Salom do’stlarim! (That’s “Hello my friends!” in Uzbek by the way :P)

It has been just over 3 months ago since we’ve had the experience of a lifetime, traveling to a country that we never would have imagined we’d visit – Uzbekistan. A country that is rich in history and culture but yet, is often misunderstood and sometimes, even underestimated. What do I mean exactly?

Okay so imagine this – one day, you’re told that you have the opportunity to travel to Uzbekistan for a holiday. What is your initial reaction? I’m pretty sure that a lot of you would probably pretty shocked at first and then, a little apprehensive at the idea after awhile. Am I right? Well, to be honest – that’s exactly how we felt. I mean let’s be honest here and say that Uzbekistan is not exactly on your top 3 list of places to holiday to, am I right?

I think a lot of it has to do with misconceptions about Uzbekistan. A lot of people we spoke to about our upcoming trip (when we found out) were happy for us but they all have so many questions and concerns. “Will there be anything (Halal) to eat there”. “Is it safe? I heard it’s not safe…”. “Wah good luck to you guys. I heard they don’t even have proper toilets there especially if you go to the dessert.”

These were just some of the things we heard while prepping for our trip. And yes, like anyone visiting a place for the first time we were obviously worried. Plus, we were going to be travelling with our almost-4 year old daughter to this strange foreign land we knew almost nothing about.

Well, we’re here to tell you all today – we REALLY have a lot to learn about Uzbekistan! 😀
We realized as soon as we got there that a lot of our worries were unfounded and people seemed to have the wrong impression of Uzbekistan. But hey, we can’t blame them right? Instead, let us tell you more about our trip and we’ll learn more about Uzbekistan together okay 😀

And you can obviously learn a lot from Googling about Uzbekistan, so we will try and cover more about what you may not be able to read about online. After all – just like our food reviews back home, we wanna experience things for ourselves so the information we’re going to be sharing is 100% firsthand experience!

First up, we have some information and tips for you that should help in planning for your own Uzbek trip!

HOW TO WE GET TO UZBEKISTAN?

UZBEK MYTH #1 – It’s complicated and troublesome to get to Uzbekistan.
FACT: It’s easier now than ever for us to travel to Uzbekistan!

People may have been put off travelling to Uzbekistan (and Central Asia in general) because of the idea it’d be a long and troublesome journey. Well, that may have been true in the past but that is no longer the case now!

It’s easier than it has ever been to get to Uzbekistan now. There is now a direct flight operated by Uzbekistan Airways which flies direct from Singapore Changi Airport to the Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent International Airport. In the past, you’d need to make at least one transit but we’ve got the best and most direct route now! The flight takes about 7 hours so you catch a nap on the plane and before you know it, you’ve landed and you’re all ready for your adventure!

Speaking of which – the flight on Uzbekistan Airways was AMAZING! It’s a pretty big aircraft and the crew were friendly. And I have to mention that their in-flight meal was GENEROUS! And in case you’re wondering – yes they have Muslim-friendly meals available 😀 But sorry lah no pics because they’re quite strict with cameras and stuff on-board so keep that in mind okay! They’ve got in-flight entertainment too so there won’t be a dull moment but anyways, you’re probably gonna wanna take a nap lah 😛

Thanks to the timing of the flights, you will probably be departing from Singapore at night (kiddies should have no problem sleeping!) and arrive in Tashkent in the wee hours just before sunrise. Perfect timing to head to the hotel for a bit of rest before enjoying a full day out on your first day.

ALSO – Singaporeans now enjoy VISA-FREE ENTRY to Uzbekistan! All this thanks to recent relaxations to their immigration rules so there’s no need to worry about troublesome applications, etc before your trip!

It was just coming into the Spring season when we arrived so the weather was a bit chilly (more on that later!).

HOW MUCH MONEY SHOULD WE BRING?

The currency of Uzbekistan is called So’m (pronounced as Som). They have both notes (there’s actually a 5000 Som note missing from the pic above) and coins (ranging from 1 Som to 100 Som).

PRO TIP: You should change your currency in Singapore before you depart because it can be quite difficult to locate a bank or money changer once you’re in Uzbekistan. When you’re already there, only certain currencies are accepted (by both money changers and shops/traders) so you shouldn’t plan to bring any SGD with you.

