Agreed:thumbup1:

I'll settle for a beer! And I can live with crazy!

Well, I got the uzbek visa! (Yeah!)
So I can finally leave Dushanbe! (Yeah!)
And that all means I'll be heading to those famous Silk Road cities - Samarkhand, Bukhara and Khiva - that I've wanted to see for, well, about a decade now. (Yeah!)

But which route to take?
I'll be taking Denau border and heading to Samarkand via Boysun, and Shahrisabz - but after that, I don't know...

The main direct roads to Bukhara and Khiva would kind of make sense, but I've heard there's little of interest and it's boring cycling - and long dull stretches of tarmac don't interest me at all.
So, are there any other routes that might be more fun? According to the map, there are several smaller roads.
Alternatively, I could stick the bike on a bus/train as that would give me more time to explore elsewhere - in that case... where else?

Any recommendations from anyone who's explored the country?

Hi Helen

very good you got your visa. Which countries are you heading after Uzb?
2 months ago we mainly took public transport through Uzb to be not too late in Caucasus, so we skipped Samarkand. Most interesting stretch is in the mountaineous region after Denav, afterwards it is quite flat and the main attractions are indeed the cities. You now should have better cycling weather, just when we were in Khiva, the climate changed significantly from 40 to 30 degrees (not due to the region, but weather changed on autumn I supose).

Good cycling

Christian

cause extra air conditioning suits the climate now, right?

:thumbup1:

Does anyone have any recent experience with the Uzbek Embassy in Bishkek?

I couldn't get an Uzbek visa ahead of the trip as I left more than 3 months before I'm due to enter Uzbekistan. I understand that, as a UK passport holder, I can get an Uzbek visa without an LOI (although an LOI can speed up the process).

Does anyone have information on how long it would take the embassy in Bishkek to process an application without an LOI?

I'm exchanging e-mails with Stantours at the moment regarding a possible LOI, but the limited methods of payment are proving to be a hurdle, so I may have to go the no-LOI route.

Thanks,

Stantours will only accept payment via wire-transfer, which can prove difficult whilst already on the road.

However, we've now found a way to get a wire-transfer sent, so I should be able to get the LOI, which should result in the prompt issuance of a visa in Bishkek (all being well).