The second city on our journey along the Silk Road was Bukhara in southern Uzbekistan. Compared to Samarkand, it is somewhat smaller, and the proximity to the desert is noticeably felt: many houses are plastered with a mixture of clay and straw, a dry wind blows through the narrow alleys, making it dustier and warmer.

We spent three days in Bukhara, strolling through the historic city center, shopping and eating at the central bazaar, and spending a lot of time with the people we met at our hostel. Additionally, the city is currently hosting a cultural festival, during which we saw some interesting art exhibitions.

A few subjective impressions of Uzbekistan:

• Just like in Kyrgyzstan, a lot of construction is happening here as well. In the narrow streets, sacks of cement are piled up, and late into the night, you can hear grinding machines screaming from the backyards and see men distributing mortar or removing debris with their bare hands.

• Tea is consistently drunk from small bowls. I don't think I've seen a single cup with a handle in all of Uzbekistan.

• The Uzbek language is very

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/xxx/bukhara-drei-tage-in-der-wuestenstadt-an-der-seidenstrassehttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/xxx/bukhara-drei-tage-in-der-wuestenstadt-an-der-seidenstrasseThu, 25 Sep 2025 15:08:00 GMT39.768082764.4555769My personal highlight: the Shahi-Zinda complex. A collection of mausoleums, whose facades are so beautifully decorated that one hardly knows where to look first. The colors, the ornaments, the play of light and shadow – simply breathtaking!

  Of course, Samarkand is also a very touristy place. In some spots, you almost feel as if you accidentally joined a package tour group, following a zealous tour guide with a flag. Rows of tour buses occupy the parking lots and you can buy souvenirs everywhere. If you want some peace and quiet, it helps to get up early. In the morning, as the city slowly awakens, you have the famous squares almost to yourself and can enjoy the magic of Samarkand in complete tranquility :)

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/xxx/samarkand-eine-stadt-wie-im-maerchenhttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/xxx/samarkand-eine-stadt-wie-im-maerchenMon, 22 Sep 2025 11:59:00 GMT39.650796366.9653502

  We had a short but very intense and beautiful stay in Tashkent (Uzbekistan). After an exhausting night bus ride from Bishkek, we arrived in the city at 4 AM. In a café, we were met by an Uzbek and an Uzbek woman, who had just finished their night shift and spontaneously offered to show us around Tashkent, along with Michael and Gethen from Wales.

  Since we had already booked a train to Samarkand for noon, it was clear that our time would be very limited. Nevertheless, we left our luggage at “Larry’s” (that’s what his American colleagues apparently call him, and the name has stuck) and started a brisk march to the major sights.

  Larry and “Ashley” (that’s also not her Uzbek name) were incredibly welcoming and motivated. They took the time to tell us a lot about their city and made us truly feel at home in Uzbekistan. Together, we visited the Independence Square, the Uzbekistan Hotel, the central market, and a grand mosque. To finish off, we went to eat Plov. This traditional rice dish is prepared in gigantic pots and apparently originates from Uzbekistan. It was super delicious!

  With a heavy heart, we said goodbye to our new friends at noon and boarded the train to Samarkand. And yes, complaining about Deutsche Bahn is overdone, so here’s just a small list of things the Uzbek railway does really well:

  • The train was already at the platform half an hour before departure, allowing for a relaxed boarding.
  • The seats were very spacious.
  • There was Wi-Fi.
  • We received a free snack and drinks, even though we only traveled for 2 hours.
  • We arrived punctually in Samarkand.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/xxx/in-7-stunden-durch-taschkenthttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/xxx/in-7-stunden-durch-taschkentSat, 13 Sep 2025 19:24:00 GMT41.299495869.2400734I have had more pleasant flights before, but I arrived in Aktau relatively on time at 3 am. The taxi driver wanted €25 for the ride to the hostel; of course, I knew beforehand that it was way too much. At the information desk, they told me that €5 is the standard price. I managed to bargain him down to €8, as I didn't feel like arguing more in the middle of the night. From now on, I had to be careful again; it had been no problem at all in South America over the last 8 months. After getting some rest, I went to explore the city in the afternoon; pure Eastern Bloc vibe. There’s no city center, and everything is quite spread out. A nice little hiking trail runs along the cliffs to the south of the city. A sight to see is a panel building topped with a lighthouse, which says a lot. For dinner, I had a typical delicious borscht (beet soup), dumplings, garlic bread, and a large juice for just €7.

  

  

  

  

  

  Since there was no direct train to Nukus (Uzbekistan), I initially booked a train to the border at Beyneu. However, it turned out that there are currently no buses crossing the border because the crossing is closed; only trains are allowed to pass, and the next border is 2 days away by train or bus. Therefore, all the next trains were fully booked, so I guess I'll have to spend two days in a desert town where there isn't much to do. In Aktau, I had to first take care of my SIM card; I couldn’t activate it at the airport at night, and in the telecom shop, they could only issue me a new card. While I was able to activate it, I couldn't top it up with my credit cards. As I needed internet for taxis, I had to resort to the slightly more expensive e-SIMs. After that, I went north in the city, where there are a few war and military memorials and a monument of the eternal flame to honor the victims of WWII. The beach promenade here is also very beautiful, but that’s about it; I still went to a restaurant (this time I had sushi for €8) and then went to bed.

  

  

  

  The next morning my train departed towards Beyneu. On the way to the station, there was a surprise; a new train was opened for booking, of course, directly from Aktau to Nukus with a stop in Beyneu. Since I already had the ticket for that current train, I went to Beyneu, spent the day around the station, and then boarded the train to Uzbekistan at 3 am. The train in Kazakhstan was super modern, the beds were comfortable, there was air conditioning and the toilets were clean, but the train to Nukus was unfortunately the complete opposite. Even at the station, the conductor collected all the passports to redistribute them 20 minutes later. Then came the border officers who stamped the passports and checked the luggage. When I was in bed, it was already 5 am, and by 6 am we were at the border, so I had to get up again and wait for the border officials. I had to open my backpack for the second time, it wasn't really checked and after two questions about my origin and travel route, the conversation was over. After another 30 minutes, I received my passport back, including the stamp. The officers inspected the train quite intensively, both inside and outside; occasionally they dismantled the covers of the train and shone mirrors inside. Finally, at half past seven, we were able to continue, but I couldn't sleep for too long since at some point the two kids who were sharing the compartment with me woke up and needed their mother, pure railway romanticism!

  

  

  

  In Nukus, I went straight to the hostel, which made a great impression; I had the 6-bed room all to myself. I went to a nearby restaurant, where I had two stuffed breads, pilaf (rice with lamb), and a cola for just €3. The prices here are more than fair. Nukus, like Aktau, is a very young city without a historical center, but it is even prettier than Aktau. As it is the regional capital of Karakalpakstan, there are some nice government buildings to see. Additionally, there’s a pleasant little promenade by the river where locals ride the Ferris wheel, play ring toss, or other fairground-style games in the evenings. The nice market was explored by me the next day, calm like in Europe, with Asian-looking people, exotic fruits, and Arabic spices, a really great mix. I got filled dumplings for 30 cents, a lemonade for 14 cents a glass, and a 5-minute taxi ride also only costs 30 cents; if this continues, I could go to Antarctica again :)

  

  

  

  I usually don’t have much to do with art, but the Savitsky Art Museum was highly recommended to me by everyone; even Google Gemini (the counterpart to Chat GPT) warmly recommended it, and it was indeed interesting, as it did not involve abstract art but rather portraits, depictions of street scenes, or ancient buildings; I'm still not an art lover.

