Uzbekistan - Central Asia - page 217

being demanded, to a ine of up to a couple of
thousand US dollars and deportation.
Such harsh ines are unlikely, but if you go
several consecutive days without registering
you are asking for trouble - even if technically
you have not stayed in any one place for more
than two nights. Bottom line: the authorities like
to see at least some registration slips in your
passport. The more you have, the better, and
the only way to be completely safe is to ensure
that every night of your stay is accounted for
by a registration slip or overnight train ticket.
Tashkent hotels in particular can be a real pain
in the backside about this - two hotels told us
that they would not register someone without a
registration slip for every night of their stay, so
have your paperwork in order!
Checking into a hotel licensed to take foreign-
ers means automatic registration. if you spend a
night in a private home you are supposed to reg-

ister with the local oice of Visas & Registration
(oViR), but this can create more problems than
it solves for you and your hosts. Asking the next
hotel you stay at to supply missing registration
slips is a possibility, but they may demand a fee
for this service or refuse your request outright.
When you leave the country, border oicials
may thoroughly scrutinise your registration slips
or they may not look at them at all. however, the
main thing is to be able to produce a convinc-
ing bundle when asked. Authorities may also
check your registration slips when you are in the
country, so carry them with you alongside your
passport at all times.
This system creates obvious problems for
campers and (less problematically) for home-
stayers. if you plan to camp your way around
Uzbekistan, resign yourself to staying in hotels
at least every third night to accumulate some
registration slips. if you are missing only a few

THE¨BLACK¨MARKET
The disparity between the black-market rate and the National Bank of Uzbekitan oi-
cial rate was about 30% at the time we visited. This means that travellers will generally
achieve 30% savings by paying for everything - including items priced in dollars - with
Uzbek som bought on the black market, rather than with US dollars or by credit card.
Two main exceptions to this rule are hotels where the black market rate is used, which
are particularly common in the big tourit centres of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva,
and for all internal lights in Uzbekitan, which mut be paid for in cash US dollars by
foreigners.
There is little to no risk in exchanging money on the black market. However, this could
always change so check the situation on the ground to make sure there hasn't been a
police crackdown on the technically illegal black-currency trade. Also be aware that a
small minority of the black-market moneychangers will trick you: it's perfectly reason-
able to count out the vat piles of cash before parting with your dollars. One trick to be
on the look out for is money changers putting 500S notes in the middle of the wads of
cash, rather than the 1000S notes that should be all the way through.
The defacto black-market money-exchange headquarters in any given city is the cen-
tral bazaar, but almot anybody and everybody - including hoteliers, retaurateurs, and
taxi drivers - are eager to exchange dollars at black-market rates. Ask a neutral person
what the going rate for black-market dollar exchange is before agreeing to anything: of
course, moneychangers will try to give you a lower rate than you might be entitled to, so
shop around and haggle.
Hotels¨&¨Travel¨Agencies
Generally, local convention is to lit the prices of hotels and travel-agency services in
dollars. However, the following caveats apply:
¨ Hotels in Tashkent, the Fergana Valley and state-owned hotels outside of Tashkent list
prices in dollars, but convert their room prices to som at the official exchange rate . This
means that travellers will save 30% (at the time of research) by paying with som instead
of with dollars or a credit card, if they buy their som on the black market - a great way to
save money.
¨ Most travel agencies and private hotels outside of Tashkent - such as the B&Bs of
Bukhara, Samarkand and Khiva - also list prices in dollars. However, they convert their
room prices to som at the black-market rate. At these places you will not save anything
by paying in som.