As we were travelling along the Silk Route we felt obliged to go and see the Yogdorlik Silk Factory in Margilan.  This was once one of the major producers, but is now dwarfed by the state factories outside town.  The big difference is that in Yogdorlik, the entire process is still manual.

Unfortunately when we arrived there was not an English guide around for the free tour, so we tagged along with a French tour group and picked up the odd bit of information.  If my guidebook was correct, the silkworms are grown in people’s houses after being bought for cheap from the state.  The owners then feed them with mulberry leaves until they reach the right size (by which point they are munching away at an incredible amount of leaves!) then they sell them back to the factory.

The tour started with the silk being extracted from the cocoons and the thread being created.  The threads are then dyed, and various garments made from this.  When we walked into the machine room where small looms were used the sound was deafening.

There is a small shop on the site where there are various silk products for sale from scarfs to jackets.  Like most tempting purchases so far we had to skip it due to the lack of space in our backpacks.

I’m sure I could have given a better description of the process if I was on a tour in my native language, which is usually offered.  Despite it being a bit of a hassle to get there for us, and relatively expensive, if you are in this area the Silk Factory is worth a visit.  Avoid a Sunday though as we arrived then when trying to find accommodation and I think that is the workers day off so there’s little to see.

As for the rest of the Fergana Valley it is reported in the guidebooks as very green a beautiful but we never found it particularly stunning and glad we never spent more time there.  This may be different if you go off the beaten track, but we had far more impressive scenery coming up in our trip so never went looking for it here.

I’ll put some pictures up here when I get some more internet time.

Yogdorlik Silk Factory, Margilan is a post from: Budget Travel Notes - Your guide to budget travel hints tips and tricks.

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I’m playing a bit of a catch up on my blog for this post but I recently spent a couple of days in Bukhara as part of a week in Uzbekistan. I was lucky that a friend based in Tashkent organised train tickets and a small hotel to stay in so it was very easy trip.
Catching a train from Tashkent to Bukhara is no problem at all as there will probably only be one in the station when you go and catch it (unless of course you are there really early and it’s the train before yours!). Look out for ‘Vagon’ on your ticket with the coach number – this is displayed on the train on a bit of paper stuck onto the window next to the door. The seat numbers are displayed in the coach, but an inspector will check your ticket before boarding anyway. Depending on what train and class you get you may have loads of space for your luggage. I had loads of space in front of me as there were only our two seats for our table on the way down, but not so much on the way back although there’s always the overhead storage which has plenty space for oversize rucksacks.
Anyway, we were luckily booked into Lyabi House Hotel ($50 for a double inc breakfast) which is slap bang in the centre of old Bukhara town. You can probably guess by it’s name but it’s literally only 50m from Lyabi Hauz square which is the central area of old Bukhara. The hotel is based around an ancient courtyard where breakfast is served, and there’s WiFi too. Older reviews mention getting some great food here but they never served meals when I was there. It’s a good location to relax around as well if you want to sit back for a while in some outdoors space.
When deciding how to make the most of my limited time in Uzbekistan an ex-pat resident said if we were to visit only one other location to see Bukhara and I’m glad of the decision. I never had enough time to do the typical Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand and Fergana Valley route – I was limited to Tashkent, Bukhara and Fergana Valley only.
Bukhara was a lovely setting which was very relaxing to wonder around for a couple of days. If you’re really into your history you may want to spend a few days here, but if you’re in a real rush I’ve been told it’s possible to do it at a push with a same day return flight from Tashkent, but that would be zooming through it!
Compared to Samarkand everything is within easy walking distance (30-45 minutes) and it can be interesting to get lost in the back streets as well. Although I’m not a big hisorical fan normally you can’t fail to be impressed by the ancient buildings such as the Ark fortress. Buildings have been here since the year 713, with the present form of building dating from the 16th century. The Kalon Minaret has existed in various forms since 919. In the past criminals have been dropped the 155 feet to a certain death below.
Walking around the streets is quite relaxing although I can imagine in high season it’s thronged with tour groups. There’s some great souvenirs from hats to carpets, jewellery and knives. There’s also a lot of impressive ceramics lined along the streets. There are many open craftshops ranging from a UNESCO backed carpet factory and school to men forging historic knives just off the main street. If you look for the UNESCO factory keep your eyes peeled for a discreet wooden door down some steps – I’m sure I walked past it several times in the backstreets walking round in circles before I noticed it.
There’s a variety of eating places, especially focussed around Lyabi Hauz square. I never noticed any English menus whilst there so usually I was offered the usual ‘shashlik’ kebabs.
It worth visiting the Silk Road Tea House where you’ll be able to sample a whole host of teas along with a platter to traditonal snacks (and you can get some really strong coffee too!).

