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 yesterday as we headed to Tashkent railway station to catch the Uzbeks version of the bullet train two hours down 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, isn’t that animal cruelty?
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!
Anyway, Samarkand, after meeting our tour guide and driver at the 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 I 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 I have 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…certainly not breaking the bank on this trip?
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 travelers bucket list, let alone one of an able bodied traveler, it is unlikely that a visit to the capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent appears on there. However this is me we are talking about and we all know that the more obscure a country is, the better!
Anyway, 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 this tour was the Tillya Sheikh Mosque which possesses magnificent architecture (which I believe we will see more of tomorrow when we head down to Samarkand)…
The second stop on our wonderful tour was the Chorsu Market which I think is the largest fresh food and drink market in Tashkent, think of London’s Market but on a massive 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 (I now have Uzbekistans version of a pidgin at the window…odd looking birds)…
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…
I should really discuss the citys accessibility…well it is a good job Superbunny didn’t come along as I think that the majority of our time would be spent either looking for drop curbs or on busy roads as the pavements look flat and then a flight of steps confronts you…Also, there aren’t any wheelchair accessible vehicles 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 hence there is a chance that you may end up killing yourself!
It’s a 5am start tomorrow as we head to the railway station to catch the Uzbeks version of a ‘bullet’ train (basically a Spanish TGV) 2 hours to Samarkand situated in the south where another city tour will happen 🙂
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 I am!
Now, before I start blabbing about the exciting stuff, I must say that Heathrow really needs to sort it’s Terminal 4 car park structure with regards to its entrance and exit. The reason being that, whilst hunting for Purple Parking, we visited various car parking levels, once we reached the bottom level, we were still unable to find it. Now, common sense suggests that you gradually make your way back up searching the levels once again but no, the car park at T4 requires you to exit and re enter said car park at higher levels paying £4.90 each time!
Anyway, back to the Heathrow airport experience, I think that I have discussed this to death in previous posts so I will spare the boredom this time (bar the fact that it went without a hitch!). It has recently occurred to me that traveling this way around the world i.e. moving forward through time zones is much harder than going back in time i.e. London to America, especially when it is a night flight hence today feels very much like a death day!
As I mentioned previously, we are staying at the Hotel Uzbekistan in Tashkent, one of the reasons being that it is one of the only accessible hotels in the city. Bar from looking a little outdated, it offers all the usual features i.e. roll in shower, seat plus a massive room…
As I 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 🙂
The sudden realisation that I’m traveling over to Central Asia this coming Tuesday terrifies me, not because of the actual places but the thought that we are just over 75% of the way through 2019…almost 2020!
Anyway, yes, you are probably thinking exactly why is one traveling to Uzbekistan of all places? That’s a very good question to ponder upon, one of which I do not have a detailed answer for, Central Asia seems an intriguing place to explore (bar Afghanistan?). For this week long trip, we are basing ourselves in the capital of Uzbekistan and the largest city in Central Asia, Tashkent staying in the Hotel Uzbekistan which is famous for its Soviet architecture.
During the trip, we have excursions planned to Samarkand (traveling on the almost new ‘bullet train’, yes, you heard that correct, Uzbekistan has a ‘bullet train’ which, rather embarrassingly reaches higher speeds than our IETs in the UK!) in addition to a day trip over the border in Shymkent.
Samarkand is situated along the old silk road which used to bring trade including silk and ceramics from China to Europe hence possesses magnificent architecture which has stood for many generations.
Why Shymkent? I have always wanted to visit Kazakhstan (not because of Borat may I add) and, as the city lies just a hour or twos drive from Tashkent, it seems the perfect opportunity to tick this country of the bucket list. I don’t quite know what is in Kazakhstans third largest city but the travel company has reassured me that a day can be made of the place!
Should be a fun adventure stepping into the unknown once again 🙂
