25. Etappe "Jizzakh, Usbekistan"

Today's stage took me to Jizzakh. My actual destination is Aydarkul Lake, which I will visit tomorrow. According to the road map, there is a nice stretch of track across the lake. A kind of "island shopping". I'm excited to see if the route is actually drivable. Regardless, there are some beautiful beaches that are perfect for swimming.

Today was the first time I didn't have a hotel reservation and was promptly turned away from the first hotel. Apparently they were fully booked. But it worked on the second attempt. Check-in was a little bumpy at first, but then went smoothly thanks to Mr. Abrorkhan Nazirov's translations. Abrorkhan is a salesman for a company that produces detergent and dishwashing liquid, among other things. And because we understood each other so well, at the end of our conversation I was two T-shirts and two packets of detergent richer.

The landscape is still very green and today I crossed (or rather drove through) the small mountain range that appeared before Samarkand. On the road before Jizzakh there were countless vendors on the side of the road offering fresh apples. Fruit cultivation seems to be widespread here. 🍎🍎🍎

06/04/2024: Today I drove to Lake Aydarkul. The journey took quite a while because the roads were in pretty bad condition in places. At some point it became too much for the chain guard, which is why part of it eventually came off and got jammed between the rear wheel and the rear swing arm. Fortunately, with a little effort and tools I was able to remove it and continue the journey. The lake itself is very beautiful and a feast for the eyes. Unfortunately, the good impression is significantly diminished by too much plastic waste on the beach. The water was lukewarm and almost too warm. In any case, it was not a welcome cooling off. When I arrived, I met a group of young men who later revealed themselves to be fishermen who live there. They were eating and invited me to join them. There was delicious fish from the lake. The return journey was just as difficult as the outward journey, although I chose a different route this time. Since I had sensibly set off without any luggage, I had to pack up after arriving. The next day I was planning to go to Tashkent, where I finally wanted to meet up with Barbara.