Nukus

29 August 2012

It has taken some time to arrange ongoing visas through the rest of Central Asia.

This has included replanning my intended route through Uzbekisten. Getting a Turkmenisten visa in Tashkent is a challenge and takes 20days to process a 5 day transit visa!

As a result, I have decided to do my route in reverse, returning to Tashkent to hopefully collect the visa on the 12th September.

So.... today I made the long trek by train, over to the west of Uzbekistan into the Republic of Karakalpakstan. This is a desolate area of endless desert with Nukus, its main town, struggling to survive in its centre. I have come here to see a remarkable art gallery which houses an incredible collection of art from the 20s and 30s, collected and preserved in this far of place when such works were discouraged during the Soviet times.