While strolling through the streets, I encountered an elderly woman hunched over with her eyes closed and a phone to her ear. It was a nostalgic moment for me, reminding me of my childhood visits to my grandparent's home on Richmond Avenue in Willoughby. I could almost picture my grandmother, Lao Lao, sitting by the landline, engrossed in conversation with her friends for hours on end.

It might surprise you that one of the highlights of my travels through Uzbekistan was indulging in the local bread. With each region boasting its unique variety, I found myself on a quest to try them all. However, if I had to pick a favourite, I would have to go with the traditional lepyoshka, baked to perfection in a tandyr oven, a specialty of Samarkand. Breaking the bread with your hands, instead of cutting it with a knife, is a time-honoured tradition in Uzbek culture. I fondly recall sitting down to a meal, surrounded by scattered pieces of lepyoshka, and sipping on a cup of chai as I savoured each delicious bite.

Retrospectively, I can now truly appreciate the beauty of this pastel sunset, but at the time of this capture, I’d just moved hostels after suffering from a grim case of bed bugs and was scratching my itchy arms and legs voraciously in between pressing down the shutter.