The notes above have just skimmed the surface of Bukhara. Have you got any additional tips to add? If so, please leave a comment below.

Bukhara, Uzbekistan is a post from: Budget Travel Notes - Your guide to budget travel hints tips and tricks.

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Whilst spending 4 nights around Tashkent and having the benefit from a local’s introduction, here’s some tips on travel in Tashkent and the rest of Uzbekistan.  There’s also some information on changing money.

Every Car’s a Taxi

The majority of cars act as taxi’s in Tashkent. There are some official taxi’s but I never ended up using them.  The unofficial ones could teach efficiency to taxi companies around the world as they see to read your mind and always pull up the minute you think of getting one.   Of course you have to remember these are unlicensed but going by the friendliness of most people we met I would imagine the problems encountered are few and far between.

When you walk along the street next to the road and hear on horn honking or see flashing lights there’s a good chance the driver’s asking if you want a lift.  Then the negotiations begin…..to be honest they’re pretty easy – usually they’ll ask for about 5000 Sum but most lifts around town could be haggled down to 3-4000 Sum – and that would be for going from the centre out to Chorsu Bazaar.  Maybe this is more than it should be but it’s $2-3 depending on the exchange rate you got.

Tashkent Metro

The Uzbek’s are rightly proud of their Metro system – it was Central Asia’s first and started running in 1977.  The stations are all different and quite ‘Soviet’ in style.  It’s worth taking a trip around a few of the stations, even if you just pop your head out of the doors to catch a glimpse.  As an example Kosmonavtlar has big ceramic discs with Cosmonauts on them.

The fare is a flat 500 Sum regardless of journey and it’s very easy.  There’s no machines like London or Tokyo and it’s not very busy.  Head into a station (denoted by a small M or newer red Metro signs) and hand money to the desk and you’ll get a blue plastic disc to pop into the machines are you pass – don’t look for a ticket as you won’t get anything back and you just walk out the other side (don’t pass through the turnstiles again when exiting – just head out).

Some guidebooks may say you could get hassle from the police but I think this is outdated now – but don’t take photos in the stations.

If you arrive in Tashkent by train you can enter the metro from directly outside the station and move around the city.

Tram, Bus and Shared Taxi

As well as the Metro, Tashkent also has trams (although some I saw looked like you’d be quicker jogging ;-> ), buses and minibuses (referred to as “marshrutka”).  Marshrutka’s and shared taxi’s operate further afield as well.  Marshrutka’s are like Ford Transit sized minibuses and operate for a fixed fare e.g. 1200 Sum (around 80 cents officially) for a 40 minute trip to Chirchik whereas shared taxi’s may be more negotiable.  Both tend to leave when full or you pay the price for remaining seats.  I never used the buses or trams so can’t comment but some of the buses are very modern.

Marshrutka’s heading towards Chimgan in the mountains leave from outside the Maxim Gorky metro station at the end of the blue line.

Trains

Trains are a comfy way of visiting Sarmarkand and Bukhara taking 3-7 hours.  A normal 7 hours train to Bukhara is around $40 return.  It’s easy to buy a ticket and easy to find your train – there’s probably only going to be one in or your departure time.  Look for the coach corresponding to the ‘Vagon’ number on your ticket – it’ll be displayed in the windows of each car by the door.  The inspectors will check as you board your coach anyway.

If you get trains to other countries ensure you have the relevant transit visas – e.g. Bukhara to Fergana Valley will cross through Tajikistan.

Internal Flights

Bukhara could be done in a day if you were flash with cash and short of time.  It’s about $50 each way I think.  You could fly in one direction and take the train back via Samarkand.

Changing Money / ATM’s

Whatever you change you’re going to get a lot of money to carry around and if you’ve seen the China Lonely Planet, everyone thinks it’s big.  This is $45 USD worth of Uzbek Sum.  I can’t remember seeing any ATMs in Tashkent.  For this reason I never entered any banks as I took all the expected cash in dollars.  I’ve heard reports of there being some in upmarket hotels such as Hotel Uzbekistan but I’m not sure.

