Arriving back into minus 15°C and a blizzard was a dose of reality and getting my bags and walking across to the hotel (15 minutes) on ice and in driving snow was not pleasant to say the least. Check-in was smooth and the room was a welcome change as well as a hot shower. It was a basic hotel but safe and quiet, although my room was facing the military runway with a selection of fighters in front of the view. I decided to draw the curtains and resist the temptation to take photos. This was not the time for stupidity. The hotel had a lot of soldiers staying in the hotel, so keeping a very low profile was imperative.Eating in the restaurant was an experience, sitting in the middle of soldiers, keeping quiet and trying to avoid bringing attention to myself. All was well until I had a SMS from Simon wishing me a safe trip and without thinking I said (thankfully not loudly) ah that’s sweet. Suddenly I was the centre of attention with a number of them turning around to look at me. No option but to smile and quietly get the bill and return to the room as calmly as possible.
The flight to Tashkent was early in the morning, so I was at the check-in desk in plenty of time and thankfully again I managed to sort out issues with the airline. Tickets not registered and acceptable and I was not on the flight manifest. It took about half an hour to solve this by pushing the manager to phone Tashkent to resolve the matter. All resolved in a timely manner I had to then go through passport control and customs. This time everything went relatively smoothy without issues. The plane was almost empty, only 40 people on it, so there was plenty of room to stretch out and relax.
The arrival at Tashkent airport was easy and the atmosphere was more relaxed than in Russia, I was feeling easier and calmer. I was met by a man to take me to the transfer lounge and as we were walking, he said to me why are you not staying in a hotel, our transfer lounge is being refurbished and it is not suitable for you. He took my passport, sorted out the passport people and Covid certificates and then took me to an arrival desk in the baggage hall and within 10 minutes I was on the way to a local hotel for a few hours’ sleep. It was wonderful, the room was perfect, shower powerful and bed very comfortable. Prior to return to the airport, I had breakfast on the roof of the hotel, it was 10°C and very comfortable, just perfect and I was left with a feeling of relaxation and calmness. Only I had to recheck in and get on the flight, which proved to be another challenge as I had further issues with the ticket and then the system went down leaving me very late for the flight. The ground team took my bag straight to the flight and I was rushed through security onto the plane. They had saved the seat next to me to give me more room and for the next 7 and a half hours I dosed as we flew closer to home and to the family, safe and sound thanks to Mel and her research and planning.
