Well, now that I am out of the country, I guess I can speak freely. They tolerated us only because they wanted our dollars. We never felt welcome. No one was warm or friendly, something the language barrier should not have inhibited. Perhaps they were annoyed that we did not spend more money to take advantage of their guide or taxi services.
Independent travelers are still a novelty in Uzbekistan.
Convincing locals in a less prosperous foreign country that you are not rich or, heaven forbid, prefer to travel cheap, is not an easy task. Thanks to Hollywood and the worldwide proliferation of VCRs, foreign nationals often aspire to the American Dream more than a lot of Americans. As it was, the amount we paid for one night at Victor's flat was equal to a month's wages for a teacher in Uzbekistan. No reason to be disappointed, Victor. A few weeks earlier in Samarkand, an American backpacker had been beaten nearly unconscious and had his bags stolen.