When I was there in May 2010 there was a very active black market where you could get 30-40% more.  This varies a great deal and you’re obviously taking some risks as there’s a heavy police presence around the city.  Ask other travellers, your guesthouse or listen closely as you walk around bazaars etc, but of course I wouldn’t condone this behaviour…..(!)

Expect to get a lot of cash to walk around with so don’t change too much at once.  For $50 allegedly I’d get over 100,000 Sum on the black market.  The largest note is 1000 sum (around 50 cents US) so it’s a big pile!

I hope that helps a bit.  If there’s anything else you want to know, drop me a note and I’ll see if I can answer.

I’ll be putting a summary page for Uzbekistan in the Country Guides section when I can which will have better indication about how to read your train ticket, some sample prices for shared taxis’s etc.

Have you recently visited Tashkent?  Do you have experiences of the buses, or did you exchange money, or use ATM’s there?  If so, please leave a comment so the notes above can be more accurate.

Tashkent, Uzbekistan Travel Tips is a post from: Budget Travel Notes - Your guide to budget travel hints tips and tricks.

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I’ve just spent a few days in Tashkent after entering Uzbekistan, and on my return from Burkhara.  One thing that’s immediately obvious is the distinct lack of visible tourists, which is quite a nice thing.  If you do see any the chances are they’ll be French, almost or already retired, and part of a tour group. The one thing we got asked a couple of times when sitting on our own were ‘no group?’.

I read recently (on the Uzbekistan Airways in flight propoganda, sorry magazine) that there are only around 400,000 tourists per year visiting Uzbekistan and the majority of these probably fly into Tashkent and get whisked off to Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand, or at a push Fergana.

So who does that leave lingering around the backpackers haunts such as Gulnara Guesthouse?  Visa Hunters.  The majority of folk I met there were just that – waiting around for visas to be processed but they all had very interesting stories of where they had been, where they were going to (or trying to) and how they got here (overland, bike, van, motorbike, bus, train).  A very different and extremely interesting group.

Anyway, I digress…..so back to Tashkent.  What is there to see?  Not too much really but I’ll do my best to give an overview :

Chorsu Bazaar

This bazaar should definitely be on your visit list and the metro conveniently drops you right in the middle of it.  Enter the largest dome to get dried herbs and spices on the ground floor, and fruit and nuts on the top.  Walk around it to find vegetables, breads and lots more.  The meat stalls can be a bit of an eye opener – as usual there’s no refrigeration and you could see anything from standard meat cuts to heads and hoofs.

This is a good place to change money but don’t be too obvious as there’s a heavy police presence (like everywhere in Tashkent!).  If you stay at the nearby Gulnara Guesthouse then there’s buedget places to eat here.

Parks and Gardens

Tashkent’s a lovely city full of wide boulevards, grassy park areas and lots of flowers.  It makes a great place just for strolling around but I often got the feeling of just killing time.  Unfortunately some of the trees are being killed as well.  Stories abound about the government felling 300 year old trees in certain parks (such as Amir Timur square by Hotel Uzbekistan and others) so that new showcase buildings can be viewed from the surrounding area.  Whilst I was eating lunch under a terrace in a city centre park, trees were literally falling around us with about 6 chopped during lunch, and debris lying all around.  They paid no attention to diners either with one falling ten feet away!  Local embassies and international groups have apparently complained, sadly with no effect.

At weekends look out for wedding parties around national monuments like the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – it’s a tradition to get wedding pictures taken by national monuments.

Museums and Galleries

There are several museums around Tashkent such as the State Fine Arts Museum, Art Gallery of Uzbekistan and the like’s but that’s not really my thing so I never visited any of them.

Metro Stations

If you’re used to the London Tube then you’ll be surprised that Metro stations are featured, but if you’re in Tashkent you really should use them as it’s so easy.  Each station is different and with it’s own unique Soviet style decor so it’s worth stopping at a few of them, or at least popping your head out of the doors at each stop.  Don’t take photos, and I never got any hassle from the police like some older guidebooks mention.  It’s 500 Sum (around 25-35 cents US) for each journey, regardless of how long you’re underground (e.g. how many stations you get off at without surfacing).