  

  Three nights in Nukus were definitely too much; however, I wanted to go to the Aral Sea, and since I was too stingy to pay €450 for a private tour, I had to wait until I could join a group. So at 8 am, we headed from Nukus towards Moynaq, a city that in the late 70s was still on the southern shore of the sea and was very prosperous due to fishing and industry. In the 70s, however, the water receded further and further as more and more water was diverted from the tributaries of the Aral Sea for agriculture on both the Kazakh and Uzbek sides, and so there’s only a small remnant left of what was once the largest lake in the world. From that point on, the sea is now a 3-hour drive away. After checking out the small museum and the old rusty ships, we drove for those 3 hours by jeep over the bed of the Aral Sea to the last remnants. Along the way, we looked at expanses of the steppe and the imposing cliffs that once bordered the sea. Upon arrival at the sea, we quickly dipped into the damp but very salty water. By now, the salt content is so high that one can float on the water, similar to the Dead Sea. I had imagined the night in the yurt to be less comfortable; we had a real bed and air conditioning.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  The next day, we returned, an 8-hour journey back through the desert on poor roads, which didn’t really deserve the name. Occasionally we stopped at a few historical sites like a former lighthouse, a caravanserai, or a farming village. The tour was quite interesting, but altogether, it was a lot of driving to view this sad history of humanity.

  

  

  That evening, I took a taxi towards Khiva, the first city on the former Silk Road. I had already found a taxi driver who would have driven me for €13 for the 3½ hours to my destination; however, my fellow passenger from the Philippines had a hotel offer for €11.80. I tried to explain to him that everything would take much longer, but it didn’t help. So, I completely stayed out of it; eventually, he found a taxi driver who would take us for €11.80... The saying “you get what you pay for” also applies in Central Asia when it comes to taxi riding. We had to change taxis twice, and beforehand the driver made us wait on the roadside for 1½ hours because he wanted to eat. Next time, I’ll do my own thing again. Khiva has a beautifully small old town with many former mosques and madrasas (Koran schools), but at the entrance gate, you have to pay €18 admission. Since that didn’t seem proportionate to me, I looked for an unguarded entrance and only viewed the buildings in the old town from the outside. As it turned out, that was indeed the right choice, as most mosques and Koran schools are no longer in use today due to religious prohibition during the Soviet regime. Most people are still Muslim, but not so active or conservative as elsewhere, which is why there aren’t many religious buildings needed. In most of the buildings, locals sell souvenirs, which I didn’t want to buy anyway.

  

  

  

  

  

  Bukhara was the next city on the Silk Road. This city is significantly larger, and the historical buildings are spread out a bit more, but they are just as beautiful as in Khiva. This time, I participated in a free walking tour and looked at the fortress and a few madrasas. The thermometer already showed 38 degrees in the shade, so I spent the afternoons in the hostel writing these lines. The food was still good, in Khiva, I had dill noodles as a local specialty; here I tried fried noodles, which, however, have nothing to do with the Asian version; they are thicker and swimming in oil.

  

  

  

  From Bukhara, I took the fast train to Samarkand in 1½ hours. The fast train was only distinguishable from an ICE in Germany because the air conditioning still worked at 40 degrees outside. The highlight of the city is the Registan, an ensemble of three madrasas that are beautifully illuminated in the evening, and there is a 3D show every evening that tells the story of the Silk Road. The panorama is unique, with a sunset and oriental music, a brief moment of goosebumps. I also looked at the large mosque and a few mausoleums, which were all worth seeing, but after three cities of madrasas, mosques, and mausoleums, I was ready for a change since I can’t remember the historical dates, names, and contexts anyway. So, I am now looking forward to hiking in Tajikistan.

  

  

  

  

  

  In Panjakent, I initially wanted to hike to the 7 lakes, but I heard that the way only leads along a gravel road; moreover, 40 degrees were forecasted for the day, and the lakes are not situated very high. Since I met Charlotte from England and Arthur from France in the hostel, who wanted to do a round trip in the Fan mountains and the hostel had conveniently rented out camping equipment, I spontaneously decided to join their group. So, we went to the market in Panjakent to buy some nuts, dried fruits, Chinese noodles, oats, a cup, and a spoon; I was allowed to use Charlotte's stove. With the tent, sleeping bag, mat, and food, my backpack weighed around 15 kilos; I started to have doubts whether this would work with my back. Well, let’s see; first, we headed 2 hours towards Artuch; our driver offered to take us to the first camp, which we gladly accepted due to the heat, but first, we were invited for tea, yogurt, bread, and sweets. Wow, how hospitable and delicious too :)

  The camp reminded me of a mountain pasture, everything is made of wood and cozily furnished, but the food was not as good as at home. The next day, we set off on the first stage after breakfast, 7 kilometers long and 700 meters high, until we reached the beautiful Koulikalon Lake and took a break. At the next lake, we had to set up the tent and boil tea; surprisingly, there was even a small hut where we received plov for dinner.

  

  

  

  The first night was tough; the mat was not really comfortable, and at 06:30 am I packed up my wet tent and packed everything back into my backpack. With over 1000 meters of elevation, the way up was hard but still manageable; however, the over 1000 meters down were too much for my back at some point, and I had to take a painkiller. So, I decided to skip the last stage and drive back to Panjakent by car. The last kilometers to our campsite were torturous; in the midday sun, we went up a gravel road to the beautifully situated Alaudin Lake, then we had to set up the tent again, boil water, and eat noodles. The surroundings are stunning, but by the next morning, after a poor night on the hard mat, I was glad to take the car back. Camping is nice, but it is overly romanticized. Setting up and taking down tents, mediocre food, having mats or small air mattresses, no proper toilet and virtually no comfort; no one can tell me this is great.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Well, for me, it was a 2-hour journey back to the next proper road with a jeep; an impressive valley where you can see the poverty of the people, stone huts and children on donkeys paint the picture here. Then someone wanted €100 for the ride to Panjakent, but I ended up paying €8, though I had to wait 2 hours until the car was full.

  

  After returning my borrowed equipment, the next day I headed to the capital towards Dushanbe. This time, I was very environmentally friendly in an electric vehicle because the government here is buying lots of electric cars from China, and 90% of taxis here are electric. Since the driver drove like a maniac, we had to stop once to charge, but that is not easy here as the few charging stations were fully occupied; however, we found one in the middle of nowhere. 20% in 20 minutes is not much, but it should be enough to reach our destination.
  Dushanbe itself is completely dazzling, many monuments, representative buildings, parks, new houses, and fountains—many, many fountains. For a city that is actually located in a desert, it’s quite a waste of water that they seem to indulge in here. Generally, the city is very clean, at least in the city center, and you can notice that the air is clean due to the many electric cars, even on a 6-lane expressway, and it does not smell like exhaust; you can still converse normally. But it’s good that in Germany we remain 'technologically open' and continue subsidizing gas and petrol; great!

  

  

  

  

  

  

  In the meantime, I found a group to join for the Pamir Highway, so after two days in Dushanbe, I was set for a 10-day road trip across the Pamir Highway towards Osh in Kyrgyzstan.
  The first day was supposed to start with problems; our SUV made a poor first impression upon pick-up, and I was already wondering if it would make it?! The question was quickly answered; after 2½ hours, we stood with a coolant issue and possibly a motor problem in the desert and waited for 3 hours for a replacement vehicle. The hose from the radiator to the engine had burst; since the gauges in the car stopped working, our driver drove until the engine made strange sounds and it smelled burned inside the car. We passed the time observing the packed cars or the shepherds sitting in the sun at almost 40 degrees without phones or books; what do you think about all day long in this wasteland? I would go insane!

