Erin Levi
It was also my first international adventure with my boyfriend. I made sure we’d hit all the top sights, like Samarkand’s Registan Square (we slipped the guard about $20 to climb to the top of the crooked minaret), Bukhara’s walled historic center, and Tashkent’s bustling Chorsu Bazaar.
When my birthday arrived
On my actual birthday, we enjoyed brunch on the hotel balcony. Replete with balloons, the balcony overlooked old Soviet rowing canals that have become the backdrop for Samarkand’s newest attraction: Eternal City.
After brunch we flew from Samarkand to Tashkent. We had spotted business class tickets for $50 a seat, so it was an easy, last-minute splurge. We checked into the InterContinental, and I blew out more birthday candles at the rooftop restaurant that evening.
While I did experience some paranoia that day, wondering if flying on my birthday was too risky, all went smoothly.
As much as the trip to Uzbekistan was a birthday present to myself (it ended up costing us about $2,500 each), the real gift, I realized, was shaking the family curse — and learning to trust myself.