US Dollars and Euros are the most widely accepted and you should have no problems using those currencies besides the Som while you’re in Uzbekistan. In fact, even if you were to find an ATM, it will dispense US Dollars / Euros notes to you which you can then either use or exchange at the money changers. Safest is to go to a money changer which are normally located at banks or hotels. These are super legit and even issue you proper receipts for your transaction.

As for the age old question of HOW MUCH you should bring… 😛
Well, I guess it really depends on how many people are travelling and what your plans are for the type of holiday you’ll be having in Uzbekistan. From our experience, it’s going to be really hard to resist the temptation to do at least a little shopping while you’re there. There are simply so many beautiful things you can buy as souvenirs and keepsakes (as you will see later!)

What we suggest is to change your SGD here in Singapore to some Som and some US Dollars. The reason for this is because if you end up not spending all your Som, there’s very little change you can exchange it back into any currency. This way, at least if need to, you can exchange your USD to Som there but if you don’t then can exchange your unused USD back to SGD when you’re back home 🙂

TASHKENT

After arriving in Tashkent, we made our way to the beautiful Ramada Tashkent Hotel where we spent the night. It was just enough time for us to catch a few hours of shut-eye and wake up fresh for some breakfast and a whole day out in Tashkent!

HAZRATI IMAM COMPLEX

UZBEK MYTH #2 – Uzbekistan is not a Muslim-friendly country.
FACT – The population of Uzbekistan’s is made up of more than 80% Muslims!

It may be easy to get the wrong idea about Uzbekistan not being a Muslim-friendly tourist destination. I even know a few people who think that Uzbekistan is actually a part of Europe (but it’s actually Central Asia lah!). Although Uzbekistan was part of Russia for many decades, it has a very rich history rooted in Islam. Being situated along The Silk Road also means a very diverse myriad of cultures can be found in Uzbekistan. You can even find ethnic Chinese and Korean people whose ancestors settled in Uzbekistan decades ago.

Well, if you didn’t know before, you know it now – Uzbekistan is (definitely) a Muslim-majority country. This means you should have no problems with food here and also no lack of interesting, spiritual, breath-taking (and maybe even Insta-worthy) places of interest to visit.

Our first stop was one of great significance in the Islamic history of Uzbekistan – The Hazrati Imam Complex.

The Khazrati Imam Complex (aka Hazrat Imam Complex) is an absolutely sprawling area! Super huge lah! Well, it’s no wonder that it consists of several different buildings and madrasahs today.

Barakkhan Madrasah is one of the biggest on the lot and while it functioned as a madrasah (religious school) in the olden days, these days it houses some craftsmen who peddle pretty trinkets and souvenirs. There’s no harm browsing while you soak in the sights and the absolutely beautiful architecture of these ancient buildings. (Although most of our shopping was done later on in the trip FYI!)

The Khazrati Imam Complex also houses the Office of the Mufti and the Hazrat Imam Mosque as well among a few other small buildings. But one of the more modest ones caught our attention the most while we were there…

The Muyi Mubarak Madrasah was built in the 16th century and gets its name from the fact that it houses some of the hair of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). More interestingly, it also houses 1 of the 6 original copies of The Holy Quran as compiled by Caliph Uthman Ibn Affan, who was a companion of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). You can also view many different Qurans that have been translated into many different languages from all over the world here. But, no photography is allowed inside.

Our first stop and it was already so breathtaking! We later found out that only more beauty was awaiting us!

Our next stop was the Chorsu Bazaar but as it so happens, when we got out from the van, the first thing we saw was FOOD! 😛 So obviously we had to stop lah right! And we’re talking about some good ol’ street food where we sit along the road side and dine like the locals! Just the way we like it 😀

Somsa is a very popular street food in Uzbekistan and it’s easy to see why. It basically a pocket pastry that is filled with either meat or vegetables (yes, pretty much like our more local Samosa). And while we normally deep-fry our version, the Somsa here is cooked in the traditional Uzbek clay oven (kinda like a Tandoor oven).