  

  Just before nightfall, we arrived at the first military checkpoint, but everything was easy; we had to show our passports, and our driver had placed some cash among our photocopied passports, after which we were allowed to continue. The roads were surprisingly good, so it wasn’t too bad that we had to drive in the dark. Only the soldiers in their camouflage and rifles were difficult to recognize on their patrols by the roadside. With three hours of delay, we reached the first accommodation, beautifully located by a river. Since the Tajik president was in the area due to the national holiday, we had to stay here until 2 pm the next day and weren’t allowed to leave the premises. I still tried it and was promptly invited for tea and chocolates by the policemen, but after a nice conversation, I had to go back to the hotel. With another 5 hours delay, we then continued to our next destination, but the Tajik president was not the last to thwart our plans.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/su-di-du-lich/die-alte-seidenstrassehttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/su-di-du-lich/die-alte-seidenstrasseTue, 15 Jul 2025 05:49:00 GMT41.37749164.585262https://vakantio.de/en/blog/weitergutpfad/usbekistan-2-nach-buchara-und-der-westen-20102024https://vakantio.de/en/blog/weitergutpfad/usbekistan-2-nach-buchara-und-der-westen-20102024Mon, 21 Oct 2024 02:43:00 GMT39.76681656026567464.4264705962576410/13/24 Flight Istanbul->Tashkent From the hotel in Istanbul, it's a walk and then metro to the airport.
  The Uzbekistan Airlines counter is the second to last in the large hall. We are already standing in line with some people for the flight to Tashkent. My backpack is considered special luggage. I finish the muesli and drink all the water to avoid any issues at security. Everything is running smoothly today, but I still need two hours to get to Gate B10 from the airport entrance. The plane appears to be fully booked. I have a window seat: how nice! Unfortunately, there isn't much to see after takeoff as we fly straight into the clouds. Only after crossing the Caspian Sea can I see the Turkmen desert. The sun is low, illuminating the cliffs. At one point, they resemble the shape of the Italian boot. During the approach to Tashkent, the main roads shine white and red from car lights. Some high-rises are brightly lit as well. The capital of Uzbekistan has around two and a half million people.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/weitergutpfad/usbekistan-taschkent-2024-10-13https://vakantio.de/en/blog/weitergutpfad/usbekistan-taschkent-2024-10-13Sun, 13 Oct 2024 18:45:00 GMT41.2864127494726869.26521584306691

  After breakfast, we had to pack up and wait for the taxi that would take us to Gazalkent. From there, we wanted to take a matryoshka doll to Tashkent. The taxi thing turned out to be a bit difficult, though. The lady at our reception didn't speak any English and the price of the taxi seemed much too high. In the end, we paid a lower price, but it was still too high. But with the matryoshka doll, metro and taxi, we finally got to the hotel quickly and comfortably.

  July 19, 2024: The highlight of today was the wine tasting at Uzumfermer. The winery is located about 35 km east of Tashkent. We were able to taste 10 wines, two of which were made from raspberries. As a result, we all agreed that European wines are better and cheaper. Nevertheless, the wines were easy to drink and one or the other would be good for a warm summer evening on the terrace.

  In the evening we went to a Lebanese restaurant where there were lots of delicious things and, despite our hesitation in ordering, a little too much. So we took the leftovers with us as a doggy back.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/eastward/31-etappe-tashkenthttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/eastward/31-etappe-tashkentSat, 20 Jul 2024 16:32:00 GMT41.299495869.2400734

  Today we took a taxi to Amirsoy, a winter sports resort near Chimgan. After a short detour just before our destination, we finally reached the resort. The complex is at an altitude of around 1700m. We want to hike a bit here and take advantage of the much more pleasant temperatures.

  07/15/2024: Today we met a family from Uzbekistan at breakfast. We had a great and long conversation with them, so that the morning was almost over when we parted ways. It is these kinds of encounters that make a vacation really interesting, something you remember for a long time. We spent the afternoon mainly reading and resting. The cold we had caught was still having an effect, even though it had gotten much better.

  Tomorrow we want to try a short hike to the top station of the cable car.

  07/16/2024: After a hearty breakfast, I made my way to the top station of the cable car. Barbara had to pass because she was still a little under the weather. The route wasn't particularly long, but it was quite steep in places. Especially when it went over a trail for downhill riders. When I got to the top, a great view awaited me. From the top station, other paths lead to other peaks and mountain stations. So you can still let off some steam up here if you feel like it. On the way back, I met two women from Germany at the station near our hotel who asked about the way to the mountain station. I think we were the only ones that day who had the idea of walking to the mountain station. All the other visitors preferred the cable car.

  07/17/2024: There is not much to report from today. After breakfast we took the cable car up the mountain to go for a little walk. The view up there is simply amazing. We spent the afternoon reading, drinking coffee and preparing for our departure.
  

  
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/eastward/30-etappe-amirsoy-usbekistanhttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/eastward/30-etappe-amirsoy-usbekistanMon, 15 Jul 2024 07:35:00 GMT41.487437569.9448125

  There is not much to report about today. We wanted to take the train back to Tashkent at 2:34 p.m. and see a few sights before then. We were particularly interested in the Mausoleum of Ismael Samani. A building built around the year 900, it is in very good condition and impressive despite its simplicity. When it was time to head to the train station, there were unfortunately problems with the taxi, which meant that we missed our train. Luckily we were able to change to a later train, although it was a slow regional train. It was already midnight when we finally arrived at the hotel.

  Tomorrow we will continue into the mountains near Chimgan.
  

  

  

  

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/eastward/29-etappe-tashkenthttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/eastward/29-etappe-tashkentSun, 14 Jul 2024 05:26:00 GMT41.299495869.2400734The train to Bukhara left the station on time and the journey was once again very pleasant. When we arrived in Bukhara, the taxis were already waiting for us. After checking in and having a short siesta, we set off for the old town. Barbara was full of energy. Today was therefore dedicated to visiting various sights. However, the temperature later rose to 40 degrees, so we spent the afternoon in the hotel. This suited me, as I had caught a nasty cold from the air conditioning in our hotels and had no nasal spray with me. In the evening we went back to the Registan, which was beautifully lit up. We finished off the day with a visit to a restaurant, with a cold beer and a glass of red wine.
  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/eastward/28-etappe-bukhara-usbekistanhttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/eastward/28-etappe-bukhara-usbekistanFri, 12 Jul 2024 10:34:00 GMT39.768082764.4555769

  This morning we took the express train to Samarkand. The journey took about 2.5 hours and was very pleasant. There was even a small snack on the way, similar to what you get on a flight. After arriving, we took a taxi to the really nice accommodation. It is run by two sisters, one of whom speaks very good German. There is also a couple from Stuttgart and a man from Vienna staying at the accommodation. In the afternoon we had a very informative tour of the Registan. On the way back to the hotel we made a detour to the Amir Temur Mausoleum. We then had a really delicious and very extensive dinner in the hotel.

  07/10/2024: After a (too) sumptuous breakfast, we headed to the Bibi-Khanym Mosque. The mosque impresses with its enormous gate, even though it has not been restored to its full size. After visiting the mosque, we strolled through the Siyob Bazaar, where we were impressed by the enormous range of fruits, spices and other foods. After a short break in a restaurant, we walked to a site where there are a whole series of old mausoleums, some of which are really impressive. Last but not least, we paid a visit to the local wine museum (Khovrenko). However, the tour including wine tasting was quite a disappointment. We later had the impression that some employees had taken an unofficial tour with us on their own account. The wine tasted good, at least a little.

  07/11/2024: Today was dedicated to visiting various sights. We even managed to get going fairly early. However, the temperatures later rose to 40 degrees, so we spent the afternoon in the hotel. That suited me, as I had caught a nasty cold from the air conditioning in our hotels and didn't have any nasal spray with me. In the evening we went to the Registan again, which was beautifully lit up. The day ended with a visit to a restaurant, with a cold beer and a glass of red wine.
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/eastward/27-etappe-samarkand-usbekistanhttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/eastward/27-etappe-samarkand-usbekistanWed, 10 Jul 2024 07:16:00 GMT39.650796366.9653502

  Today the stage to Tashkent was on the agenda, or rather my meeting with Barbara. Although I tried everything to get going early, my departure was delayed due to problems with registration. After about three quarters of an hour, the time had come and I was able to set off. Interestingly, there are border crossings between the different oblasts/regions. In any case, traffic is slowed down and the police check one or two drivers. Today it was apparently my turn. However, the check was quite harmless and was essentially limited to the questions: Where are you from? Have you been drinking alcohol or taking drugs? After that, I was allowed to continue driving. At around 1:00 p.m. I arrived at the hotel where Barbara was already waiting. At around 2:00 p.m. we were finally able to check in. In the early evening we went out for dinner and then watched the European Championship match against Spain.
  

