Journey across Uzbekistan to the disappeared Sea of Aral

Support me on Patreon: / vvagabond
Join me on the journey to the Aral Sea during which I uncover the rich tapestry of culture and history of Uzbekistan. From the vibrant capital of Tashkent and ancient cities of Samarkand, Bukhara, and Xiva to the cemetery of abandoned boats that once sailed across the Aral Sea.
In this video, I explore the unique architecture of aforementioned cities, from from diverse designs of the capital city to the intricate designs of Samarkand's Registan Square to and ancient monuments of Bukhara and Xiva. I discover the daily lives of the welcoming locals, capturing the essence of Uzbekistan's cultural heritage.
The journey reaches its climax in the town of Muynaq, once a thriving marine hub along the shores of the Aral Sea. As I walk through the graveyard of the ships I uncover the history of the disappearance of the Aral Sea.
Venture with me to witness the stark contrast between past and present as we approach the desolate landscape that was once the Aral Sea. Learn about the environmental factors that led to its dramatic transformation, culminating in a vast desert where water once flowed. This journey is not just a physical exploration but a profound reflection on the impact of human actions on our planet.
Enjoy!
Filmed in March - April 2023.
Timecodes:
00:00 - Exploring Tashkent and accidentally becoming a millionaire
03:55 - Exploring Samarkand
08:38 - Exploring Bukhara (Buxoro)
12:48 - Exploring Khiva (Xiva)
15:30 - Journey to the Aral Sea (Karakalpakstan)
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Instagram: @vagafuckabond

[@ArturStrahle]

My grandfather was born in Uzbekistan and grew up in Toshkent. He always told me his stories about how he took a trip to the Aral Sea and went swimming there with his friends... what happened was really a disaster

[@jean-pierrehugotin]

Great video as usual! I like when Ivan says "Celsium" 🥰

[@cipmars]

Me too, don't correct him!

[@jean-pierrehugotin]

@@cipmars 👍

[@ExcessCongruence]

@@cipmars get out of here with that bullshit take, wokey..if you don't correct = you don't learn; that's how we evolve as humans and get better.

[@andrewsaxon4314]

@@ExcessCongruence everythings about "wokery" to you brain-poisoned fox-news watching facebook uncles isnt it? log off and go outside and think about why your kids don't talk to you any more

[@protolexis]

I grew up with a lot of Buhkarian Jews who left Uzbekistan in the early 90s when the USSR collapsed. I believe the majority of them moved to my hometown of Queens, NY (specifically Forest Hills and Rego Park). It was really cool to see their ancestral homeland!

[@Zaaphod]

To see nothing but flat land all around is so depressing for me. I like hills. But, to be in the middle of nowhere at night, with 360° degree view of starry night with no light pollution...

[@arturk4420]

lol 19:21 this inscription on the wreck

[@astyanax905]

ah I was disappointed it didn't say ACAB like every other remote place. seeing it in an abandoned apartment in Norilsk was shocking haha

[@ymishaus2266]

@@astyanax905 Gotta make your big political statement by painting it somewhere no one will ever see it. Fight the power and all that.

[@nedward7]

based ship

[@synrmusic]

yeah i did not expect it to show up in Uzbekistan's aral sea of all places

[@tommywolfe2706]

Tashkent is a beautiful city! Despite its size, it doesnt feel cramped, the Muslim buildings had amazing tile and mosaic work on the outside and even the sidewalks had nice brickwork done to make it look nice. Well maintained, clean.....what a beautiful place!

[@drabux]

Great video. I'm British and lived in Uzbekistan for a year 2021-2 and travelled to most of the places in your video. It's a great country with the most friendly, gentle people. I miss Uzbekistan.

[@DaBossIsHere]

Tashkent metro is amazing, it's very cheap compared to let's say Prague, Sofia or Minsk metro (not even talking about Paris or London...), but some stations are like museums! A taxi driver explained to me that these Chevrolet are built in Uzbekistan, former President got a deal with Chevrolet and that's why there are so many of these.

[@Frankfurtdabezzzt]

Uzbekistan is a dream destination for me, thank you for sharing your travels!

[@jasonking6892]

I'm am American🇺🇲 I lived and got married in Tashkent to an Uzbek women Islam karimov was the Dictator president those were Crazy 1989 days I was stopped so many times by the Police as I was the only foreign person there but I enjoyed the country haha 👍

[@georgeklemens7577]

Who needs punctuation anyway

[@blpblp-tj7ux]

​@@georgeklemens7577 verbal diarrhea

[@teresarose685]

@@georgeklemens7577anyway does not have a plural form

[@piggyraccoon5464]

Are you still married tho? Can you send some proof?

