📸 Photography Random Uzbekistan
- Thread starter Z28Camaro
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i really like turkish. not sure how long but long enough layover they will give you a tour of istanbul, never been on it though. my favorite city in the world to walk around in though for sure.
uzbekistan pics look cool. are you there for fun or did you get some kind of work visa on arrival? rental car tire thing would have really annoyed me. how was the horse?
uzbekistan pics look cool. are you there for fun or did you get some kind of work visa on arrival? rental car tire thing would have really annoyed me. how was the horse?
I think it’s for a 4-6 hour layover or more in IST, the tour includes food and is supposed to be fairly decent. I recall that if you’re on a business class flight it’s free.
Here for work, had to get the visa on arrival.
Horse was ok. The sausage is heavily seasoned with cumin and overshadow the meat flavor. The other horse dishes I ate were just ok. Basically like a more iron rich beef. I ate horse sashimi in Japan once and it was nothing memorable.
So, back to the Chorsu Bazaar. This is the pavilion dedicated to meat, and about 15-20% of it is dedicated to dairy. They have just about every edible part of a cow or lamb, and a bunch of local dairy products.
This is the butcher I was introduced to. He has good beef and my landlord uses him whenever shopping there. He’s one of the hundreds of guys that have a small booth/cooler in this particular pavilion. If you look in the case, in the bottom middle there are 3 rib roasts/steaks that have the short rib tail attached without the bone. I bought two of them and had him grind them down (twice) right on the spot. Not really the fat marbling we like for great grilling steaks but made some excellent burgers. Price worked out to about $4/lb.
A few shots of the various booths and some offerings.
So I like to cook a lot, but one area I don’t have a lot of experience in is breaking down large cuts if meat and the whole fabrication process. I asked my butcher if I could see where/how this is all done at the bazaar. He invited me to go down under the pavilion and see, but I needed to arrive at 05:30 to see it.
I showed up early one morning and he took me down into the underbelly of the place. Quarters of beef everywhere, guys slicing and dicing, men bringing huge carts of beef and bones in and out. Pretty impressive operation. Didn’t smell bad either, which was a surprise.
This is the butcher I was introduced to. He has good beef and my landlord uses him whenever shopping there. He’s one of the hundreds of guys that have a small booth/cooler in this particular pavilion. If you look in the case, in the bottom middle there are 3 rib roasts/steaks that have the short rib tail attached without the bone. I bought two of them and had him grind them down (twice) right on the spot. Not really the fat marbling we like for great grilling steaks but made some excellent burgers. Price worked out to about $4/lb.
A few shots of the various booths and some offerings.
So I like to cook a lot, but one area I don’t have a lot of experience in is breaking down large cuts if meat and the whole fabrication process. I asked my butcher if I could see where/how this is all done at the bazaar. He invited me to go down under the pavilion and see, but I needed to arrive at 05:30 to see it.
I showed up early one morning and he took me down into the underbelly of the place. Quarters of beef everywhere, guys slicing and dicing, men bringing huge carts of beef and bones in and out. Pretty impressive operation. Didn’t smell bad either, which was a surprise.
so the website just stopped working for me https://www.turkishairlines.com/en-int/flights/fly-different/touristanbul/how-to-apply/
but you need to have a 6 to 24 hour layover, be flying internationally, and on turkish airlines. the tour is free for all passengers. there's short and long ones and the long one has food.
so was that a work visa then? did you arrive with a mountain of paperwork ready already?
horse i suppose i'd try once, then be done with it
I think it was a B2 work visa. I had 2-3 papers to provide at the visa on arrival counter. One of them was evidence of a Telex that they send to confirm things before I arrived. All the work to get the visa was done for me in advance. If you’re serious I can give you a contact email at the 3rd party company that arranged it.so the website just stopped working for me https://www.turkishairlines.com/en-int/flights/fly-different/touristanbul/how-to-apply/
but you need to have a 6 to 24 hour layover, be flying internationally, and on turkish airlines. the tour is free for all passengers. there's short and long ones and the long one has food.