The result is a nice, piping hot pastry that is crisp on the outside and full of delicious treasure within. We tried the beef and the spinach Somsa which were REALLY SEDAP GILER especially when we whack it with this vinegar chili sauce (like macam chili cuka like that) on the side and of course, a hot pot of tea! Yes, we were drinking A LOT of tea on this trip 😛

And after that quick snack (and perfect first food experience in Uzbekistan), it was time to visit the Chorsu Bazaar!

Now, the Chorsu Bazaar is actually the oldest market in Uzbekistan. It’s literally been active for centuries all thanks to Uzbekistan’s opportune position along the Silk Road. It’s a lot more built up these days but still massive with everything divided up into different sections.

Non (Bread) is big in Uzbekistan. And when I say big, I mean BIG! You can find it everywhere! It’s one of the staple foods here and there is hardly a meal where you will not see Non on the table there. It’s enjoyed as a starter, a side dish, a snack and sometimes even a main. As you will see in all our posts, videos and albums – Non is big 😀

In Chorsu Bazaar, they have a whole section dedicated to just the making and baking of Non. They still make it the traditional way, by hand, and (literally) immerse themselves in their work as evidently shown with the fella literally sticking himself INSIDE the oven to get his Non game on.

But one thing we learned is that even though Non may come in several different shapes and sizes, every bakers’ own Non is slightly different from others.

We explored almost the entire compound of Chorsu Bazaar and WOW there is so much to see!!

Outside, we explored the ‘dry’ section of the market where they sold fresh vegetables of every colour, dry ground spices, snacks and pastries and even fresh honey. We met the friendly stall vendors who are there day in and day out manning their stalls and selling their goods which appeal to both tourists and locals alike. People like Muhammad, the Spice Trader, who introduced us to 2 of his 7 sons (all of whom are also named Muhammad!) and also the family run an Asal (Honey) business where they supply fresh honey and where we bought loads of Mountain Honey from 😛

Oh! And you MUST try some Sumalak (prounounced Soo-mah-leck) when you see it! I thought it was like a caramel or something but found out that it’s actually made from germinated wheat (a process that takes about a week to make!) and contains no sugar at all! But it’s really unique and people literally buy this by the bucket-load for celebrations.

It was really amazing not only to see the wonderful goods that they were proudly selling, but also to meet and speak to the super friendly people was really a humbling experience.

The main (enormous) dome market in the middle of Chorsu Bazaar was even more impressive. Within, you’ll find two levels – the higher one for goods like dairy, etc and the lower levels for wet foods (special shout-out to the Korean stall selling Kimchi!) and meats. And boy oh boy did we see plenty of meat! Chicken, turkey, goat, sheep, cow and even horse. Yes, horse! You can pretty much find any kind of meat you want (No pork! All Halal here!) at the Chorsu Bazaar.

And speaking of Horse meat, it was time for lunch and our first real meal of the day.
Soooooo, do you think we tried Horse meat? 😛

UZBEK MYTH #3 – You’re gonna eat lamb and mutton for 99% of your meals in Uzbekistan
FACT: LOL, I don’t even know why we were worried about this. This was so far from the truth!

Okay so our first proper meal was kind of a mix of traditional and modern cuisine. The restaurant was very Russian-inspired which is actually quite common in Uzbekistan since it was part of the Soviet Union for many decades before declaring independence in 1991. There is still a very strong Russian culture and community in Uzbekistanan all of this makes for more diversity as we were about to find out during lunch.

As promised, Non (Bread) is first and foremost at any meal and it’s no different here. Some people eat it on its own but some prefer to dip into their tea or soup too. Another very big part of any meal is the salad. Or should I say… Salads! There’s almost always a couple of different salads on the table which is very welcome especially as a counter to the strong flavours of the dishes.

This was the first time I was trying Mastava – a soup dish that consists of rice, meat and veggies in a hearty broth. This traditional dish is so good that it’s believed to cure certain illnesses including fever! Well, whatever the case, Mastava turned out to be one of the my favourites dishes while we were in Uzbekistan and I ordered it at every meal!

Lagman is a popular dish in Central Asia and every region has its own twist to it. The version in Uzbekistan features veggies and meat swimming in a flavourful beef and spice broth with some noodles that really remind me of our local La Mian. Hmmm… Lag-man… La-mian…. 😛

But the moment you’ve all been waiting for… the Horse meat!
Yes, I tried Norin which is a traditional Uzbek dish consisting of horse meat. Those thin light strips you see may resemble shredded potatoes but they’re actually a very thinly-sliced pasta. However, you’re right about those darker bits which are indeed horse meat! So the way to eat Norin is you scoop some of the pasta and the horse meat and you kinda dip it into this hot beef/horse broth which really kicks up the flavour levels.

