May 31 Tues
Up early….before daylight! Slept pretty good…was so dark it was great. Beds were a little hard.
Gathering room not open so no coffee first thing. Sat outside updating my journal until it starting getting bright out and those damn little flies appeared. Just horrid little things….they don’t seem to bite but buzz around and land on your face. Finally opened the big room and got some coffee and sat in there until everyone else appeared.
Breakfast was good. Hard boiled eggs, toast, delicious crepes with honey and fruit preserves.
Not a lot to do around here but spending another night with a full day down at the lake might have been a nice little break to have. These tours keep you very busy!
Packed up and back on the road by 9. Very, very hot today 40C+.
Drove back down the bumpy dirt road to the highway which was reasonably OK…..since, according to Rustam, it’s a “German” road, not a Russian road. So as Rob pointed out since the Russians have been gone since 1991, it is technically a crappy Uzbek road lol…. Passed signs for roaming camels but didn’t see any,
Stopped at the last remaining, or at least somewhat remaining, caravanseri that is in the area (Rabat- I-Malik XIc). Not too much of it restored at this point other than the entryway, which is beautiful. But you get the idea from the bases and outlines of buildings.
They were double walled with the animals around the outside and the people inside. Different sized rooms for larger groups. You would have been able to get food and water and people/traders could do their bargaining. I thought it was pretty amazing to be able to touch bricks that had been handmade over 1000 years ago! Many were still pretty much intact.
Across the street was the ancient cistern also from the 11th c. Restoration work was done but surprisingly it was still reasonably intact. The roof was built very high so the water wouldn’t condensate (on the hot summer days especially so it wouldn’t drip down ) and stay fresh from the spring……the spring is still there but sadly now very dirty just from nothing being done to it for centuries.
Back on the road to Bukhara. The Silk Road was called the “Great Trade Route” however as the story goes, Kyrgyzstan had the best and most beautiful horses that they would trade with other countries. The only place at the time that you could get silk was from China, who would not trade it, only sell it. They wanted the Kyrgs to sell them some of their beautiful horses…they said no, that they would only trade their horses for silk and stuck to their guns!! Hence from that point on the Great Trade Route became known as the “Silk Road”. True or not, it’s a fun story.
Not nearly as dry and desert-y as we got closer to Bukhara. Still very hot though (38C). It’s quite a modern big city.
We are staying just around the corner from the old walled part of the city at the As-salam Hotel. Built very much in the local style of buildings with a couple of really nice inside courtyards. Our room is HUGE! Two king size beds. Appears to be a family room.
Had an hour or so to relax before heading out on our walking tour.
Around the corner from the hotel is a big parklike area with cafes and restaurants surrounding a little manmade lake/pond. Tons of people out and about, lots of big shade trees. A quick tour of the area around the park….did not go into the Nadir Divanbegi Madrasah but what a beautiful building.
There are storks, or I think they were called firebirds, mosaics that are stunningly gorgeous….the storks appear to be carrying off sheep (??) but don’t recall the story behind it. Also a statue of a Khoja Nasreddin on a donkey….. a folklore character throughout the Muslim world…stories about him are usually comical but also have subtle messages for all!
Into the old walled city thru a gate. Just amazing! Lots of great restoration work (started in the 1920’s) has been done and is ongoing. Lots of beautiful brick buildings. Not many have a lot of coloured tile work on them. Due to the weather in the area it wasn’t practical to use it because it would be eroded away by the hot, dry and windy summers.
The first stop on our tour was to a puppet maker. Hand puppets, stick puppets. Had a little demo of how they make them and the history of puppet shows in Uzbekistan. No heavy handed sales pitch, which was good. As lovely as some of them were, just not my thing.
Great markets…..3 different ones that are identified by the larger main dome at the entrance to each one. Beautiful clothes and scarves. Right in the middle is an excavation site that was found when taking down old Soviet statues. When they started digging to plant trees they discovered the buried ruins.
Next stop was the embroidery shop….beautiful stuff. Then an art shop….might go back and check it out tomorrow for one of their smaller silk road paintings. Last shopping stop was at a knife store….lovely brass stuff. Linds bought me a tiny pair of stork scissors for knitting and sewing….the guy engraved Bukhara on them for me.
