Previously, Belarus was cumbersome to get a visa, similar to Russia. Now a visit should be much easier and straight forward. The country has long been on my list of places to visit and who knows, maybe I’ll be able to squeeze in a trip sometime soon.

• Best Nasi Lemak (9 MYR): Village Park Restaurant, 5, Jalan SS 21/37, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya
• Seafood dinner outdoors: Restoran Siu Siu, Lorong Syed Putra Kiri, Taman Persiaran Desa, 50460 Kuala Lumpur
• Hainanese coffee shop for breakfast: Yut Kee Restaurant, 1, Jalan Kamunting, Chow Kit, 50300 Kuala Lumpur

A unique “dorm” in the Tayrona National Park, Colombia

Why would I stay in a hostel?

I think there are two reasons why I (and this probably applies to most travelers) would stay in a hostel:

• To save money
• To meet other travelers

Dorm in La Casa de Felipe in Taganga, Colombia

While I was still a student, saving money was the primary objective and meeting other people was just a nice add-on (and sometimes not so nice). As you start working and have a bigger budget, at least I valued the comfort of a private room. Staying in a dorm can be nice, but let’s be honest, more often than not you are annoyed by at least one roommate.

The common room at La Brisa Loca in Santa Marta, Colombia is on the rooftop.

Booking a private room (maybe with a shared bathroom) can be a good option – still cheap(ish) and you do get to meet other travelers.

When I first traveled in Uzbekistan on my own, there weren’t really any hostels and I really started to miss them as it was quite difficult to meet other travelers in ordinary hotels without common rooms. On one hand, I missed that in order to meet other people to have a meal with or go sightseeing but also to get insights and advice on where to go or not to go. In Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan I then stayed at guest houses or hostels again and met lots of interesting folks.

Now my perception has changed when traveling on my own: saving money is a nice side effect, but meeting other people is the real benefit of staying in a hostel.

So what’s import to me in a hostel

Over the years I have stayed in several dozens of hostels in Europe, South & Central America as well as Asia. I think I have a fairly good idea now of what I am looking for in order to have a positive experience.

• Safety: first and foremost, the place needs to feel save. Just like with a hotel, you don’t want it to be in some shady, dark alley in a dodgy part of town. But in addition, since you might be sharing a room with strangers, I want the room to feel safe with proper access control and a box for me to lock my things away. While bigger hostel may struggle, they need to keep control over who enters the hostel and only let guests inside.
• Cleanliness: almost as important to me is cleanliness. This should be an easy one to get right but you’d be surprised how many place get it wrong. Clean at least once daily. Make sure the bed-sheets are clean and crisp.
• House policy: some people actually want to sleep at a decent hour (myself included). Communicate a clear policy that you have to be quiet after a reasonable hour.
• Location: unless I am going to the hostel because of its unique location somewhere in the middle of nowhere, the hostel should have a fairly central location (even if that means it is slightly more expensive)
• Hosts: the people running the hostel should have a decent idea about the destination and be able to help out with basic information regarding transportation etc. I am not expecting a five-star hotel concierge but rather just the basics the being pointed in the right direction. English-speaking staff get bonus points but I know this can’t be expected everywhere.
• Common area: one of the two reasons in staying in a hostel is meeting others. Hence, a hostel should have an area where you can mingle with other travelers.
• Dorms: personally six beds per dorm is the maximum for me. I’ve stayed in 12 (or even more?) bed dorms and which point chances are very high that someone will annoy you with snoring, late night partying or a combination of both.
• WiFi: last but not least (and I am a bit embarassed to write this), free and reasonably fast WiFi is expected nowadays. The hostel experience has taken a bit of a hit because of it since travelers now spend more time on their gadgets rather than talking to each other, but it does help to plan the next destination on your trip. Individual power sockets next to each bed give bonus points.

Even though an “eco-hostel” with an “eco-toilet”, the bathrooms at the Black Sheep Inn in rural Ecuador are still amongst the cleanest and “un-smelliest” I can remember

So why am I writing all of this?

