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. 🍎🍎🍎