Unbelievable Uzbekistan

Despite the sadistic behaviour of some of the Uzbek border guards we were ready to be impressed with Uzbekistan and we weren’t disappointed. The sun was setting over the desert as we arrived showing off the landscape to its best advantage, even the graveyards looked stunning.
Uzbekistan has the dubious honour of being a double land-locked country ie not only does it not possess a coastline but none of the countries it borders have a coastline either. Sand might be plentiful, but seaside holidays are not really an option for the average Uzbeki person.

We had three classic Silk Road cities on our journey through Uzbekistan, each one as incredible as the previous one. From Khiva and its mud walled inner city in the north, through Bukhara with the Kalon minaret that so impressed Genghis Khan when he came this way that it was virtually the only building he didn’t raze to the ground in the whole of Central Asia and then the incomparable Samarkand with the blue-tiled splendour of the Registan, probably the best known monument in this part of the world.

We wandered through these cities and also had guided tours to really appreciate them, learning about medrasses, mosques and mausoleums as well as the great Timerlane. The roads were variable with some serious gravel, loose dirt and mud in the north where there appears to be 60 miles of continuous road works, not too bad to ride on an adventure bike but the unpredictable swerving of the lorries and cars around us made it more perilous. The infamous Uzbek speed traps on the roads didn’t blunt our enjoyment as we all managed to avoid their clutches, except Al who talked his way out in true Geordie style.

Some riders even bribed guards to climb the impossibly steep steps of the minarets and get the ultimate views with their cameras. We also came across other bike travellers including the Italians and the Scousers in Bukhara. A sense of camaraderie always develops as we swapped stories about our exploits to reach this far-flung part of the planet.

The money is almost comical as the exchange rate is almost 4,000 Uzbek Som to the pound, but they don’t have many large denomination notes and so every transaction involves a big wad of banknotes. Changing £100 found us stuffing money into every pocket available.

Due to a spat with neighbouring Tajikistan, some of the borders were closed at short notice (not an uncommon occurrence in the ‘Stans) and so we had to change our route and head south out of Samarkand to the frontier post near Denav. A beautiful ride in itself though it did mean that we would be missing the infamous Tunnel of Doom that had awaited us in the Fan Mountains of northern Tajikistan. For some, it was a disappointment to miss such a challenge, but for others a relief not to be facing that high altitude obstacle.