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AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures
Central Asia 2026
Day 1 : Kuala Lumpur to Tashkent
Day 1 : Kuala Lumpur to Tashkent
Central Asia 2026 Day 1: 15th May (Friday)
Medium-size Group (Non-cycling) Tour of Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan & Kazakhstan)
Day 1 - Kuala Lumpur to Tashkent (Uzbekistan):
Day 1 - Kuala Lumpur to Tashkent (Uzbekistan):
This is page 1 of a 16-page blog. Click Here To Go To Title Page.
< Laos-China 2025 | Go to Other Days | D2: Bukhara >
1. Traffic Directions!
Central Asian countries are left-hand drive and vehicles drive on the right side of the road. So do bear this in mind when crossing the road OR when sitting at the front passenger seat. I made this mistake several times and boarded the car at the driver's side with the driver giving me a surprised look 😂.
2. Getting to and from Central Asia.
Several airlines fly direct to Central Asia from their originating country. We were fortunate that AirAsia X flew direct from Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) to Almaty, Kazakhstan, and Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
We flew return via AirAsia X, starting from KLIA Terminal 2 to Tashkent International Airport, and returned from Almaty International Airport to KLIA Terminal 2, buying tickets earlier to get cheaper fares. We also packed light (20kg checked-in luggage for two people plus an additional 7kg of cabin luggage), totalling 41kg of luggage.
We flew return via AirAsia X, starting from KLIA Terminal 2 to Tashkent International Airport, and returned from Almaty International Airport to KLIA Terminal 2, buying tickets earlier to get cheaper fares. We also packed light (20kg checked-in luggage for two people plus an additional 7kg of cabin luggage), totalling 41kg of luggage.
3. Getting around Central Asia.
We were on a private guided tour, and had 16-seater vans, with local guides taking us between the cities/towns.
Within Uzbekistan we took the Sharq Train from Tashkent to Bukhara, and from Samarkand to Tashkent.
Note: Traders in bazaars, markets, and small local shops only accept cash. The "sum" (ISO code: UZS) is the official currency of Uzbekistan. The "som" (ISO code: KGS) is the currency of Kyrgyzstan. The tenge (ten-gay, code: KZT) is the currency of Kazakhstan. It is divided into 100 tiyn.
Touch 'n Go e-Wallet can be used in Kazakhstan, just make sure the e-wallet is set to Kazakhstan.
4. Immigration & Customs Requirements
Malaysian passport holders do not need a visa to enter most Central Asian countries for short-term stays, and can visit Uzbekistan visa-free for up to 30 days. There is no need to fill in immigration forms.
Note: Malaysian passport holders can install the MyBorderPass app for fast immigration clearance to get in and out of Malaysia; use the app to generate a QR code just before passing through the 40 dedicated MyBorderPass gates (only at KLIA & KLIA2, 20 gates each), and getting through will be a breeze!
5. Places & Things of Interests
There were many scenic and interesting places of interest along the route, but one should not miss the following (Note: click on the GPS coordinates below for a directional map to the respective places):
- Tashkent International Airport (GPS: 41.25959, 69.27915).
- Tashkent International Airport (GPS: 41.25959, 69.27915).
6. Food
a. Breakfast
- Western/Malaysian Fare (Curry Noodles is not to be missed) & Western Fare at Premium Lounge KLIA2 (GPS: 2.74435, 101.68537). This lounge is open to credit card-holders of participating banks.
b. Lunch
b. Lunch
- Meals on Board Air Asia flight: Pak Nasser’s Nasi Lemak and Hot Coffee.
c. Dinner
c. Dinner
At Sim Sim Restaurant (GPS: 41.28061, 69.24060) in Tashkent:
Uzbek Tea, Uzbek Bread (Obi Non), Double salad, Chicken-Vermicelli soup, minced beef roulade in tomato gravy with green chilli, & Chocolate Fondue with mixed fruits dessert.
7. Accommodations and Tour Costs
This was a recce-guided tour that included all ground arrangements, food, entry tickets to parks, and accommodations, but excluded return airfare to and from Central Asia. We booked Air Asia flight tickets online through their website at a return fare of around RM2,000 per pax. Co-travellers who booked later paid more. Our two pax airfare included 20kg of checked-in luggage and an extra 7kg of cabin luggage, giving us a total of 41kg of luggage..
