Category: Free Inquiry

Well, folks, this is the end of the Uzbekistan travel series.

For this week’s post, I wanted to explore Bukhara, Uzbekistan as a final stop on my journey. According to The Diary of a Nomad blog, Bukhara has a very ancient rich history. Apparently, this city was once one of Genghis Kahn’s conquered lands. This blog offers a comprehensive list of 14 things to do while in the city. One thing I found to be helpful is their suggestion on where to eat! They recommend visiting the Chasmai-Mirob restaurant in the main square with rooftop terrace seating offering beautiful views. They offer many Uzbek dishes, with some I’ve never heard of before like: manti, lagman, shurpa, and somsa.

Another thing they suggest to see is the Ark of Bukhara built in the 5th century AD, making it the oldest structure in the city (my inner archaeologist is nerding out). This structure apparently used to operate as a city within a city inviting notable poets, scientists and mathematicians to reside there. The structure itself is immense in size and, in true Uzbek fashion, has incredible architecture to check out.

After visiting Bukhara, I will take the high speed train back to Tashkent and conclude my time in Uzbekistan. While this inquiry project has allowed me to dive deeper into the country and all it has to offer, this has only showed me that there is even more to learn! There is so much more to Uzbekistan than meets the eye and the list of things to see and do go further beyond what I have laid out in this series. I hope to continue to deep dive into different countries around the world and inspire my future students to be curious and inquisitive in the same way.

Peace out and keep travelling!

Hello! Welcome back!

This week I wanted to continue with exploring my tentative itinerary for travelling Uzbekistan. So, without further-ado, let’s dive in!

Since watching the Geography Now special from last week, I am now interested in exploring the regions of Khiva and Bukhara after I visit Samarkand. When looking at this travel blog, they provide a solid 10-day itinerary idea for Uzbekistan, highlighting Khiva and Bukhara.

First, Khiva. According to this blog, this city is off the beaten path a bit and often overlooked by travellers (tempt me more, I’m intrigued). It boasts continued beautiful architecture and UNESCO World Heritage Sites, with it being relatively easy access and affordable from Tashkent or Samarkand via train or plane. In this blog, they feature some potential accommodation options at varying price levels. I typically opt for the cheaper options while travelling to be able to extend my stays, but sometimes ballin-out a bit more for comfort is nice after extended travel on a budget. This guest house is only 38CAD/night, which is a great mid range option. It offers breakfast, a steady social environment, tours, and is right in the heart of it all! I think I’ll give it a go for a couple of nights.

Tune in next week as I explore Bukhara and all it has to offer!

Hey Ya’ll!

Welcome back. Happy to have you here.

As I was perusing YouTube earlier this week, I came across a video creator that I have been following for a long time who provides all-encompassing videos on every country in the world. His series has been going on for some time and he works in alphabetical order, and GUESS WHAT! This week he highlighted Uzbekistan! So, we are going to take a short break from researching places to visit and things to do around the country, and instead watch and reflect on his video. Barbs from Geography Now is an enthusiastic geography wiz who engages his video audience throughout the entire nearly 40 minute video. What I really like about his country highlights are that he cover topics like: physical and political geography, social demographics, history, disputed territory, wildlife and notable people of the country. He also, if at all possible, brings in guest speakers from the country to speak on these subjects from their perspective as locals. The videos are very entertaining and filled with fun skits and banter-like dialogue. Something I learned through the Uzbekistan episode in particular are the UNESCO World Heritage Sites found in the cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, with the latter two being places I had never even heard of! She highlights these sites and discusses their significance to the country, its history and its social demographics. Another interesting point made in the video I didn’t know about the country before are its economics. For example, I learned that there is one electronic company who has a monopoly in the country, making it difficult to buy things like Apple products.

As you can see, these types of resources can be beneficial on a deeper level to understanding a new country as a whole. With the local perspectives, it gives the researcher, like you and I, a better understanding of the destination. Please watch the video linked above and then I encourage you to explore more of his videos for other destinations you’re interested in! There’s always more to learn.

Happy research and chat with you next week!

Welcome back to The Blog, ladies and germs!

This week we are going in deep. We are leaving the sparkling capital city of Tashkent and heading straight to the place I am by and far the most excited for: Samarkand! You may or may not have heard about this place, despite it being a major hub on the Silk Road (thanks failed education system) but I’m sure you have seen it. Samarkand served as a significant trading area back in its prime, linking the Mediterranean and China and today, it boasts some of the most intricate and beautiful Central Asian architecture in the world. According to my research, from Tashkent it’s a cool 2.5hr journey via BULLET TRAIN to Samarkand. This is apparently quite common and accessible for tourists, so I think I’ll be taking this option!

