Uzbekistan appears to me to be coming into its own as a tourist destination. It’s not surprising since this region of the world has been a center for travelers for centuries.  

From the 12-16th centuries it was a major part of the Silk Road between the East and the West where not only goods but ideas were exchanged.

I had a chance to spend some time in this Central Asian country in June and enjoyed every minute of it. I found that it has all the elements of a great tourist destination. 

Let me highlight a few of these elements.  

Architecture and historic sites

Oodles of architecture and historic sites for visiting,  boasting some of the best preserved Islamic architecture in the world.    As you can imagine visitors from the Middle East and Asia flock here. Americans yet not so much.  

I will cover this more in future blogs. 

Here are remains from an ancient caravansaries, a hotel for camels and their drivers, located near major markets.

Lovely restaurants with great food 

Safety  

I never felt uncomfortable. Now I was with a well planned group, but I often saw these outposts of police stations dedicated to keeping visitors safe along with the uniformed officers.  

Religious tourism 

This felt very comfortable and  inspiring. A bit like visiting cathedrals and churches in Europe. The difference, I think, is that I often saw people visibly praying.  

Photo Snapping:  Same as all over the world 

You know you are in a tourist attraction when you see the cell phones come out. I often look to see what the person is drawn to and set up for taking pictures.

Plenty of stuff to buy 

Of course, there are touristy stalls and shops. I think they are fun and enjoyable to look at. I don’t come home with much any more but I always like to look and compare to other places I have visited. I even found baseball caps. Khivia is a city known as a “living museum.”   

Other tourists and funny stuff 

I never get tired of people watching. Loved the t-shirt on this guy. And what about this vintage phone booth of sorts?   Hmmmmm. Made me wonder if this is for calling into the building. It is curious no matter what.  

Friendly people 

I found the people to be very friendly. They were happy to have their picture taken and some were quite curious about us.  I frequently got asked in halting English or sign language, “Where are you from?”  It was interesting that if I said, “United States” I got puzzled looks, but if I said “America” I was understood.  

I had one interchange with a charming man (couldn’t call it a conversation our language was so limited) where we finally got to the point where I understood that he had a connection with Chicago and I think he understood that I live not too far from Chicago (well….across the lake). He was gleeful that we had that in common. Positively gleeful.  

I’m sorry I didn’t get his picture.  

Dance and Music 

So much fun to watch.  

I traveled with FantasticPhototours.com

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