  07/06/2024: Today we first had to organize ourselves a little and think about how we want to spend the next few days. The plan is that we will first spend two more days in Tashkent and then take the train to Samarkand and Bukhara. After that we will spend a few days at the Chorvog reservoir and go hiking. We want to spend the last two days in Tashkent again. After we had organized ourselves, we first went to the main train station to get tickets. Then we went to the Chorsu Bazaar and then to the Hazari Imam Complex. An area with a mosque, Koran school and an exhibition of the oldest Koran ever (1149). We spent the late afternoon in the hotel and in the evening we had a delicious Lebanese meal. On the way home we stopped in a liquor store where we wanted to find out more about Uzbek wine. Another customer from Uzbekistan who had seen this kindly gave us some tips and the address of a winery where we could do a wine tasting. Very nice 👍

  07/07/2024: Today the agenda included a visit to the Madrasa Kugeldash, the Photography Museum and the Timorid Museum. The subway and taxi are both suitable for trips through the city. It all depends on the destination and your personal situation. The exhibition in the Photography Museum was a mixture of photos of sporting events and Paris as well as some paintings. All in all, a colorful mix and free to boot. The Timorid Museum focuses, how could it be otherwise, on the ruling dynasty of the Timurids. The museum building itself is very impressive, although most of the exhibits are not originals. Overall, however, it is well worth seeing. In the evening we had Georgian food. While the last Georgian restaurant turned out to be an Uzbek restaurant, this time the cuisine was right.

  07/08/2024: Today we wanted to look at a gallery that offers art by currently popular artists, among other things. Unfortunately, this gallery no longer seemed to exist. We then decided to look at the Museum of Applied Arts. The exhibits spanned a wide range from textiles to miniature paintings to musical instruments. A beautiful exhibition in an equally beautiful setting. In the evening we had pizza and then it was time to make preparations for our departure to Samarkand. I can kindly leave the motorcycle and my motorcycle clothing in the hotel until we return.
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/eastward/26-etappe-tashkent-usbekistanhttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/eastward/26-etappe-tashkent-usbekistanFri, 05 Jul 2024 17:10:00 GMT41.299495869.2400734

  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.
  

  

  

  

  

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/eastward/25-etappe-jizzakh-usbekistanhttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/eastward/25-etappe-jizzakh-usbekistanWed, 03 Jul 2024 17:03:00 GMT40.125043967.8808243

  This morning, after a delicious breakfast, I set off towards Samarkand around 10:00 AM. The landscape is now very green. Agricultural fields are visible everywhere. Fruit cultivation also seems to be widespread here. The road was mostly good, so I made good progress. I arrived at the hotel around 2:30 PM. My current accommodation is a bit outside, but very quiet. Barbara had sent me some documents that I had to take care of first. Even when traveling, there are duties that cannot be avoided.
  

  Later, I ran some errands and ended the evening with the live broadcast of the France - Belgium game.

  07/02/2024: The second day in Samarkand was dedicated to a small city tour. Initially, I only wanted to visit the Registon Maydoni, but the hostess insisted that I should also see the Gur-Emir Mausoleum and the Siyob Bazaar. So the day was largely planned. The Registon is indeed extremely impressive. Images from the past showed the regrettable condition in which the square and the buildings on it once were. Work is still being done on the mausoleum. One can see that some parts of the building are still missing. After the mausoleum, fuelled by a cappuccino, I went to the bazaar. I am always fascinated by such places. It is simply amazing to see the variety of food and spices offered here, as well as everything else needed for daily life (or not).

  I had parked the motorcycle at the Registon, from where I drove back to the hotel in the afternoon. Since navigation with the phone has proven to be the best method so far, I wanted to get to the bottom of a problem that has been bothering me for a while. Although the phone is connected properly, it is not charging during the ride. I suspected the charging cable, so I quickly got a new one. Unfortunately, that didn't work. It's probably the phone itself or the combination of phone, cable, and USB port. And while I was at it, I also reattached the radiator guard, which had come loose at one point due to the various 'shake stretches'.
  

  

  

  

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/eastward/24-etappe-samarkand-usbekistanhttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/eastward/24-etappe-samarkand-usbekistanMon, 01 Jul 2024 17:43:00 GMT39.650796366.9653502

  The journey to Bukhara started at 9.15 a.m. First we filled up the tank and then drove out of the city. Unfortunately I couldn't fill up the reserve canister because the gas station attendant refused. For whatever reason. Because there were few gas stations with gas according to Google Maps, it seemed advisable to fill up the reserve canister as well. Fortunately, my concerns proved to be unfounded. The first 60 km or so were very bumpy and more than 60 km/h was not possible. Then the bumpy road gave way to a well-developed two-lane road to Bukhara. So the journey was overall quite pleasant again, if a little long. The landscape, which was still quite green at the beginning, gradually turned into a real desert. To the left and right of the road there were only stones and a few bushes. This only changed again shortly before Bukhara. Occasionally you could see a green ribbon with a river not too far away. My room is in a family homestay, i.e. in the family's house and with the family. The eldest son celebrated his 22nd birthday today and we, two women from Hong Kong and I, were invited to join in the celebrations. I haven't seen much of the city itself yet, but that will change tomorrow. My accommodation is either in the old town or right next door.
  

  

  

  

  

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/eastward/23-etappe-bukhara-usbekistanhttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/eastward/23-etappe-bukhara-usbekistanSat, 29 Jun 2024 16:20:00 GMT39.768082764.4555769

  Today, there was only a relatively short stage of about 150km to Urgench. Since I had until midday to check out, I took that time. While I was packing, I got chatting to Chris. He comes from Belgium and has been cycling for a year now. Like so many others, he wants to go to India via China, etc. During our conversation, he asked me if I could help him out with a few euros in cash. His Visa card had gone missing and he was running low on cash. He wanted to transfer the money to my account on the spot. No sooner said than done. But then I realized that my Visa card had also disappeared into thin air. So Chris gave me the money back and it took me a few minutes to think clearly again and to know where the card could have gone - the ATM where I had withdrawn money two days ago. The hotel staff had noticed the whole thing by now and after a short conversation, one of the employees went with me to the bank in question. We spoke to an employee who was standing in front of the bank and she immediately opened the ATM for us. Visa card - unfortunately, no card. We were about to leave when I asked to check again at the bank. To my great relief, the card had been handed in there. We then took a taxi back to the hotel. The employee rejected all my attempts to show my gratitude, and I was not even allowed to pay for the taxi. Reason: If not him, someone else would have helped!!!!! 👍
  

  Chris had left in the meantime and I also packed my last things and drove off. I met Chris again on a motorway-like road and we were able to complete at least the first part of our transaction. Everything else will work itself out. But one thing quickly became clear to me. In Uzbekistan, almost all cars run on gas and it is not that easy to find a gas station that sells gasoline. Let alone one that also offers gasoline with at least 91 OZ. The gas station that I finally found only had 80 OZ gasoline available. But since I had already driven pretty much empty, there was nothing left to do but fill up with a few liters of gasoline. I arrived in Urgench in the early afternoon. The hotel is pretty decent, there is a nice café around the corner, which I have of course already tried, and a well-rated restaurant right next door. 😁.
  

  The temperatures were almost 40 degrees again today. It was cloudy and extremely oppressive.

  06/28/2024: I actually wanted to leave for Khiva this morning, but then I completely overslept. After a quick breakfast and two attempts to get gas, we finally set off. Of course not without having a chat with two older gentlemen at one of the gas stations. At least we tried hard. When I arrived in Khiva, I felt like I had been transported back 500 years. If all cars and souvenir shops/stalls were banned from the city, you would almost feel like you were on a film set. There were hardly any foreign tourists to be seen either. A trip that was worth it, especially since the distance to Urgench is only 35km. I was back at the hotel in the early afternoon, from where I later went to my favorite local coffee shop for a cappuccino. The evening then took a few more interesting turns. After I had not expressed myself so positively about Volkswagen cars, the hotel owner apparently felt compelled to demonstrate the advantages of his brand new ID.6 Crozz to me as part of a short city tour. We even drove through the city at 100 km/h. Similar to Kazakhstan, such cars are apparently always bought in the highest equipment variant available. We spent the evening - the hotel owner, his mother and an employee - outside the hotel. Later, a guest from China who works for a German mechanical engineering company joined us. A really colorful mix.

  Tomorrow we're heading to Bukhara. A distance of around 400km with plenty of "nothing" in between. I'm curious about the petrol supply again.
  

