Tashkent Nights at Seoul Mun: Canals, Fountains & Stealth Street Photography ☀️🇺🇿

Hi all!
While the rest of my family is chilling on Thai beaches, mom and I are roaming Tashkent like it’s our full-time job. Today’s mission: Seoul Mun — the brand-new canal-side complex everyone’s buzzing about.

Let’s be real: at its core it’s commercial real estate wrapped in a ridiculously pretty bow. But damn, they nailed it. A gleaming canal runs right through the middle, lined with cafés, restaurants, boutique shops, and rooftop terraces stacked over three or four levels. Escalators and glass elevators whisk you down to the water, there are free clean toilets (a miracle in any city), free stroller rentals for parents, and every evening — completely free — a full-on fountain show with lights and music. In +38°C heat, strolling next to water with a cold beer or fresh lemonade feels like cheating life!

By the time the sun started dipping, we were properly wrecked. Found a bench at the far end, legs dead, cameras heavy. That’s when I went full ninja photographer mode. Too shy to point my lens straight at people (Uzbeks are so warm and polite, I didn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable), so I just plopped the camera on the bench, rested my hand on it like I was chilling, and fired off shots blind. Some actually came out fire — kids chasing bubbles from street vendors, old friends laughing over coffee, girls in flowy summer dresses, guys rocking crisp white shirts and perfectly fitted trousers. Tashkent style is underrated: modest, elegant, always on point!

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Quick observations about people here:

• Smiles come easy. Strangers say “assalomu alaykum” even when passing on the walkway.
• Fashion is clean and understated — no logos screaming for attention, just quiet class.
• Everyone, literally everyone, looks after the place. Zero litter, even with thousands walking around.

As the fountain show kicked off and the sky turned cotton-candy pink, mom turned to me and just said: “This is what cities should feel like.”

Tomorrow we’re hopping the early Afrosiyob train to Samarkand — ancient turquoise domes and Registan sunsets are calling. Promise to bring back photos that’ll make you book tickets on the spot.

Drop your pics and tips below, I’m collecting all the Tashkent hacks while I’m here!

I write my texts myself, correct mistakes and translate via ChatGPT (which is not a violation on Hive)!
All photos were taken by me personally - I am a beginner photographer, so I ask professionals not to judge strictly.

Thank you for sharing these moments with me! Until new stories and new holidays! ✌️

Camera 📷: Sony Alpha 7 IV full-frame
Lens 🔭: Sony FE 70-200mm F: 2.8 GM OSS II
Lens 🔭: Sony FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G OSS
Lens 🔭: Sony FE 20-70 mm F: 4 G
Processed 🛠: Lightroom

photo by openai