From Jalal Abad to Osh via Andijan Uzbekistan
I got stopped by Uzbek borderguards.
On our way back from Jalal Abad to Osh our driver decided it would be faster to go through Uzbekistan. It would take us about 30 minutes versus the nearly two hours on the mountain road. We thought there would be no issues since I did look Uzbek.
Our driver took us to the border near Jalal Abad. There, he paid a border guard the equivalent of 1 USD to get us across the border. We followed the guard by car as he led us into Uzbekistan by a river.
We passed many cotton fields and drove through Andijan. I was sitting in the back, but Angelina would not let me take many photos. It was not legal to take pictures in Uzbekistan. I still got two.
Got caught!
Yes, we got caught. On the border with Osh, we had to give our documents. That is when they saw my US passport with Kyrgyzstani kartochka. They wondered how I got into the country. Thank God I was given Diplomatic Immunity by the Kyrgyzstani government.
After 30 minutes of hassling, I had to register with a Russian border guard. My driver told them he had no money, but he promised to return later to pay them (He did not). We returned to Osh.
I never visited Uzbekistan ever again. I never will after that experience.