How I almost started crying at the embassy

I don’t even know where to start… Why I didn’t have time, chance or motivation to keep you updated for a while? Well, meanwhile in Uzbekistan – I broke the law.

Okay, I didn’t want to talk about that now (yesyes, I have to keep up the excitement, gonna tell you in the next posts :D).

Photo: TeePublic.com

The main reason for no new blog posts was simple – the new President of Uzbekistan said there must be a good and fast internet all over the country by the next year. But in the meanwhile…

Quick overview:

Around a month ago I managed to get Uzbek visa into my passport in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (as well as Iranian one) (I’ll make another blog post about the process – how exciting can it be? Trust me!). So, having all my visas I wanted to, I found myself sitting between two old Kyrgyz men, driving 12 hours to Osh. A city in the southern part of Kyrgyzstan, from where you can also enter Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan is definitely a country which – during this trip – has charmed me the most, but also had many challenges waiting for me.

In the middle of Osh there’s a mountain!

First surprises were of course the laws! Ancient towns of the Silk Road. Secondly, friendly, friendly people! Also, I had a chance to go for a date… which wasn’t mine but arranged for my friend by his parents! Did they get married afterwards? Let’s see – in the next posts 😀

Friendly people aka my Uzbek ‘grandma’!

A piece of Silk Road

But back to the headline. This tearful embassy was embassy of Turkmenistan. I had a plan to go to Uzbekistan, apply for a Turkmen visa in Tashkent (capital of Uzbekistan) and go overland to Iran. Turkmen visa is really hard to get – it’s basically impossible to get 30-days tourist visa, and almost impossible to get 5-days transit visa. Optimist as I am, I still gave it a try!

Days full of planning, waiting, phone calls, promising news from Turkmenistan… Finally I got rejected on the very last minute, just one day before I had to leave Uzbekistan because my visa expired. So I had to leave the country. But where? Obviously not to Turkmenistan 😀 I’m gonna write more detailed post about the whole process, but here comes my last conversation with the officers at the embassy:

Madle (after hours of waiting in the queue, gives her passport to the officer who already knows her): Any news?

Officer: Let’s see. [opens the computer, looking for a decision from the bosses in Turkmenistan, making a super sad face]. I’m very, very sorry. [puts his hand on his heart]. I really am sorry but I can’t do anything, it’s not my decision. [looks like he is about to cry].

Madle: Oh, okay. No worries. [after drop in tension holding back the tears and thinking WHAT should I do next :D]. I just don’t know where to go now 😀

If it wasn’t clear yet 🙁

I was lucky to meet two other backpackers in front of the embassy who also got rejected, so we grieved together and made some super sarcastic jokes – I’m not gonna write them here, I might want to apply again one day 😀

Now I’m already in Kazakhstan and gonna fly to Iran soon! And I need to mention – I absolutely LOVE Uzbekistan (without any sarcasm :D). Until the next posts!

Hugs

Madle ❤