We've left our bikes in Samarkand and came to Tashkent for visas and all I can say is don't come here if you want to relax. The city is huge, you can't use the metro, as the police target tourists here, and there are no taxis, as we know them. Instead, you try to hail every passing car, and one of the locals will act as your taxi for a price. Its annoying to have to bargain for everything. We are capitalists, we are rich, so we pay more.... uh - more like, we won't come back nor will we recommend the place.

But really its not that bad! dysfunctional ex-commie theme world, the perfect antidote to Disney-World for anyone who enjoys a challenge. For example, no one knows about trains (yep tried a 5 star hotel travel centre), so take a taxi to the train station, no-one speaks English, no time-table in any language, and they can't understand my perfectly communicated mimes (asking for train times). So, it seems that although Tashkent has the moniker of regional transport hub of Central Asia, its just not that simple. Going somewhere by 'taxi' means having your own street map and compass in hand, monitoring the journey. Still its growing on me. Streets are wide, parks are green, beautiful water fountains, lakes, even some of the soviet architecture is intruiging in a 'shoe box' sort of way. he he he, plus a few random acts of kindness towards the foreigner, just got a free plate of chocolate ice cream!

Shopping for Visas

Now in Tashkent, huge capital of Uzbekistan, where we get visas for the route ahead:-

• The Kyrgyzstan Embassy
  We waited on the side-walk for the place to open, when it did, we were called in 1st because we are rich stinking western tourists (ah the good old days), filled out 1 form only, and the visa was stamped in our passport 10 minutes later. Wow. Perfect, but I'll deduct a point because they didn't supply free beer or shoulder massage.
  
• The Chinese Embassy
  Small hatch everyone pushing in as usual, instructions received from English speaker 3 desks away through a small hatch, otherwise OK.
  
• Tajikistan Embassy
  we turn up early to make sure - the one and only official overslept and turns up late, everyone waits outside until they're called, very very slow. No one gets shade or seat, instead waiting outside on the road, the baking hot sun for 4 hours, using an application form as a sun-hat and regretting not bringing a water bottle. Worse conditions than cycling across the desert. Painfully slow queue, we were made to stand like school children each allocated a position 10metres apart, advancing to the officials door. Took from 9am to 4pm, hung around all day, paying for same day express service. Would have given 0 points but for the late show of kindness by the official - dropping the visa price of 125USD down to 50USD and big smiles with sense of humour. Lucky we are westerners, as the locals can to wait up to 4 days, and it's been known for fights to break out - as tensions rise and people queue jump.
  

Hospital

Distressed to find a large cyst on my jaw line ( 5 days ago), however the silver lining was Uzbekistan hospital experience. I rejected the International Travel Clinic due to their high capitalist prices, instead, being kindly guided by mum&child to the locals hospital - big, roomy, empty looking with big Russian matron type ladies, demur eastern looking lovely ladies, unshaven doctors in varying stages of decay. Turned out fine, excellent treatment, and they really do take care, too much!!! Initially I was worried after being ordered to return 2 days in a row, but now understand this to be due to actually caring and monitoring the patient, very hard for me to understand coming from a land of cut-backs. Doctors, nurses and I played charades for ages, trying to communicate medicines, treatments, dates, etc... Great fun. OK, don't worry, I'm still a capitalist, hardly cost me anything;)

The Road Ahead

And Tajikistan is next week, cycling the Pamir Highway, a special route through high mountain plateaus (3000m) and passes (4500m), 2 cars a day in more remote places, bartering with locals for food, fermented yak milk yum yum. Cycling along the Afghan border (bonus points) advice is not to camp in the poppy fields as this might upset the locals. Setting of with a huge quantity of dried long term survival food, ie the wonderful world of biscuits and that's about it. Will be an interesting 3 weeks, but the scenery awesome Himalayas big stuff. Road will be rough, hope the tyres & bike hold up, otherwise will be thumbing a lift on a passing yak. After this it's basically China, China, China, Spam, Spam, Spam and more China.