so was that a work visa then? did you arrive with a mountain of paperwork ready already?
horse i suppose i'd try once, then be done with it
Pretty much anything from the West is going to be expensive here. There is a Levi’s jeans shop in one mall I visited - I stepped in to check it out and see the price of a pair of jeans. Not my size but a good example. 1,395,000 Som works out to $127 for some 501s…
I went into a couple other shops that carry some stuff that would seem very ordinary in the US but the prices are just absolutely ridiculous. Bag of Reese’s pieces? That will be $18.
One small shop was actually an American store - can of Planters nuts? That’ll be $10-13.
Box of sugar cereal? $11.
Kind of cool, but not $37 cool.
I did buy one pack of Reses’s cups. I deliberately did not look to see how much they were going to cost. ?
There is a Wendy’s here. Supposedly there’s also one more in a shopping mall on the other side of the city. Pretty close to the same thing as the US, except the bacon. They have a beef bacon that they put on the Baconator and there are no Jr Bacon Cheeseburgers. I’m assuming all the meat is halal. Tried to get a Frosty and they were all out.
They have KFC here as well. Have seen one in a mall and several locations in the city. That’s it for US fast food chains, no McDonalds or anything else.
I went into a couple other shops that carry some stuff that would seem very ordinary in the US but the prices are just absolutely ridiculous. Bag of Reese’s pieces? That will be $18.
One small shop was actually an American store - can of Planters nuts? That’ll be $10-13.
Box of sugar cereal? $11.
Kind of cool, but not $37 cool.
I did buy one pack of Reses’s cups. I deliberately did not look to see how much they were going to cost. ?
There is a Wendy’s here. Supposedly there’s also one more in a shopping mall on the other side of the city. Pretty close to the same thing as the US, except the bacon. They have a beef bacon that they put on the Baconator and there are no Jr Bacon Cheeseburgers. I’m assuming all the meat is halal. Tried to get a Frosty and they were all out.
They have KFC here as well. Have seen one in a mall and several locations in the city. That’s it for US fast food chains, no McDonalds or anything else.
After you said something I looked and apparently they do have a few in the city. I remember seeing a few in St Petersburg so I guess they have a foothold in this part of the world. Have not seen one yet but typically don’t eat at them either.I thought for sure there’d be a subway
I read online about a bazaar in the southeast of the city that is supposed to be interesting called the Yangiobod Bazaar. Instead of being a grocery type food market, they have a ton of different stuff - it’s actually hard to describe. A lot of old tools, housewares, clothing, former Soviet Union junk, industrial equipment, small animals, artwork and collectibles, it’s really huge. Snapped some photos of some different things. I went twice on Saturday mornings and will probably go back again at some point. There is a lot of junk, but you tend to find things you didn’t know you need.
However, one catch is that the Uzbekistan government has a law forbidding anything being brought out of the country that is more than 50 years old. It’s still possible to get some stuff out, but you need a certificate and if it’s something truly interesting you probably need to work through diplomatic channels to get the details worked out.
However, one catch is that the Uzbekistan government has a law forbidding anything being brought out of the country that is more than 50 years old. It’s still possible to get some stuff out, but you need a certificate and if it’s something truly interesting you probably need to work through diplomatic channels to get the details worked out.
i was just curious how that worked, my only work visa has been with canada and it was pretty big deal'd after i got through for a while just claiming to be there for meetings. i'm actually trying to stay longer in thailand and it's a pain here, i think it will basically end up being me paying some thai company a salary to give me and some fluff to sponsor me as a supposed worker there of some sort. was just surprised since it sounded like you seemed to sail through visa on arrival for actual formal work! all my work since canada has been informal/not for a local client/on tourist visas.
