It is against the law for any foreigner to take a drone into Uzbekistan so we always knew that Brian (our drone) was going to be problematic! Being optimistic people we decided that we’d solve the problem ‘nearer the time.’ And being also procrastinators (well mostly Captain) we found ourselves with only two days until our visa started to ‘solve the problem.’
We had two options:
- dismantle Brain and hide the components around the car
- leave him in his box, in his place in the car, and if we got caught, play the stupid dumb tourist.
First option: removing the propellers would be easy – I was planning to hide them in the cutlery bag and pretend they were chopsticks! The camera part we could just say was some type of go-pro camera. The main problem would be the body which we would have to hide amongst clothes and pray they wouldn’t find it. I suggested that we could hide it rolled up inside my sleeping bag (more on that in Part Two). Of course the problem with this plan was that if we did get caught we would be in BIG trouble….. knowingly breaking the law.
Second option: this option would rely on the border guards doing a very minimal search of the car (as the border guards in every other country had done) and therefore would not see him housed behind the fire pit. We reckoned that if they did find him we would play the “oh we didn’t know you couldn’t bring drones in” card and hoped that, maybe, with a nudge and a wink and little exchange of cash, they would turn a blind eye. Of course this option relied on us both being fantastic liars…..which, anyone who knows us will verify, we are not. (I go bright red at the slightest little porky).
So, after some flicking between the two, we settled for option two.
However, two days before we were due to leave Tajikistan I got into a bit of a panic about being caught with him. It was when Captain mentioned – a thought that hadn’t even crossed my mind – that we could be detained for spying that I had a proper melt down. I spent a sleepless night imagining some upstart border control guard finding Brian; arresting us; b_ _ r_ _ _ _ _ Captain in a back room; the new President then making an international example of us and sentencing us both to 25 years for international spying; rotting away in some desert prison….. (As I’ve said in previous blogs…. the night does weird things to my imagination).
In the morning I put my foot down. No way.
It was only then, in the clear light of day, that the idea of sending him to a destination after Uzbekistan popped into my head. Doh! And would you believe it; Khujand, a small city in the northern tip of Tajikistan, and not 10 km from where we were camped, had a DHL office. RESULT.
Might need some pilots lessons when you return, top notch stuff.
Surprised you still have Brian, fantastic kit. Book your spot on Discovery Channel..xxx
Hi Stuart!
Not sure I’m the one to be giving pilot lessons – I just fly the thing in a straight line and hope for the best 🙂
Definitely an amazing bit of kit!
Barton
Amazed you’ve got wifi out there. Is that satellite or you being sponsored?
The wi-fi in Uzbekistan isn’t too bad, would you believe! It’s quite slow, but it works and access to sites is fairly open.
Tajikistan, on the other hand, also had OK internet but the government has blocked access to Facebook and Youtube (amongst others) which felt a bit oppressive. And a bit pointless as you can access all those sites anyway using a VPN connection.
What’s the make and model or good alternative, wouldn’t mind one myself, or is it quite tricky to operate? Wot dya reckon?
Somebodies son who stayed here made his own from utube. It looked like yours but hadn’t realised how professional the results. He was racing his !?
Hi Stuart,
In reply to your drone question: we have a DJI Phantom 3 Advanced (which is probably now superseded by the Phantom 4). It’s very clever and stable to fly, but I still get scared every time I fly that the worst might happen. So far though, after 70-odd flights, no problems!
I wrote a blog post a while back about Brian: http://www.fromewardbound.com/?p=1023