[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”]Tashkent north to Charvoq in the Tien Shan mountains today.<\/p>\n
We drove several hours north and slightly east, taking us right up alongside the Kazakhstan border. We de-camped from Bekzod\u2019s Chevy Cobalt and changed to a 70s Russian jeep called an \u2018Owasso\u2019. Seemingly indestructible, the driver started it by touching a couple of wires together and it literally roared to life. Harold kindly offered me to sit in the front, which I gladly accepted, while he and Bekzod rode (nearly) pillion.<\/p>\n
It was hair-raising and on the worst possilbe roads – but totally exhilarating! 40min of unbelievably bumpy road and steep drops on one side and we arrived at the start of a short hike up a defile to the base of a nice little waterfall. Despite feeling at a very low ebb today, it was by far the most fun I\u2019ve had on this trip so far. I shot a lot<\/strong> of stills, but the iphone video shows best how we drove that track. The iphone somehow automatically stabilized the video, which in retrospect was an excellent happenstance as I recall the phone jogging all over the place as I attempted to shoot with it. I\u2019ll try to post some here.<\/p>\n We have some small event planned tomorrow with Bekzod, which I think involves a chairlift? And then back to Tashkent for a night, a full day and then off to the airport for the 3am (!) flight on the 23rd.[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_video src=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/mvv9xWCFX70″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_video][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ theme_builder_area=”post_content” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” type=”4_4″ theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DSC8645-1.jpg” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ alt=”Charvoq, Uzbekistan” title_text=”DSC8645.jpg”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DSC8807.jpg” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ alt=”Charvoq, Uzbekistan” title_text=”DSC8807.jpg”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DSC8819.jpg” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ alt=”Charvoq jeep ride, Uzbekistan” title_text=”DSC8819.jpg”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DSC8852.jpg” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ alt=”Charvoq jeep ride, Uzbekistan” title_text=”DSC8852.jpg”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DSC8881.jpg” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ alt=”Charvoq jeep ride, Uzbekistan” title_text=”DSC8881.jpg”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DSC8924.jpg” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ alt=”Charvoq jeep ride, Uzbekistan” title_text=”DSC8924.jpg”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DSC8946.jpg” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ alt=”Charvoq, Uzbekistan” title_text=”DSC8946.jpg”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DSC8953.jpg” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ alt=”Charvoq, Uzbekistan” title_text=”DSC8953.jpg”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DSC8965.jpg” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ alt=”Charvoq, Uzbekistan” title_text=”DSC8965.jpg”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DSC8992.jpg” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ alt=”Charvoq jeep ride, Uzbekistan” title_text=”DSC8992.jpg”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]Beehives, photographed from the jeep on the way back down. If I understood things correctly, the honey is collected and administered in this valley by the military?[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DSC8994.jpg” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ alt=”Charvoq jeep ride, Uzbekistan” title_text=”DSC8994.jpg”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DSC9024.jpg” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ alt=”Charvoq jeep ride, Uzbekistan” title_text=”DSC9024.jpg”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tashkent north to Charvoq in the Tien Shan mountains today. We drove several hours north and slightly east, taking us right up alongside the Kazakhstan border. We de-camped from Bekzod\u2019s Chevy Cobalt and changed to a 70s Russian jeep called an \u2018Owasso\u2019. Seemingly indestructible, the driver started it by touching a couple of wires together […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"Tashkent north to Charvoq in the Tien Shan mountains today.\n\nWe drove several hours north and slightly east, taking us right up alongside the Kazakhstan border. We de-camped from Bekzod\u2019s Chevy Cobalt and changed to a 70s Russian jeep called an \u2018Owasso\u2019. Seemingly indestructible, the driver started it by touching a couple of wires together and it literally roared to life. Harold kindly offered me to sit in the front, which I gladly accepted, while he and Bekzod rode (nearly) pillion.\n\nIt was hair-raising and on the worst possilbe roads - but totally exhilarating! 40min of unbelievably bumpy road and steep drops on one side and we arrived at the start of a short hike up a defile to the base of a nice little waterfall. Despite feeling at a very low ebb today, it was by far the most fun I\u2019ve had on this trip so far. I shot a lot<\/strong> of stills, but the iphone video shows best how we drove that track. The iphone somehow automatically stabilized the video, which in retrospect was an excellent happenstance as I recall the phone jogging all over the place as I attempted to shoot with it. I\u2019ll try to post some here.\n\nWe have some small event planned tomorrow with Bekzod, which I think involves a chairlift? And then back to Tashkent for a night, a full day and then off to the airport for the 3am (!) flight on the 23rd.","_et_gb_content_width":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,82],"tags":[96,80,78],"class_list":["post-5902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-travel","category-uzbekistan","tag-charvoq","tag-travel","tag-uzbekistan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5902"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5902\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5915,"href":"https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5902\/revisions\/5915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}