Samarkand, Uzbekistan Travel Blogs

Uzbek Story: It's Like That, Life
Jan 11, 2008

... few years corruption has become much worse," he lamented. But despite the mafia, corruption, and the militsia, "the people in Uzbekistan are beautiful," he added. "You understand me what I am saying, Lloyd." He told me about himself, his life in ...

The Silk Road: Unpeeling the Layers of History
Jan 14, 2008 (53 photos)

... to the monuments of Tamerlane.  So let's dig in to the layers--this is what I unearthed while walking around Samarkand's sites. Stone Age artefacts are the clues to the puzzle of the first layer.  Genetic studies are perhaps another.  ...

Samarkand
Oct 19, 2003 (15 photos)

... remembered that (a) I was still bedridden only 3 or 4 days before, (b) I have a bad knee, (c) I'm a little claustrophobic, (d) Uzbekistan has a history rich in occurences of people being thrown from the tops of minarets, and (e) our friendly policeman had ...

Adventures along the Silk Road
Jun 30, 2008 (75 photos)

... Samarkand has been one of the greatest cities of Central Asia. It even was capital of Uzbekistan for a short while until Tashkent took over. Arriving in Samarkand, we took marshrutnoe 17 to the bazar and headed for Bahodir's guesthouse. He had built ...

Day One in The Romantic and Fascinating Samarkand
May 25, 2009 (8 photos)

... dorixona” or drug store. Fortunately for us, you can buy prescription drugs over the counter in Uzbekistan. We finally reached Samarkand and were delighted with our new modern and comfortable Hotel President. Four nights here in absolute comfort was ...

Samarkand
Aug 4, 2006 (4 photos)

From Bukhara we took a shared taxi to Samarkand. The roads needed a repavement as much as their drivers needed driving lessons. But considering that there were no dividing lines on the road, I guess that meant no rules could be broken. Regardless, we ...

Touching Down in the Uzbek Oasis
Jun 3, 2008 (8 photos)

... very aware of the poor relations between the US and Uzbekistan (which date back to a violent 2006 protest and massacre in Uzbekistan which the US heavily criticized, leading to the withdrawl of aid money and less military cooperation) and wanted to be as ...

Leaving Samarkand
May 25, 2008 (122 photos)

... Schein hat einen Wert von 0,50 Euro). Einige der stans haben ja beschlossen, kyrillisch wieder durch roemisch zu ersetzen, Uzbekistan ist aber das einzige Land in dem man das bemerkt, hier gibt es bereits einige offizielle Schilder, die man lesen kann. ...

Back on the Silk Road
Jul 14, 2009 (5 photos)

Samarqand was the first stop in Uzbekistan after a surprisingly easy border crossing.  We were expecting this to be one of the worst with thorough searches and the rampant bureaucracy associated with the ex-Soviet states. We were through and on our ...

Samarkand
Jul 9, 2008

big blue city that the Russians have overdone

How things work or don't work in Uzbekistan
Oct 7, 2009 (3 photos)

... go to the hospital. Abdullo is a fantastic fixer and knows important people in high places which is all important in Uzbekistan. He and Ziyodullo are opposites. Ziyodullo is reserved, learned, patient, full of information and wanting to impart knowledge, a ...

Our Tour of Samarkand
May 27, 2009 (8 photos)

... city more fascinating or architecturally beautiful than what we had seen in Khiva and Bukhara, but Samarkand was truly indescribable. No wonder it is known as Uzbekistan’s most glorious city. As Lonely Planet states: “No place is so evocative ...

Uzbekistan, country 118
May 22, 2008 (2 photos)

Salam, viele Gruesse aus Samarqand, Uzbekistan, Land Nr. 118:-) Ich habe erfolgreich die Grenze ueberquert, auf der tajikischen Seite wollte der Zoellner mein Customs Formular sehen, hatte keins im Pamir bekommen... Er wollte eine "Straffe", hm, ob ...

Registan
Sep 20, 2006 (1 photos)

Have spent the day wandering round the blue domes of the Registan in Samarkand. Quite a highlight of the trip so far. [Photos] Got up early for a wander round town before it got to hot and visited the Registan and associated schools (medressas ...

There's no
Apr 12, 2007

... another - and I guess that's all of us - think again! As soon as we reached the border between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, differences became clear. The Uzbek border guards actually smiled and were nice to us! The scenery changed - less vast open grassland, ...