I was just reminded recently of what I really value about a hostel as I had two very good experiences in Thailand. In Bangkok I stayed at the FU Hostel and in Chiang Mai at the PM Guesthouse. Paying between 200 and 350 Baht per night (8-14 SGD) for a bid in a four-bed dorm is very good value for money while all of the above boxes were ticked.

Dorm in the FU Hostel in Bangkok, Thailand

Dorm in the PM Guest House in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Several years ago I’d only rely on the guide book’s recommendation. Nowadays with Tripadvisor et al. you can get a pretty good idea of what to expect.

Oh, and my last advice: don’t forget to pack ear plugs and a sleeping mask. I usually pack a linen sleeping bag as well, just in case.

Magic Food Park at Don Mueang Airport

There is however a very good food court, hidden from the public eye. When in Terminal 2, go to the arrivals level and walk towards the car park at the very end of the building. You’ll then see a 7-Eleven as well as a sign for the “Magic Food Park”. Just around the corner, you’ll find it.

Signage for the Magic Food Park at Don Mueang Airport

It works on a coupon system whereby you buy a booklet of coupons at the cashier and use them to order from the dozen or so stalls. Mostly Thai food but I saw some Chinese, Indian and Western stalls as well. Meals are 50-80 Baht vs. 250 Baht upwards in the terminal. It is maybe a three minute walk from Terminal 2’s check-in area.

Nature:

Uzbekistan: mostly desert in the west, fertile regions in the east (which I did not visit)

Tajikistan: lots of mountains in Gorno-Badakhshan. Mix of desert and fertile land in the rest of the country

Kyrgyzstan: lots of open green space. Some mountains as well with resemblance of the Alpes in certain places

Leader cult:

Besides Kyrgyzstan, there isn’t really a country in the region that you can call a democracy. Some of the countries have just continued the Soviet-era leadership cult. Apparently most extreme of all is Turkmenistan, which I wasn’t able to visit. Uzbekistan (who’s long-time leader recently passed away) surprisingly didn’t have a leadership cult. Tajikistan’s Emomali Rahmon on the other hand waves at his people from a poster in every town.

Prices:

All three countries I visited are very cheap by Western standards and actually cheaper than I expected them to be. It is difficult to compare really. Uzbekistan is mainly cheap currently thanks to the black market. Tajikistan was probably cheapest by a small margin. But in all countries, a meal at a decent restaurant can be had for less than S$10. A beer won’t cost you more than S$1.50 and much less in a supermarket. A taxi across town is less than S$3. A mid-range hotel room is maybe around S$40-60.

Food:

Not really the main reason to visit. Heavy on meat dishes. No pork (muslim countries). Each country has their own twist on the region’s typical dishes like plov. All three countries I visited could make more out of their cuisine if they were to use their great selection of fresh vegetables and fruits more.

Climate:

Same. Brutally hot in summer (40° C), super cold (-10° in the lowlands, much, much colder in the mountains) in winter

Transportation:

Uzbekistan is the only country with a semi-decent train system (which will get better over time). At the same time, if you travel by road, the only way to get around are shared taxis. If you are a single traveler, this can be annoying as you’ll be waiting until the car is full, which means four passengers. And four passenger is cramped, so I suggest you go for the front passenger seat. But this again means being the first out of four which means waiting the longest.

Uzbekistan has a decent number of decent flights in state carrier Uzbekistan Airways. However they cannot be booked online, so you either have to go through a travel agent or book in a ticket office (which can be an issue of tickets sell out).

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have some proper buses, though not many. But in Kyrgyzstan there is a fleet of ~28 seater mini-vans that travel between cities, some even on a fixed schedule. Besides the Dushanbe-Khorog flight there don’t seem to be any domestic flights in Tajikistan. In Kyrgyzstan, there are several carriers competing on the Bishkek-Osh route and there are some connections to other, small cities as well.

Ease of getting in:

Before going, I read a lot about how difficult it is to get all these visa. Looking back, except Turkmenistan (which I did not get a visa for despite going through and agent and waiting for three weeks), I thought it was fairly easy.