  
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/eastward/22-etappe-urgency-usbekistanhttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/eastward/22-etappe-urgency-usbekistanThu, 27 Jun 2024 13:50:00 GMT41.534532360.6248891

  The drive to Nukus was quite pleasant. The road was in good condition and the distance was manageable. I arrived around midday and had time to get a SIM card and explore the neighborhood a bit. To my delight, the Savitsky Museum is just around the corner and there is also a good Turkish restaurant. I treated myself to a cappuccino and an ice cream here in the afternoon. Both were very tasty. The prices for food and drinks are, similar to Kazakhstan, incredibly low. I then visited this restaurant again for dinner, which was no mistake. There is one small downside, however. I have not been able to watch a game of the European Championship in Uzbekistan so far. Apparently the games are not broadcast here.😏

  What particularly struck me on the journey to Nukus was the change in the landscape. It has become noticeably greener. This could be due to the fact that water no longer reaches the Aral Sea due to the high levels of extraction, which has led to the well-known consequences.

  Tomorrow we'll be visiting the museum and running some errands.

  06/26/2024: As planned, I visited the Savitsky Museum today after a hearty breakfast. As in other museums, there were exhibits that I particularly liked and others that I liked less. The size of the exhibition was such that it could be easily viewed in 2 hours. Before heading back to the hotel, I went to the Turkish restaurant for a cappuccino. The temperature had now reached almost 40 degrees. I spent the afternoon reading again. In the evening, I visited the Turkish restaurant again and then watched the European Championships. To my surprise, the Ukraine vs. Belgium match was shown.
  

  Tomorrow I'll continue to Urgench. From there I'll take a day trip to Khiva.
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/eastward/21-etappe-nukus-usbekistanhttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/eastward/21-etappe-nukus-usbekistanWed, 26 Jun 2024 08:24:00 GMT42.46189159.6166312

  Today's stage was, without exaggeration, the most strenuous so far. Since I wanted to enter Uzbekistan today and knew that the border formalities would take some time, I set off at around 7:15 a.m. I had about 420 km ahead of me, 200 km of which were on the worst road I've ever encountered. It all started off quite harmlessly. The 80 km or so from Beyneu to the border were very pleasant. The road was very good and the temperatures were still very pleasant. There wasn't much going on at the border, only three trucks were waiting there and I sat down first (motorcyclists have right of way). However, the border was still closed to cars. When we finally got going, everything went quite smoothly, but it took a lot of time. The officials had obviously not yet found their working rhythm. Entering Uzbekistan was similarly smooth, but here too it took a while until all the formalities were completed. The officials on both sides were correct and very nice. The condition of the roads suddenly went from very good to abysmal. To defend the Uzbeks, I must say that they are currently building a completely new road. Then the misery here should end. But even bad roads have their advantages. The reserve light only started to light up after 414km. A new record with a consumption of around 3.3 litres/100km. Shortly after the border, I was immediately besieged by money changers and people who wanted to sell the obligatory vehicle liability insurance. Then there were also SIM card providers. Of course, everything at inflated prices if you didn't negotiate firmly. With a bit of negotiating skill, a lot could be achieved, so that in the end everyone was happy (win-win as the Chinese say).😀

  I finally arrived in Kungrad around 7:30 p.m. The first hotel I went to was unfortunately already fully booked. But it worked on the second attempt.

  After that, all I had to do was shower, eat and go to sleep. But first I had to update the blog. The pictures will be up tomorrow. Unfortunately, my phone's camera wasn't able to capture the beautiful street lighting in a way that was even halfway acceptable.
  

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/eastward/20-etappe-kungrad-usbekistanhttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/eastward/20-etappe-kungrad-usbekistanMon, 24 Jun 2024 18:45:00 GMT43.069505658.87498040000001

  With the night train from Bukhara deep into the Uzbek infinity to Khiva, my narrow favorite before Samarkand. Very sleepy, also touristy, but much less intrusive. It was fantastic to let my gaze wander over the rooftops. And exploring the city at different times of day and night was just as amazing.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/wortgefechtsverfechter/usbekistan-khivahttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/wortgefechtsverfechter/usbekistan-khivaTue, 25 Jul 2023 06:46:00 GMT41.389507560.3414529

  Both Samarkand and Bukhara once belonged to Tajikistan, and many Tajiks are both proud and wrinkled because both cities now belong to Uzbekistan. Technically, Tajikistan belonged to the Emirate of Bukhara before Soviet incorporation, so exactly the other way around, but that is gladly ignored by the Tajik side ;)

  I was only in Bukhara for an afternoon/evening and it was enough for me. Nice, but compared to Samarkand, it is too small and too touristy. The doors were also interesting here once again! And so were the ceiling floors, almost like in Görlitz :)

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/wortgefechtsverfechter/usbekistan-bukharahttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/wortgefechtsverfechter/usbekistan-bukharaTue, 25 Jul 2023 06:20:00 GMT39.768082764.4555769

  After not even 24 hours in modernity (how beautiful and diverse is Tashkent, please?!), I continued my journey to the semi-modern city of Samarkand by train: famous for its Silk Road flair, with many beautiful mosques in a large old town, slightly hilly and surrounded by modern and Soviet charm. Even though I had enough of visiting mosques and seeing the oppressive splendor from the inside, I was very impressed by the versatility of the city.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/wortgefechtsverfechter/usbekistan-samarkandhttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/wortgefechtsverfechter/usbekistan-samarkandTue, 25 Jul 2023 06:06:00 GMT39.650796366.9653502

  After leaving the university library in the best possible, cataloged condition, I went on a lightweight trip to Uzbekistan via Khujand at the end of June. The only country you can enter and exit overland from TJ. First stop: the capital city of Tashkent!

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/wortgefechtsverfechter/usbekistan-taschkenthttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/wortgefechtsverfechter/usbekistan-taschkentTue, 25 Jul 2023 05:43:00 GMT41.299495869.2400734Guys, I'm hungover so this one will be less detailed than usual.

  We hitchhiked to Bukhara, the last city of the silk road that we plan to visit. It took longer than expected, the road was really bad and we got some slow rides so we arrived at night. On the way to the hostel (a very beautiful one, I sadly didn't take fotos) we saw already the landmark of the city, the tall minarette of the Kalan Mosque:

  During the next day we went to the bazar and went shopping for sweets. We tried almost all they got and settled for this:

  Right: Caramelized peanuts

  Bottom: Baklava

  Left: Also caramelized peanuts but these white things (no clue what it is) make then even better

  Top: It's kinda like sweet sushi. It's main ingredient is some almond paste, there are different nuts in there and rounded up with a thin layer of chocolate on the outside. Definitely my favorite!

  The bazar itself was in a building with a intriguing tile work:

  And one spice seller made funny towers from his spices:

  Afterwards we went for sight seeing, here are some impressions but make sure to check out the foto section!

  On the next day we went to the capital Taschkent, this time by train. We wanted some comfort. The hostel we stay here is super nice and there are plenty of internationals around!

  On the first day we went for a hike to waterfalls, 90 minutes east of the city:

  From this perspective (upper picture) the final waterfall is difficult to see but the canyon itself was a sight I liked even better! I guess after Argentina waterfalls have a hard time making an impression on me.

  Notice Hanna standing there, this one was pretty big!

  The next day we met Mara, a German woman from Berlin. Hanna and me wanted to check out a techno bar and Mara joined. Turns out it's a proper club! And it's been a blast and that's also the reason for my hangover.
  

  Yeah that's it, make sure to check the pictures. Have a great beginning of the Summer ❤️

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/laurineverywhere/our-last-city-of-the-silk-road-bukharahttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/laurineverywhere/our-last-city-of-the-silk-road-bukharaSat, 21 May 2022 13:27:00 GMT41.299495869.2400734We went from Samarkand to Khiva by night train. The trips takes 11:30h.

  This train station looks especially exceptional!

  The night train was from old soviet times. New ones have cabins but this one not. Also the mattresses were really worn out and beyond comfortable and it was really cramped with people.

  The lower beds have more space but as we booked, all of them were already taken. Anyway the ride as actually pretty OK. I listened to some podcasts, played cards with hanna and went to sleep. When I woke up again we just had 2-3 hours left. Night trains, even these old ones, are really convenient 👌

  We arrived at 7:30 in the morning and the first impressions didn't disappoint!