The Verdict
Oct 6, 2009 (4 photos)

Early in the morning we go back to the police station. There are more forms to sign. I get a statement and the bike and my documents are released. We go to the hospital to have my wound dressed again. It is still bleeding and the ankle is very swollen. ...

Samarkand
Oct 7, 2006

... draft beer - I hit the same place 3 times in one day! I am increasingly finding people who speak english in uzbekistan, and tourists. I ran into a group of about 20 older americans, who were themselves a little bland, but their tour guide was actually ...

Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Sep 6, 2008 (15 photos)

... come with me...not tonight though, sounds like a good job for my next restday...maybe!   DAY 94 " Uzbekistan be nice" - Camp to Samarkand (118km) And another windy day...I know it is indeed becoming a rather boring story and today was probably one ...

Samarkand
Jun 6, 2006 (35 photos)

While Bukhara is a living breathing ancient town and Khiva is a small fortress with everything within close proximity, Samarkand is a large city where there are few tourist attractions, but the ones that are there....just blew me away with their design and ...

Attack!!!
May 5, 2005 (5 photos)

... : The opinions and statements expressed in this journal entry are not representing Peace Corps, the US government, or the Uzbekistan government. Just wanted to share with you my first experience with 3rd world diseases. I arrived at site 3 weeks ago ...

Samarkand
Jul 14, 2006 (14 photos)

... and tame. Tonight was once such occasion - there was a Dutch couple and a Swiss guy who've cycled all the way to Uzbekistan from Italy and Switzerland respectively. When we do get to go sight-seeing all we can say is "Wow!" This city is amazing. ...

Historical Uzbekistan
Aug 25, 2006 (22 photos)

... tour the next day together. Summary As opposed to Tajikistan, where I "experienced the life" there, I was a tourist in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan has a very well established tourism industry (I even saw a few tour buses!). During the Soviet time, they ...

Timur and Chaikhana
Jul 14, 2009

Oh Samarqand, oh Samarqand, how many mausoleums are in your midst?' Lots, is the answer to that, lots and lots. Started the day with our first breakfast in two weeks amongst the cherry trees (and the wasps) in the courtyard of our very pleasant hostel. ...

In search of Dario's Camera
Jun 6, 2008

... . As chance would have it, I didn't need the Marshutka #. After 2 minutes on the road, two young Tajiks (from Uzbekistan), Ismoil and his friend drove passed me on the street. They caught my attention when they starting turning circles in the middle ...

more blue domes
Mar 2, 2008 (6 photos)

... really was amazing certainly one of those building like the Taj that makes you go wow (and doesn't cost $15). Getting to see Uzbekistan police in action dealing with a drunk was interesting. I saw them trying to get him up while i went to the Internet, ...

How much vodka is too much?
Aug 20, 2005 (3 photos)

... Fleckers 1913 poem the Golden Road to Samarkand. I am trying to lift the literary quality of this travelogue.) Samarkand is the second biggest city in Uzbekistan and was its capital until 1924. Known as the golden city on the Silk Road, it was very ...

Attack of the unmentionables
Jul 13, 2009

Awoke this morning the most horrendous odour emitting from the bathroom. We'd come to expect the sewage-esq stench but this was on a whole other level. So off we totted along the old silk road to Tamerlane's mystical captial, Samarqand. As we'd come to ...

The Registan
May 24, 2008 (98 photos)

... etwas Abstand aber). Ist schon ein beeindruckendes Ensemble, allerdings nicht ganz so gut wie der zentrale Platz in Isfahan. In Samarkand gibt es eine Bettlermafia, die in Indien zur Schule gegangen sein muss, Frauen, die Kinder (ob es ihre eigenen ...

Journey to Samarkand
Oct 13, 2007 (30 photos)

October 13, 2007 Samarkand, Uzbekistan We arrived late last night and went to the Malika Hotel for a room with bath for $50; a very nice modern hotel, in fact it so nice that we were luck they had a room for us last night. We have to move out today ...

Strange things happen in Samarkand
Jun 30, 2009 (63 photos)

...    You can visit the company at their website at www.silkcarpets.net. So it was with some reluctance that we left Samarkand to travel to Tashkent. There is not much to write about Tashkent as it is a modern city built after earthquakes almost ...