Day 60.Samarkand - Tashkent

Nice ride today but we have entered the hot lands again. The first 170km were awesome, nice smooth roads. We pulled into a roadside cafe for a cold bottle of water and to enter our now routine wet t shirt competition. This routine is a lifesaver, literally.

Lovely lady supplied us with really cold water. She washed a glass for me to use. Pulled out a seat for me to sit on . ( Robyn)

So looking forward to the next 130 km to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan on nice smooth roads. How wrong was I! Most if the way felt like we 2 up on a Pogo stick. Absolute rubbish road, I would have thought the capital would have had good roads.

We have had our first fill of 80 Octane petrol. I added a good slug of octane boost and the Tiger is running well. So sign of "pinking" which is a relief.

It has taken us almost 6 hours for 300km, very hard to get anywhere quickly here.

Storks nesting on top of lighting, powerlines, anything high up.

The temperature is in the 40’s. Navigating to our hotel through a very busy city is a test, but when the iPhone cuts out because it is too hot, adds a new layer of frustration.

 Anyway we found the place ok and it is a very nice hotel.

We spent the afternoon at the Chorsu Bazaar, it is a huge market with massive food halls and everything you could possibly need.

This is the meat and cheese dome. Nuts on mezzanine. 

Clothing, rugs, jewelry, massive fruit halls, furniture you name it.

A wonderful place to observe people going about their business and savoring the sounds and the smells. We bought some dried fruit and nuts to sustain us tomorrow.

The taxis here are a hard case, we just stood on the roadside until someone stopped, you tell him where you want to go and its yes or no. If its yes you jump in and when you reach your destination you decide what to pay. I peeled off 15000 SOM and he stopped me and seemed very happy. About $2.60 NZ. 

Our driver was very nice even though I misdirected him initially, even slowing down for us to take pics.

We are so pleased we came here, it is a lovely city, with a blend of modern and Soviet era architecture. There are parks and green spaces everywhere, most with fountains or water features. The people have been friendly and welcoming. We have felt very safe in Uzbekistan and have been relaxed about leaving our gear on the bike while we go into a cafe or shop. There is usually a small group gathered around the bike when we come out but nothing is touched or interfered with. Total respect. 

We are feeling wealthy as yesterday I withdrew 2 million SOM from the ATM  as it is our last night in Uzbekistan we asked the hotel manager for restaurant recommendation. He sent us by taxi to Soy restaurant. Absolutely fabulous with family groups celebrating birthdays and young ones dancing away to Uzbek modern dance beats (quite loud). Great atmosphere. Drinks, main course and desert 225000 SOM. The 25000 tip was politely refused. All up $40. The waitress ordered us a cab and walked us to the street and made sure the driver understood where to take us.

Uzbekistan Spacibo.