Traveling around Uzbekistan

I used to think poplar trees were just those annoying things that shed cotton everywhere in spring. Turns out, in Uzbekistan’s Fergana Valley, craftspeople

I used to think the word “hauz” was just some archaic term until I stood at Lyabi Hauz in Bukhara and realized it literally means pool—and

I used to think horseback riding tours were all the same—polished trails, scripted guides, maybe a sunset photo op if you were lucky. Then I ended up in

I used to think festival music was just background noise—something that happened to you at celebrations, not something you actually listened to.

I used to think traditional music was something you endured at weddings, politely clapping while checking your phone. Then I stumbled into a basement performance

I used to think mountain biking near Tashkent meant dusty roads and not much else. Turns out—and this surprised me when I first moved here, honestly—the

I’ve walked through Khiva’s old city enough times to notice something peculiar about the way locals wear their traditional clothing—it’

I used to think seven days in Uzbekistan was plenty—until I spent three weeks there and still felt like I’d barely scratched the surface. Here’

The thing about Uzbekistan’s national parks is that nobody really talks about them. I spent three weeks last summer wandering through the Chatkal

I never thought I’d spend a Tuesday evening trying to explain the difference between a zikr and a maddohiya to someone who’d never heard either.