The ground arrangements included 16-seater van transportation between and around cities; Sharq Express Train fare from Tashkent to Bukhara, and from Samarkhand to Tashkent, and domestic Tez Jet airfare from Osh to Bishkek. The 4x4 Russian truck ride to and from Karakol to the Altyn-Arashan Valley was optional and cost USD40 per pax. So was the 4x4 van ride from Saty to Kaindy Lake and Kolsay Lakes National Park, which cost USD20 per pax.
Accommodations were in three-star hotels, homestays, and a yurt camp. For those interested in this tour, contact Eddie at +6012-6122600 for more details and ground arrangement costs.
For this first day, we stayed at the Reikartz Abis (GPS: 41.26454, 69.21968) in Tashkent.
For this first day, we stayed at the Reikartz Abis (GPS: 41.26454, 69.21968) in Tashkent.
8. Communicating with Each Other
When travelling in a group, it's important to be able to communicate with each other, especially if one gets lost from the rest.
I pre-purchased the Maxis 15-day Multi-Country Roaming Pass at MYR99 and had it activated on the first day of our tour. This pass included a complimentary Maxis Travel Care insurance for the pass validity period - i.e. MYR50,000 hospitalisation, and MYR2,000 lost baggage, T&C applies.
Alternatively, an almost similar GOGO physical sim card for 15-day 20gB can be bought on Lazada at (excluding delivery) for MYR120.
I pre-purchased the Maxis 15-day Multi-Country Roaming Pass at MYR99 and had it activated on the first day of our tour. This pass included a complimentary Maxis Travel Care insurance for the pass validity period - i.e. MYR50,000 hospitalisation, and MYR2,000 lost baggage, T&C applies.
Alternatively, an almost similar GOGO physical sim card for 15-day 20gB can be bought on Lazada at (excluding delivery) for MYR120.
9. Communicating with Locals
Our local guides spoke excellent English, and those in the travel industry or bazaar traders speak passable English. Other locals speak their local language (Uzbek, Kyrgyz, or Kazakh) or Russian (as they were former Soviet republics). Or one can use Google Translate on one's mobile.
10. Weather
June is the beginning of summer, and the weather in Uzbekistan is dry, sunny, and hot across the board. In Tashkent, daytime temperatures average 33°C, while nighttime averaging 16°C. A useful weather forecast site for Tashkent is AccuWeather. For more detailed weather, including cloud cover and wind speed, use Weatherspark and Ventusky.
11. Navigation
Geo-tagging of places of interest was via FaceBook, Google Maps or Yandex Maps and Yandex Navigator.
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PRELUDE
When Eddie hinted at doing a recce tour of Central Asian countries, it piqued my curiosity!
See, I had toured Russia back in 2019, where at the same time I did some cycling in Moscow and also in St. Petersburg. As Central Asia was once part of the Soviet Union, I was interested to see what the culture, people, and food are like.
And in 2024, we had toured the Caucasus countries of Georgia and Armenia. These countries are just on the other side of the Caspian Sea from Central Asia. They, too, were former Soviet republics and also shared some history of being conquered by the Mongols. What differences are there between these countries? All the more reason for me to join Eddie!
See, I had toured Russia back in 2019, where at the same time I did some cycling in Moscow and also in St. Petersburg. As Central Asia was once part of the Soviet Union, I was interested to see what the culture, people, and food are like.
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DAY 1: KUALA LUMPUR TO TASHKENT
Medium-size Group (Non-cycling) Tour of Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan & Kazakhstan)
Day 1 - Kuala Lumpur to Tashkent (Uzbekistan):
Day 1 - Kuala Lumpur to Tashkent (Uzbekistan):
Most of the posts below are linked to my Facebook postings during the trip and are embedded here with some comments. (NOTE: Click on respective posts to link to the FB post to read more details. If you can't see the posts, please log out of your Facebook first.)
11:00am - At KLIA2, we checked in for our 1:20pm flight to Tashkent (Uzbekistan).
All are feeling excited as it will be the first time that we are visiting Central Asia.
