Just checking in near the half way point of my holiday...

I'm typing this is in from the Soviet-era relic that is the Hotel Uzbekistan in Tashkent, where it is raining outside for the first time in a fortnight. I'm getting ready to leave this evening (and steeling myself for the incomparable chaos of Tashkent International Airport). Had a great time so far, esp. at the walled Arabian nights city of Khiva and the old town of Bukhara, with its maze-like alleyways, minarets and many mausoleums. In spite of all the exaggerated prior warnings, there have been no real hassles, dangers (at no time have I felt unsafe walking alone in the streets or villages of this country), or other significant issues, with the only annoyance being a taxi driver who refused to take myself and two other travellers to the village of Tamerlane's birth, announcing (AFTER accepting additional payment and driving 250km to Shahkhrisabz) that in reality he didn't know where the village was, nobody knew where it was, and why were we going there anyway? Other difficulties have been entertaining at least. There was also my climb of the main minaret in Khiva - a thin, steep passageway in total darkness, passing courting couples at regular intervals (it turns out that the minaret is a very popular hiding place for the local teenagers). There was also a Russian soccer mom in Tashkent who complained greatly about her husband ("typical Russian man"), her life in Tashkent, and insisted that, as a single Australian juris, I accompany her and her two young children throughout the city for the day. But otherwise, it's all been remarkably smooth progress through deserts and mountain landscapes, in a generally friendly environment. Cities like Khiva and Samarkand are unforgettable and have not been too polluted by the tourist presence.

I head off to South Korea for some independent travel. As I am travelling through small towns and communities, there will be little if any chance to update this diary until I return in early June.