Getting out of Turkmenistan and into Uzbekistan

We headed north along the worst asphalt road we've ridden on.   Pot holes the size of our front wheels and about as deep.  They were in the process ( for the last 5 years) of preparing the desert beside the road as a new road and we made use of that for a fair bit of the time.  It was rough but didn't have the surprising craters.
The usual hours to cross the border and we headed for Nukus.    On the way we bumped into a couple of French riders that we shared a hotel with in Goreme and they stayed at the same place.   It was quite pleasant as there were other travellers there as well as cold beer, so it was OK.

Ben and Dave's bikes getting a well earned spruce up.  First wash for the trip.

 

Next morning we decided to ride up to  'not' see the Aral Sea.  Its been drying up since the 60s.   Probably due to some Russian wiz diverting a river to grow cotton.  The shore line is now hundreds of km from the water's edge.

They do a great sand over here.  I think that they invented it, or at least perfected it. Dave strayed from the bad track into even worse sand.

 The biggest note is 1000 sums and there are 2600 per $.   This is the amount to fill up the tank on the Tenere!

 We returned to Nukus for the night and headed east and stayed at Khiva (Xiva) which still has its old walled section still standing.  It was a bit touristy in the mosque area but original where we stayed in a magnificent old home..

"Yeah mister, we'll look after your bikes!"

 

 Just another desert pic in case that you think this is all luxury touring.  

 Dave and I stopped at this charming little roadside diner and had their local soup.    Mutton.  Dave said that it was too old to be road kill as it wouldn't have been able to cross a road.  I thought that there was barley in it as well as potatoes and a lone carrot, but no, it was ground up gristle.  Not too bad in fact.  A bit mutton fatty , but filled the spot.

 

 Then to the next stop on the Silk Road, Bukhara.    Another caravanserai.   A mix up had Ben and Peter staying at another one just up the alley. 

The old town was great, as most of them are. Went to a restaurant and sat not far from a mulberry  tree, not too  healthy, but planted in 1477.  

 For the CoM Parks team.  The water pressure here is pretty poor, and they make the sprays a feature!

Next morning we headed further east to Samarqand, the city that Alexander the Great set up as his base after he convinced them it would be in their best interests.   Stayed at a nice little B&B, splashed our clothes around in some water and hung them out. 

The local kids decided the bikes were a new playground and left no switch unswitched.  My can of chainlube was spayed all over my seat and panniers.  I wouldn't have been so unhappy if they'd got some on my chain.  Kids, don't you love 'em.

  Went for our walk  in the cool of the evening before  sitting down to a magnificent meal.

  Probably the best meal of the trip.  Lots of vegetable entrees followed by a vegetable soup with noodles and a big dob of sour cream and dumplings that we dropped in.  This was with a lovely bottle of Russian white wine.   April 2013 was on the label!   Bad doesn't describe it.  We had ordered plov, a traditional meal which is a pile of rice with some meat on top, usually mutton, but in this case meat in vine leaves and then a decent amount of mutton fat poured over.   At this point I was not feeling all that flash and decided that I'd had enough.  The other three well were into it!

We had a team meeting to discuss routes and I silently crept off to bed as I was feeling unwell.

I had a sleepless night with several visits to the toilet.  I had taken a bait and was suffering in the worst possible way.  Sitting one minute, kneeling the next.    The next day was to fairly easy.  To the border and into Tajikistan and onto the Pamir Highway.