Silk Road Sojourns: Day 1
The trip begins: Washington, DC to Istanbul, Türkiye
We’re off on another adventure - this time, to Central Asia! I’ve been wanting to see this part of the world for years. I felt called to this place by the intersection of so many cultures, peoples, and influences - and as a third culture person of mixed heritage myself, I had a feeling Uzbekistan would somehow “click” with me.
It did.
But first, we would have to travel a long way to reach our destination. From DC, it takes about 17 hours (including layover) to reach Tashkent. Long, but not too bad!
Since I got a business class upgrade for the first part of my journey, I was really looking forward to seeing how the other half lives, at least for a few hours. I was especially excited about the seats, because I’d be able to lie down completely and sleep for most of the flight.
The seats did NOT disappoint! They were SO comfortable. The food, on the other hand, was … eh. My dinner was room temperature 😔 and the beef looked just a liiiitle too much like my dog’s meal topper.
Forgive me, this is going to make me sound REALLY picky and high-maintenance, but … I expected a lot more from the food. The service was also a bit … slow, but also somehow rushed at the same time. I had to repeatedly ask for things, like bottled water.
As a small consolation prize, they did make a good Turkish coffee. The lie-flat seat was truly life-changing, too - I arrived in Istanbul fully rested and ready to enjoy the little bit of time I did have at one of my favorite airports.
One of my favorite parts about Istanbul Airport is people watching. From Istanbul, you can fly to many destinations in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and beyond, so it’s interesting to see all the different people, how they dress, hear the different languages, and just generally observe their behavior. It’s not uncommon to see people who are new to air travel and airports, taken aback by everything going on. It’s refreshing to see - someone experiencing a major international airport for the first time, absorbing the new sights, sounds, and tastes. In a way, it keeps travel new and exciting for me, too.
I had just enough time for a kıymalı tantuni (mince beef wrap), stuffed grape leaves, and yet another Turkish coffee before boarding the next flight to Tashkent. This flight was going to be about 5 hours long, and I would be in economy for this part of the trip. The food was actually better - and the seats almost as comfortable - as the DC to Istanbul flight! (And, the food was served hot.)
I ended up sitting next to an Uzbek man who asked me why I was flying to Tashkent, and what I was going to be doing in Uzbekistan. He seemed a bit amused that someone from the U.S. would fly all that way, for fun.
Well, it was hard for me to explain to him that I have absolutely no idea what to expect. I purposely avoided reading or watching much about the country to allow myself to be surprised - I left DC with just a little bit of knowledge about the region from my grad school studies, but that was about it.
While I don’t know what to expect, I do know I’m going to enjoy myself. I know the food will be exceptional, and the history fascinating. I’m going to see a couple familiar faces, too. I’ll be reunited with Marie, my roommate from last year’s Mongolia trip, as well as our Uzbek friend Laziz.
I have a good feeling about this trip.
The Sketched Journeys publication is now 100% FREE!
I want everyone to be able to access my travel stories and experience far-away places without having to leave their sofa (or find a petsitter).
Central Asia (especially Uzbekistan) is high on my list of places to travel next! Eager to read about your experiences ☺️
Loving your travelogue!