Russ Olivant: Escape to Uzbekistan

Today we were to attempt to exit Turkmenistan, and head into Uzbekistan - the border crossing should take a couple of hours, but we were a little apprehensive after our all day affair getting into Turkmenistan.
It was a short 15km ride from Khiva to the Turkmenistan border;

We were ready for this border, so after supplying our wad of doccuments to the border officials, we settled down with books...
After much form filling in duplicate and triplicate, and mucho gusto with the official stamp, after 2 hours we were ready for the the customs check. My technique of only opening panniers when asked to do so, and then ensuring when my side pannier was opened, the contents spilled out, meant the customs people got bored very quickly, and waved me through.

So, through no-mans land to Usbekistan;

Some more form filling, this time with extremely freindly and fun customs officials and we were through within an hour.

Entering Uzbek was like a breath of fresh air - after the (seeming) opression of Turkmenistan. People were working the cultivated fields, there was a bustle of activity - agricultural machinery, people tending fields, padi fields with rice, crops in fields, etc.

After a relatively short ride we entered the Silk Route town of Khiva;

Were we met the most friendly and entrepenerial of kids; some of home were exremely business like - selling water from small cabinets outdside their houses - again, very different and refreshing from Turkmenistan;