Uzbekistan

Unfortunately, leaving Kazakhstan was very unpleasant. One of the border guards, a thoroughly corrupt person, sent me from one place to another. In the car, he simply took cigarette packs and sweets and told me to give him 2000 (5 euros). It was clear that if I didn't, he would send me to pick up 20 meaningless stamps. Later I heard from Lena that this depraved person wanted to drag her into his little house and only through the help of the Uzbek customs officers could worse things be prevented. But because of this incident, Lena got to know these two Uzbek customs officers a little and the acquaintance was very pleasant and very accommodating. The Uzbek control of the vehicle was intensive but much less so than for the Uzbeks crossing the border. After 3 hours we finally managed to cross this border crossing.

The next day we arrived in Bukhara, formerly an oasis trading city on the Silk Road, at 39 degrees.

We then checked into a very nice hotel in the picturesque old town and enjoyed the luxury. In the evening we strolled across Labi Hauz Square, flanked by 2 beautiful portals, and a small park with a lake. We were overwhelmed by the beauty of the old town. The next day we visited the fairytale-like places of One Thousand and One Nights. The old town of Bukhara appears to be like an open-air museum, simply beautiful. By the way, Bernd was crowned the king of Bukhara, as you can see in the pictures, and a first harem lady knelt at his feet.

In the old bazaars, which consist of vaults, you can buy very nice gifts. The next day we drove to Samarkand, which is a big city and does not have a closed old town like Bukhara. The next morning we visited perhaps the most beautiful square in the world, Registan. This huge square is framed by portals on 3 sides and looks like something out of a fairy tale. Behind each portal is a huge courtyard with more small portals, simply fantastic. By chance, we found the picture of the burning of the veil, which took place after the liberation of Uzbek women by the Red Army, in one of the many shops located in the courtyards. We knew this picture from the magazine Ketzerbriefe. This moment was a great leap from the Middle Ages to modern times. Despite the re-Islamization, which is less compared to Kazakhstan, you see few women wearing headscarves and it is still forbidden for the muezzin to remind people constantly of the prohibitions with a loudspeaker.

We also visited an old cemetery consisting of small buildings that formed a blue tiled street, reminiscent of the Ishtar Gate in the museum in Berlin.

After our stay in Samarkand, we drove towards the border of Kyrgyzstan and ended up in the infamous Fergana Valley, where we spent the night with a queasy feeling. The Fergana Valley is a stronghold of Islamists, and not long ago Swiss bicycle tourists were killed there. The Fergana Valley borders the Afghan drug trade route. The next day we unfortunately found out that the intended border is only open to Uzbeks and Kyrgyz, and we had to drive 150 km to an international border at Osh in the hardcore Islamic area. Just like in Chechnya, we again got a very nice impression of the locals. When buying seat cushions, we were invited to eat with a very nice family who took good care of us and would have gladly invited us to stay for several days. But we continued to the Kyrgyz border.