To khiva

What a contrast of landscape, for much of the journey all you could see was desert.  Miles and miles of desert.  We went very close to the Turkestan border but still more desert, so dry and I imagine hot.  Then necminute there were buffalos and rivers and green green fields.  It changed so quickly.

After a fairly quick and non eventful 13hrs we arrived in Khiva.  Completely different to Tashkent.  Alot smaller, sandier and touristy.  You get of the train and the first thing you see is a 'theme park' with a big ferris wheel.  

I checked with the hostel to see what the best way to get to the hostel was and of course it was by taxi and they said around 6000som.  As you exit the station there was an onslaughter of taxi drivers preying on the arrivals. I chose to ignore them and keep on walking. One guy with an incredible amount of gold teach was very persistent.  You speak English, you need taxi, where you go.  So I calmly told him where and he quoted me 50000som!!! 50000!! Let's put this in to context I mean it's 4$ but still ...I said I would pay 6, he lowered his price , I would not budge.  He finally walked away..I'm the mean time obvs I was checking with my friend goggle maps to see if I could walk....goggle tells me 25mins . brilliant.  I began to walk and another guy approaches same speal,,50, 6, 40, 6, 30, 6 IL walk.  It was hot but there was a nice breeze and sure enough in about 20 mins I was in the hostel.

I was checked in no probs shown to a 'dorm room' with just three single beds and a bathroom but no windows, no natural light! Asked if he had another room, he showed me to a two bed dorm (what we would know as a twin) with a window.  Also happened to have a girl already staying from London.  

So we chatted, chatted some more, I lunches on my favourite mushroom cheese and bread, chatted some more and then decided to go for a wander.

Khiva is an old walled city, once you get inside the walls the buildings are just incredible.  Completely different to Tashkent.  The architecture, the colours the different shapes.  It feels really special.  It's one of the main reasons I came here to see these places and to be honest blew me away.  You see the pictures and then you see the real things and it's just ....epic!! 

We wandered, people asking us where we were from, a lot of broken English with a lot of mention about the up coming game tonight.  It was a lovely atmosphere, not many western tourists mainly uzbec families.  Lots of smiles.  

We wandered some more, it's a great place to get lost in, technically you can't get lost as long as you stay within the walls.  A few people had mentioned there would be a place to watch the football just outside the walls.  So we went to investigate.  In my head a screen is a big TV screen.  This was a home made Blue Peter badge effort of a screen.  But it was a screen.  There was also talk of a shisha bar.  So of we went.  Done a big screen.  

We headed for some food, I had the most delicious pumpkin dumplings ever! Not that I have anything to compare them to, but they were super 😋 😋! 

The sun was setting and someone had said you can pay 20000 som to walk the city wall.  Best advice, amazing to see the buildings from above and with the sun.  It really is a magical place.

Heading back to the hostel to get ready to head out for the game, not that I'm a football fan but when your native country is playing the country you live in you kinda gotta go watch.