Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukara, Khiva

From September 9th to September 12th, 2023

Day 1

• We landed from Kyrgyzstan and landed in Tashkent around 4pm and checked into the Hyatt Hotel

• We had enough time to check in, clean up, before we were off for dinner at  L’Opera, a few miles from the hotel. They had live piano and a lively environment! The chef was Italian and very friendly.

• We opted to walk home after dinner and stumbled upon an outdoor opera concert at the Academic Russian Drama Theatre of Uzbekistan. 

• We followed along a main busy street that could be likened to a 3rd street promenade called Sayilgoh (Broadway). The street was full of food vendors, game vendors, young people running around, string lights, toy cars for rent, Turkish ice cream carts, VR booths, etc. It was an amalgamation of many different forms of entertainment and cultures all mixed into one. 

• Right before we made it back to the hotel we stumbled upon another outdoor gathering sponsored by Pepsi, called the Pepsi Music Fest. Again, young people filled the crowd, families with babies, people moving in and out, singing along to the songs, dancing, food truck style vendors - but no alcohol, and thus, no trash on the floor. It was an interesting experience for us to be at an outdoor music festival with everybody sober and no trash all over the floor. It was actually really nice. 

Day 2

• The next morning we had a walking tour around the city of Tashkent. We stopped at the Earthquake Memorial, a beautiful view from the Anhor Canal, the Hasti Imom, the Barakhan Madrasa and the mosque nearby.

• After our educational tour of cultural artifacts around Tashkent, we went to see what types of things the locals might be up to. We stopped by the Chorus Bazaar, Tashkent’s most famous bazaar where people were buzzing all around. All kinds of asian ethnicities were mixed inside, from buying to selling. The inner ring of the market was full of food: meat, tongue, horse, cheese, spices, animal fat, hooves, ribs, liver, brain, pickles, prepared foods, sour krauts, sausages, rice and noodles. Just along the outer ring is where you could find all your produce: lettuce, carrots, garlic, cilantro, radishes, green onion, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, cooked meats & breads, beans, rice grain, etc. On the ring further out and around you could find other necessities such as: knives, clothing, panty hose, night gowns, hats, sunglasses, backpacks, scarves, laundry detergent, soaps, cleaning supplies, back to school supplies, live fish, toilet paper, iPhone accessories, speakers, tables, chairs, bras, headphones, etc. There was so much action in that market and we had never been anywhere like it before. You can try to liken it to a bazaar or Medina in Morocco, but it definitely had its own personality. 

• We sat for lunch at Le Bouton where we were surprised by the group with a candle and decorations in honor of our first wedding anniversary.

• After lunch we went to see the Crying Mother Monument which boasts an eternal flame to honor the 400k Uzbek’s who died in WW2

• We took a tour through Independence Square, but most of the attraction was roped off for security reasons. There weren’t many people around except for the maintenance crew who were all dressed in light blue clothing and seemed to be endlessly walking around.

• After a late afternoon rest at the hotel, we took off to have an anniversary dinner of heart shaped pizza deserts. 

Day 3

• Took train from Tashkent to Samarkand, one of the most visited cities in Uzbekistan and probably one of the most popular cities to visit in all of Central Asia.

• Our first visit was to a mosaleum called Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum; where lies the tomb of Timur (Tamerlane). Alongside Tamerlane (Uzbekistans decorated historic warrior and hero) also rests other members of his family.

• The most visited attraction in Samarkand, and quite possible all of Uzbekistan is the Registan; the centerpiece of the city. We wandered through all the hallways, and even took a crack at dressing up like traditional Uzbek royalty for a photo op.

• Just a 10 minute walk from the center of the Registan we walked to lunch, which was very popular for travelers. The food was good and the view of other madrasas was stunning. The restaurant was a part of the Bibikhanum Hotel on Tashkent street.

• Right next door to lunch was the Madrasah Bibikhanim, our final tourist stop of the day.

Day 4 - left for Tajikistan

• From Samarkand we drove about 1 hour to Khudzhand and crossed the border into Tajikistan. There were many more people trying to enter Uzbekistan vs. going into Tajikistan. The crossing itself didn’t take longer than 30 minutes. Immediately crossing the border the scenery and the locals seemed to have a much more culturally/authentic/ancient/undisturbed appearance.

• Click here to say how our day/night in day in Tajikistan was. 

Day 5 - back from Tajikistan

• Surprisingly, our return to Uzbekistan across the border was much quicker than the previous day, we crossed by 12:30pm by foot.

• About an hour from the border, we finally made it back to Samarkand and went for lunch at Restaurant Samarkand on Mahmud Koshkariy street. The scenery was beautiful and the food was great also. (Although I think we got food poisoning here). 

• We opted out of the evening activities which included an observatory and an anthropology museum. We wish we had the energy to do it, but because of the food/stomach situation… it was a no go.  

Day 6

• The next day we took a 9:30am train to Bukara

• We stopped for lunch at Zaytoon, where we had the best lunch meal of all the meals we’ve had in Central Asia. Max had the burger and Hailey had the lamb osso buco.

• We checked in at Mercure Hotel and made a quick turnaround for a tour around old town Bukhara. We bought scarves, novelty scissors and a bell for Mighty Max. 

• By 6pm it was time to head back to old town Bukhara for a fashion show and music concert. The show lasted an hour and showcased fabrics and patterns of traditional Uzbek clothing and style. The lady dancers had matching outfits and hairstyles. The male musicians played during the entire show behind them as their “orchestra”

• We took a 5 minute “tuk tuk” style scooter ride back to the hotel for $3.

Day 7

• Spent all day in bed with some kind of food/stomach bug 

Day 8

• Drove to Khiva Desert on our way to Darvasa Turkmenistan

• Stopped for lunch, still without much of an appetite