Tajikistan: quick and easy online application process.

Kyrgyzstan: no visa needed for a lot of nationalities.

Uzbekistan: was a bit annoying as I had to go to the embassy to drop off the passport, go to the bank to pay the fee and pick up the passport again a few days later. But doable and no letter of invitation needed.

Border checks:

Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan were easy, quick and friendly. Getting into Uzbekistan (through the main airport of the country) was easy but getting out was arduous. Having border agents check pictures on your phone and laptop isn’t something I am used to.

Internet:

censored in Uzbekistan (some government critically websites, such as sites listing the black market US-Dollar value) as well as Tajikistan (Facebook, Instagram – WhatsApp wasn’t blocked). Getting a Sim Card was fairly straight forward in all three countries and cheap (less than S$5 for the Sim card plus at least 1GB of data). Just bring your passport.

On my two week trip through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, these were my highlights:

City: Bukhara

Generally speaking, I did not find cities to be very appealing in Central Asia. The post-Soviet charme did not really get to me and neither did the oversized monuments. However the big exception are the remains of the Silk Road. Out of the three cities I visited in Uzbekistan – Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand all were special in their own way. Khiva was perfectly preserved and felt like an open-air museum (with very little inhabitants remaining). Samarkand was grand and had something special with the aura of Timur, the former great ruler. However my favorite was Bukhara. Unlikely Khiva it is very lively with locals but at the same time not as a big city as Samarkand. There is plenty to explore and discover for at least two to three days and should be an absolute must on any Uzbekistan itinerary. No idea why it isn’t as well known as Samarkand.

Kalon Mosque and Minaret

Nature: Pamir Highway

There is something special about driving on a completely remote highway at 3’500 m.a.s.l. hundreds of kilometers away from the next major city. The scenery on the Pamir Highway is breathtaking and the air as clean as it can be.

Early morning Khorog-Murghab on the M41 Pamir Highway

Food: Tajikistan

Ever wondered why you haven’t seen many Uzbek, Tajik or Kyrgyz restaurants in your country? Well, besides some other reasons, the fare isn’t thaaaat great. If you are a vegetarian, you’ll have a really tough time. I did enjoy the countless shashlik meals though. My favorite meal however had to be plov, or pilaf, a rice dish. While available all over Central Asia, I preferred the Tajik version.

Plov (or Pilaf)

It is really hard to pick highlights from such a trip, so I suggest you have a look at my itinerary and read up on some of the destinations.

The downsides

The are definitely some downsides to planning as you. I found myself spending way more way on the road going through the guide book, reading reviews online and just trying to figure out how to get to places.

You also run the risk for accommodation or transportation being sold out. I ran into that issue upon landing in Tashkent when I wanted to connect to a domestic flight to Urgench (or Bukhara as a back-up). I ended up being lucky and got a seat stand-by to Nukus which in hindsight wasn’t too bad because this way I got to visit the Savitsky Museum. But this can be a real issue in some places during high season, both off- and on the beaten path depending on the available tourist infrastructure.

I think it is also a bit harder to budget a trip if you just take it day by day. Setting out the journey and booking accommodation as well as transportation will cover the bulk of your expenses and you’ll have a pretty good idea of how much you’ll spend.

The upsides of not planning from home

Besides the disadvantages of not planning from home, I see several benefits of just taking the planning day by day. In Central Asia, there were several days where I only really decided the night before (or even on the morning) where I’d go that day and a lot of days I walked into a hotel or guest house without a reservation.

If you like it, this gives you sense of freedom. You can easily change your plans as you go along and meet other travelers or particularly like a place. On the backpacker path you’re bound to meet travelers who’ve been on the road for months. Especially if you’re traveling by yourself this can be great as you’ll join others for side-trips, excursions or just to hang out.