To be honest, it was not as bad as I expected. I mean, I’d never had horse meat before (obviously) but it just reminded me of a lot of (salty) beef jerky. It did not taste bad or gamey at all. In fact, horse meat is prepared several ways including making it into horse meat sausages as well so it’s actually a really popular delicacy in Uzbekistan. If you have the stomach for it, I’d definitely recommend that you try it at least once 🙂

Don’t worry if you’re not up for anything exotic. Dishes like Shashlik Kebabs are quite common in most restaurants!

UZBEK MYTH #4 – Uzbekistan is still an old-fashioned and ‘backwards’ country.
FACT: Uzbekistan is super modern especially in cities like Tashkent. They’re even working to legalize Bitcoin!

After lunch, we drove around for a bit and saw a bit more of the city including the famous Amir Timur Square (you can see that photo of the monument I snapped as we went around the roundabout!). As we took in the sights, I kinda got the feeling like we were in Europe or something y’know what I mean. Just in terms of the architecture and the vibes kinda made me have that impression. No wonder people still have the misconception that Uzbekistan is  a part of Europe 😛

It’s definitely a very modern city with a bustling business district, modern amenities like supermarkets and ATMs but to be honest, it still remained very charming. It was like it was hustle and bustle but still really calm and peaceful at the same time… I know it sounds strange but that’s how we felt.

But I do want to talk a little about the Tashkent Earthquake Monument. There was a massive earthquake in 1966 that absolutely devastated Tashkent. It measured 5.1 on the Richter Scale and the epicentre of the quake was literally the centre of the city which led to the major destruction of the city. More than 80% of the city was destroyed in the earthquake.

The city was rebuilt (with the help of the Soviet Union) and you’ll see a lot of the buildings bearing the influence of the Soviet/European rebuilders. And at the site of (literally atop the point) the epicentre of the earthquake sits a monument to not only remind us of this monumental event but also show the resilience and the fighting spirit of the Uzbek people. As you explore and enjoy amazing Uzbekistan, be reminded of how lucky we are and that no matter how difficult the task ahead, we must push on.

For our last stop in Tashkent was a bit of a special treat mainly because we happened to visit Uzbekistan during the right time which enabled us to enjoy a bit of…. SNOW! 😀

Our destination was actually the Chimgan Mountains but along the way, we could not help but stop at a scenic hilltop to take in the view of Lake Charvak (which is actually a water reservoir). Really beautiful views despite it not being a very clear day but still great for taking that Instagram shot of you looking emo and looking out over the horizon while thinking about life 😛 LOL

Meanwhile, we’re thinking about one thing…

Remember when I mentioned about the best seasons to travel to Uzbekistan? Well, this is where that comes into play! The best times to travel to Uzbekistan are the Spring and Autumn but if you’re into snow sports like skiing then winter (between December to March) is always a good time. We visited in Spring but we still got a bit of the tail end of the winter season hence the drive up the Chimgan Mountains to enjoy some chilly weather and snow!

It’s really scenic and we had a really blanket of snow to play in. They have a chairlift (if you dare :P) that’ll take you a bit higher up for a better view and we even saw some people sledding down the slope. You may also find tourist attractions like a horse ride if you’re lucky too. But you should generally be able to get in some good time with the snow. The kids are going to love it!

Just look at the smile on our Little Princess’ face. Totally priceless and well worth the trip. I think the hardest part was when we had to leave and she obviously wanted to stay longer (and also wanted to bring her snowman home). Watch our video for a better glimpse of how we enjoyed out time up in the mountains with snowballs fights, snow angels and just enjoying something we don’t get back home – snow, snow and more snow.

Since Uzbekistan is a land-locked country, seafood is really quite a rarity. In fact, the only fish we had was after our little playtime in the mountains at a restaurant along the way down. It was fish caught from the nearby lake!

Oh! And speaking of our Little Princess and the snow, that reminds us of another myth!

