1. UZBEKISTAN
Daily Living

2. TRAVELLING
by plane
Uzbekistan Airways is the only one
national carrier.
In the airport you will be asked to
declare all the money you are
bringing into the country - don't
worry about this - declare everything
you have and make sure you have
less money when you leave. The
Uzbek govt don't want precious
foreign currency leaving the country.
Also ensure that this declaration is
made in duplicate and to keep one
copy of the declaration form with
you, duly signed and stamped by the
customs official as this will be
required at the time of departure as
a proof of money that you brought in

3. TRAVELLING
by train
Not recommended as train cars
are very old, built during the
former Soviet Union. The
equipment is outdated and
mostly on the life support, there
are no showers, the toilets are
small and dirty, and there is no air
conditioning. Even the
undocumented Uzbek workers in
Moscow typically fly home
instead of taking a train
(international). But to get to
Samarqand or Bukhara you will
have comfortable and fast trains
(economy class cost $25$,
business - $30)

4. METRO
Serving in the city of
Tashkent it is the most
ornate in the world. Clean
and fast.
(Taking photo in the metro is not allowed)

5. TAXI
Best option and
experience (shared taxi)
when you travel not only
around the city but also to
other regions of
Uzbekistan (e.g. Andijan)
(but don’t get ripped off,
negotiate beforehand)

6. PEOPLE
•
•
•
The majority of citizens are ethnic Uzbeks
and most speak Uzbek as their first language,
although many also speak Russian. There are
also significant numbers of ethnic Tajiks and
Kazakhs in Uzbekistan, primarily speaking
their native tongue as a first language. In
Samarkand and Bukhara, for instance, one is
just as likely to hear Tajik being spoken as
Uzbek. Russian is widely spoken especially in
the cities. In Tashkent the majority of the
population speak Russian and one is just as
likely to hear it being spoken on the street as
Uzbek.
In the semi-autonomous region of
Karalkalpakstan in western Uzbekistan, the
ethnic Karalkalpaks speak their own
language, which is related to Kazakh. Many
Karalkalpaks also speak Russian.
In the cities, more and more people speak
English, especially those in the hotel and
catering trades.

7. MONEY
•
ATMs do work with foreign cards, but
operate at the official exchange rate,
and are usually empty. Hence it's
better to prepare sufficient dollars to
avoid such situation. Some cash
machines do dispense US dollars however, be careful of withdrawing a
large number of dollars and then
leaving Uzbekistan with more money
than you declared when you entered.
Be aware however changing dollars
to Som is technically illegal, however
you will be approached by money
changers, just be careful of the over
zealous policeman. In 2013 not a
single ATM was found working in
Samarkand and Bukhara.

8. SHOPPING
• In Uzbekistan people
traditionally buy goods
at bazaars. Prices are fixed in
department stores only. In
bazaars, private shops and
private souvenir
stores haggling is part of the
game. Bazaars are the best
place to observe the daily life
of the locals. The Alayski
Bazaar is one of the oldest and
most famous bazaars of
Central Asia. You will find
beautiful rugs, silk, spices,
handicrafts and traditional
clothes in the Eski
Djouva and Chor Su bazaars
in the Old City of Tashkent

9. EATING OUT
• When you go to restaurants,
always ask for menu or
price if they do not provide
one. While some of the
well-established restaurants
are surprisingly good value
by Western standard, some
of the random or less
popular restaurants try to
take advantage of tourists
by ripping off up to 5 times
of normal price. Tea tips are
not given as they are
included in the bill already.

10. CUISINE
• Osh (Plov) is the national dish.
It's made of rice, carrots,
onions, and mutton, and you
will eat it if you go to
Uzbekistan. Each region has its
own way of cooking plov, so
you should taste it in different
places. According to the
legend plov was invented by
the cooks ofAlexander the
Great. Plov can also be made
with peas, carrots, raisins,
dried apricots, pumpkins or
quinces. Often spices as
peppers, crushed or dried
tomatoes are added.

