​Dear Friends,

Time is flying by and there are many practical details to be taken care of in preparation for our trip to Uzbekistan.  Here are the most urgent ones.
 
Passports:
To book flights in Uzbekistan a copy of the front page of your passport is required.  I need this as soon as possible to make sure that we get all the seats we need.  Please send me a scan of the picture page of your passport.  This needs to be of a good quality, and include the whole picture page, including the code (numbers and letters) that appears at the bottom of the page.  If you have any questions, or if you have any difficulty, please be in touch with me. It is essential that I have these before the end of the month.
Please note that there are a limited number of places on the flight from Tashkent to Bukhara. Depending on availability when I get your passport scan, I may need to divide the group between 2 flights. Some people will fly to Bukhara late Thursday night and others on Friday morning. Regardless of which flight you are on you will get to see all the sites in both cities
The passport needs to be valid at the time we will be in Uzbekistan.  If you are going to be applying for a new passport please let me know, as the booking will need to be with the picture of your new passport.

Visas:

You will need a visa to enter Uzbekistan. It usually takes about 2 weeks to get the visa but in can take longer. The process is different if you don’t have a UK passport, or are applying in Isreal. You can apply for a visa from 3 months in advance of a visit, so you should plan to do this any time from the beginning of June. I will send out a separate post about this in the coming weeks.

Flights: 

It is also time to start looking at flights.

I checked group flight options, but these are so restrictive that they won’t suit enough travellers to allow me to arrange group flights. You will need to book your own flights.

There are several flight options

Option 1: Regular Trip (No Extension)

The simplest flight combination is with Uzbekistan Airways. There is a flight out from London on Tuesday evening and a return flight a week later on Tuesday afternoon. The trip is coordinated with these flights, and you will be collected from the airport in Tashkent and brought to the airport at the end of the trip in time for the return flight.

If you choose this option your flight dates are:


Out: Tuesday 13 September 2016 – Return: Tuesday 20 September 2016

Option 2: Extended trip – Return on Friday.

If you are on the Khiva extension, you will return to Tashkent late Wednesday night at around midnight.

As there is no return direct flight to London on Thursdays, and the simplest way to return home is to stay an extra day in Tashkent, and to return to London with Uzbekistan Airways on Friday.  Please note that this flight gets in to London on Friday night, and is not suitable for those who observe Shabbat. You will need to ask for an extra night in Tashkent if you choose this option.

Flight dates for this option are:

Out: Tuesday 13 September 2016 – Return: Friday 23 September 2016



Option 3: Extended Trip - Return on Thursday.

Those taking the trip extension and who wish to return on Thursday have a few options. Uzbekistan Airways does not offer a flight to London on Thursday, but it is possible to return to another European Airport including Frankfurt, Milan, Istanbul and Riga. You can choose any of these options that you wish. You will then need to book a separate one-way flight from that airport back to London.

Please note that you will be flying on 2 separate tickets, and that you will not be able to check your luggage all the way through to London. You will need to collect your suitcase in the transfer airport and then check in again. Also, if you miss you connecting flight, the airline will not take responsibility. If you fly via Istanbul, you will need a visa to clear customs in Istanbul in order to collect your suitcase and check it in again. This costs around $20 USD and can be done online.

All this means that to avoid difficulty, if you aren’t flying directly you should allow plenty of time for your transfer. Flights leave very early Thursday morning (around 5:00 am). In my experience, Frankfurt airport is fast and efficient and in the EU so the transfer is easy. The other airports are less efficient, but it comes down to a matter of personal choice.

If you choose this option your flight dates are:

Out: Tuesday 13 September 2016 – Return: Thursday 22 September 2016


Option 4: Other Airlines

Finally, if you wish to fly to Uzbekistan on different airline the choice is yours. The only European Airline flying into Tashkent is Turkish Airways. This is a world class airline, and I have flown with it several times. It flies to Uzbekistan via Istanbul. If you fly with them, you will be able to book your luggage all the way through. For more details, go to their website.

