3 Days at the Ancient Silk Route: Samarkand

I took the train in the morning from Tashkent to Samarkand. I booked at short notice, so I got the 3 hour 20 minute train instead of the faster 2 hour train, which apparently also meant a more mediocre train. And with that a certain passenger next to me. A big-looking blunt kind of man, who probably hadn’t brushed his teeth for a few weeks, explicitly yawned the whole ride, so I was quite happy to finally get out and start exploring Samarkand.

Registan Square & German traveler chat

After arriving in Samarkand, I learned that many of its ancient buildings have a connection with India and even the Taj Mahal. The Mughals who built many of these structures originated from Uzbekistan. And this added to the excitement.

Although I had booked my ancient city tour guide for the next day, my first stop was Registan Square, the most iconic historic spot in Samarkand featuring three ancient madrasahs. There I had a drink outside on a really nice terrace and a German traveller started talking to me.

This man had been travelling through Central Asia for six months in a Toyota car to the most remote places. “So where do you sleep” I asked him. “In my car” he told me. “What about showers and toilets?” I asked. “All in the car,” he assured me. Well, that is a way of travelling I still have not figured out.

The conversation ended with the man telling me that after visiting all these countries, “In the end we are all the same. Everyone is looking for some peace.” With that, I shook his hand and planned to explore some neighbourhoods.

Looking for the Old Samarkand

The first stop was the Alisher Navoi Park area in the Russian district. Leafy, tree-filled streets always add charm, and they did that well here. So the Russians can have some taste, I found myself thinking.

Next I ended up in the Jewish Quarter on the advice of ChatGPT. I was looking for an older district that was still lived in by ordinary people. Well, this district surely once had its life and looked charming with its small, narrow bending streets. But except for some cats and small kids playing, I found myself alone. Always a strange feeling to be somewhere that once was vibrant and be totally alone.

The guide, Gur-e-Amir, Shah-i-Zinda and Registan

At 10 a.m. the next morning, my tour guide Sholov came to pick me up for the historic tour. Normally, I do research and go alone to tourist sights. I can read explanations and also use Google and ChatGPT at my own speed. But I had been advised to take a tour guide. Which is better? I guess it depends on the tour guide. And today was not my day. Most of the English was hard for me to understand and the explanations felt a bit scripted. But still all the iconic sights were interesting enough to make it a great day.

Samarkand has a long ancient history and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, dating back around 2,700 years. What survives today is mostly from the period when the conqueror Timur made Samarkand his capital in the 14th and 15th centuries.

We visited Timur’s grave at Gur-e-Amir, but what was very interesting was Shah-i-Zinda. Kind of a village in itself, with a narrow avenue lined with mausoleums covered in beautiful blue tiles.

We ended up at Registan Square again, my favourite spot in the city. We visited the three madrasahs, which means learning centres. In the 15th century, teaching was done here. The square itself was also a centre for merchants and activities. It felt special to stand here.

Now I have to admit something. After seeing Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and the grand Mughal architecture there, the wow factor for me here was less. But Samarkand is still delicate, and the context that the Mughals originated from this place makes it special. For those who have not been to either, maybe first Uzbekistan and later India is a better order!

Mountains, Waterfalls and Uzbek Wives

The last day I had planned to go on a day trip to the Seven Lakes in Tajikistan. But waking up with a bad stomach, plus getting a message that waiting at the border could take several hours, made me opt out.

Instead, I booked a half-day, more relaxing tour to Tersak, a village about one hour south of Samarkand. After a bad start, with the driver being an hour late, we went to the village and hiked in the mountains next to the cows. We ended up at a waterfall and it was really quiet.

The guide himself spoke good English. What stood out was that tourist visits to Uzbekistan had gone up to around 10 million in 2025 from 3 million the year before. Uzbekistan was opening up he said.

And when we saw some tough-looking Uzbek men passing by, he assured me that every man in Uzbekistan is afraid of his wife! “That might be true for the Netherlands as well,” I replied.

I ended my day at the Eternal City, a remake of an ancient architectural village. Sometimes remakes work quite well. And here it did.

The next morning I took an even slower train back to Tashkent to catch my return flight to Shanghai. This time I found myself in a wagon full of loud Uzbek taekwondo competition kids. I guess train rides are an adventure in Uzbekistan!

Zhangjiajie: Avatar Mountains & Chinese Disneyland

“Is this not a busy day then?” I asked my tour guide Phoenix while standing on Tianzi Mountain surrounded by thousands of Chinese tourists all trying to catch a glimpse of the strange avatar-like sandstone pillars.

“No,” she said. “This is just a normal day.”

Only a few hours earlier on my first morning she had assured me today would not be crowded. I guess her definition of a busy day clearly differed from mine…

There were still some places in China I had never been to. One of them was Zhangjiajie in China’s Hunan province. Often referred to as the “Avatar mountains,” supposedly because the floating mountains in the movie Avatar were inspired by this area.

Tianzi Mountain

After a two-hour flight from Shanghai, I arrived in Wulingyuan the night before. The bus picked us up at 8 AM. Everyone had to bring their passport because the ticket system now works with facial recognition and passport scanning. Although convenient, I rather leave my passport in the safety box. And apparently two American tourists in my group thought the same, because they had forgotten their passports.

