May 7, 2025
7May2025
My first day riding in Uzbekistan was very pleasant. I made my way out of Nukus and into the desert on a cloudy, and hence cool, morning. The desert was much the same as before so I was grateful when my route took me off the desert road and into more rural countryside dotted with small villages, excited but very polite school children, cultivated fields and lots of streetside "Kafe" stops. Riding conditions were perfect so I pushed on further than planned and eventually rolled into Gurlen where I luckily found accommodation in a very old Soviet style building, now the only hotel in town, the Versal Hotel. After a quick fruit and nuts shopping session, I wandered the streets in the evening in search of food and luckily bumped into Ahmed, a very keen English student who was eager to practice - Ahmed led me to a nice restaurant. We had dinner together, and he practiced his English to his hearts content! I visited the atmospheric Gurlen mosque, and then settled in for the night.
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Today's ride: 114 km (71 miles)
Total: 598 km (371 miles)
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