Without knowing this, this is my last day in Uzbekistan. Now on my own, Niles took a flight back to his country. I go very early to the regional bus station. This morning I'm controlled in the name of all the tourists in Tashkent this day! With my huge backpack I'm an easy "victim". "Passport, show me your backpack. Do you have bombs, drugs, guns? Girls here, good? Harrashod?"（ok）. Next control: "Just arrived to Uzbekistan? Going to China? Why Kyrgyz visa?" Like this 2 more times.
I'm told that buses to Fergana (the east of the country) are at Kuluk bus station. I try to escape from all the taxi drivers until I meet a local woman that looks at me kind of" where does this guy come from?". I say: "Bus, Ferganan, Andijan, Osh?". "Andijan" she says. We take a shared taxi to Kuluk, 1000 sums each. Other "talk" with taxi drivers. I don't understand much but she discuss very bravely against them. She arranges me a taxi for 20000 sums. That was the normal taxi price for "tourist faces", but she was so involved defending my cause that I thank her very warmly and she left. I managed to get it for 15000 before, I en up paying 18000 with the driver she found me and later I find out that a Japanese tourist (thy never bargain) paid only 10000... grrr!
The final destination is fixed to the Uzbek-Kyrgyz’s border.
The flat and arid landscape replaces relatively quickly the montainous and serpentine way of the beginning. We cross Angren, Kokand, Andijan and finally arrive to the customs...
My little heart was doing toc-toc-, toc-toc. "What if they find out all the money I didn't declare when I enter the county? would they confiscate it? Of course! It would really piss me off if these guys get rich for the coming months on my back!" There is queue with a soldier controlling the passports. My turn. He takes it, play with the pages and give it back... that's it? No question? No need to empty my backpack? Cooool!! I passed it, ha, ha, piece of cake! I continue and see other booth. I enter with a big relieved smile and I think to deal with the first Kyrgyz’s person I've ever met in my life. But the uniform has the Uzbek flag...the serious control starts here! He gives me a form and when I stretch the hand to receive it, I realize that my hand is shaking... keep it cool, keep it cool Fredito, the worst thing that could happen is that they discover you didn't declare all the "cash". As long as they don't force me to sit in a dark room with a strong spotlight on my face followed by ejecting over me cold water, it's ok. I fill up the forms, he checks my passport and let me go... a second policeman, re-checks it and compares it with some data displaying on his screen. I get the final and liberating stamp, the one that allows me to leave the country in peace! They didn't even check the registration tickets! I was happy and relieved and can finally shake the hand of the first Kyrgyz’s officer in my life. He was so pleased about that, he shows me his videos on his mobile phone (rated XXX). At the same time he was asking me how long I expect to stay, what I'll visit and how much money I have. Mmm, should I say the truth? He smiles "euro, euro, 10 euros?"... silence, he insists and he smiles again. I don't know how to take it. I finally tell him, I don't have cash, just my credit card. He says "aaahhh" rather disappointed and continues showing me other films. After 5 min he let me go. Who I meet next? Of course, a taxi driver! I take the first one for 4000 sums (3 $). I'm sure, I'm paying more than the real price but without map and no idea of distance or oil price on the other side of the border, I cannot argue. All I know is that within a few meters I got 1 hour older, time shift.
Osh looks like a little town, it's raining and it looks like a sad city, less soviet than Tashkent. We drive to the tourist office, we turn around for about half an hour without finding it... it's like a deja-vu in Wuhan a month ago. I tell him to leave me t a cheap hotel. He drops me in a lost guesthouse. I don't trust the neighborhood very much and the old building where it is even less. It's an apartment in the 4th and last floor. It's little and cozy. 4$ the night, it's plenty of tourists. We're about 6 for 2 rooms of 15 m2 each. I feel more confident about the place. That night, I have dinner with Satochi (Japan) and Hannibal (USA).
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