Which meant close to an hour delay at the entrance while more and more people kept arriving behind us.

Not ideal.

After finally entering the park, we moved from place to place by bus. Every stop revealed another version of the same landscape, although the scale kept increasing.

When we reached Tianzi Mountain, I finally got the view I had imagined before coming here. A huge valley filled with strange sandstone pillars disappearing into the distance. It really did feel like another world. Unlike the more flowing mountain scenery in Guilin or Huangshan, these pillars rose almost unnaturally straight from the ground.

And for a while I forgot about the many crowds behind me.

Charming Xiangxi Performance

At night I went to a performance recommended by my tour guide. The show was called Charming Xiangxi and it was actually very cool. Impressive stage sets, lighting, music and acrobats, all following ancient Chinese storylines and local traditions.

The environment helped too, with rivers and mountains surrounding the theater area. It gave the whole evening a slightly magical feeling.

Scary Glass Bridge & Bungee Jumpers

The next morning we faced something that could probably nerve wreck anyone scared of heights. After around one hour on the bus and a cable car ride up, we arrived at what is supposedly the highest glass bridge in the world, located inside the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon.

I must admit it affected me too.

Looking hundreds of meters down into the valley below felt slightly terrifying. So from time to time I found myself carefully moving toward the edges instead of looking directly beneath my feet.

Then suddenly we noticed a platform underneath the bridge and saw someone making a bungee jump into the canyon below. I guess people have different anxiety levels.

24 Escalators to Heaven or Disneyland?

After several more bus rides we arrived at the famous Tianmen Mountain. The mountain is instantly recognizable because of the bizarre-looking arch near the top, known as Heaven’s Gate.

Apparently a Frenchman once climbed the mountain without ropes back in 2009. Take that bungee jumpers, I thought 😉

Our group, including me, was quite happy to take the cable car instead. After that came no fewer than 24 escalators built directly into the mountain itself.

Along the way many overly excited Chinese tourists tried to high-five us while passing us on the downward escalators. And at the 2000-meter summit?

Thousands of tourists and a Burger King. Only in China.

At times it honestly felt more like Disneyland than a mountain park. Luckily some of the cliff-edge walkways were still very beautiful. As a reflection I would say Zhangjiajie does have really unique nature. But I preferred my trips to Guilin, Chongzuo or Yunnan more as it would be more spread out and not so focused on one single mountain with many people. Still it is worth the visit, just don’t mind the crowds ;).

Qingdao, 2 days of coastal vibes and heritage charm

There is something about cities that once hosted the Olympics or a World Cup. When I walked from my hotel to the Qingdao Marina on my first morning, I felt that vibe. It had once been the center of world’s attention.

In Qingdao’s case, hosting the sailing competitions of the Beijing 2008 Olympics left behind a clean marina, a nicely placed large torch surrounded by Olympic and national flags, and a layout that still looks the part. Early in the morning, I found myself almost alone, alongside a few joggers, enjoying the sea breeze and sunny Qingdao weather.

After wandering around the marina, I continued along the coastline. People were relaxed, sitting in lounge chairs, sipping orange juice and looking out over the sea. The mix of beach, marina and modern skyscrapers makes Qingdao known as one of the best livable cities in China. 

But as often, it was history that became the biggest draw.. Around 30 minutes walking from the marina, I wandered into an area that felt prettier and prettier. Tree-lined ocean walkways, viewpoints, leafy streets with what looked like colonial villas, and small parks with quiet pathways. I later learned this was the Badeguan scenic area, built between 1900 and 1930 by German and other European settlers.

The area is well preserved by the local government and remains peaceful. It feels like a quieter version of the French Concession in Shanghai, but then by the ocean.

Walking further, I entered Qingdao’s old commercial town. Also built in the same period, this was the more commercial side. Today, many local restaurants and shops have taken over, but some impressive historic buildings remain. The St. Michael’s Cathedral stands out, as well as a few former administrative buildings from the German period.

I ended the day at the Tsingtau Club, once a clubhouse for European residents. The name reflects the early spelling of what became China’s most famous beer: Tsingtao.

Tsingtao Beer Museum

The next day I visited the Tsingtao Beer Museum, located in the original brewery. The visit was a bit chaotic. I was assigned an “English-speaking” guide, who I think had memorised the exact words to say at each stop, but without really speaking the language…

It made the explanations hard to follow, and with the guide moving quickly there was little time to read the signs. Still, I got the general idea and it was a fun visit. Learning about the history and ending with a fresh Tsingtao beer was a nice touch. After drinking so many of them over the years in China, it felt right to finally visit where it all started for me.

That afternoon I returned to Badeguan. To wander again, sit in the parks, and imagine the life that once was there, and in many ways still is. Some villas are open to the public, and I visited a few, including the Huashi (Flower Stone) House, a castle-like residence built by a wealthy Chinese merchant in the early 1900’s.

Reflection

Qingdao surprised me. It has more to offer than I expected: coastal, relaxed, with real charm in places like Badeguan, combined with history, beer culture and a modern side.

Qingdao might no longer be at the center of the world’s attention, but it doesn’t need to be. And with only a 40-minute flight from Shanghai, it makes for a perfect few days away.