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Before we made it across the Qizilqum Desert and into Kazakhstan to catch the ferry across the Caspian Sea, we stopped by another great body of water… the Aral Sea. Unfortunately, the once thriving fishing village of Moynaq where we camped for the night is now nowhere near the shores of the Aral Sea. The desertification of the Aral Sea represents probably the largest man-made ecological disaster of our time and although the affects are far reaching, Moynaq is a very visible representation of just how much the receding waters have affected the lively hood of thousands of people.

Khiva is another ancient Silk road town in Uzbekistan and lies just a few kilometers north of Turkmenistan. Khiva is one of the western-most towns in Uzbekistan and beyond the historic walls of this mythical place lies the barren and inhospitable Qizilqum Desert. Khiva would be our last stop before heading out into the desert and the uncertainty of the remote western border crossing back into Kazakhstan.

After a few days in Samarkand, we headed west to Bukhara, another spectacular Uzbek city. Many of us actually found Bukhara to be more amazing than Samarkand and it truly felt like taking a step back in time to bustling trading center on the Silk Road. Just when you think you have seen the most fascinating mosque or minaret you have ever seen, something even more awe inspiring awaits around the next corner in Bukhara. Uzbek hospitality continued to flourish in Bukhara and the food was great. Enjoy these photos, but unfortunately, they come far from doing Bukhara any justice.

When you drive your own vehicle, you get the opportunity to have some pretty unique experiences. One of those experiences happened just outside of Samarkand, UZ. We had pushed through from Tashkent but arrived near Samarkand pretty late in the evening so decided to spend the night in the trucks near an open field. We awoke early in the morning to find a curious farmer tapping on the window. One farmer quickly multiplied into a small crowd of curious locals interested in knowing what four westerners and their strange trucks were doing near their field. It took a while, but we were able to communicate what we were attempting to do and soon found ourselves invited to breakfast in the nearby village. It was quite an occasion and we were all humbled by the extreme generosity and hospitality we were shown by complete strangers. “The Breakfast” will, without a doubt, be one of the highlights of the expedition.

We had been warned a couple of times about the paranoid nature of the government in Uzbekistan and the restrictions placed on most people’s civil liberties. However, politics and powerful dictatorships aside, we immediately fell in love with Uzbekistan and its people. Everyone was extremely friendly and helpful. In Tashkent we actually found a Toyota dealership and they even had break pads for our Sequoia. This is pretty amazing considering they only see one or two Sequoias a year according to the boys at the shop. Uzbekistan is also home to some amazing architecture and the mosques and madrasahs in Samarkand we spectacular to say the least.