My travel to Uzbekistan

I always had a fascination to learn more about the Silk Road. I read about the tales of travellers in a caravan journeying through hostile regions, mostly composed of merchants and traders transporting goods from Europe to the Far East. Cementing the role of the Silk trade routes in perpetuating commerce during the Middle age years. To this day, it is believed that the Silk Road is not merely a trade route but also an exchange of artworks and cultural artifacts.

My fascination intensified when I finally decided to travel to Uzbekistan, a country situated in Central Asia and the heart of the Silk Road. My journey started in the country’s capital city, Tashkent. Then to Bukhara, which is called the Pearl of Uzbekistan. By train, I then proceeded to Samarkand, which is the country’s second-largest city. Samarkand is said to be one of the greatest and among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central Asia.

In 329 BCE, Samarkand known as Markanda, was already famous and it is said that Alexander the Great was in awe of its beauty when he conquered the city.

We have heard gruesome stories about the Mongol conquests, often depicted in the movies. The wealth, magnitude, and vast power that the Mongol Empire possessed for centuries had a huge influence that has affected modern-day history. One of them is Timur or Tamerlane, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest military leaders and tacticians in history, as well as one of the most brutal. In 1370, he made Samarkand the capital of his empire.

It might be fair to say that everyone knows or has heard of the tales related to the mighty Genghis Khan and his grandson, Kublai Khan. In the late 13^th century, it is said that Marco Polo had a great deal of experience working for Kublai Khan. This is in reference to Marco Polo’s narrative dictated to and shared with Rustichello, his former cellmate when he was imprisoned in Genoa, Italy.  The book “The Travels of Marco Polo”, which I can proudly say that I own a copy of and which is also one of the most expensive books I ever possessed. In fact, it is one of the books that inspired me to also do my own travels. Being one of the references for my personal conquest into the known world, thankfully via airplanes, trains, taxis, and other modes of convenient public transportation.

In pre-modern history, another explorer and scholar, IBN Battuta from today’s country of Morocco, who has apparently had more “air miles” than Marco Polo, also visited Samarkand and was amazed by the grandeur and the immense beauty of the city.

Let me also mention here my personal favourite, the collection of undying tales romanticized in the 1001 Arabian Nights, and many other movies depicting the splendour of the Middle Ages and Central Asia.

From my own experience, I can say not many people from Uzbekistan have met Filipinos before particularly those who haven’t been out of the country. Most of the time I’ve been mistaken for a Malaysian national. Others would ask me if I am from Japan, or from China. What surprises me is when I finally say I’m from the Philippines, the instant remarkable response is, “Oh Manny Pacquiao!; “Boxing…!”. For men, this reaction is sometimes coupled with in-the-air boxing gestures. I could sense that they are excited to see in person someone who comes from a country where their boxing favourite came from, with whom they are in awe of how exceptional he is and whom they perceived as a good-hearted person in real life. I must say they knew a lot more about Manny Pacquiao’s life story, even before he became a boxing icon. This knowledge includes his childhood, his struggles, his boxing career, and his rise to prominence as the greatest professional boxer of all time, and as a politician.

In order for me to sometimes change the subject, I would ask, “What else do you know about the Philippines?” Surprisingly the unanimous answer was always “Manny Pacquiao”. If the person I am interacting with is communicative enough, the second answer would be that the Philippines is an island. This situation gave me a chance to share with them basic information about the Philippines. I will leave it with you to expect what the obvious astounding reactions would be like!

I hope former senator Manny Pacquiao will see this post and realize how vast his fans and followers are in Uzbekistan. I happened to interact with some locals who were actually into boxing or had experienced many years of a boxing career. Some said that they may not have succeeded in boxing like Manny Pacquiao, but still, he inspires them to do better; through determination, and hard work they too will excel in their chosen fields. Some of them expressed their wish to someday meet Manny Pacquiao in person.

If I am being honest, I did not expect that these people in Central Asia are also boxing fanatics. Let alone singling out my very own kabayan, the former senator Manny Pacquiao. The overwhelming support, admiration, and respect they expressed for Manny Pacquiao gave me immense pride in being a Filipino and made me even feel safer traveling solo in this part of the world. This encounter made me, even more, believe that Manny Pacquiao is indeed a living legend in the world of boxing. I would assume it is not his ultimate achievement that draws many people of different races to adore him. I guess it is his discipline, hard work, perseverance, dedication, and humble character. He is an embodiment of an ordinary human being refined by harsh experiences who refuses to give up in spite of the great odds, which eventually made him what he is today – a Champion in his chosen field. I hope the former senator Manny Pacquiao realizes the tremendous impact he has affected on the lives of many people who adore him and got inspired by him from thousands of miles away.

Please note that English is not widely spoken in Uzbekistan. Based on my personal experience, my interactions with locals were sometimes through a mobile APP – mobile translate. I’m not so sure which mobile app they are using, but it’s similar to Google Translate. Their official language is Uzbek, although apparently there are many other languages and dialects spoken in the country with many other ethnic groups. On the other hand, Russian is the de facto language. Aside from the ever-helpful mobile app language translators, my few Russian words have helped me get along with some locals who don’t speak any English words. Based on my experience, in spite of the language barrier, the people are extremely kind, and friendly and I am glad some of them are now my contacts on social media. The food, transportation, and accommodation are much cheaper compared to many other countries, which for sure many travelers and vloggers can also attest to. I can say it is safe even for a solo traveller.

Uzbekistan is rich in history – with more than 2,000 years of recorded history. In the three cities that I have visited so far, although the modern infrastructure is obviously being built over the centuries, still there are many tangible traces of the past that can be found. Exploring this part of the world transports curious visitors literary back in history during the time of its prime. I hope you will experience it too …!

To see some photos and videos taken during my travel to Uzbekistan, please click this link to visit my Facebook account. Or check this one https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.6150488001745149&type=3

Other cities that I also wish to visit in Uzbekistan are Khiva, Nukus, and Urgench.

Spasiba!

#Uzbekistan #CentralAsia #ThankYouLord #travel #mytravels