Urgut Market – the best place for Suzani shopping in Uzbekistan?

Urgut Market – the best place for Suzani shopping in Uzbekistan?

Oh, the fabled Urgut Market. For years, I read internet forums and  guide books, wishing to visit this bazaar south of Samarkand. This time, I was going to visit Urgut Market, and please, if you are interested in textiles, let me share my Sunday shopping 

How to  book train tickets in Uzbekistan

How to book train tickets in Uzbekistan

Due to repeat demand: How to book train tickets in Uzbekistan. I just booked myself three journeys by train in Uzbekistan quite easily through the Uzbekistan train booking website.  Not so long ago, I was going to take my mom, husband and a friend on 

Great travel on a budget in economic uncertainty

Great travel on a budget in economic uncertainty

Here in Central Europe, we are good at doom and gloom after nearly three years of pandemic and nearly a year of war at our doorstep.  Not to mention other conflicts not so far from us – Israel-Palestine, various environmental disasters, and now… if media 

Flying Aeroflot: What is it like?

Flying Aeroflot: What is it like?

Update 26. February 2022 +++ Do not travel On 24 February, Russian troops invaded Ukraine and started an unprovoked war. I therefore advise you not to visit Russia and/or use Aeroflot while this war is going on. With further sanctions against Russia looming, you may 

Silk Road Treasures – Souvenir Shopping in Samarkand and Bukhara

Silk Road Treasures – Souvenir Shopping in Samarkand and Bukhara

If you have read some of my posts, you may know that I love to back a souvenir or two.  They have to be either edible, useful, or of a high quality. Before I visited Uzbekistan pretty much on a whim, I wondered what Shopping 

Bukhara the Noble: My two day Bukhara guide and useful tips

Bukhara the Noble: My two day Bukhara guide and useful tips

At the beginning of the year, it did not dawn on me that I would be writing a two day Bukhara guide – but and opportunity arose, and the Silk Road has long been on my wish list of place to visit. Before I knew 

Hotel Review: Boutique Hotel Minzifa, Bukhara

Hotel Review: Boutique Hotel Minzifa, Bukhara

Bukhara is perhaps the place with the widest choice of charming small hotels in Uzbekistan, and perhaps Central Asia. So, on my trip to Samarkand and Bukhara, it made sense to push out the boat a bit and book a characterful traditional small hotel.  I 

Hotel Review: Antica Samarkand, Uzbekistan –  a cosy unique guesthouse

Hotel Review: Antica Samarkand, Uzbekistan – a cosy unique guesthouse

Samarkand is a large city and it is harder to find charming accommodation close to the major sights. The Antica Samarkand is a welcome exception.  Samarkand hotels are typically large, business-orientated and geared towards tour groups. But if you are looking for somewhere individual on 

Two Days in Samarkand: What not to miss (Part Two)

Two Days in Samarkand: What not to miss (Part Two)

I had the opportunity to fulfill a big dream, thanks to an unexpected week off work and the end of the Uzbek visa rule in March.  And I had to act fast before this gift of extra time was to be booked up. Quickly I 

Two Days in Samarkand – what not to miss (Part One)

Two Days in Samarkand – what not to miss (Part One)

My impromptu Silk Road trip to Samarkand and Bukhara lasted six days, including two long flights, and time was a bit of an issue. What to do if you have limited time, want to see everything, but don’t want to spend a ton of money 

Hotel Rahmon, Samarkand: A model of hospitality

Hotel Rahmon, Samarkand: A model of hospitality

On my recent flying visit to the Silk Road cities of Samarkand and Bukhara, my first contact with the locals was in this guesthouse I had just booked quickly in order to crash somewhere upon arrival. I had already booked some fancier hotels in Bukhara 

Travelling to Uzbekistan in 2019

Travelling to Uzbekistan in 2019

Uzbekistan has been a rather difficult country to travel in the past.  Most of us would need to apply for a visa, customs rules were extremely strict, immigration was difficult. And once there, you had to change currency at an unfavourable official rate in a