It can also be cheaper if you don’t plan ahead much. In most cases, booking locally is bound to give you a cheaper deal as you’re more likely to cut out a middleman. I find this to be the case most often with transportation. With accommodation I’ve made the experience that hotels (including small guest houses in the middle of nowhere) publish the best rates on online portals. As a walk-in guest I often paid more than others who had booked online – despite the hotel having the pay a hefty commission to the online travel agencies.

Planning on the road also allows you to better judge on where you want to go next and which place you might want to skip. While guide books are always useful, I find talking to others to give much more insight. Sure, it can be subjective but if you speak with multiple people, you’ll get a good grasp of what a place or a hotel is like.

What will this mean for my future trips

Even on my Central Asia trip I had a rough idea on which places I wanted to see but just not where I’d spend my “buffer” or spare days as well as no plan on how to travel between cities and where to sleep. I didn’t like so much that I was spending more time than I wanted to prepare the next day(s) of travel and also faced a few situations where things might have worked out better if I had planned from home.

If traveling as a couple or in a group, I’d definitely pre-plan most of the trip. It avoids complications on the road such as sold out hotels or arguments over where to head next. Also if traveling on my own on shorter trips, I’ll keep arranging most from home in order to make the most of the short time.

On longer trips (i.e. > one week), maybe I’ll do it similarly again to retain the flexibility to change plans ad-hoc.

Looking back, I would change a few things about the itinerary. I was contemplating staying at a yurt camp in Uzbekistan between in Bukhara and Samarkand which I ended up skipping. That’s probably something I’d do next time for one night.

The drive from Dushanbe to Khorog was beautiful but not enjoyable in a shared taxi. I should have made an effort to find other backpackers looking to share a car.

In the Pamir Mountains I somewhat regret not spending more time and for example going to the Saturday market in Iskashim where the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border is opened for the market without needing a visa. I also would have loved to do a detour between Khorog and Murghan and drive through the Tajik Wakhan Valley which everyone raved about that I’ve met. But again, since I was by myself it was difficult to fill up a car in order split the cost.

Towards the end I did have some more days in Kyrgyzstan than anticipated which is why I made a two-day trip to Arslanbob. This was mainly because I did not end up getting the Turkmenistan visa in time and hence had an additional four days.

All the accommodation was good. I used AirBnB twice, both of which were good experiences, although not necessarily so to meet other travelers. The first night in Nukus was overpriced for what it was.

Uzbekistan I found to be the most difficult country as single traveler. It was possible, no issue. However, I didn’t think there were as many independent travelers on the road as in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

I can warmly recommend a visit to Uzbekistan as soon as possible. Three reasons why I think you should visit rather sooner than later:

1. It is really cheap right now. The government fixes the exchange rate of the Uzebkistani Som to the US Dollar and it is massively overvalued. Hence a black market exists where you can get almost double the official rate. While hotels are usually priced in US Dollars, just about anything else is in local currency and hence it is really cheap. For one US Dollar you can currently receive 6300 Som. Below are some examples of prices:

• Dinner at a high-end touristic restaurant including appetizer and main dish and beer (for one persion): 25’000 Som
• Taxi across town (shared): 3’000 Som
• International postcard stamps: 1’600 Som
• Large bottle of water: 1’000 Som

You do the math yourself, but it is really cheap for what you get.

USD200 in Uzebkistani Som

2. There are still very few tourists: apart from some European tour groups, there are still very few tourists. In many instances, you’ll have the monuments to yourself and even when not, there are hardly any other tourists.

The Registan – (from left to right): Sher Dor Medressa, Tilla-Kari Medressa, Ulugbek Medressa

Look at the amount of tourists above at Uzbekistan’s best known attraction.

3. It is safe and currently politically stable: dictator elected president Karimov is holding the strings together. Yes, Uzbekistan is a police state and the frequent police checkpoints and border control can be annoying but it is very safe. Apparently there is no clear heir to Karimov so you never know what will happen once the 78-year old is not longer around.

Mir-i-Arab Medressa seen through the doors of the Kalon Mosque

The cities of Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand are definitely worth a visit and all very unique. Go and go sooner rather than later.