Although it is technically possible for EU and US citizens to obtain a tourist visa to Uzbekistan without a Letter of Invitation (LOI), we recommend spending the extra $30 for the letter. It enables the process to move faster and removes some of the pain. We used Stantours for our LOIs to Uzbekistan. No tour booking was needed and we received the scanned letter by email within a couple of weeks. Continue Reading »
- Sex and the Central Asian Visa
- Turkmenistan Visas and Letters of Invitation (LOI)
- Uzbekistan Visas and Letters of Invitation (LOI)
- Kazakhstan Visas and Letters of Invitation (LOI)
- Kyrgyzstan Visas
- Tajikistan Visas and GBAO Permits
Filed Under: Travel, Uzbekistan by: Daniel Noll
No Comments | 6 February 2008
I don’t know why my country, he likes to cheat everyone.
– Aziza, an Uzbek woman, rhetorically pondering why many of her Uzbek countrymen enjoy ripping off tourists so much.
Shaft us once, shame on you. Shaft us twice, shame on us. Try and shaft us repeatedly and charge our friends $1.00 for a few teaspoons of sugar, and we write a blog post about you. [Yes, one of our travel mates was repeatedly charged for sugar – and outrageous sums, no less.] Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Central Asia, Perspectives, Travel, Uzbekistan by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
17 Comments | 25 November 2007
We unintentionally followed the Silk Road in reverse order – from somewhere near its western end in Tbilisi, Georgia to its eastern terminus in Xi’an, China. Although our first taste of UNESCO Silk Road sites occurred in Turkmenistan (Merv), Uzbekistan is where the Silk Road unexpectedly reaches a sophisticated tourist marketing level.
Don’t worry, we won’t bore you with a bullet list of must-see Silk Road sites. There are plenty of those in guide books and all over the internet. You can (and should) check out our short photo set of Silk Road sites in Uzbekistan.
This scavenger hunt is intended to help you get under the surface of Uzbekistan’s polished Silk Road tourist veneer which you’ll find in Khiva, Bukhara, and Samarkand. We’ve also thrown in Nukus and Tashkent as a bonus. The list below includes some serious suggestions, as well as a few head-scratchers. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Central Asia, Interactive Maps, Travel, Uzbekistan by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
3 Comments | 24 November 2007
Have you ever watched the news and witnessed escaping refugees at a border crossing, crushed against iron bars like animals in a cage? You know the scene. Now superimpose two backpack-laden white faces onto that newsreel, throw in a few cries of “Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan” amongst the shrieks of old women and children being squashed in a sea of madness, and you would just begin to understand what we went through at the Uzbek-Kazakh border yesterday. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Perspectives, Travel, Uzbekistan by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
18 Comments | 25 August 2007
Taking advantage of free wireless internet in Tashkent, we’ve decided to conclude our time here by uploading photos from Uzbekistan’s Silk Road.
Tashkent has been the most connected city in Central Asia thus far. Rather ironic considering Uzbekistan’s penchant for blocking internet sites and restricting printed material. Just one of the many contradictions here. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Central Asia, Photography, Travel, Uzbekistan by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
No Comments | 24 August 2007
Where do you find a $200,000+ Aston Martin V8 Vantage sportscar followed by a clunking white Indian Ambassador? In Turkmenistan, of course.
In Uzbekistan, we’ve also come across small cars covered with stickers and driven by Westerners desperate for the next mechanic or gas station.
What’s all the fuss? Awareness, fundraising and rallies. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Central Asia, Hope for Humanity, Travel, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
No Comments | 6 August 2007
