Uzbekistan

Silk Road Journey in Central Asia

Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara: the great ancient kingdoms along the Silk Road in present day Uzbekistan beckoned me with their historic artifacts, beautiful Islamic mosques and madrasahs and traditional handicraft treasures.  Being the centre of the Silk Road, the capital Tashkent is the most populated city in Central Asia with over 2 million inhabitants.  A comprehensive subway and bus system makes traveling convenient in the city.  A 2-hour ride on the high speed Afrosiyob line (thanks to Spain) takes me to Samarkand, the hometown of Amir Temur that is famous for its Rajestan Square.  For a taste of historic Uzbekistan, Bukara is the site of numerous madrasahs and mausoleums.  

Still in a burgeoning state in tourism development, things are quite affordable in Uzbekistan, but inflation of the Uzbek currency is quite rampant.  We were warned at the airport to be very accurate in recording the amount of money we had entering the country as it’s quite troublesome for tourists if we exit the country with more money than when we entered, part of the restrictions imposed by the government to curb foreign currency and gold from leaving the country and to boost domestic manufacturing.  The country has relied heavily on trade in cotton and natural gas especially during the Soviet ruling era and since its independence in 1991.  It wasn’t surprising to see quite a bit of South Korean investment, ranging from electronics to even an airport built for commercial trade whereas the Chinese focus on oil refinery and telecommunications.  While the majority of citizens are Muslim, most are non-denominationals with a minority of Sunnis followed by Eastern Orthodox followers.  The multicultural nature of the country can be spotted everywhere, especially with students.  I really loved how passerbys, especially kids, were enthusiastic to take pictures.  They jumped at the chance to use their English language skills (their main language is Uzbek and some can speak Russian).  I came across quite a few newly wed couples taking pictures in each of the three cities and they didn’t mind us taking pictures at all!  At an awkward 2:1 female to male ratio, the brides were definitely prettier looking than the grooms.  More on Uzbekistan’s delicious food in my next blog!