RIGHT BYTES

 

 

The ‘season’ed traveller goes now

April is a good time until June. So is September-October. Just avoid the Chilla; no chilly winters but that’s what the Uzbek call the hottest 40 days of the year between July and August.

‘Savour’ faire

You can’t go to Uzbekistan and not try Osh or Plov as they call it. The Uzbek national dish is a preparation of fried/boiled meat, onions, carrots and rice; with raisins, barberries, chickpeas, or fruit added for variation. Green tea anytime of the day and vodka are popular drinks, but do try Arak, the traditional Uzbek wine.



Get to work

Head to the ‘Rome of the orient’, the city of Samarkand. Shop in the bazaar, go biking, hiking, trekking, rafting, or horse riding.

What’s the word?

The Uzbek’s say ‘Khush kelibsiz’ for welcome and ‘Rakhmat’ for thank you. However, if you happen to know a bit of Russian, you’ll be at home in Uzbekistan. It’s widely spoken.

Keepsake courtesies

Buy silk, cotton fabrics, woolen carpets, ceramic artifacts and interesting jewellery; you might run out of cash and bags to stock up the goodies but not of things you’d still wanna pick.