Most Inspirational Moment
It sounds trite but there were so many! The view of Khiva from our hotel, with the sun glinting off the ceramic tiles covering dozens of minarets and domes. Eating Plov (the national dish) in a locals house - delicious and then washing it down with Uzbek cognac (very nice). Having a group of older Uzbek ladies ask for our photos to be taken with them so they could show their grandchildren in the village they all came from. Standing next to Ulebeg's observatory in Samakand and staring in bewilderment at the sheer beauty of Tamerlane's mausoleum.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our tour leader Dilshod was fantastic. His enthusiasm for his country was infectious. Nothing was too much trouble. He shared his experiences of being an ex soviet citizen, as well as stories of his own family which all helped to get a better understanding of the Uzbek culture and history.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Take a sleeping bag liner (silk if you can stretch to it) for the Yurt stay, as although bedding was clean it did get very warm in the yurt and so this allows you to regulate the temperature. We all brought warm fleece, hat and gloves for the yurt stay in May as per trip notes, but it was warm at night and we didn't need them.Bring some toilet paper from home for toilet stops, as the local stuff is more akin to tracing paper.The Uzbek currency is the Som, but the largest note is 1000 and with the exchange rate you will find you have to carry around a brick size wad of notes just to cover expenses for a day. As you can't get this amount in your purse or wallet take a sealable sandwich bag to keep it in, in your bag. You cannot get rid of any unwanted Som in the airport at the end of the holiday, as they only take euros and dollars in the airport shop.The sun is fierce in Uzbekistan, so take high SPF suncream because you will burn in minutes, I have come back with a nice light tan and I was diligently using SPF 50! The Uzbeks drink tea so if you are a coffee drinker I advise you to bring either coffee sachets or coffee in a bag for breakfast, as the only thing they had was unpalatable Nescafe coffee powder in tins. Bring swimwear and a quick dry towel, the opportunity to have a bathe at the lake by the Yurt camp after the hot and dusty (but enjoyable) camel trekking was bliss!