[@SJB117]

@@piggyraccoon5464who do you think you are wtf

[@MM-zg4wu]

Hahaha 19:22 our tourists were here 😂

[@KYIVCITYWALK]

Hello!!! Oh, how I miss Uzbekistan. Thank you for this film. I enjoyed seeing familiar places! This is a great opportunity to virtually visit a country when it is not possible to travel. Greetings from Kyiv. Ukraine💛🤗

[@kavics98]

man your channel is a real treasure chest

[@OlgaUnKolhozs]

Such a tasteful wonderful country

[@liam2384]

Ive always wanted to visit Uzbekistan, planning my trip for March 2024! Excited to get a sneak peek through this video

[@foxstrangler]

Well worth the trip, you might suffer gut problems (I did) and if you are diabetic, the food has little sugar, so carry a bottle of coke with you. You can (could) only get chocolate at the duty free in the airport, but they sell boiled sugar sweets in the markets. If you like the bread, bring some home, it keeps well. Don't change much cash into Som, they like US Dollars. Very friendly people and it has opened up more since Karimov died. Plov is always a good meal - mutton, rice and vegetables/spices. Bottled water for everything, and you get a shot of vodka before meals (it kills the bugs) and it's very cheap.

[@lemonov3031]

​@@foxstranglerdo Americans really can't exist without sugar Jesus Christ

[@liam2384]

@@foxstrangler luckily i’m not diabetic but i like the sound of a shot before every meal, especially if i can say it’s for my health 😂

[@TheDonOfNY]

google diabetes@@lemonov3031

[@ThunderTheBlackShadowKitty]

@@lemonov3031 American here, it's all fun & games with sugar until you feel bloated and sick and looking fat. Natural sugars like honey are much healthier and tasty. I gave up saccharin and other fake sugars a while ago.

[@zacklightning3277]

Wow so early! Love your videos! You do a great job in encompassing the post Soviet aftermath in Russia! And Uzbekistan in this video too

[@timothywells8589]

This is the best travel channel on KZbin, I love your informative videos and can't understand why you don't have many more subscribers yet 😉.

[@mikehall7991]

Really amazing architecture all around. Nice to see they keep it preserved

[@allisonrich5061]

Ah, you are in one of my favorite countries. I was three weeks travelling all over Uzbekistan in 2018. I hope you will go down to the Termez part of the country where you can see many Buddhist sites and ancient mudbrick settlements. You can get to about 3 meters away from Afghanistan see over the Amu Darya river. Looking forward to your travels here.

[@mandynewey7215]

Another great video. I've read quite a few books on history of the Silk route and the cities of Samarkand, Tashkent, Bukhara and Khiva so it's really interesting to see those cities now. Thank you.

[@malfunctionjunction6212]

Another great lesson in the geography of Uzbekistan. Well Done. Excellent camera, narration and edit. Thank you for taking us along. Enjoy your travels and be safe. Еще один замечательный урок по географии Узбекистана. Отличная работа. Отличная камера, повествование и монтаж. Спасибо, что взяли нас с собой. Наслаждайтесь своими путешествиями и будьте в безопасности.

[@alsaunders3937]

Great job Vag!

[@jonathanallen2388]

As always, excellent video!

[@nyckolaus]

Fascinating, Ivan, as always!

[@rmanMMVII]

Thank you for your efforts!

[@joaov5267]

great video!

[@truyerroe]

great like always :)

[@stefan-vasileionita2510]

Thanks! Good Luck on journeys!

[@billcasso5428]

Great job Ivan very interesting

[@sarahtyster7342]

thanks. great video. much appreciated.

[@AndrewBaker-ym3mk]

Woot! Credit to you for making all this content, always a pleasant surprise to get a notification

[@JamcatFromKoln]

Wow so beautiful never knew Uzbekistan is actually pretty nice

[@malcolmabram2957]

There are many fascinating places in the world that escape the media spotlight. I remember chatting about Tajikistan to colleagues at work, and they thought I was making the name up to be amusing.

[@technovikingfan]

HI VANYA. What a wonderful surprise on a Friday afternoon! Thanks man!

[@alfredpetrossian3036]

Thank you very much - wonderful virtual travel.

[@Slykkpkins]

Another excellent video, good information n well done.

[@tunguskakollektiv7262]

Your videos are always so interesting and also amazingly relaxing. You always bring me down, when a had a stressful time at work. Thanks a lot!

[@bobbydazzler3067]

my friend i just signed up for your Patreon as i've been wanting to see you ride some trains again. I really enjoy your films my man. Keep up the good work and stay safe

[@tony42hajdu]

yes, thank you, I am glad

[@lloydritchey]

Some very interesting art & architecture. Keep exploring & improving!