Known for its mosques and mausoleums, that’s exactly where I plan on starting my Samarkand experience. I found this awesome blog that highlights some of the best things to see and do in Samarkand, most of which are looking at all the amazing buildings. If you are skim reading over this blog post right now, at the bare minimum click on the link above to this blog and look at her pictures. No, seriously, go look at how STUNNING this place is. I think I’ll shoot my shot at some Instagram pictures here and impress everyone at home. One place I’m most excited for here is the Registan, the “crown jewel of the city.” This famous square appears to be a one stop shop for a full Uzbek cultural experience with architecture, food, people watching and religious ceremonies. This blog also notes that the Registan is only $4USD entry, which, for such an incredible destination, is a steal. Proof that there are perks to travelling to off-the-beaten-path destinations!

See you next week for more Uzbekistan content!

¡Bienvenidos a The Blog!

So now that we have established the ways to do research about a destination, how to travel around and how to look for flights, I think it’s time we look deep into what my itinerary might look like for my trip to Uzbekistan.

To start, I have consulted numerous blogs for ideas on places to visit and I think my first stop will be in Tashkent, the capital and my point of entry into the country flying from Canada! This blog had a lot of really great highlight points that I feel suit my interests, so I will pick a few of their suggestions to discuss this week!

They suggest going to the Chorsu Bazaar, which, in my past travel experiences, a bazaar or market is always a great idea to hit up when you want an authentic experience in a country. This bazaar sounds like it sells everything from food, to clothing, to trinkets and more, making it an excellent stopover for some souvenirs or to watch as the locals purchase their produce and meats!

Next place they mention is the Hazrat Imam Complex, which displays some of Uzbekistan’s finest architecture. Here there is a library of oriental manuscripts that apparently is worth a look inside. To me, this is right up my ally. The older the building and its contents, the cooler it is!

According to this blog, these destinations are all easily accessible via the metro system in the city, which is an attraction in itself as they have beautiful light fixtures and art on the walls. They are reminiscent of old Soviet times too, so once again, waling through history!

Tune in next week as I explore more points of interest in the country!

Hey, hey, hey!

Welcome back for another weekly post about travelling Uzbekistan!

This week I want to talk a bit about some options to consider when looking at travelling a new destination: taking a tour through an organized company or travelling independently. Both of these have several pros and cons and can be determined depending on the complexity and logistics of a country vs experience of the traveller.

Taking a tour can be a great option for those who are not as confident in their abilities as a traveller and are looking for their trip to be done with ease. Tours will usually include stops at popular sites, which can be a good thing if you’re looking to see all the main points of attraction. They often have transportation covered, too, which can sometimes prove to be the most difficult aspect of travel. However, tours can come with a hefty price tag and typically occur with other masses of people touring the same popular points of interest. In my opinion, they offer a less authentic experience of a destination. But, and I cannot stress this enough, sometimes there is a time and place for tours. For example, a tour for the entire country of Morocco would be insufferable for me, but a few day tour to the Sahara Desert within my independent travel in the country, was totally worth it and appropriate! The logistics of driving myself into the desert and camping independently as a non-Arabic speaking foreign woman would be a nightmare.

In the case of Uzbekistan, I think I would do a combination of tours and independent travel, such as I did with Morocco. I feel confident in my travel abilities thus far and feel that I want to experience Uzbekistan in an authentic way. I would fly myself there, tour myself around the cities, and arrange my own accommodation and food, but I might consider a tour for more rural excursions, for example. Another great time for a tour can be if you’re planning on crossing multiple boarders or checkpoints, where the tour operator handles all of the logistics. In a place like Central Asia, a tour that handles all of these affairs can be extremely helpful with all of the complications that can arise from land-boarder crossing. Here is a cool tour I found that crosses “The Stans.”

Tune in next time for more!

Hey!

Thanks for coming back to The Blog. For this week’s post, I’ll be showcasing another way in which I conduct research before travelling to a new place.

Aside from watching videos, I like to read blogs about the country to get even more detail and insider perspectives on new places. I find that within blogs, I can get a comprehensive list of attractions, do’s and don’ts, and a glimpse at individual perspectives on the country. It is within blog posts that I find the most hidden or niche information, such as specific restaurants to try, or what to pack for certain activities, or the logistic of travel within the country (ie. checkpoints, potential bribes and boarder crossings, etc). Alternatively, blogs are great for simply providing practical information and laying them out in a written format that is easy to understand. For example, they often contain information about the cost of travel within the country, or they discuss the language and cultural differences to be aware of prior to travel. This blog is about Uzbekistan is an excellent example of this kind of resource where this information is listed clearly and concisely, making the task of researching a lighter load!

Other than blogs, I really enjoy using Lonely Planet as a researching resource. I use both the online version or, if I’m feeling nostalgic and want some eye-candy for the coffee table, I splurge and buy the book. This, however, I only do for big big trips where there’s TONS of research to be done. In my head, this makes the cost of a tangible book worth it (haha). For example, a three month trip across Central Africa might warrant this purchase, and possibly an extended trip to Uzbekistan, too! I really like to check out the local Indigo store for these books. Lonely Planet makes them on all sorts of destinations and my store has quite an extensive collection to choose from.