Please note that several people used Turkish airlines on the trips last year, and on one occasion the people missed their flight connection in Istanbul, due to a late departure from Heathrow.  There are several options of flights from London to Istanbul, and if you to fly via Istanbul it is advisable to leave plenty of time in Istanbul to make your connection.
On the return trip there is a tight connection between their return from Khiva (around midnight) and the Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul (3.00 am).  That is a 3-hour transfer window, which might seem like a lot of time in a European airport, but is actually very tight. In these 3-hours you will need to transfer from the domestic to the international terminal, and go through extra customs and security upon exit.  This can take a long time. Last year we almost missed this connection because of a delay in the flight back from Khiva.  If you choose to take this option, you do so at your own risk.  If you are flying Turkish Airlines I advise you to return from Khiva earlier in the day (there is an earlier flight mid-afternoon) or stay an extra night in Tashkent and return to London on Friday.
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You do not need to book your flight immediately, but should not wait too long as the cheapest fares go early – and there are a limited number of seats on each flight.

I have travelled back and forth to Uzbekistan several times and have tried all of the different options.  I will be sending out an additional post in the coming days to tell you about my experiences on the different airlines.  This will help you choose the best route for you.
 
Other Observations:

Just a few additional notes and observations based on my experience from previous trips.

Walking: Some people have asked me about how much walking is involved in the trips. I have posted about this in the website. I would add that in addition to walking, there is a fair amount of standing and listening to explanations about various sites. I always aim to stop at places where there is shade and it is possible to sit. Some people found a small folding chair/walking stick to be useful.

Vegetarian Food. In my earlier posts I mentioned that it was difficult to find vegetarian food in Uzbekistan. It was actually not as difficult as anticipated, and there were tons of fresh fruits and vegetables in the markets.

Tips. There are many places where we are expected to leave tips for porters, drivers, guides etc. To make this simpler I will collect £10 from each participant at the beginning of the trip to cover all tips – and will tip as appropriate as a group. This will not include the tip to our main guide who will be with us throughout the trip. You will be able tip the senior guide at your discretion at the end of the trip.

Please note that many sites charge a ‘camera fee’ if you take pictures. The charge depends on how popular the site is, and ranges between 50p to £1 per site.



Finally:



I will be sending more information in due course. I look forward to receiving a scan of your passport in the coming days, and hearing details of your flight information when you make your bookings.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Chaim Weiner


E&EO excluded

Thank you to everyone who sent feedback on my first goal post.  This is the continuation with the details of the second part of our trip.  


Day Six - Journey from Buchara:

After a very pleasant Shabbat with the handful of remaining Jews in Buchara, we got ready to set off to our last stop in Uzbekistan - the ancient city of Khiva. On the way out of Buchara, we visited the tomb of one of the great Sufi mystics, and met pilgrims from around the world who had come to receive blessings and inspiration at the holy site. The drive through the Uzbek desert, up along the border with Turkmenistan, was pretty long and arduous and took up most of the rest of the day. We might have to rethink this part of the tour! We stopped at the only stop on the way a few hours out of Buchara, and half-slept the rest of the way, but around sunset finally made it to Khiva and checked in to the hotel, just on the edge of the walled city. There were no lights outside, and after a short attempt to explore the city by ourselves, we came back to the hotel and contented ourselves with waiting for our guide in the morning.

Day Seven - Khiva:

Khiva is incredibly beautiful. The intricate geometrical artwork on blue tiles that decorated some of the mosques and mausoleums in other cities now covered every building we could see. Each building outdid the last in size, complexity and sheer beauty. We visited harems, prisons, labyrinths and palaces - some of which have been turned into small half-hearted museums dedicated to various crafts. Pedlars were selling camelskin socks and hand-carved bookstands, and it was apparently wedding season, because we met at least a dozen brides and grooms walking and dancing in every corner of the old city. We ended up in a farmers' market outside the city walls, where all sorts of things were bought and sold. We stayed another night in the hotel, tired but satisfied.

Day Eight - Out of Khiva:

We woke up early and checked out of the hotel, mentally preparing ourselves to say goodbye to Uzbekistan after a week of getting to know the wacky and fascinating country. But things didn't go exactly as planned. A thick fog had descended on the area, and after a cautious drive to the nearest airport in Urgench, we were informed that no planes could take off until the fog had lifted. Since we were planning to take a flight from Tashkent later that day, we were a bit worried, and as the day went on and the fog stayed, our worries were realised. As I write, it's now 4pm and we still haven't moved, and our tentative plan is to fly back via Istanbul tomorrow. We've almost finished all our crisps, and I'm near the end of my badly-translated book of Uzbek short stories. But the last week has been such a great experienced that it's hard to get too troubled, and I'm cautiously optimistic. If we ever make it home, we'll send this email update out to you...


I will be sending out a further email later with practical information about the flights for trip and the visa requirements.

Best wishes.

Chaim