as if I was a very exotic guest. I asked my guide what the Uzbeks think about Russians after their rule and her expression told me more than her non-existing verbal answer. Also in the capital Taschkent there were young Uzbeks stopping me, the obvious tourist, to ask about life outside Uzbekistan. I myself was astonished by the bombastic monuments celebrating the millions of Uzbeks that died during World War 2 for the Soviet Union.

Uzbek food is in practice the same as mutton and bread. Both in Samarkand and Taschkent I saw small carriages filled with delicious-looking big bread. The mutton was tender and had been prepared in ovens for hours. The food is not as spicy as for example in India but the flavors are nevertheless tasty.

Asia, exotism, food, travel, travel experiences, Uzbekistan