With time to spare, dropped by the Premium Lounge KLIA2, which is opened 24 hours. They serve Western/Malaysian Fare and their Curry Noodles are not to be missed. This lounge is open to credit card-holders of participating banks.
But we will be visiting Uzbekistan first, and it's a pretty hot country, so we were more careful with our tummies, and skipped the exceptionally delicious Curry Noodles, which can be "heaty" to our bodies. A bit disappointed that they don't serve their yummy cookies anymore.
Dang, getting clumsy these days and dropped my watch at airport security check. The screen cracked, but the watch is still working.
Keeping fingers crossed - fortunately, it worked for the entire trip, but konked out soon after return.
We had installed MyBorderPass app for fast immigration clearance, using the app to generate a QR code just before passing through the 40 dedicated MyBorderPass gates. At the dedicated gates, just scan the QR code, scan our handsome or beautiful faces 😂, and getting through was a breeze!
With time to spare, dropped by the Premium Lounge KLIA2, which is opened 24 hours. They serve Western/Malaysian Fare and their Curry Noodles are not to be missed. This lounge is open to credit card-holders of participating banks.
But we will be visiting Uzbekistan first, and it's a pretty hot country, so we were more careful with our tummies, and skipped the exceptionally delicious Curry Noodles, which can be "heaty" to our bodies. A bit disappointed that they don't serve their yummy cookies anymore.
Dang, getting clumsy these days and dropped my watch at airport security check. The screen cracked, but the watch is still working.
Keeping fingers crossed - fortunately, it worked for the entire trip, but konked out soon after return.
We had installed MyBorderPass app for fast immigration clearance, using the app to generate a QR code just before passing through the 40 dedicated MyBorderPass gates. At the dedicated gates, just scan the QR code, scan our handsome or beautiful faces 😂, and getting through was a breeze!
1:20pm - Boarding Air Asia X Flight D7-122; it will be a 7-1/2-hour flight to Tashkent International Airport. We were pleased that the airline is using refurbished wide-body Airbus A330 planes, which have better seating legroom and recline more comfortably.
Lunch on board, from the airlines' inflight Santan Menu, we had pre-booked the Bukhara Briyani Chicken Rice. Pre-booking is cheaper, and one will receive the meals before those who did not pre-book.
I have often had this as it's really delicious and value for money when compared to airport prices. BUT by coincidence, we will be visiting Bukhara on our trip to Central Asia. Ignoramus me had thought that Bukhara referred to the chef's name 😂. Oddly, they don't serve biryani rice in Bukhara, and it actually refers to Aloo Bukhara, the dried preserved plums used in the cooking of this biryani.
Oops! When we pre-booked our meals, we missed out on ordering their combo meals, so we had to get the hot coffee separately!
5:38 pm Uzbekistan / 8:38 pm Malaysian Time. One hour to landing, flying over the Pamir Mountains. which is located in Tajikistan. Nice scenery of the snow-capped mountains, and later, the city.
Uzbek time (UTC+05:00) is three hours later than Malaysian time (UTC+08:00); time to reset our watches, otherwise we may miss our meals!
An hour landing approach to Tashkent International Airport, the plane is flying lower, with the snow-capped mountains giving way to greenery. Can see some villages too.
6:30pm Welcome to Tashkent, Uzbekistan!
After a 7-1/2 hours flight, we have arrived.
Clearing customs and immigration was easy, Malaysians tourists can visit Uzbekistan visa-free for up to thirty days.
7:30pm: Tummies are calling out, so we headed to Sim Sim Restaurant for dinner. It's our first meal in Central Asia, so I'm not too familiar with the food names and eating customs yet. Just learnt that most meals will start with Uzbek Tea, and that we had Obi Non (traditional Uzbek Bread), two salads, Chicken-Vermicelli soup, minced beef roulade in tomato gravy with green chilli, and Chocolate Fondue with mixed fruits for desserts.
On the roads of Tashkent, even at 8:30pm, the skies are still bright.
Checked into Reikartz Abis; it's been a long day, and we're just glad to hit the sack!
Leave the exploration for tomorrow.
Hayrli tun!
(For more photos of Day 1, Click Here)
This is page 1 of a 16-page blog. Click Here To Go To Title Page.
< Laos-China 2025 | Go to Other Days | D2: Bukhara >
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