Three months of my relatively stationary life in Bulgaria came to an end. My 90 visa-free days in the EU were almost over. The long road back home to Colorado was going be east via Asia and not west.
Before I start any trip, I am always in the state of something close to a nervous breakdown. меня всегда бьет нервная дрожь. It is an anxiety that things could go wrong and, at the same time, a joyful anticipation of new discoveries and interesting encounters. It was the same this time. I hardly slept that night, packed the backpack well before the departure time and did not know how to do with myself until it was time to leave. Within the next day and a half, I was expected to cross 3 country borders.
First, it was a 7-hour bus ride from my place in Bulgaria to the airport in Istanbul, then a flight to Fergana, Uzbekistan. I actually needed to travel to Osh in Kyrgyzstan, but the airfare to Osh cost over $500 and the ticket to Fergana was only $220. These 2 cities are a 4-hour car ride from each other, never mind that they in different countries. I decided to save money and flew to Fergana.
Taxi drivers attacked me as soon as I left the airport. I found one who agreed to take me to the border for $30. I was there in 3 hours, quickly went through passport control on the Uzbek side and walked to the Kyrgyz side. There, the officer looked in confusion at my Australian passport and asked me if I needed the visa. He double-checked my answer on his phone, consulted his coworkers, then ran out of the room – probably to see his supervisor – and finally happily stamped my passport.
The city of Osh is not far from the border and 1 hour later, I was in my hotel. Osh is not the most interesting place but it was new for me and I did a quick walk around the center in the afternoon.