  We found this beautiful madrasa (muslim school) on the way, checked in our hostel in and got breakfast. Very nice one actually!

  Khiva is a special city of the silk road because all of the ancient buildings are still within the walls of the ancient city. It is completely packed with tourists and almost all buildings are repurposed as restaurants, shops or hotels. One of the biggest mosques is a hotel. It all feels a little bit like Disneyland.

  I mean it's ok to have a touristic place and I can't judge of what to do with cultural heritage but I got fed up very fast and couldn't really enjoy it. Anyway here are some pictures of this still beautiful place:

  

  We ate a dish that's common for the region, called 'Shivi Oshi'. It's green pasta, looks like this and gets its color from dill.

  It wasn't bad but I prefer Italian style pasta 😂 behind it is plof, a traditional rice dish.

  Afterwards Hanna said that there would be a graveyard for ships in the desert, a 7h ride north from Khiva. She put a couch surfing event online and actually got a response of a local wanting to join us! His name is Mahmut and we planned to go the next day. Hanna and me wanted to meet him before and asked for a beer or tea in the evening. He responded that he would go to a wedding and long story short we went to the wedding aswell 😂 It's a tradition that the bridal couple invites everyone they know. Mahmut told us it's an honor if more people come so we were welcomed guests. And damn, it was a huge party!

  The tables were full and we got constantly more food.

  Look at this madness. Everyone was already full but I guess it's part of the tradition that there is too much food..

  The good observers among you readers will notice the vodka on the table. Usually alcohol is forbidden in muslim culture but that changed here due to russian influence while the countries were occupied. So we had shots right after or before the Imam spoke his prayers.

  Aaaand there was dancing. I felt really uncomfortable in that situation but Hanna was absolutely in mood and rocked the dancefloor!

  After a short night (again a short one after the night train..) we got up early at 6 and went with Mahmut to this ship graveyard. On the way we picked a friend of Mahmut up who knew the way and drove the car.

  

  This was once a huge lake, the Aral Sea. It has a very sad story that is (if the info boards can be trusted) the biggest ecological disaster of the 20th century. The majority of the lake got used to water cotton plants that thrive here, when they get enough water. An entire eco system got destroyed. The workers there were also forced to do so, much of it was child labor. And if that is not enough the russians had a lab to test biological weapons close by which still contaminates this area.

  So yeah pretty big disaster over all. Here is the 'evolution' of the aral sea over the time:

  Buuuuut as sad as all of this is, the place makes some otherworldly pictures with the rusty ship wrecks in the desert:

  And then we went 7 hours back again. It's been A LOT on the road for one day. This is somehow unrelated but nonetheless interesting: Almost all cars here drive with Methan (CH4). Methan has a very bad reputation on beeing worse in terms for global warming then CO2 but apparently not when you burn it. It can be easily produced with carbon from the atmosphere and water, resources we have have both enough of. If produced with green energy it's a way better choice then petrol! It sounds to me like an easier way than Hydrogen (german: Wasserstoff) but is not as efficient. Read up on it, it's really interesting stuff!

  Ok back to Uzbekistan:

  We eat lots of 'Samsas' which are similar to filled breadrolls. They either come with pumpkin or minced meat, both versions are delicious! This is how they are traditionally made:

  They stick on the inside of this clay oven and get a really smokey aroma. When they are done, they are scraped off. Good shit! It's our favourite street food so far.

  After Khiva we went to Bukhara, our last stop of the silk road. We decided to hitchhike again, because it's basically just one road connecting the two cities.

  We even made a sign this time.

  When a pharmacists saw us on the street trying to make this sign before we left Khiva he said we should sit on the table of his pharmacy, not on the street, simply took my backpack into his shop next to the table and gestured us in. Then he threw the piece of plastic (that I pulled at that time as material for the sign out of a trash pile) far away and offered us chai 😂 we declined and asked for carton. He was utterly confused, asked us how long we wanted to stay in town and invited us into his home. We declined again and really wanted our carton. Finally we got it, wrote 'Bukhara/Buxoro' on it, thanked him for everything and went our way to hitchhike through the desert. We probably thinks we are crazy or something.

  Actually hitchhiking was pretty annoying this time because people so far west usually spoke poor russian and wouldn't stop trying to communicate with Hanna. She got fed up pretty fast since it's really difficult for her. Also people often think that bad understanding is just a matter OF VOLUME AND START TO SPEAK VERY LOUD. AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, IT DOESN'T HELP WITH OUR NERVES. For the next hitchhiking we'll try pretending Hanna beeing from France, not speaking ANY russian and me doing the basic conversation. They usually stop trying with me after the tenth time shrugging and saying 'ni panimayu rusky'.

  We arrived in the evening in Bukhara, it's the day after that I'm writing this.

  See you soon, I kinda start to miss home a bit!

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/laurineverywhere/more-beautiful-architecture-an-uzbek-wedding-and-shipwrecks-in-the-deserthttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/laurineverywhere/more-beautiful-architecture-an-uzbek-wedding-and-shipwrecks-in-the-desertMon, 16 May 2022 17:03:00 GMT41.389507560.3414529So here comes part 2, I'm really annoyed by this buggy website..

  The day after the Registan ensemble we did some more sight seeing and startet off with a mausoleum of an important prophet (Daniel) for Jewish, Islamic and Christian people. There was a sarkophage that measures 18 meters in length!

  

  But apart of that it wasn't really interesting for us and we went to the next stop, the Schahi-Sinda ensemble. It's a graveyard where the faces of the deceased are engraved on the tombs. Next to the graveyard are huge mausoleums with beautiful ornaments:

  

  

  
  

  

  

  We went up some hill to get a good angle on the ornaments and realized that some police took notice of us, even though we went on a path that was clearly used. As we went down the hill they were super friendly and just wanted to make sure that we are ok and not bitten by some snakes that are around there. They even had a first aid box with them.

  Delighted by the friendly police we kept on going to the next stop, the Chidr mosque. This mosque is still in use but open for tourism. It's quite an eye catcher:

  

  
  

  

  
  

  We sat down, took some pictures and listened to the prayers until we moved on to the last stop of the day the Bibi-Khanum mosque. On the way we found this pretty entrance to a bazaar:

  

  Even bazaar entries here are made with love for the detail..

  The Bibi-Khanum mosque itself is not used as such anymore and it's even bigger then the Registan! Here are some photos:

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  

  As I am writing, all this happened yesterday. Today we went to see the Registan ensemble by daylight and it's not less fascinating! I am kinda lacking the superlatives to express that, just see for yourself:

  

  
  

  

  

  

  

  Notice that Hanna sits in the left corner in the picture below, this thing is so big!

  

  Make sure to check the picture section, there is even more! And here is a link for some videos in google drive, I highly recommend watching them 😌

  
  

  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1b5yNcWCOEArVcGc5mKybRVstQYhBnm3i

  
  

  Hanna and me are boarding a train to Khiva in about 90 minutes, it takes 11h30 and has beds! It's my first overnight train and I'm already pretty excited 🤩

  So next time I'm writing is far more west, the most western point on our journey, I think.

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/laurineverywhere/samarkand-left-us-speechless-part-2https://vakantio.de/en/blog/laurineverywhere/samarkand-left-us-speechless-part-2Fri, 13 May 2022 12:59:00 GMT39.62701266.9749731We are in a city called Samarkand. Never heard of it? Me neither before and I know seriously wonder why. This looks so amazing it should be worth being on some world wonder list and at least to be slightly known. Buuuut im rushing ahead again. Before going to Samarkand we visited a traditional silk factory, our guide Siki told us the entire process and I'll now do the same with you 😋

  The silk worms feed on these sweet fruits. We ate then as well, they are pretty delicious (the fruits, not the worms 😂 )

  The worms then form these cocoons

  Here are bigger worms already feeding on leaves.

  The cocoons are then boiled here to make them soft enough to make threads out of them

  This machine rolls the threads up out of the boiling sink

  Then the threads are colored. The parts that are not meant to be colored are glued with scotch tape, that's the yellow spots in the picture above. The tape is wrapped so tight, that no color penetrates it.

