As Saturday was our first rest day, there is little to report bar eating and drinking thus I thought it would be appropriate to explain the situation outside the hotel.
Now, the hotel is situated on a circular road system, however, instead of an actual circle, it has rather straight bits, perfect for Uzbek boy racers to whizz around hence in the middle of the night, all you can hear is tyres screeching, what a wonderful sound it is!
It was a 5:30am start as one headed to Tashkent railway station to catch the Uzbeks version of the bullet train (Afrosiyob) two hours south to Samarkand for a city tour. As with most places in Uzbekistan, the station consisted of a flight of stairs up to the concourse with no lift to be seen. As a result, we were escorted around the rear by security and into the business lounge whilst we waited for this majestic train. Slightly concerning was the fact that a song bird was locked up in a cage in the lounge with a microphone sounding the actual bird song into the area.
Soon the magnificent train awaited…
Now, the train was actually built in Spain and therefore has to comply with Spanish access legislation so I was a little confused when the train staff decided to lift the wheelchair themselves onto the train! It turns out that there is a ramp onboard in plain sight but when we questioned the staff whether we could use it, the responses were either ‘maybe’ or ‘not possible’…shows how many wheelchair users use the trains in Uzbekistan!
After meeting our tour guide and driver at Samarkand station, we were escorted around the city stopping at notable sights such as Ulugh Beg Observatory which was one of the first places where time was observed…
When wandering around this architectural marvel of a city, one thing that was noted, especially in Registan Square was the amount of ramps in place (albeit some made out of marble so rather slippy!). It seems that Samarkand are much more (well in Uzbek standards anyway!) geared up for wheelchair users, maybe it gains more tourists than the nations capital…
Another thing that one has noticed since being in Uzbekistan is how cheap everything is i.e. you can easily have a three course meal (with three people) for approximately £30.
Today is a chill day in and around the hotel before we travel over the border (and a time zone) to Shymkent in Kazakhstan.
When you think of a disabled travellers bucket list, let alone one of an able bodied traveller, it is unlikely that a visit to the capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent appears on there. However this is oneself we are talking about and we all know that the more obscure a country is, the better!
Today we were delighted to be taken on a private tour of the city. Tashkent fools you a little as the city centre is pretty small yet it does sprawl out over a considerable area. The first stop on the tour was the Tillya Sheikh Mosque which possesses magnificent architecture (which we will see more of tomorrow when we head down to Samarkand)…
The second stop on our wonderful tour was the Chorsu Market which is the largest fresh food and drink market in Tashkent, think of London’s Market but on a larger scale…
Now, the traffic in Tashkent is OK (you still take your life in ones hands when crossing roads), however, it’s just a freefall surrounding the market area which is slightly hair raising to say the least…
Next was Tashkent’s Independence Square (formerly Red Square when under the Soviet regime) surrounded by various governmental buildings, one of the things that has struck me since being here is the cleanliness of the city akin to Belarus and China thanks to the amount of street cleaners scattered all over…
Finally, it was the Museum of Fine Arts which was formerly a Russian officials house and contains over 11, 000 artifacts from various cultures (mainly Persian) and eras…
One should also discuss the citys accessibility. If Superbunny came to Tashkent, one thinks that the majority of our time would be spent either looking for drop curbs or on busy roads as the pavements look flat in the first instance and then a flight of steps confronts you. Also, there aren’t any wheelchair accessible vehicles as of 2019 which is a stumbling block before you even start! Akin to China, there are ramps but it takes a while to actually find them and many are very steep!
It’s a 5am start tomorrow as one heads to the railway station to catch the Uzbeks version of a ‘bullet’ train (Afrosiyob) 2 hours south to Samarkand situated in the south for a city tour!
Some may say just even getting to Uzbekistan is an achievement, however, visiting the ‘Stans’ has been on the bucket list for quite a while and here one is (albeit without Superbunny)!
As mentioned previously, one is staying at the Hotel Uzbekistan in Tashkent, one of the reasons being that it is one of the only accessible hotels in the city as of 2019. Bar from looking a little outdated, it offers all the usual features i.e. roll in shower, seat plus a large room…
As one booked my Uzbekistan trip through Exodus Travels, all the itinerary has been taken care of thus tomorrow we are having a private tour of this magnificent city.