As mentioned previously, plov is one of the staples of national cuisine in Uzbekistan. Lots of central asia have their own version of plov, but apparently UNESCO recognizes Uzbekistan exclusively for this food and its origin. I went to the best place in town to give it a go and it was pretty good. However, it seems like it’s always pretty oily and not something I would choose to eat very often. A few shots of the place and the dish.
Inside the kitchen. They have 5 large vessels for preparing the different types of plov. Business was rapid and steady the time I was there.
Weddings are a big multi day process here. My landlord’s family friend was getting married and tradition is that the men get together for a plov breakfast the day of the wedding. I got invited to go and got a few photos. None of the plov but the ceremony was pretty interesting. Everyone mills around outside chatting until the plov is ready then goes in and eats snacks. Then the Iman speaks for about 20 minutes talking about how to be a good muslim and the importance of a strong marriage, etc. Then they bring out the plates of plov, everyone eats and then it’s basically over. Was an interesting experience. Lots of subtle customs and practices when sitting and before, during and after eating.
Went back into the kitchen to see the plov being prepared. They soak the rice in water for quite a while before adding it into the pan so it doesn’t take so long to cook.
Inside the banquet area there are a lot of tables all prepared with a bunch of drinks, fruit, nuts and other snacks that everyone eats before the plov comes out.
Inside the kitchen. They have 5 large vessels for preparing the different types of plov. Business was rapid and steady the time I was there.
Weddings are a big multi day process here. My landlord’s family friend was getting married and tradition is that the men get together for a plov breakfast the day of the wedding. I got invited to go and got a few photos. None of the plov but the ceremony was pretty interesting. Everyone mills around outside chatting until the plov is ready then goes in and eats snacks. Then the Iman speaks for about 20 minutes talking about how to be a good muslim and the importance of a strong marriage, etc. Then they bring out the plates of plov, everyone eats and then it’s basically over. Was an interesting experience. Lots of subtle customs and practices when sitting and before, during and after eating.
Went back into the kitchen to see the plov being prepared. They soak the rice in water for quite a while before adding it into the pan so it doesn’t take so long to cook.
Inside the banquet area there are a lot of tables all prepared with a bunch of drinks, fruit, nuts and other snacks that everyone eats before the plov comes out.
Back to random photo mode.
A horse meat dish. Sliced thinly with some big flat noodles.
Some kind of dumpling dish.
Baking area and giant tandoors at a somsa place
Waiting in line at another somsa place.
The watermelons and other melons are the sweetest of anything I have ate before. Watermelons are bright red inside. The tomatoes are unreal as well. Must be ideal soil and growing conditions.
Cherry season is basically over now.
A horse meat dish. Sliced thinly with some big flat noodles.
Some kind of dumpling dish.
Baking area and giant tandoors at a somsa place
Waiting in line at another somsa place.
The watermelons and other melons are the sweetest of anything I have ate before. Watermelons are bright red inside. The tomatoes are unreal as well. Must be ideal soil and growing conditions.
Cherry season is basically over now.
this is one of those things where capitalism or at least optimization can really be not all that great - eg. you are getting local melons or whatever from this local guy and his farm, someone else doing similar, etc. meanwhile back in 'murica the commoditized cheapest tomato or apple you reach for can be genetic strain xyb.23 tweaked to offer the longest shelf life, appear a nice red, and be cheap to produce... but taste like nothing interesting.
On one hand, there are prayer calls on loudspeakers all across the city multiple times per day, and at the bazaar some vendors will just up and leave for prayer with no one ‘minding the store’ while they are gone. On the other hand, I have found the people to be quite tolerant of foreigners and observe that most women don’t wear a hijab. I very rarely see women wearing a burqa here.
I am not an expert in the culture but it is interesting to see what is adhered to or not. I think the fact that the country was previously under Russian rule has a lot to do with it. Also being in the capital city which is naturally the most international is probably also a big factor.
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