Takeoff Bukhara Uzbekistan (Buxoro Бухара) TK A321 Neo to Istanbul I September 2022 [BKH-IST]

Westbound to fly home after some weeks of precious experiences. Keep in mind that a vacation in Uzbekistan is way different than that 1-week all-in in Mallorca or Side. Anyway watch this Airbus doing her job and enjoy the view on the city of Bukhara and adjacent deserted areas.

Buxoro is a major town in Uzbekistan, well known for cultural heritage and one of the epicentres of just right now developing tourism.
It was quite an experince getting on that plane:
0600 in the morning, the sun is just rising above the flat deserted land as my yandex arrives at the airport. Some shady men instantaneously tried to sell USD to me for my remaining Uzbek Som (jokes on you guys, I collect that stuff). Passing some heavily armed men and 4-5 x-ray machines (they were placed successively, not in parallel) I finally arrived at the gate. Well at least I thought- just an other x-ray machine and then I was finally there.
The duty free shop was deserted and some men were hastily smoking cigarettes at the washroom until we got interrupted by a man saying something in Uzbek.
Of course I didn´t understand. Everyone stood up so it was clear that this was the call for our plane. Once we walked across the tarmac a lot of people were amazed to board the plane.

Our flight was just straight westbound - from Buxoro over the caspian sea, Georgia (I recognized some squares and churches I´ve visited in Tblissi) and then smoothly descending into Istanbul.

I openly recommend to visit Uzbekistan. This country is rich in cultural heritage and a mixture of Uzbek, Islamic, former-soviet and Chinese culture. Tourism is just about to take off and if you look foreign, you will always be taken for a Russian. Once you answer "niet Ruski?" your Uzbek counterpart gets curious - someone foreign, not Russian? Where is he fro mand what does he do in Uzbekistan?