Our first destination was Khiva on the other side of Uzbekistan - far to the west on the border with Turkmenistan. The train journey was to take us 20 hours and passed through a variety of landscapes – deserts, mountains, and lush irrigated fields. For much of the trip the Karakum desert lay to the south and the Kyzylkum desert to the north.
Barney and I had a four-birth room to ourselves with blue satin pillows and bedspreads. There was a lovely blue and white teapot and four cups waiting for us on the small table between the beds. It could be filled for 35 cents with black or green tea.
We boarded at 6 so had a few hours to watch the country side before it got dark. We weren’t far out of Tashkent before we started to see farms. The night was hot but we got some rest. I don’t find rocking trains very soothing.
We woke to scrubby plains a lot like parts of Australia but with clay-coloured dirt not rusty red. In greener areas we saw a gazelle and several Bactrian camels. The camels must have been domesticated but it was still exciting to see their two humps instead of one.
Towards the end of the trip we crossed the Amu Darya – the historical Oxus River – crossed by Alexander the Great, Chinghiz Khan and Tamerlane. Uzbek Armies, Persian armies, Russian armies, and Mongol armies forded this river in waves of conquest and destruction.
The train ride was hot – really hot. Our room got up to 42 C by mid-afternoon. No air conditioning but a few open windows provided some relief.
We got off the train at the end of the line at Urgench where we were met by another huge air conditioned bus and the two drivers who were to be our companions for the next 10 days. A final half hour drive brought us to Khiva, a medieval walled city designated a World Heritage Site.
Pictures from the train trip to Khiva...
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| Khiva train |
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