We take a slow train – six hours – from Bukhara to Khiva.
Two things we can say about this part of Uzbekistan. It’s very flat, and it has a lot of canals.
Kind of like the Netherlands? Not quite. Minus the canals, it looks more like Australia.
Khiva was at one time a major centre for the slave trade in Central Asia. Much like Oman, which until very recently ruled a trading empire based on the commerce of human flesh, it’s not really mentioned in the present day.
On arrival, we find a broad avenue leading 1.5 KM down to the Old Town. This is a not-uncommon feature of Central Asian cities: gargantuan roads flanked by brand new (largely empty) buildings.
We haven’t really described our positive impressions of Uzbekistan so far. So let’s talk about what we like about the place.
Besides the many interesting historical places, the human element contributes a lot to our visit. We’re really enjoying our time in Uzbekistan. People have been very kind and generous to us.
It’s extremely safe here. A high-trust society. People often leave valuables and merchandise unattended without fear of it being swiped.
And they’re scrupulously honest. They make a point of counting out exact change when they see how puzzled we are by the multiple zeros of prices in Uzbek sum.
It’s very clean, for the most part. Marble-tiled public bathrooms, spotless and free. No graffiti. None of the casual vandalism that is so common at home, people no longer notice it.
Tourism from Europe is increasingly common. Lots of Russian visitors, too. Very few North Americans.
Uzbeks seem delighted and surprised when we tell them we’re from Canada. On at least three occasions, when we tell them, they’ve responded, unprompted by us, ‘Ah, Canada. Ottawa!’ So Uzbeks are more aware than probably 90% of Americans which city is the nation’s capital.
If we have one gripe, it’s this: both Uzbekistan Railways and Uzbekistan Airways have English-language sites that let you purchase tickets, reserve seats, and so on. But after half an hour or so of filling out info, when it comes to payment, the site WILL NOT accept foreign credit cards, even though they claim they do.
Uzbekistan is a muslim-majority country. People seem observant, but not fanatical. Women and girls don’t seem to be overly oppressed, free to be as covered or uncovered as they like.
All in all, the niceness of Uzbekistan comes as a pleasant surprise. In books as recent as ten years ago, the place is described as a somewhat paranoid, xenophobic police state. It’s certainly not like that now (as far as we can tell).
We hope the other places we plan to visit have progressed as much.
Sight or Insight of the Day
You’ve got to hand it to Big Chip. They really cater to the tastes of their international customers.
Of course, I have to try a bag. They actually taste like shish kabob.