[@justcurious3514]

This is fascinating and beautiful video. One of my favorites. Thank you for making it and sharing it.

[@Dertrend]

Thank you for showing us all this culture.

[@ianashworth7744]

Always a nice surprise to watch your content. Keep up the good work.

[@TheRedDevil_NC]

What a great channel. I appreciate everything you have shown us. Tjanks from USA

[@fnamelname9077]

Your videos are so beautiful. Thanks for posting these parts on KZbin despite the censorship.

[@kevinzorn2638]

Stellar work! Even without the train hopping your videos are exciting and informative.

[@ognr]

Really nice vlog. Good edits and storytelling. I recognized Bukhara from one of the Bald and Bankrupt's videos. Architecture is amazing. Also, mosques remind me a bit of Morocco. Long story short, great video.

[@user-st3nk9ui9j]

Very beautiful architecture and the Uzbek food looks delicious. I enjoy that you take the time to show us the little quirks of the places you visit, like all of the Chevrolets!

[@umichaa00]

I would love to visit Uzbekistan and their amazing cities, people and food. Amazing

[@Larkinchance]

Thank you, thank you. Between high school and university every young person should go on a quest like Vagabond.. Bravo!

[@Surge_LaChance]

Thank you for sharing these videos. It is very important right now. You give people an insight into other cultures, and that brings the world closer together.

[@equleart]

love your videos! you have a very nice way of relaying history while appreciating the places you are at! this was an especially nice coincidence as I just came across the Madrasa in Buxara on geoguessr yesteray, and you showed so many!

[@chriscoralAloha]

You lead an amazing life. I miss backpacking. I di not do as much as you but it was an adventure to fill a lifetime.

[@winnietheshrew2957]

Great video, as always. I found the history and your video footage of the Aral Sea particularly interesting. On a side note: The correct English expression for Silk Way is Silk Road.

[@xela001]

Wow great great journey🎉. Thx a lot! I would love to see the trainhop 😢

[@Empty_Edd]

Fukin brilliant once again lad

[@ephix238]

such a astonishing and beautiful city, amazing.

[@BDF30]

Thanks! From Greece!

[@MrDoeni82]

without your travels and vids some places on the earth were just some points one the world map. Thank you so much for showing those places. 🙂

[@mackdog3270]

Beautiful architecture.

[@88arakvita]

Awesome video about this historical cities . The columns in minute 12:08 - 12:11 they look just like the ones in Isfahan palace in the historical main central square.

[@_DREBBEL_]

Shouts out Uzbek! Thanks for showing us around Vaga. Your English is getting so good! Also WOW the American $$ dollar is powerful!

[@MeVSGravity1]

It's amazing how clean everything looks. Even around the few bare looking old walls you're showing it seems like people don't litter. So nice to see

[@xxtuddlexx]

great

[@rusky325i]

did they find ancient shipwrecks at the bottom as the sea dried up?

[@balkanforever1]

Welcome to my country! 🫡🇺🇿

[@Andrey264]

Beautiful People.

[@larspregge6420]

ty

[@demil3618]

Wonderful and interesting video once again! What’s it with KZbin and train hopping? You had those videos before and there is still a a lot of others posting train hopping videos. Why you?

[@Max-dx6mu]

Wow Uzbekistan is very clean country by the looks of it. Will you do video on your local city Izhevsk one day?

[@Ondar007]

9:44 its not concrete or cement with dry grass, its hay with mud (clay) 😁

[@astyanax905]

the mosaics are amazing. I think bald and bankrupt was here before, because it looks familiar and I certainly haven't travelled there before (unfortunately)

[@BuryMeDown]

Nice video but I miss your train hopping content. Would be nice to see some of those again!

[@rosenbachvarov1703]

These cars in actual are Daewoo Motors with the Chevrolet logo!

[@Altpfurz]

Daewoo Motors co had built their car plant in Uzbekistan back in the middle of nineties. It was called UzDaewoo. Initially this plant produced the Nexia model, which was essentially restyled latest Opel Kadett. The car plant is located in the city of Asaka in Andijan region. Nowadays, the plant is owned by JV GM Uzbekistan.

[@wendysalter]

Back in the 'USSR'! Nice details, glad you are well.

[@Sunlight91]

The eastern Aral Sea is completely gone since mid 2020 and the western part has maybe a decade left. It's so saline it never freezes over in frigid weather. Meanwhile the northern Aral Sea is stable and freezes over every winter. Edit: This winter I saw thin wind blown ice forming at a water temperature of -5C, but not enough to form a continues ice cover.

[@randylahey1822]

Stalin the man who could turn large bodies of water into small ponds..

