
And so, it was. Uzbekistan. A country miles and miles away, with centuries of history and capitals that blow away the imagination. The Silk Road. Genghis Khan and Imir Timur. Deserts and mountains and a civilization that has lived through a kaleidoscope of change. Cities that were on the natural trading routes for centuries. Samarkand, Tashkent and Bukhara. And here we were. In this magic kingdom of 36 million people that had defied the winds of time and escaped the tourist route.
We had arrived through a non-stop flight to Istanbul. Ironically, the end of the Silk Road. It was a short 4 and a half hours to Uzbekistan’s capital city, Tashkent.

First impressions. Modern, overcast and chaotic and in rebuild mode. Post Soviet hangover, New Music Hall, open squares and beautifully designed and open spaces. The omni present statue of Imur te Mur sits outside the hotel Uzbekistan. A former Soviet hotel that has been spruced up to provide a light show in the evening. The main open square by the arts and music center carries an extraordinary statue to commemorate the earthquake in Tashkent in 1966. It depicts a family shielding themselves as the earth opens up beneath them. We went to the Khast Imam complex.

The marketplace is one of the oldest in Tashkent. Linked to a myriad of canals and an old City that boasts bazaars and a different pace of life. We did sightseeing on foot and connected across the city using the amazing Metro which reminded me of the Moscow metro. Hammer and sickle tiles had been dutifully erased! Our delightful guide walked us and metroed us through this city and it was quite delightful. It reminded me in the evening of Baqu with skyscrapers and light shows scattered around. A good place to start.