A Disappearing Shoreline: The Aral Sea, Uzbekistan

After leaving Khiva, I headed towards west towards Nukus and with some days to spare before my Turkmenistan visa began, I was hoping to find fellow travellers to share the cost of heading to the Aral Sea.

Luckily enough, on arriving to Nukus and speaking to receptionist where I was staying, I managed to meet a nice Japanese couple Keigo and Naoko who also had the same idea. Having asked around and hotel who wanted to charged an over-inflated price, we managed to talk to a taxi driver who happened to know a driver in Moynaq who we manage to get the number. After some negotiating with the driver directly, we managed to get a MUCH more agreeable price and about half of what the hotel wanted charge!

Like a local, the next day we headed to the bus station for the local bus towards Moynaq where the old port once was.

Local bus for Nukus-Moynaq

Ugly truth behind Khiva (and Uzbekistan)

Just outside the little beautiful old city of Khiva where most of the inner city, fortified by a 10 metre remains intact, lying just outside the western gate of the inner city, lies a empty block of land about 200m by 200m where only 3 guesthouse stands. Intrigued by the empty land, I asked the guesthouse where I was staying about it only to find out by the owner that a few years ago the government declared the residential block as "unsightly" for tourist and ordered the whole block to be knocked down. Of that, only the 3 guesthouse/hotels remains with most of their neighbours now relocated and living in the capital, Tashkent.

Beyond the tragic effects of tourism, Khiva remains a beautiful town with much to offer and see. Walking through the inner city lies a beautiful and well maintained city with friendly locals.

Within the inner city, around the backstreets away from the main tourist attractions, kids happily playing soccer/football.

The not so tacky Uzbekistan: Bukhara

Moving on from the Samarkand, I headed west towards Bukhara. Once a major trade centre of the the ancient silk road, Bukhara was also known as a religious centre. Today, much of the town remains preserved and one can see reminiscence of the past without the flashiness of Samarkand. I found Bukhara a much more intriguing city. While lacking the sights at the scale and beauty of Samarkand when looked at individually, the sum of it parts is what makes Bukhara a much prettier city in my opinion.

Outside Nadir Devon Begi Madrasah