Real Uzbekistan in PLATZKART
During this trip to Uzbekistan I have decided to move around the country using night trains and sleep in the third class compartment (Platzkart).
The Platzkart, compared to first and second class compartments doesn't have any dividing walls, it is an open compartment with rows of bunk beds. I have travelled before in a similar train set up when I took the Trans-siberian train from Moscow to Irkutsk and it was fun interacting with the locals... so why not trying it in Uzbekistan.
Why travelling in Platzkart? Well, it might not be the most comfortable way of travelling but if you really want to have a taste of the country and interact with locals, this is a great way to do it. The memories and stories of the people I have met here made this trip unique and memorable! I love that there is a great sense of community in this class, people will offer you all sort of food ( make sure you become friend with an old lady) and drinks and they will want to talk to you...after all, talking and getting to know this stranger that is visiting their country is a great way to kill the time, especially on a 21 hour journey. Luckily for this trip I had printed an Uzbek-English phrasebooks from wikitravel and I had also the Google Translate app with Russian-English on my phone and combined with pencils, drawings and gestures you will make some sort of conversations!
I have a quote a live by during my travels : "If it is perfect, it is not memorable" . Platzkart is not perfect, it is not the most clean compartment I have travelled on, it gets sticky in the scorching heat of the Uzbek summer...but so far it has been the most heartwarming and special because of the generosity and kindness of the people I have met.
I have travelled 3 times in Platzkart during this Uzbekistan trip and I have met so many people! These are some of the stories:
Train from Samarkand to Urgench (15 hours): I was sitting near an old lady (always make sure you are sitting next to one during long journeys) that told me she was going to be my "MAMA UZBEK" during this train journey. She wanted to know about my family, seeing my pictures from home and of course she offered me huge amount of food! I might have looked food deprived as everyone on that train journey was offering me either fruits or cookies.
Train from Urgench to Tashkent (19 hours + 2 hours stuck in the desert). So many people gathered around the area where I was sitting as they wanted to communicate with me. This was possibly one of the best train journeys so far. After more than 6 hours of talking they still couldn't understand why a 35 years old guy wasn't married yet!
The old lady sitting in front of me noticed I was wearing a pair of ripped denim shorts and she took out from her bag some scissors and a needle and asked if I wanted her to fix them!!! I have tried to explain that this was the fashion back home but I failed miserably!
TIPS:
- Although it is a fun experience always look after your valuables. There are storage compartments under or above each bed; I have stored there my main bag and put all my valuables in a smaller bag. My bag of valuables was always with me when I went to the toilet or each time I left the area to get a drink.
- Bring a mug. The train has a big container of boiling water so you can make your own coffee, tea, instant noodles.
- Bring pens and paper...you will need them.
- Bring a phrasebook and a translation app. I have used wikitravel phrasebook for uzbek-english and google tranbslarte app for Russian-English
- Wet wipes...there is no shower on the train :)
- On the train you will be given a matress, pillow , face towel and clean bedsheets.
Travelling by train in Uzbekistan was an amazing experience..definitely not a perfect one but surely the most memorable!