The last form of general research I recommend when planning travel is to talk to someone who has actually been there! While this won’t be possible for all destinations, this truly is the best way to get first-hand knowledge of what the country is like. If you know the person well, then you might value their input more as they know you and your interests and vice versa. You can also ask around to people in Facebook groups to gain deeper insight and recommendations, if you don’t know anyone personally who has been to where you’re headed. There is likely a Facebook group for Uzbekistan travel, but if there wasn’t, you could also search for information on the greater region, such as Central Asia. This could give you a general idea of what it’s like in that part of the world regarding cultural norms, cost of travel, weather, government stability, etc.

Stay tuned next week for more content on the incredible Uzbekistan!

Hi!

This week on The Blog we are going to dive into my favourite part of the pre-travel checklist, researching things to do!

There are many ways to go about looking into a new country and all it has to offer, but one of my personal favourite methods is watching YouTube travel vlogs. Different than the initial documentary research from week 1, YouTube vlogs allow for a less-curated idea of the country and allow for people’s first-hand experiences to shine through. It also gives the physical geography and layout of a country a different lens, instead of a professionally-edited and colour-corrected video of the country’s highlights. They allow the viewer to observe the positive experiences, the funny travel stories, the negatives, the dos and don’ts, solo female travel experiences, food recommendations, the list goes on. They also highlight a different kind of travel that you wouldn’t be exposed to in, for example, Condé Nast. I have used YouTube as a resource for as long as I’ve been travelling as it showcases different parts of the country or region and different things to do. If you don’t want a highlight reel of, then look to YouTube. Have you ever heard of jungle trekking for wild Orangutans in Sumatra instead of Bali’s resort scene? Or, have you ever considered adding hiking in the Atlas mountains to your Morocco itinerary? Without YouTube research before these trips, I would have never done these things.

So, let’s dive in. Uzbekistan, what’s good?

When I start this research, I simply open YouTube and type in something along the lines of: “Uzbekistan travel,” “Uzbekistan travel vlog,” or a specific region I’m interested in to narrow the search like “Samarkand vlog.” Adding the word “vlog” takes me away from the BBC-style documentaries and shows me videos from travel content creators. I then pick which video seems the most interesting.

While Samarkand is a popular destination in Uzbekistan, it is popular for a reason and I definitely must see it! However, I am more interested on where to eat in Samarkand instead of some of the other tourist attractions. Here is a video I found of a content creator showcasing some of the best places to eat and things to try in Samarkand in particular! Pro tip: Mark Weins from Migrationology will never let you down for food recommendations all over the world! He is a resource, both on youtube and his blog, that I constantly reference!

Tune in next week for more Uzbekistan travel research content!

Hi!

Welcome back to The Blog. I’m so happy you’ve made it this far.

So, Uzbekistan. It’s piqued my interest enough that I’ve officially decided that I have to go! It’s been on my mind and it’s time to dive in.

Certain places in the world come at more expensive price points for travel within the country, but also for flights. In my experience, the more high traffic and popular the destination, such as Italy, France, Mexico, etc, the less it costs to fly there from Vancouver, Canada. On top of this, the time of year travelling drastically affects the price point of flights and in-country activities. For example, although Paris Charles de Gaulle airport is a high-traffic destination with many frequent flights to and from Vancouver, in the summer time, it is an ultra desirable destination that results in a price jack. On the other hand, some destinations that are less frequently travelled to and from Vancouver can be ridiculously pricy (I’m looking at you, Madagascar). Uzbekistan is, unfortunately, one of those places, too. However, don’t let this steer you away from an incredible country! If you don’t pull the trigger, then you’ll never get to know all that a country has to offer and, at this point, I’m already too set on going, so there’s no turning back now. All that being said, it’s important to do some research and try to find the most economical flight options.

Whenever I look at travelling to a new destination, I always look at airports within the country on google maps. This is important because a flight landing in one part of a country might be cheaper from Vancouver, but the area with the attractions is in another part that is expensive to get to, making the “cheaper” flight not so cheap in the long run. Also, factors like long layovers and abnormal takeoff hours can affect the cost. For example, if you have to stay 12 hours in an airport, that will cost a lot in food and entertainment, or if you have to leave early in the morning, you might need to factor in a hotel to stay close to the airport the night before your flight.

After searching for potential airport hubs, I look for flight options, but ALWAYS using a VPN and an incognito window. The VPN allows for me to change my location to somewhere that might offer a better currency for local airlines. I’ve done this before with Peru and LATAM airlines and had major success. I did have to book in Spanish though. An incognito window allows for my browser to not track my searches. High interest in a particular flights can result in price increases. Now, I’ve heard this has been debunked recently, but I still do it out of habit. Here is a link to a video speaking more on that if you’re interested!

The next step is comparing flights across different websites. A few of my favourites are Google Flights, Skyscanner, or the airline website itself! Some of my best flight deals have come from catching a mistake fare directly through the airline.

Without further ado, here is a screen cast of my process searching for flights to Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

I hope this information helps! Tune in next week to dive into more how to travel to Uzbekistan content!