A Cuban family that left the island for Russia and later moved to Abkhazia embarked on a new journey that took them to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, where they were surprised by a city very different from what they had imagined.
Milly, her husband Leisser, and their daughter Melody, known on YouTube for the channel "Milly Vlogs The Romero Family", documented their time in the Uzbek capital before continuing on a long journey by air with stops in Istanbul and Bogotá en route to Brazil.
In the video of their arrival in Tashkent, released on Monday, September 21, the couple showcased everything from their initial setbacks at the airport to their visits to shopping malls, restaurants, and some of the city's most famous landmarks.
The family had been living in Russia for about three and a half years before moving to Abkhazia, a separatist territory in the Caucasus recognized as independent by Russia and a small group of countries, but internationally regarded as part of Georgia.
On September 5th, they left Abkhazia and began another phase of their migratory journey.
"I thought it was going to be something else."
The arrival in Uzbekistan began with tension. During immigration control, one of their passports was temporarily held for inspection, a situation that caused anxiety until they were able to proceed.
But once outside the airport, the impressions changed.
"Uzbekistan, I thought it was going to be something different. This has surprised me. I really mean it," Leisser remarked as they explored Tashkent.
One of the biggest surprises came during their visit to a shopping mall, where they found stores of international brands and luxury cars on display.
"It has all the architecture of a first-world city. Truly, the standard of living is quite high. Everything is clean, everything is impressive," they commented during the tour.
The presence of Ferrari, Bentley, and Rolls-Royce vehicles even led the family to draw comparisons with Dubai.
Beyond the luxury, they also highlighted the contrast between the prices they found and those they were accustomed to paying.
They stayed at the Grand Chosh Hotel, where they claimed to have paid around 40 dollars per night, breakfast included.
"Whoever has money can come to relax. If you set aside 500 dollars for a week, you can comfortably manage your expenses and do quite a few things," Leisser remarked.
To get around, they mainly relied on taxis after encountering difficulties paying in cash for certain public transportation services.
From plov to an entertainment city
During their brief stay, the Cubans took the opportunity to explore some of the attractions in Tashkent.
One of them was the Central Asian Plov Centre, known for the large-scale preparation of plov, one of the emblematic dishes of Uzbekistan, made primarily with rice, meat, carrots, and onion.
They also visited Magic City, a huge entertainment complex in the Uzbek capital with streets and buildings inspired by different European cities.
The layover ended on September 8, when the family left Tashkent around 2:30 in the morning to continue an itinerary that included Istanbul and Bogotá.
In a second video about the journey, the Romero family revealed that the most challenging part of the trip was still ahead of them.
"The most difficult part" was yet to come, they said.
From Russia to Abkhazia and now heading to America
The family's story unfolds amid the changes that have complicated the circumstances for many Cuban migrants in Russia.
In recent months, there have been reports of Cubans residing in Russia who have started looking for other destinations, amidst a backdrop of increasing immigration restrictions for foreigners.
Uzbekistan has unexpectedly appeared in some of those routes as well.
In August, a young Cuban woman from Mayabeque found herself stranded in Tashkent after Russian authorities expelled her to Uzbekistan instead of sending her back to Cuba.
For the Romero family, however, Tashkent was a voluntary stop on a much longer journey.
After years spent in Cuba, Russia, and Abkhazia, the family is starting over in another place. For now, they are keeping the uncertainty about what their new home will ultimately be.
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