Day 15 (July 13, 2023): Homeward Bound

It was a very early (i.e., 2AM!) rise, in order to get to the Tashkent Airport for our 5:45AM flight to Frankfurt.  Unlike back in Canada, flights here never seem to be canceled or delayed.  It is an incredibly efficient air transportation system.  This morning's flight, however, was delayed by half an hour, due to a late inbound aircraft.  But we made up the time enroute.  It was a wonderful, comfortable flight to Germany, and we had a full row in the back of the Dreamliner (B-787) to ourselves.

Frankfurt, in contrast, was a mess of long lines in a very hot airport building.  We did duck into a business lounge for a short rest, but the rest of our six hours in Frankfurt were less than desirable, and we breathed a sigh of relief when we finally boarded our Condor B-767 to Halifax, which left an hour late.

It was nice to touch down and enter the familiarity of our beloved Halifax Airport.  Customs was easy and quick, our bags came out after a short wait, and we jumped into an Uber for the ride home.  

It's difficult to imagine that a trip that was booked six months ago is now behind us.  The memories are many, the experiences were varied.  And we deeply appreciate you coming along for the ride via our blog.

Before I sign off on this trip, here are some random observations about Uzbekistan:

- Every second car is a Chevrolet and it’s white. 

- There is no litter anywhere. Like NONE.

- There are Chestnut trees everywhere, and I mean everywhere.

- There are one-foot wide, ditches on the side of the road everywhere, even in the city, separating the sidewalk from the road. And if you don’t watch your step, you will break your leg.

- Transportation is incredibly cheap, such as 14 cent Metro rides and one dollar cab rides

- Everyone is so neat and tidy about their person.  And tattoos are almost non-existant.

- Compared to the West, where every second person has an Apple Watch, hardly any wrists in Uzbek have a watch, period.

- There is no advertising on public transit. 

- The average age on the metro system is somewhere in the 20s.

- Restaurants have sinks at the entryways to wash your hands. What a progressive public health approach!

Two comments about our flights home.  First, although we had a six-hour stopover in Frankfurt, it was pretty amazing to get from Uzbekistan to Nova Scotia in just two flights. Second, we were a little shocked to see that we had flown just south of Moscow. As we were waiting to deplane in Frankfurt, I had a chat with the guy behind me. He was born and raised in Uzbekistan but has been living in Frankfurt for the last 23 years. He told me something I had been wondering throughout our entire time in Uzbekistan but was afraid to ask: in his words, 90% of Uzbeks support Putin and the invasion of Ukraine. He told me the linkages between Uzbekistan and Russia are very strong. He himself is against what Putin is doing. But he said his family back in Uzbekistan is very much in support of it all, and it creates incredible family tension.

The economy class meal tray on Uzbekistan Airways from Tashkent to Frankfurt.

Compare that to the economy class meal tray (above) on Condor Airlines from Frankfurt to Halifax.  What a contrast!


One final view of Tashkent upon takeoff.  Note the huge Mosque complex in white at the bottom centre of the photo. 

Frankfurt’s business core.

As we taxied to our gate at Frankfurt Airport, we passed the above Airbus A340-300, which is named for Gander and Halifax, as a nod to 9-11 and the hospitality Lufthansa was shown when its planes were stranded in both cities. 

And here we are, back at gate 24 at Halifax Stanfield International Airport, the same gate we left from on the same Condor aircraft, exactly two weeks later.