Tashkent Uzbekistan and the Meat Market

How are you doing for brains?

Well I am back in the land of the living. I have access to the money in my bank again. I was able to finally hit an ATM. The first ATM that has existed in the three cities I have visited in Uzbekistan. Freedom and I was able to use my bank card and not have to do a cash withdrawal on my MasterCard, so even better.

I have been trying to do it on the cheap not knowing if I could get money in this country so it was nice to not have instant noodles for dinner again. I splurged and went to the 17th floor of my hotel for the view and dinner, only one there and the big spender my meal and two drinks cost $9. Up until that point I had spent less than a dollar that day. It was 50 cents for the minibus to the train station (and I had already paid for the train ticket) and then in Tashkent, the capital they have a metro that comes right to the train station and a change and two stops later I popped out literally at my hotel, 30 cents for a metro ride. It was so simple and so cheap.

It was an eight hour train ride that was supposed to be seven, but the train stopped with two hours left in the trip and waited for an hour while the track was being repaired. I arrived to two wedding parties having their pictures done in the lobby of my hotel and this hotel has some people staying in it. I can say as I end my trip in The Stan’s that in my month in Central Asia I did not meet any other tourists, expats, yes, but not tourists.

Today I met a guy from the States who has been here for two months trying to learn the ins and outs of doing business here as he is interested in moving here with his family and setting up some small businesses. There is a lot of potential here but it is quite difficult, so I wish them good luck.

A little tongue action for you?

I always love checking out the scene on the meat market and although this one had some woman it was not that kind of meat market. If you are looking for babushkas they were there and they had brains and you could get some tongue too and there were nice melons in the veggie market but the cool thing of the day was the intestines, sheep heads, brains and of course the tongue. To my vegetarian friends mind your eyes to all others enjoy the meat.

Well The Stan’s have been an experience and a fabulous one at that.

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