UZBEK MYTH #7 – It’s not suitable to bring kids to Uzbekistan.
FACT: Do you see the smile on our Little Princess’ face in almost all the pictures?

If you have any worries about bringing kids on a trip to Uzbekistan, there’s really no need to worry. With a bit of planning, the whole family can enjoy the trip without a hitch!

From our experience, Uzbekistan is actually really child-friendly. It’s a really safe country and the people are really friendly so I don’t think you should expect any inconvenience from those fronts. Since you’re probably going to be part of a tour or with a tour guide, bringing a stroller might be a good idea because the biggest ‘obstacle’ is when the kiddies get tired while you’re out and want to take a nap or simply rest their legs while the rest of us walk on.

Food-wise was also quite okay for us. I guess we’re quite lucky that our Little Princess is at the age where she’s a little bit less fussy about her food. And even when we ran short of milk, a quick pop into a supermarket one late night and we were all set.

I think it’s important that you plan ahead with your guide so that you don’t run into unexpected issues. For example, if you know that the kiddies will get tired after a certain amount of time outside (weather etc also comes into play) then plan a few stops in between travels or you don’t think it’s suitable to visit certain places, just let you guide know and I’m sure something can be worked out.

Of course, this is exactly what we did with our own guide – Zahid. Even when it came to meal time, we asked him if it was possible to visit a restaurant that served Western food on one of the night and he tried his best to work something out. It’s all about communication and teamwork and you really have to work with your guide who will know the best ways to execute your plan. I think this played a big part in making this trip as seamless and as enjoyable as it was!

IS IT A MUST TO GET A GUIDE IN UZBEKISTAN?

If you’re wondering where to start planning your epic trip to Uzbekistan, let us point you in the right direction!

PRO TIP: Engage a travel agency / tour guide especially if it’s your first time visiting Uzbekistan. It’s not a must but we’d highly recommend it. Not only is it fuss-free, you have someone who has the best knowledge to bring y’all around for the best that Uzbekistan has to offer. You could be going as part of a big tour group or even just a smaller group consisting of your family.

In Singapore, we’d recommend a preferred travel agent – EU Asia Holidays. They’ll cover everything for you from flights to accommodations to tour guide to everything else. Check out their website www.euholidays.com.sg or you can look forward to visiting them at the upcoming NATAS Holidays 2018 travel fair coming up in August!

We visited Tashkent, Bukhara and Samarkand but there are plenty of other destinations within Uzbekistan you can visit and also plenty of other attractions and activities you can try while you are there!

For more about our epic adventure to Uzbekistan including photos, videos and information not in this post, be sure to check out our series of special videos, upcoming posts, Facebook albums (for more the epic photos) and loads more as we go along. Let us know if you have any questions, if you need any tips or just to let us know what you thought of our trip to Uzbekistan okay!

As a parting note – the more I think about the trip, the more I feel that Uzbekistan is a place that you really need to experience for yourselves. Despite all the earlier doubts, we gave it a shot and Uzbekistan showed us firsthand what a great, vibrant and amazing country it was. And that’s just from visiting 3 of its cities!

BE SURE TO READ PART 2 OF OUR ADVENTURE IN UZBEKISTAN!
CLICK HERE!!!

As I typed out this post and looked at all the photos, it really brought back memories. Memories that you probably cannot capture on a camera or in words. These are the special memories that will remain in your mind and in your heart. Memories of a truly remarkable adventure in truly remarkable Uzbekistan.

Katta Rahmat O’zbekiston!

Special thanks to Changi Airport Group and Uzbekistan Airways for making arrangements for this trip.

We’d also like to thank our tour guide Zahid for imparting his knowledge of his beloved country to us, showing us all that Uzbekistan has to offer, helping me carry Alyssa and her pram down the super long flight of steps at the Kussam Ibn Abbas Complex in Samarkand and just being an awesome tour guide.

Thank you Mr Anvar for his hospitality, assistance and that awesome dinner on our final night in Tashkent.

I’d like to thank Jumaiyah and Hanisah for being an awesome crew and doing all the hard work of capturing footage and photos of this amazing trip.

And last but not least, we’d like to thank the beautiful and amazing people of Uzbekistan for making our trip a really memorable one. Men O’zbekiston Sevaman ❤