  This is some indigo color (blue).

  These are differently colored threads

  Ingredients to make these colors

  And there are made carpets from it. Yes carpets made out of silk. Not cheap, especially when done in this traditional way by hand.

  The carpets also get REAL big

  And are still woven by hand. Every. Single. String. This one is wool I think.

  Here is a picture of their weaving machines

  They are still operated by hand, its very simple work. Left pedal down, pull on the string, right pedal down, pull on the string, left pedal down and repeat.

  These weaving machines are used to make 'endless' materials for sewing or scarfes.

  They also have 'real' machines for these endless bands

  But they say they don't use them so much because the noise annoys the neighbors and the quality is not as good.

  

  Some detailed carpets. The sky is made out of silk, the rest out of cotton.

  
  

  There is plenty of street food and here is an especially good looking nom (bread):

  

  
  

  Sooooo Samarkand. Originally we wanted to come here only by hitchhiking and it worked extremely well. It would have been ~7h30 and we made over half of the trip with 3 rides, never waited more then 5 minutes. But for the last 3h there was a taxi driver REALLY wanting us to get in and in the end he argued himself into ~8€ for both of us for 3h taxi (it's a shared taxi and gas is cheap here but it's still a really good price). It's probably really hard to bargain with people constantly saying no we'd rather go hitchhiking and your price is too high but in the end he proposed it. He tried to hassle in the taxi the price up again and we told him 'sto or stop' (sto means 100.000 Uzbek soms and is the equivalent of 8€). In the end we gave him 10€ and everyone was happy. Anyway, hitchhiking works really good here as well and I'm looking forward to the next time we do it!

  I took a short nap in the afternoon and in the night we went for our first sight seeing tour.

  This is a monument of a Khan (Mongolian emporer).

  Aaaand here we go. This is one of the 'smaller attractions', the Gur-Emir-Mausoleum. Here are some more fotos:

  Notice how there are arabic writings from the Quran on the Mausoleum.

  We were VERY amazed by this and not prepared what was to come.

  The next thing is called 'Registan' and was used for different things during it's existence. It was used as a center of education for astronomy, physics, arabic language, Islam, maths and other things and it is just stunning. It is an ensemble of three big buildings with their own 'backyard'. I'll post some pictures here but be sure to check out the picture section, this is just insane.

  Look at the size of the people! This thing is HUUUGE.

  Registan at night was just insane. Pure madness. We couldn't believe our eyes. And then some security guard in the shadows told us to come, we could go up a tower (minarette) for 100.000 Uzbek soms (8€), officially it would cost 200.000 per person. Ne questions asked, we went with him. The minarette was really tight and 34 meters high but gave us a great view over the whole thing.This thing is just so HUGE and there ia so much of it, it's crazy.

  I think my favorite 'Detail' is this golden ceiling in on of the three main buildings..

  
  

  Ok this website is buggy and deleted a bubch of text and atleast 60 pictures for the second time, I'll create a second entry with the rest of the content.

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/laurineverywhere/a-city-worth-called-a-world-wonder-samarkand-is-pure-insane-part-1https://vakantio.de/en/blog/laurineverywhere/a-city-worth-called-a-world-wonder-samarkand-is-pure-insane-part-1Thu, 12 May 2022 13:12:00 GMT39.62701266.9749731

  Sooo wie wir aus den Bergen getrampt sind, hielt ein Transporter an (ohne dass wir den Daumen rausgestreckt haben, wir sind einfach dort hingelaufen), der bereits 2 Erwachsene und 2 Kinder drin hatte und hinten ein Pferd. Sie haben Platz für Hanna gemacht und das Pferd hat Platz für mich gemacht. Nein, ich mache keine Witze.

  

  

  Und ja, da vorn drin sind 5 Personen. Fragt mich nicht wie, ich war froh mit dem Pferd. Ich habe auch ein lustiges Video davon, schreib mir, wenn du interessiert bist 👌

  Es gibt sogar Transporter mit zwei Pferden! Solange du auf deine Füße aufpasst, gibt es genug Platz.

  

  

  Der nächste Fahrer hat uns nach Osh zurückgebracht und wir haben diese roten Berge vor grün-grünen Hügeln gesehen, mir hat diese Aussicht wirklich gefallen. Diese Berge haben mich ein bisschen an Argentinien erinnert.

  

  In Osh ist eine Ampel kaputtgegangen und ein super mutiger Polizist hat den Verkehr mit einer Pfeife geregelt. Die Pfeife war EXTREM laut und ich denke, er hat danach eine Medaille für Tapferkeit bekommen, das war verrückt.

  Wir sind durch die Stadt geschlendert, um einen Rahmen zu besorgen und ein Bild von Mairam, ihrer Familie und uns auszudrucken, um uns für den tollen Abend vor ein paar Tagen zu bedanken. Wir haben auch unsere Winter-/Bergausrüstung bei ihnen gelassen, da sie in Usbekistan bei über 30°C nicht mehr benötigt wird. Mairam hatte damals über zehn Freunde dort und der Tisch war voll. Natürlich wurden wir wieder eingeladen. Sie wollte kein Nein akzeptieren und wir haben uns auf 1 Chai geeinigt. Das wurde dann zu einigen Süßigkeiten. Und etwas Suppe. Und mehr Süßigkeiten.

  

  Ja, das ist einfach eine andere Stufe der Gastfreundschaft. Schließlich sind wir gegangen und direkt zur Order of Usbekistan gegangen. An der Grenze gab es ein Problem mit Hannas Pass, sie hatten Schwierigkeiten, ihn zu lesen oder so, aber am Ende war alles gut. Die Grenze selbst war eine Baustelle. Ich hätte gerne Fotos gemacht, aber wenn bewaffnete Personen neben "keine Foto"-Schildern stehen, nehme ich das ernst, tut mir leid, Leute 😂

  Wir konnten am usbekischen Grenzpunkt kein Geld tauschen und es gab keine Geldautomaten. Wir (völlig überbezahlt) haben in USD in die nächste Stadt bezahlt und versucht, dort Geld von den Geldautomaten abzuheben, aber es war Sonntag und sie hatten kein Geld mehr.

  

  Das hatte tatsächlich Geld, aber es wurden nur Bargeld anstelle von Karten akzeptiert und nur maximal $5. Hanna hat $3 umgetauscht (sie hatte nur größere Scheine als 5) und wir haben 33.000 usbekische Som bekommen. Ja, 33 Tausend. Schließlich haben wir jemanden gefunden, der das Geld für uns umtauschen konnte (auf einem Basar. Regel Nummer 1: Was auch immer du brauchst, findest du normalerweise auf einem Basar..) und wir haben über eine Million usbekische Som gegen 100€ bekommen. Der Wechselkurs war nicht super gut, aber wir brauchten Bargeld, um Sim-Karten und ein Hostel zu bekommen. Sim-Karten waren einfach, aber langsam, es hat über 30 Minuten gedauert, bis sie unsere Pässe kopiert und die Daten in ihre Computer eingegeben haben, bis wir endlich unsere Karten bekommen haben.

  Es war noch immer Sonnenlicht und wir haben uns entschieden, nicht in dieser kleinen Stadt in der Nähe der Grenze zu bleiben, sondern in die nächste größere Stadt zu fahren, die wir sowieso besuchen wollten. Sie heißt Kokand. Wir sind mit dem Bus in eine Stadt auf dem Weg dorthin gefahren (es gab keine direkte Verbindung) und das Tor des Busbahnhofs hat uns bereits gezeigt, dass wir jetzt wirklich im Orient angekommen sind.

  

  Verdammt beeindruckendes Tor für einen Busbahnhof, wenn du mich fragst.

  

  Das ist ein Bahnhof. Kein Präsidentenpalast oder so, einfach der Bahnhof, und ja, es gibt hier Züge, wir werden sie morgen ausprobieren, aber ich bin viel zu schnell. Also waren wir auf dem Weg nach Fergana im Bus, der (mehr oder weniger) auf dem Weg zu unserem Ziel Kokand liegt. Als wir dort ankamen, mussten wir ein Sammeltaxi nehmen, es war zu spät für Busse.