[@kitosjek9541]

​@@randylahey1822 this is more on Khruschev and his " agricultural " reforms

[@mattislindehag3065]

@@kitosjek9541 Sure. It happened because some rivers were diverted to irrigate Uzbekistan in order to produce cotton. It actually worked very well, making the Uzbek SSR the largest producer of cotton in the world back in the 80:s. Here's a thing though. Among all the measures for saving the Aral Sea that have been attempted is a lot of futile mumbo jumbo while something very important is glaringly abscent. At no point is it mentioned that the rivers were rediverted back to the Aral Sea. It's the Uzbeks who have been holding that spiggot ever since the fall of the Soviet Union. The continued shrinkage of the Aral Sea was attributed to Uzbekistan and their cotton farming policies as far back as the 90:s. The Soviets realized that Aral Sea would disappear from this very early on and made a willfull sacrefice. The Uzbeks continue making that sacrefice every single day.

[@VegasCyclingFreak]

Thanks for another very interesting adventure. I see you are from Izhevsk area... near to Kazan where some very interesting & mysterious guitar pedals I have recently acquired were made in 1970s.

[@LucaPasini2]

I have two preamps made by a company from Omsk, further East, called AMT Electronics. They are really good and cleverly thought-out, I hope everyone there is doing well!

[@coolcraig112]

Ivan doesn't care about your guitar pedals buddy.

[@VegasCyclingFreak]

@@coolcraig112 Maybe so but they represent an interesting time in Soviet history (mid to late 70s), when just being in a rock band could get you put in prison if it somehow offended the Ministry of Culture, among a variety of other reasons. Yet at the the same time, these guitar pedals seem to have been an example of state sanctioned manufacturing. This is a pretty weird concept for someone born and raised in the USA.

[@VegasCyclingFreak]

@@LucaPasini2 Are those relatively modern or "vintage"? My two guitar pedals, simply called Kazan "Kvaker" and "Vibrato" & made around 1977, came to me all the way from Ukraine (during the current war) and Kazakhstan, by way of China.

[@LucaPasini2]

@@VegasCyclingFreakThey are modern, maybe they're still in production now, as since writing the comment I checked the company on Instagram and they seem still active and able to travel abroad

[@piggyraccoon5464]

Very beautiful traditional clothing 😍 Hi from Latvia

[@SnakeBush]

This works

[@kritzel789]

one day a date with vaga bond! one day!

[@anydroid]

Love this channel. It’s like KZbin for people with a PhD.

[@ortloffa]

I remember National Geographic had a big article about the Aral Sea back in the 1980s.

[@MrHL5]

cool

[@anna_mkd]

Ого, из Чукотки, где я родилась сразу в Ташкент, где я выросла 😅

[@attila3556]

Your home town according to Wikipedia is the brothertown of Tatabánya witch is kinda interesting because I was in Tatabánya many times

[@merrydaye4763]

Stunning country. All Chevy cars would never be my guess. Curious, when a restaurant gives you more, do you leave extra $?

[@watch-Dominion-2018]

what's your filming/editing approach? Do you edit on the road or go home to edit?

[@mpky23]

you are from izhevsk? the famous kalashnikov making town?

[@black_eagle]

There are a lot of train-hopping videos on youtube, doesn't seem like it's a big problem.

[@juliusveneziani9455]

which backpack do you use

[@aleksandartonev3393]

So beautiful 😍 I was working in Uzbekistan for 3 months in 2011. Is it still the big banknote 1000 sum? I remember when l pay the monthly rent for the room l have to bring full bag of money 💰 😂 They drive Chevrolet because there is big factory near Tashkent.

[@Eurobazz]

You and Dave Legenda look like twins.

[@scottdoucet5095]

This man loves his mosaics

[@valuetraveler2026]

amazing as usual - going to go when I get the chance. Do you only do these videos in English and not Russian?

[@ivantrainsLIVE]

I've been filming only in English for the last year.

[@CathodeRayNipplez]

Wow what they've done to the Aral Sea is beyond disgusting. 🙄

[@yudji21]

u should start filming in 4k it would be so much better 😄😄

[@user-fp5ex7ml1e]

What disease/sickness did you have ? Love your videos . Love from Australia

[@ivantrainsLIVE]

I had a cold.

[@Triadii]

It looks like they are changing it to make it very different from Russia

[@Holabirdsupercluster]

Uzbek Chevys is the name of a band that fuses Central Asian and American country and western music

[@Joshua89]

Chevrolet owned Lada for a few years so basically youre seeing Lada models with a Chevy logo😂

[@markvogel5872]

One of the mods for my cities skylines soviet themed maps I was making is that hotel! And shocking to see anyone driving a Chevy! 😂