Uzbekistan

It’s been about a year since my epic first adventure through Central Asia and specifically being blown away by Uzbekistan as a tourist destination. In a somewhat perverse way, I also miss being a sideshow attraction of being a Trinidadian in Uzbekistan. For instance, when I was walking through the Walled City of Khiva, I subject to many curious glances …

It’s been about two months since I left Uzbekistan, but I can’t think of a place I’ve been that I’ve expected so little from that offered so much. As a Trinidadian, the idea of vast mosque complexes, rugged terrain and amazing food would be something that I would expect in the much more well known Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia, …

Wine tasting in Samarkand? You didn’t know that Uzbekistan had wine? Neither did I! So our gracious friend and guide Yuliya suggested that we try some Uzbek wine, you could imagine the face I made and the thoughts which ran amok in my brain. Yuliya’s suggestion wasn’t really about the wine but her story that the woman who runs the …

When you’re on the road, chasing epic food adventures is part and parcel of your journey. This being said, with all my years of travel experience and exposure, I am a very finicky eater. For too many reasons, I have the following aversions I don’t eat Lamb/Mutton or Goat Meat … I’ll eat them once in a while, but only …

I’m not a fan of anything with dairy, so you can imagine my surprise when I saw this huge vat of Uzbekistan Porridge or Shirgrechka being made. I don’t know what the cost of labor is in Uzbekistan, but I’m pretty sure when you hire 5 women to stir one gigantic pot of porridge or whatever the hell it is …

Walking through Khiva feels a bit contrived and artificial. The place looks like they lifted it from a movie set – it’s UNESCO money done right. The city looks fantastic, and when you compare it to the squalor that surrounds the town – it makes the comparison even starker. When you get in at night and I do recommend that …

Getting into Uzbekistan generally means that you have to spend some time in Tashkent. While the Silk Road beckons, I would actually spend more time in Tashkent … not only is it a big city, but it is a super historical one as well. Aside from the large roads, beautiful subway stations that you cannot legally take pictures of, and …

From the last couple posts, the most asked question I’ve gotten so far, was “How to get an Uzbekistan visa” or “How to do I get a visa to Uzbekistan as a Trini or Canadian?”. Here is my comprehensive primer on how to get your visa as a Canadian or Trinidadian. Budget enough USD for your trip. Here is a …

For the last couple days travelling through Uzbekistan, I was shocked at how much culture shock even an experienced world traveller like myself experienced. For the first time, acting like a professional travel blogger, I had a notepad. Here are some of the notes I took while roaming Uzbekistan. Many people were happy to offer “interesting” facts to me … …

Hello everyone, This is an open letter to Howard Hillman from Hillman Wonders. How are you doing? I’ve been a great fan your website for the last 10 years, in fact I’ve used your Hillman Top 100 as my defacto bucket list. It’s a great bucket list and although I might not have agreed with everything in your top 100, …