Whilst sitting in my hotel room in Bishkek I had a thought, I need to be in Bucharest soon. Scheduled to meet my cousin in Bucharest for my birthday which was in 7 days time. Being in the middle of Central Asia, that proved a little bit tricky to sort on the budget I was on.
Scouring all plane sites, forums and travel sites to try to find an answer that night. The time was swiftly approaching 5:00AM. I had conjured a list together of flights. Some of which being mentioned as answers. The cheapest flight I could find was Bishkek to Belgrade, costing £148 and sporting a very short layover in Istanbul. With my decision final and my flight booked - I closed my eyes in relief.
My flight from Bishkek was in 2.5 days, having weighed up my options, I decided to take the overnight bus. Spend a short day in Tashkent, then return back the following evening again on another overnight. The 28 hour round trip bus ride figured to be quite eventful…
The journey from Bishkek to Tashkent was perfect. Smoothly venturing through both borders with no issues whatsoever and arriving early next morning as planned. I spent the day in Tashkent not doing much due to the heavy downpour of rain.
On arrival back at the bus station in Tashkent, I walked to the desk and asked for the ticket returning to Bishkek. Expecting an answer on how much I was due to pay, the words “No tickets, sold out” bellowed into my ears.
A sudden rush of thoughts cross my mind in this brief second. Conversing with the operator via google translate, I tried to plea my need for a ticket. She carried on to explain that there was no other way back to Bishkek tonight and to book for tomorrow. (This would indeed mean that I would miss my flight to Belgrade). After a few brief moments staring through the glass toward the woman I accepted my fate, stubbornly walking off without following her advice. I took a seat in the waiting room and tried to gain wi-fi. Which I failed due to the lack of Uzbekistan sim card (I was here for less than 24 hours and felt no need to justify the purchase). I sat waiting, pondering my next move.
Suddenly a man approached me. A seedy looking man: slicked greasy hair, a red body warmer, and a pair of dirty leather shoes bargained his outfit. His phone became present, which had google translate beaming at full brightness ‘I have reservation Bishkek’.
Now these are the types of situation I would normally avoid. However being in my predicament I invited the conversation to go further. A very confusing few moments went by. Which consisted of google translate being pushed back and forth into each others vision. I exclaimed “How much” whilst rubbing my fingers together in a money like fashion. “150,000” he replied. - My decision came Out of despair and I would trust this shady looking fellow.
He guided me to the terminal where a bus was waiting. Where stood a sign with ‘Tashkent - Bishkek’ written boldly on it. He turned to me, seeing if I had followed. Whilst boarded he spoke with the driver and proceeded to sit me toward the back of the bus. His phone turned and it read ‘Now pay’. As I hesitantly handed over three 50,000 Uzbekistan Som notes. The transaction was completed and the phrase “thanks, Bishkek” blurted out of him while shaking my hand before exiting the bus quickly.
There I was. Stranded at the back of a bus. No further instructions and no physical ticket presented to me. Had I just been scammed? My own mind questioning my actions as I wait, patiently not knowing whether the bus was actually going to allow me to stay aboard before departure.
The bound bus started to fill up and I had realised something. The people boarding where filling up from the front and I was left as an outsider towards the back. Some more time passed and my mind wandered elsewhere. Until, to my luck a familiar face shows up. The same red body warmer presented itself in my vision. This time with a pair of men and their bags, they proceeded to sit next to me and handed over the money the money to him. I asked them “Bishkek”, to which they nodded. I felt a bit more at ease to know If I had been scammed, so had this pair. And we would all have learnt a lesson that day.
The bus carried on letting its passengers on until it was full. With its departure bang on scheduled time. As the journey here was, smooth as you like. With the two borders crossed I arrived firmly in Bishkek with plenty of time to get to the airport to catch my flight.
Sometimes you can trust random people who look shady. I took a gamble, a $15 gamble to make sure I made my flight to Belgrade. Luckily my luck came right at a time of needing it. As I now sit on a train from Bucharest to Budapest. After a great weekend, thinking how lucky I really was that doomed day. My time in Belgrade was fantastic also, but again I will be posting more of my experiences from my travels within the next few weeks. I will add send a link to those interested.
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON A COMMENT FOR A QUESTION I HAD ASKED ON REDDIT FIND IT HERE: https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/comments/f0uzm5/help_needed_for_a_solo_traveler_uzbekistan_romania/