  Wir haben an einer Toilette angehalten, die ungefähr 0,25€ kostet.

  

  Nimm das, Sanifair! So sollten kostenpflichtige Toiletten aussehen! Da es Hocktoiletten sind, kannst du sogar deine Füße auf der linken Seite am Ende waschen.

  

  

  Auch die Straßen sind nachts super bunt beleuchtet, ich habe vorerst nur einige schräge Bilder vom Auto aus gemacht und werde später bessere Bilder schicken 😌

  Supermüde von diesem stressigen Tag sind wir im Hotel ins Bett gegangen (es gibt keine Hostels in dieser Stadt, das ist in Usbekistan nicht üblich).

  
  

  Am nächsten Tag haben wir etwas Sightseeing gemacht. Junge, welche Sehenswürdigkeiten wir gesehen haben!

  A U F S E H E N S W E R T

  Wir waren in drei Madrasas (Schulen im Islam), einem Friedhof und einem Tempel eines Khans (dem 'König' der Mongolen).

  Hier sind nur ein paar Impressionen, du MUSST dir die Fotosession ansehen, das ist etwas Besonderes. Und es ist erst der Anfang der Seidenstraße.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Sogar die Regenrohre sind schön verziert. Ich war wirklich beeindruckt von dieser Schönheit.

  Ach und DAS ist der Eingang zum Palast des Khans.

  

  (Mehr in der Bildersammlung, GENIEßE ES!)

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/laurineverywhere/arrival-in-the-orienthttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/laurineverywhere/arrival-in-the-orientMon, 09 May 2022 17:40:00 GMT40.534107970.9309024

  The fun day in Ferghana was followed by a great experience. I had arranged to meet Mohammed in Niyazbotir, a village between Ferghana and Andijan. The 45 km ride there was at least partially on a relaxed side road. As a gift for the host, I wanted to buy some strawberries by the roadside. When I stood somewhat clueless at the stand, someone approached me and spoke to me in English about my bike. It was the son of the stand owner, who was now working in Dubai and was visiting Uzbekistan. He insisted on giving me a huge bowl of strawberries and wouldn't take no for an answer. Touched by this gesture (strawberries are not cheap in Uzbekistan!), I continued riding until I reached Niyazbotir. Mohammed was already waiting for me there with his bike. So we rode the last two kilometers to his village together. He told me that, just like his brother, he was an English teacher at the village school, while his wife taught Russian. When I arrived at their home, I also met Mohammed's mother, wife, brother, and son. They sat me at a well-laid table and I had to eat a lot (no problem!). Mohammed's brother in particular asked many questions and spoke good English. After the meal, they asked me if I wanted to go to the hospital in Pakhtakor with them. It was possible that Mohammed's sister-in-law would give birth today. Uh, how can you say no to that? I was already fearing that they would take me into the delivery room, but in the end, there was no need to worry and we only dropped off Mohammed's wife at the hospital. However, the ride in Mohammed's brother's Marshrutka was still adventurous. They also asked me if I wanted to go to school with them the next morning. Of course, such an opportunity doesn't come along every day! Late in the evening, I was taken to the village football field, had to take some photos, and received, among other things, a t-shirt from Uzbekistan's ecological party as a gift.

  The next morning, I had breakfast with Mohammed before heading to school. Everything was in a frenzy when the students saw their English teacher accompanied by a European. The fellow teachers were no better. After a few photos and questions (Are you married?), Mohammed and his brother took me to the first classroom. We visited a total of five classes and it was the same game every time. After the obligatory 'Good morning, teacher!', the children were allowed to ask questions in Uzbek, which Mohammed and his brother translated for me. Initially shy, the questions started pouring out later on. Of course, photos had to be taken as well. Some may have seen a European for the first time, as the village is very remote. The school breaks were used to inspect my bike and play with the bell and helmet. Both are considered overrated in Uzbekistan. There was a small snack at noon before I continued on my way. After all, I wanted to reach Kyrgyzstan today. I think Mohammed and his family would have liked to keep me a few more days, but they had to leave themselves to take Mohammed's mother to Andijan. They have given her a pilgrimage to Mecca, and before departure, everyone has to participate in a three-day course to learn the rules of behavior in Saudi Arabia. Overwhelmed by so much hospitality and impressions, I got back on my bike.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/2wheels1world/etappe-101-von-ferghana-nach-niyazbotirhttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/2wheels1world/etappe-101-von-ferghana-nach-niyazbotirWed, 25 May 2022 15:18:00 GMT40.5965130107181972.1607080336069

  Today's ride took me to the namesake of the Ferghana Valley. As the valley is relatively densely populated for Central Asian standards, there wasn't much spectacular to see during the ride. Even the young city itself didn't really impress me. It is the provincial capital, but there wasn't much to see and the city felt deserted. This may also be because I was there at the end of Ramadan, and the three days of celebration that follow are used for family gatherings or short trips. As a result, many shops and restaurants were closed. However, my host Ibrahim was very welcoming and even brought me some food from his family gathering later on. On the first day, there was also a nice family from Tashkent staying at the hostel, who used the holidays to take a trip to the Ferghana Valley. The next day, I had breakfast with them, but after that, I was alone in the hostel and even got the keys. I actually wanted to leave when suddenly two funny Polish girls, Karolina and Ewelina, showed up. Since Ibrahim wasn't there, I hosted them and showed them their room. Shortly after, I decided to stay one more night because it was nice to have funny people around who spoke fluent English. Together, we wanted to explore the city, but we didn't get far and ended up having a beer just 20 meters from the hostel. Then we went to a big park where we actually came across other people. So that's where they were all hiding! There was also a palace in the park, which is now used for various performances. And once we found out that a ride on the little electric train only costs 5000 Som (40 cents), we had to do it! Later, Ibrahim came to the hostel with beer and some snacks, and the four of us had a fun evening. Even though the city itself didn't have much to offer, I laughed a lot and will remember the time there fondly!

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/2wheels1world/etappe-100-von-kokand-nach-ferghanahttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/2wheels1world/etappe-100-von-kokand-nach-ferghanaTue, 24 May 2022 16:01:00 GMT40.3733802000000171.7978333

  The stage today was a tough one. I had planned to make it to Kokand. But to do that, I had to cross a pass at an altitude of 2200m. There was also some headwind, but I took it easy. After all, the sun was shining and I could enjoy the view of the mountains, which still had some snow on them. The first 30 kilometers were relatively flat, then came the pass with about 1000 meters of elevation gain. Along the way, I was cheered on by locals, either through energetic honking or gifts of bread and fruit. A truck driver even wanted to give me a ride and it was hard to turn him down. For him, it was incomprehensible why anyone would do this voluntarily. But for me, it was a test for the mountains that await me in Kyrgyzstan.

  Finally, when I reached the top, I was faced with a tunnel controlled by the military. I was told that I couldn't just continue like the cars. I was asked to download a translation app and two of my bags were checked. But after that, everything was relaxed and the soldiers were more curious than intrusive. But I still had a lot ahead of me and I wanted to continue. Right after that, there was another tunnel, again with officers. But they had apparently been in contact with the first ones because after a short phone call, they gave me the green light to continue. The descent was rapid with lots of adrenaline while overtaking the trucks. After a fast descent, I still had to cover 30 kilometers to Kokand. After a total of 125 kilometers, I set out to find accommodation in the city. All the hotels on Booking.com were overpriced and the hostels I checked out seemed closed. As it was getting dark, I found a hotel that offered me a very good price. I didn't feel like moving anymore, so I went straight to relaxation mode.

  The next day, I took a break and had plenty of time to explore the city. Kokand has the Khudayar Khan Palace to offer, as it was the capital of the Khanate of the same name, which had its heyday in the 19th century. The palace now houses a small museum. In addition, Kokand has a beautiful Friday Mosque, a theater, and a university. But that's about it for now, and I was able to prepare for the next leg of my journey in peace.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/2wheels1world/etappe-99-von-angren-nach-kokandhttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/2wheels1world/etappe-99-von-angren-nach-kokandTue, 24 May 2022 15:40:00 GMT40.534107970.9309024