The Silk Road (Sort Of) Overland
Monday 1 August 2011

The train crossing to Uzbekistan was hassle free, though it took a while. We spent two hours leaving Kazakhstan, and one and a half hour entering Uzbekistan. I was asked by the Uzbek customs officials to show the money I had - maybe three times - but they were always very polite about it, and the third time I was checked, the customs official shouted, "Good luck!" after me as I walked down the corridor. The currency that brought most curiosity was my dirhams from the UAE. Also, you have to declare all items of value and I had to explain what an iPad and and an iPhone was.

The train ride from Shymkent to Tashkent was also interesting from another perspective. There were people sitting everywhere in the corridors, like 80-year old babushkas sitting on the floor outside my compartment sharing a pot of tea and chatting, surrounded by bulky bags. Each sleeping compartment had four beds, so the people working on the train seemed to offer extra tickets for standing passengers. This was not a problem for the first four hours of the journey, but when we approached the border, these people had to be seated and their luggage had to be stowed away. I'm sure the customs officials know what's going on - there are obviously more people in the carriage than there are beds - but if everybody is seated neatly, I guess there's no harm for the border control people.

Also, as with all the other Kazakh trains, the A/C didn't work while we were stationary, so with a three and a half hour border crossing, it was hot beyond belief in my compartment.

Just before arriving in Tashkent, I got a text from Bahrom, who was meeting me there, that there were no overnight train tickets for Khiva for Tuesday or Wednesday night, only for this evening! Bahrom, his wife Sevara and his mum Inoyat had planned on joining me on my visit to Khiva so we had to decide very quickly what to do. The consensus was that we should take the train tonight, which meant I had only time for a quick visit to Bahrom's and Sevara's flat (gorgeous) for a quick shower and repack. The 20-hour train for Khiva left at 5.45 PM.

Before getting on the train, I managed to change some money (ATMs don't work in Uzbekistan). My USD 400 became 1,000,000 sums! Since the largest denomination is 1,000 sum, I've got 1,000 bank notes. I feel rich! My wallet won't hold a fraction of this so I'm keeping most of my money in my suitcase (like rich people do).

The first thing I can report is that although the trains I were on in Kazakhstan had A/Cs (at least when moving), the Uzbek train I'm on now has no such luxury. I think the temperature outside is nearing 40C, so inside it's incredibly hot. Bahrom keeps cracking jokes about Scandinavians liking saunas, but I'm not laughing that much. Instead, I'm busy trying to master the Uzbek way of swinging a towel around in circles to make it function like a fan.

Uzbeks seem to be very friendly. I've had a very long conversation with two brothers from Urgensch. The older one, Jahongir, is trying to achieve an IELTS score of 6.5 so he can do his Masters abroad (I think he's at IELTS 5.0 at the moment). Right now he's studying Economics at university and his family is trading in eggs. Jahongir tells me they are selling 20,000 eggs a day so there is obviously money in eggs.

This train is not "overbooked" like the Kazakh train, but it is very hot and we keep stopping over and over again, so the precious sense of a breeze you get when the train is moving has been quite rare most of the evening. Bahrom, Sevara, Inoyat and I spent maybe two hours in the restaurant car late this evening - it seems a bit cooler then our compartments. There's this loud Russian lady in charge of proceedings in the restaurant car. She sits still and shouts instructions or whatever from her seat. I asked Bahrom if she has a bit of an aggressive nature but he says no. I also asked Bahrom to find out what vegetarian options they had (if any). Bahrom told me she replied, "We only eat meat here. They should know that! Why are they (vegetarians, presumably) coming here when they know that?! Hmm, ineresting response!

The restaurant car is also where I found out that neither Sevara nor Inoyat have ever been to Khiva before. That makes three of us!

It remains to be seen if can sleep like a baby on this train tonight (as is my habit on trains). Hopefully, it will cool down a bit now after sundown.

The Silk Road (Sort Of) Overland
Sunday 31 July 2011

The people at the Roslan Guesthouse put together a tailor-made tour for me today. I wanted to see Sayram, Otrar and Turkestan before leaving Kazakhstan and that is exactly what happened today. It was a 12-hour tour and I paid $170 for that, which is good value compared to the $100 I paid for the 6-hour trip to see Shakpak Ata.

As I said yesterday, I love it when I'm on the receiving end of something that is well organised. Everything went like clockwork and I particularly liked the taxi driver who drove very sensibly and didn't do any hair-raising manoeuvres or crazy driving.

First, I saw a number of monuments in Sayram, a Silk Road stop dating back around 3,000 years. The main monuments here include the Mausoleum of Ibrahim Ata, but I actually liked the Kydyra Minaret the best. It probably dates back to the tenth century and it was possible to climb up the narrow, winding steps to the top of the 15 metre minaret. What was interesting about Sayram was that there were big groups of pilgrims visiting these mausoleums, one group after another. This city obviously has spiritual significance.

The next stop was the Otrar Museum (after almost two hours of driving). The English-speaking guide - who yawned several times during his presentation and didn't like it when I interrupted him with questions - claimed his museum had the oldest and most significant exhibits in Kazakhstan. His English was excellent, though. I'd say a stop at the Otrar Museum is worthwhile, but in contrast to the museums in Turkey (including Hagia Sophia and the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations!) there were absolutely no photos allowed. Why, I wonder. A pity, since I really wanted to take photo of this amazing-looking headstone for a tomb in the form of a vicious-looking warrior.

There's not much left of the old Silk Road town Otrar - where the scientist Al Farabi was born (AD870) and Timur died of pneumonia (AD1405) - as Jenghiz Khan completely demolished it in the thirteenth century. However, I walked around the old ruins for a while and there were remains of the palace mosque and a bath house among other things. All those remains are, however, "post-Jenghiz" the Lonely Planet guide claims. I only saw three other visitors at this archaeological site while I was there. Historical tourism hasn't really taken off in Kazakhstan yet.

Very near to the Otrar ruins are the Aristan-Bab Mausoleum. The restored tomb is from 1907 so the main building on the site is obviously not that old, but I really liked this place. There were also many pilgrims here so this place had a life of its own.

However, the highlight of the day was the visit to Turkestan late in the afternoon. The Kozha Ahmed Yasaui Mausoleum in Turkestan is the most significant Silk Road site in Kazakhstan, and the mausoleum, which was kind of completed in 1405 according to my guide, is sill intact. It was also never properly completed, so there are bits sticking out at the front, which makes it quite unique.

I really liked my guide. He had moved to Turkestan for this job and when I asked him what he thought about his job, he said he loved it because he could serve the people visiting, including foreigners. He said it with such genuine conviction. It's great when you come across this kind of attitude - a wonderful contrast to the cynicism and negativity many express when talking about their job. His languages were Russian, Kazakh, Turkish and English. He'll probably go far.

The drive back to Shymkent took over two hours and I enjoyed watching the passing landscape. However, I failed to get the perfect shot of the "endless Kazakh steppe" in spite of trying for well over an hour.

A big thank you to Russim in Almaty who made this well-organised weekend tour so utterly successful! Tomorrow morning, I'm taking the train to Tashkent, Uzbekistan.