Day Trips to Chimgan

You can easily do a day trip to Chimgan in either a minibus or shared taxi.  I heard of some hiring a taxi for $60 which is over the odds.  Unfortunately this trip was a bit disappointing as there’s very little to do once there apart from take a ten minute trip to take you a few hundred metres up the mountain on an old chairlift for 8000 Sum return ($4).  At the top of it there’s no walking either as a fence blocks any paths off.  There’s nice views of the mountains though.  Unless I missed something obvious I can’t understand why this is an expensive place to stay overnight.  There are bound to be trails taking you closer to the snowline but it would take a good while to do any decent treks.

I hope that’s given you some background on Tashkent.  Many people there never felt it was worth more than a day or two, but it’s a nice place to wander around.  If I’ve missed anything obvious, please let me know in the comments.

Tashkent Uzbekistan is a post from: Budget Travel Notes - Your guide to budget travel hints tips and tricks.

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We flew from Muscat, Oman to Dubai using the excellent flyDubai. I’ve never seen such an empty flight – there must have only been about 30 of us on it max and for some reason everyone else was sitting down the front with us on the very back row!  Although this was only a short haul flight of around 45 minutes flyDubai seem like a good outfit and fly to a whole host of places from Dubai, including Nepal, so definitely worth checking them out.

We had to connect between Terminal 2 and Terminal 1 of Dubai International airport.  FlyDubai ground staff offered us to transfer our luggage but we never asked what the fees were – I think it was our reluctance to hand over our luggage. We picked up our bags and took a taxi between the terminals.  We had only been let loose for ten minutes and we got ripped off already – the taxi attendant told us it would be $12 but when we confronted the taxi driver with this when he asked for $20 he said there was a misunderstanding, and of course the AED currency was the only one from the trip not in my mobile phone…so we paid a hefty bit over the odds for our 42.50AED taxi fare and ten minute ride.  I was surprised our Uzbekistan flight went from Terminal 1 : when I flew to Kabul, Afghanistan from Dubai a couple of years ago I reckoned Terminal 2 was where all the flights to “places that most people don’t want to go” departed from.

The check in for the Tashkent flight was hilarious.  If you’re used to Dubai you’ll know that there’s a pre check-in security scan.  There were loads of excess baggage and large boxes being put through the scanner.  One guy had a trolley load of Toyota spare parts including a bonnet.  At the check-in desk most of this excess appeared to be heading to Uzbekistan : loads of folk had excess baggage and there were 17 boxes counted in for one party.  For some reason they moved stuff from a box to a bag and it seemed someone was going to be making a killing from Nike flip flops.  The weirdest thing was that the airline was super strict about the baggage allowance and charging for every kilo over, so either there was damn good sale on, or there’s a wonderful premium to be made on branded flip flops in Uzbekistan.

The Uzbekistan Airways flight was equally funny in some ways.  A pretty bog standard flight and surprisingly with great food.  It must be cool to wear sunglasses a lot as well as a couple kept them on for most of the flight whilst getting pissed, although they were friendly and offered us some Haribo cola chews mid flight.

Radio control helicopters must also be the present of choice in Tashkent just now as we counted about 7 spouting out of the Duty Free bags.

We were getting met by a kind friend in Tashkent who’s a friend of my sister’s and had met me in Tallinn to give me some tips a few years ago.  We had originally said that we’d be easy to spot due to our large rucksacks and day sacks, but I texted him to say we’d be the only ones without Duty Free!

The immigration procedure in Tashkent airport wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected.  Some reports will say that it’s a nightmare and I can imagine it could be if there are many flights arriving at the same time, but ours was a straightforward passport check, luggage collection and x-ray. You get handed two customs forms on the flight which you fill in saying what you’re taking in of value – e.g. cash, laptop, cameras etc.  I’d advise filling them out pretty accurately but not making it too complex so it doesn’t cause any problems when leaving.  We did hear a story about a consultant being paid in cash and having issues leaving with it on his exit from the country.  You’re meant to show you have less money leaving than when you came in.

You’ll be handed one of the customs forms back when you pass through the x-ray. Make sure you keep this until you leave the country, and ensure it’s stamped.

We left the airport and our friend negotiated with a car driver to get a lift to Gulnara Guesthouse by the Chorsu Bazaaar – one of the main backpacker type places to stay in Tashkent.  We paid 3000 Sum which is around $1.50 but it was negotiated in Russian so we had a bit of an advantage!

Muscat, Oman to Tashkent, Uzbekistan is a post from: Budget Travel Notes - Your guide to budget travel hints tips and tricks.

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