Tashkent I

On Saturday morning (30.11.2019) we enjoy the offered breakfast at Ibsa Hostel in the north of Tashkent. With bread, two industrial sausages, two hard-boiled eggs, and tea, it falls slightly short of expectations. Then Rango and I take a walk in the area. We stroll to the television tower and a nearby park in glorious sunny weather. Here, I am approached by Malika, who is accompanied by two schoolmates. The reason for this is not quite clear to me, the girl seems simply curious and she asks me quite bluntly about all sorts of things. By noon, we are back at the hostel, I upload a few pictures and work on Schrotti's cooling water circuit in the early afternoon. Now the hot broth from the engine goes directly through the heater's heat exchanger and only then into the gas evaporator. The existing hoses and clamps are sufficient for this. After another round with Rango, a small shopping trip, coffee, and a workout, we enjoy a dinner in the spacious hostel kitchen and then retire to our bunks.

We start Sunday with breakfast at the hostel as well. Today, it is supplemented with a bowl of yogurt. Then Rango, Marcus, and I head towards the old town. On the way there, we pass an artificial waterfall and stroll around the grounds of a historic mosque complex. Then we continue south to the Chorsu Bazaar. Here, I buy a piece of cow leg for Rango and a small piece of ham for the bipeds, which will complement our spaghetti carbonara in the evening. Then we head back towards the hostel, walking quite a long way through the city center. There is not much old building substance to be seen, which is probably due to the effects of a severe earthquake in the 60s. The city has a rather modern impression. However, a few relics from the Soviet era and the Russian Empire can still be found. After a cup of coffee at Ibsa, we stroll once again to the TV tower, but decide not to visit it. After enjoying our pasta in the evening, we head to bed early.

It is my alarm clock that wakes me up on Monday morning, December 2, 2019, at a quarter to eight. I take Rango for a half-hour walk around the block and return to the hostel around eight. After breakfast, Marcus and I go to the Iranian embassy to apply for visas. This goes fairly smoothly. Unfortunately, I left my passport photos in the room. So after filling out the application, we have to go back to the hostel and then to a bank to pay the visa fee. It's not easy to find the necessary foreign currency, but by early afternoon, we are back at the embassy and can complete the visa applications by handing in the receipts and my passport photos. In a week, 'inschallah', our tourist visas will be ready for collection. Then we head back to the hostel, I stroll around a bit with the Dicken before we end the evening in the hostel kitchen.