Hi, so here I am again and it is one of my last days before leaving Uzbekistan. I really like this place, especially Tashkent which is more than fantastic. Like today I actually found the velo-track. It surely was in the middle of nowhere but it was nice to see. I am sad we don't have anything similiar in Sweden. How difficult can it be to build something outdoors.

And yes, I have to tell you. Yesterday when I was out walking I saw a cyclist in the same area, and he wore Landbouwkrediet-Colnago's clothes from 2005. 2005 was Sergey Lagutin's last year in that squad. It's so fun to see all cyclists here who wear his former clothes. And I can't tell how they have got them, but I think Lagutin has donated them to the Uzbek cyclists.
I remember a blog I read a couple of years ago when he said "I had been racing in Kazakhstan, and all over Uzbekistan. But then I came to Europe and saw it all right away. The athletes were a lot stronger, the races on a harder level, and the mountains were harder. It seemed to me unbearably difficult. All the clubs and Italian teams had nice uniforms, everybody was dressed alike, they had similar bikes. We were the Uzbek all-star team and we were poor. We had different bikes, barely had any bike clothing."
So as I walk around and see all cyclists here in nice jerseys and shorts then I feel very happy. Surely they are no dressed alike, but at least they seem very happy and they seem to enjoy what they are doing. To me it feels very good and I know that Sergey Lagutin is very good for these guys.

Yesterday we went to a Syrian restaurant. It was a British guy, the woman from France with whom I have roomed for the last couple of days and I. As we are all supposed to leave Uzbekistan soon we did not have much money but we ordered a couple of small dishes, water and they drank beer. Very nice.
  Even though all the youths smoke waterpipe. I heard earlier in the week that some people thought it was just teenagers and drugs at the restaurant and in some way I can agree. It was no one over 20 years old, except for us and the young man beside us. It seems people goes there to smoke and not to eat the food, so I understand why it was so expensive with water pipe (6300 sum). 
  In the end we paid nothing to get the water pipe as the young man beside us paid, but hey, I felt so sick afterwards. And the sickness didn't leave me before 12 o'clock today. It must have been very bad tobacco. The others complained too, so it wasn't just because I don't smoke normally. I would never do it.

But okay, today is a very hot day (again). So I have mostly been relaxing in my room. I will later go to a store and buy some water. 

Tomorrow evening I will go to the airport and my taxi is free. Two of my friends here in Tashkent has promised to pick me up with all my bags. I have not bought much souvenirs, barely any, as I rather do it when I have more place in my bags. I would have liked to buy a couple of pialas (cups) but I don't have enough space for them. So I'll buy them next time instead. Hopefully it won't be too long before I can return.

Love