‘There are bullet trains in Uzbekistan?’, I peered at the online site where the man was booking the train tickets in Uzbekistan. The Afrosiyob’s nose, a long haughty one at that, stretched out low and sleek over the rails. It would be an experience by itself! The man’s charter was to get us in and around Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, and mine to do the accommodation, so I could not crib about it. Planning a trip through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan was a breeze. Connectivity with Samarkand and Bukhara, the stars of the fabled Silk Route, was aplenty. But getting to Khiva, an oasis of blue beauty and elm pillars on a limb across the Kyzlykum desert, was proving to be a challenge, till we came across an overnighter from Tashkent. It was a winning trifecta – accommodation, travel and food! The train sounded much like our own, slower, more ponderous, different classes but with a dining car. I love the idea of dining cars. A restaurant on the move…. We were to discover the best journeys were not on the bullet trains!
Stationed
We are not sure of the exact location of the station as there are more than one in Tashkent, so we head to it early … Very early. The arched façade is modern and nondescript but announces itself in big letters and there is a security check near the entrance. Inside the main hall, metal chairs are laid out in neat rows. There are a few kiosks selling knick-knacks, a luggage room, a very fancy paid waiting room and the loos. They are Indian style with plastic goglets for water!
People wait outside under a covered waiting area. They do not seem to mind the heat. The platform stayed deserted save for one train’s departure in the time that we were there. A small bakery outlet is stocked with flaky puff pastries, naan and such like things. Like good travellers catering for contingencies, and what can be more calamitous than being hungry on an overnight train, we stock up.
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Cozy Cabins and Tepid Teacups
The train rolls in just a few minutes before departure. With its olive green, white and golden colouring and spit polish shine it looks like a military special straight from Russia! The stairs unfold down and the staff is at hand to check our tickets and guide us. We have booked a cabin. Inside, the berths are thickly padded and covered with rich covers. The windows have blackout curtains and are tinted. All my photographs on the move have, what I call an ‘Uzbek filter’, a pinkish brown tint. The compact cabins seem to have no space under the seats for the luggage. A lady sharing our cabin tells us to stow our luggage overhead in a narrow opening over the passage. The man has a lot of heavy lifting to do. We settle in and are off on the dot.
There is a samovar dispensing scalding hot water near the inner door. Tea must be the national drink given the copious quantities drunk, especially along with meals and it seems to be a done thing to carry your own ubiquitous blue and white china. We are also carrying our tea bags but no cups. On the return journey I am tut-tutted for being so ill-prepared for the journey and then being given a cup by the attendant. Why I wanted tea when the air conditioning had gone kaput and we were like sodden tea bags ourselves is beyond me.
Read – On Uzbekistan’s Silk Route- The Golden Road to Samarkand and Bukhara
Hearty Hospitality
Come dinner time and we head for the dining car. It is small, basic but clean, all in vinyl. The lady incharge seems to run it with crisp efficiency. Some of the staff is crammed into one table and making short work of a mound of plov (or Pulao as we know it). We are greeted with big smiles. The main guard is the only one who knows a smattering of English and as he strikes up a conversation, I eye the dinner. The plov is looking tempting. With unabashed curiosity we are asked where we are from. The smiles get bigger and more heartfelt when we say India. They seem genuinely happy and excited to have Indians onboard. We settle down and I promptly ask for beer and the Laghman soup which has been on my menu, and I am delighted it is on theirs’s, and the plov as well. The smile on the lady’s face dims. The dish I have eyed is meant only for the staff. Oh! Okay! We understand. An exchange in Uzbeki ensues between her and the men. As we sip our beer, a big bowl of the soup fetches up. It has vegetables and broth and for me anything soupy in a bowl is soul food.
Just as we are about to dig in the lady returns and sets down a bowl of…plov with a smile and a nod towards the staff. The big burly guard says something in Uzbeki with a smile. He has sent a portion of their dinner to us. It is a little embarrassing but the men are just all smiles and insist, happy to share their dinner. It had looked delicious and it is! Greasy but so flavourful. The best I have on my trip to the land of the plov! Belly full and the heart warmed up with the gesture, we return to the cabin. Thank God for the air-conditioning! The cabin is upholstered for Siberian winters and not Indian summer-like temperatures.
Discover- On Uzbekistan’s Silk Route- Tashkent and Khiva
Morning reveals a stark landscape- towering dunes, sand and scrub till we cross the timeless Amu Darya lined with reeds, emptying into a sea that has dried. The change from one bank to the other is dramatic. It gets greener as the miles roll till we reach Khiva. It’s station is a miniature version of Tashkent’s. The hotels lining the boulevard in front look like a mirage of a movie set. Plush and exotic. Letting off a faint aroma are basil bushes lining the path. Naturally, curious me cannot help but surreptitiously taste a leaf. Feel like a goat and probably looked like one while I was at it!
Time Travelling
Done exploring Uzbekistan’s opulent offerings we head over to the country of wild landscape, Kazakhstan, crossing the border on foot. A windy car ride to Shymkent through the rolling steppes follows. Our train to Almaty is in the evening and after booking our luggage at the Shymkent station we explore the town.
In the evening the platform is choc-o-block full by the time the train arrives. The interiors look very well maintained and the staff is courteous. There seem to be only coupes in our bogey. The daughter has a university student returning back to Almaty for company and we don’t see her till the next morning. Our coupe is brightly lit, the berth is wide and the linen crisp. With a small wash basin, hangers in a narrow cupboard and a full-length mirror, it is more than comfortable. There is no need to step out but the dining car has to be explored.
The chrome, Robin egg blue and sweet orange vinyl combination gives the dining chaircar the look of a diner from the 60’s! Just a jukebox, Jackie-O bobs and mini shift dresses seem to be missing. The bar counter is long and chilled beer is served on the glass and as the moon sails over the silhouettes of moulded hills we gently sway and wind our way between them to Almaty. We are in no hurry to head back to our cabin, from this full restaurant on the move….
Also read- 2 Days in Kazakhstan- Exploring Splendid Almaty, the Steppes and Sunken Mountains
While the places on the ancient Silk Route more than lived up the hype, the warmest interactions were on these modern caravans with the charm and hospitality harking back to another era. The slower trains and the people they carried turned out to be as memorable and worth experiencing as much as the destinations they connected.
Fact File-
1. Uzbekistan has three types of trains- The Afrosiyobs which run between Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara. The slower Sharq between the same cities. The overnight sleeper on the longer routes.
2. A faster day train has been recently introduced between Tashkent and Khiva but it does not run everyday.
3. Booking for all the trains can be done online.
4. We travelled 1st class on all the overnight trains.