Days 2 and 3: Tashkent

It's 7 a.m. Uzbek time as I pass into the spacious arrivals area. Officialdom is evidently trying to encourage independent tourism by removing some of the former hassle: no visa, no immigration form and no customs declaration. More than could be said for other countries I could name! I manage to catch the exchange kiosk before it closes for breakfast; the lady examines my British currency suspiciously and wipes at some imaginary blemishes. There have been warnings of even the most slightly damaged currency being rejected but she accepts it all. And here's the crunch: there are 10,000---yes, ten thousand---Uzbek som to the pound so by exchanging £300 I am am millionaire 3 times over. Moreover, the 10,000 note is the largest in common circulation so I have to find a way to stash 300 of these about my person. The first quirk of this charmingly quirky country.

I recognise the guy who has come to meet me because his face is pictured on the front page of the guest house where I'm due to stay. His name is Sardor, he speaks good English and is briskly efficient. He whisks me through the almost deserted streets, pointing out various monuments on the way---the central railway station here, the statue of Tamerlane (the country's greatest ruler in the 14th-15th centuries) and the monolithic Hotel Uzbekistan round the corner.

My accommodation is named after Jules Verne who while not coming to Central Asia, at least wrote of travelling to the centre of the earth. It's a shoes-off place which marks it as a family-run guest house. Having pre-registered for last night, I am eligible for breakfast which includes a sort of sweet porridge, mountains of bread with cheese, jam and the obligatory boiled egg. And the even more obligatory green tea. I am well satisfied and am ready for sleep but not before slipping on the wet floor in the shower and falling flat on my bum. The trip almost finishes before it started and I don't do much for the rest of the day.

The next day I've recovered enough to take a metro to the city centre. A 15 minute walk from the guest house, the metro service is a bargain at 1,400 som (14p!) The stations are all designed differently and in some cases look like the interiors of mosques---very impressive. Emerging at ground level, I am struck by the way the city is so spread out. It was remodelled after an earthquake in 1966 and most of the avenues are 5 lanes in each direction. There is much formal parkland and little high-rise, the 16-storey Hotel Uzbekistan being one of the tallest buildings in this city of 2.5 million people. But where are they all?---apart from an outdoor shopping area where they sell souvenirs and ice creams, there is little of the bustle that one would expect in an Asian city or even London. Strange.Read more