11. CUISINE
• Chuchvara - similar to
ravioli and stuffed with
mutton and onions (aka
'pelmeni' in Russian).
• Manti - lamb and onion
filled dumpling-like
food, often with onions,
peppers and mutton fat

12. CUISINE
•
•
•
Somsas, which are pastry pockets filled with
beef, mutton, pumpkin or potatoes. In spring
time "green somsas" are made from socalled "yalpiz" a kind of grass which grows in
the mountains and in rural parts of regions.
And the amazing thing is people just pick
them up for free and make tasty somsas. You
can find somsas being cooked and sold on
the streets.
Lagman - thick soup with meat, potatoes,
spices, vegetables and pasta. By right, it
should include 50 ingredients. Often carrot,
red beet, cabbage, radish, garlic, tomatoes,
peppers and onions are added. The noodles
should be very thin.
Shashlik - grilled meat. Usually served only
with onions. Veal or mutton is marinated in
salt, peppers and vinegar and eight to ten
pieces of meat are grilled on a spit over the
open fire.

13. CUISINE
• Bread - Uzbeks eat lots of
bread (in uzbek its
called non). Round bread is
called lepioshka. You can
buy it anywhere, while in
the bazar it costs around
1000 sum. Samarkand is
very famous for the bread.
The characteristic
Samarkand bread obi-non is
traditionally baked in clay
furnaces. Bread is served to
every meal.

14. DRINK
• Tea is served virtually
everywhere: home, office, cafes,
etc. Uzbek people drink black
tea in winter and green tea in
summer, instead of water. If tea is
served in the traditional manner,
the server will pour tea into a cup
from the teapot and then pour
the tea back into the teapot. This
action is repeated three times.
These repetitions symbolize loy
(clay) which seals thirst, moy
(grease) which isolates from the
cold and the danger and tchai
(tea or water) which extinguishes
the fire. Beer, wine and vodka are
available almost in every shop.

15. • Visitors should consider
tap water to be unsafe
to drink in regions,
while in capital of
Uzbekistan the water is
safe for drinking. In any
case drinking bottled
water is advised.

16. STAY HEALTHY
• Uzbekistan has not implemented a nosmoking policy in bars and restaurants, unlike
many Western countries. Consequently,
enclosed spaces can be very unpleasant for
non-smokers, especially in the cold weather.
• Fruits and vegetables should be peeled before
consumption. Avoid drinking Uzbek (locally
produced) vodka. Most Uzbek Vodkas are not
good even dangerous to your health.

17. NIGHTLIFE
•
In Tashkent there are various night
(dance) clubs and restaurants. They
usually work till late night/early
morning. Take enough cash because
drinks and snacks are much more
expensive than in daytime
restaurants. Also you can find
overnight Uzbek "chill-out"
restaurants where you enjoy
traditional food laying on large
wooden sofas (tapchans/suri). It is
not recommended to hang out on
the street or parks after 11 p.m. Even
if you do not face problems with
criminals you definitely attract
unwanted interest of local
police(militsiya) patrolling the area

18. HOTELS
• There are many hotels
in the country.
In Tashkent there are
various types of hotels
you can stay, it can cost
you US$60 and more
depending on how
much you're willing to
pay for your pleasure in
hotel.

19. RESPECT
• In Uzbekistan, and in
Central Asia in general,
elderly people are greatly
respected. Always treat
the elderly with great
respect and be deferent
to them in all situations.
Also be polite with
females. If you are a male
and there is an option to
address a male with the
question instead of
female, choose it.

20. CONNECTION
• Mobile connection works in
most parts of Uzbekistan
and the services are cheap.
There are several popular
mobile service providers in
Uzbekistan - Ucell , Beeline,
Perfectum Mobile. A
foreigner can get a SIM card
after showing his passport.
You can find Internet cafés
in most of the cities. Speeds
can sometimes be fast but
generally speed is relatively
slow.