The blue dome of Chorsu is the best landmark in old Tashkent. The great market under it, a huge circular hall roofed with a single sky-blue cupola, stands on the site of a crossroads whose name means four streams or four roads, and the bazaar here has been the heart of the old city for centuries, long before the Soviet engineers built the dome. Around it, in the surrounding lanes, stalls spill into the streets, and the noise, smell and colour are overwhelming: pyramids of spice, mounds of dried apricots, raisins and nuts, piles of round, patterned breads, hanging carcasses at the butchers' hall, and women in bright dresses calling out prices.
The place rewards slow wandering. The bread sellers stack their loaves, called non, with stamped patterns in the centre, in towering piles, and each region has its own style. The spice merchants offer saffron, cumin, dried barberries for plov, and heaps of red pepper, and the dairy sellers offer balls of dried salty yoghurt, called qurt. Samsa, the baked pastries filled with lamb, are sold hot from the clay ovens, and you eat them standing up, with a paper napkin, in the steam. In late summer, melons, grapes and pomegranates arrive from the Fergana valley.
The ride that starts here goes out to the Besh-Aral reserve beyond the plain, and the market is a good place to buy supplies, such as bread, dried fruit and nuts, and a bottle of water. Getting out of Tashkent takes some patience, with traffic that is fast and loose, and the market area is crowded, with narrow streets and many pedestrians, so park your bike carefully in a guarded place and walk. Once you leave the suburbs, the roads open up across the steppe and cotton fields, with long straight stretches, and some rough patches.
Petrol is not guaranteed, because supplies in Uzbekistan can be erratic and many vehicles run on gas, so check and fill up early. The best seasons for riding are April to June and September to October. At midday in summer the heat is brutal, so plan to be on the road early. Visit the market in the morning, when it is busiest and freshest, and leave the afternoon for the road.