Uzbekistan

From MaxTravelz

Uzkbekistan has borders with Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. It is doubly landlocked, but includes the southern shoreline of the Aral Sea.

Contents 1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 Understand 5 Get in 5.1 By plane 5.2 By train 5.3 By car 5.4 By bus 5.5 By boat 6 Talk 7 Eat 8 Drink 9 Sleep 10 Learn 11 Work 12 Stay safe 13 Stay healthy 14 Respect 15 Contact

Regions

Cities

• Tashkent (capital)
• Samarkand
• Bokhara or Buxoro
• Namangan
• Andijan
• Ferghana

Other destinations

Understand

Get in

Visas are required for everyone apart from CIS countries. A 'Letter of Invitation' (LOI) is no longer required by citizens of most western counttries. If needed, a LOI can be obtained from travel companies when a hotel booking is made.

By plane

Tashkent airport is reasonably modern and has various international carriers operating as well as the national Uzbekistan Airways. Baggage claim and customs procedures can be time consuming - allow two hours.

• Uzbekistan Airways

By train

There are railroad connections with neigbouring Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan (and on to Russia)

By car

There are road routes from surrounding countries but the borders may not be open and there have been security problems. There is a risk from land mines in some border areas.

By bus

When land borders are open, buses run to all neigbouring countries.

By boat

Apart from the southern section of the inland Aral sea, Uzbekistan is land-locked. In fact, it's one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world.

You can travel by private taxi, minibus, or normal bus. While there are official taxis, most cars will become taxis if you wave them down. Meters are rare, so negotiate the price beforehand.

Talk

The majority of citizens are ethnic Uzbeks and most speak Uzbek as their first language, although many also speak Russian. There are also significant numbers of ethnic Tajiks and Kazakhs in Uzbekistan, primarily speaking their native tongue as a first language. In Samarkand and Bukhara, for instance, one is just as likely to hear Tajik being spoken as Uzbek. Russian is widely spoken especially in the cities. In Tashkent the majority of the population speak Russian and one is just as likely to hear it being spoken on the street as Uzbek.

In the semi-autonomous region of Karalkalpakstan in western Uzbekistan, the ethnic Karalkalpaks speak their own language, which is completely unrelated to Uzbek. Many Karalkalpaks also speak Russian.

Eat

Osh (Plov) is the national dish. It's made of rice, carrots, onions, and mutton, and yes, you will eat it if you go to Uzbekistan. Other foods include chuchvara (pelmeni), which is like ravioli stuffed with mutton and onions, manti, which are dumplings, somsas, which are pastry pockets filled with beef or greens, and soups.

Drink

There are two national drinks of Uzbekistan: tea and vodka (learned from more than a century of Russian domination of the land). Tea is served virtually everywhere: home, office, cafes, etc. If tea is served in the traditional manner, the server will pour tea into a cup from the teapot and then pour the tea back into the teapot. This action is repeated three times. Especially if you are being served tea in an Uzbek home, the host will attempt at all times to make sure your cup is never empty. If the host fails to refill your cup, it probably means it is time for you to leave. A mind-numbing variety of brands of vodka are available almost everywhere. Although Uzbekistan is predominately Muslim, for the most part the Islam practiced there tends to be more cutural than fundamental. Vodka ranges from cheap to very cheap, although the quality is questionable. Russian vodka is available in a few shops.

The one thing not to drink in Uzbekistan is the water. Drink bottled, distilled or boiled water only. What comes from the tap is very unhealthy and will almost certainly make the uninitiated ill.

Sleep

Learn

Work

Stay safe

Stay healthy

Respect

Contact

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