More walking and touring. There is an old entryway to a trading dome that had been buried as well. A number of madrasahs and the “Friday” mosque (will see tomorrow)…..just when you think you’ve seen enough for one day you walk around the corner and there in all its glory is the stunning Kalyan minaret! You can’t help but go WOW when you see it in the square. It is beautiful! All plain bricks in various intricate patterns right up to the top. R told us the story about the guy that built it and why it took so long….years actually. Bricks drying, weather etc. The foundation was dug very deep, 20 or 30 ft underground, to ensure its stability along with how the bricks were placed. The bricks are held together with a mixture of camel milk and egg whites (?). There is a story told by the carving on the minaret….the detail is incredible. Regardless of how the bricks were held together it has withstood a lot during the 1000 years since it was built, earthquakes, invasions and rocket blasts from the Soviets who wanted to get rid of it…..after numerous attempts they thankfully just gave up leaving a few holes in it, which were easily repaired.
The minaret is also referred to as the “lighthouse of the desert”. At night a fire would be lit on the top so caravans traveling at night would be able to see it.
Some free time to wander and then back to the hotel to rest our feet and have a bit of a happy hour in the courtyard.
Bukhara is just spectacular!!
Dinner at the “Old Buhkara Restaurant”. Great views of everything lit up at night….just simple plain coloured flood lights which make it just beautiful (unlike Registon in Samarkand at night!). I had the BBQ chicken wings and French fries that were more like potato wedges (v.g.) Russ had the lamb shank which looked fantastic….he said it was delicious! Andrea and Linds managed to attract a stray cat, or two of course. Super spot.
Still really warm on the way back to the hotel. We walked thru the park/lake area which at 10PM was crazy busy. They have little motorized cars for kids to drive, so we were dodging them and strollers. Lots of stands selling all kinds of treats…drinks, ice cream etc.
We all had a few drinks (our own liquor….none sold at the hotel but OK to have it) and recapped the day then to bed.
What a busy day…..so much to absorb! Makes me want to see more of the “Silk Road”.
June 1 Wed.
A bit of a later start today. Strange set up at breakfast. It’s down stairs in a long narrow room, right next to where some ladies were doing the guests laundry (cheap here at $5 a bag)! OK breakfast. Good pastries and good coffee.
On the bus by 9 for a bit of tour around the city first. Drove by the GUM store/mall again, the big new stadium just being built. Quite a big city with some nice treelined streets and a mix of new and ancient buildings. There are still a few pieces of the original wall here and there….most has been restored and looks rather new.
Our first stop was to visit a tomb which is in a lovely big park where all sorts of fun things were being set up for “National Childrens Day”….it’s a holiday in Uzbek! Lots of rides and games, food booths, people in animal costumes, more of those little cars they can drive, lots of tables set up to sit around. Fun…busy and noisy place.
The lovely park has the tomb of Ismoil Samaniy from the 9-10th century, purported to be the oldest of this type of mausoleum in Central Asia. It survived almost intact because it was buried under mud for centuries….discovered in the 1930’s. It’s small and simple by Islamic standards but very beautiful and I guess simple in the sense that there is no colour tile or ceramic work on it. You can clearly see the intricate patterns made by the different sized and shaped plain bricks. He was a kind, caring, simple man….and wanted a tomb that reflected that.
Out and thru where all the restaurants and fruit vendors were. Some “pop up” food stands…..where they use real china to serve the food on!!! Wagons of fresh melons and cherries along the walkway to the lake/reservoir where the longest and biggest part of the original wall is.
On the bus and to the Bukhara“Friday” mosque. A “Friday” mosque is the main mosque in an area where most people go on Fridays as opposed to their small local mosque or praying at home (or wherever…). Didn’t go in as it was close to call to prayer time. The capitals and columns are made of tree trunks as opposed to stone because forests were once in abundance in this area. The park where the mosque is has a metal tower, the skeleton of what was a Russian built water tower in the 1920’s. It burnt down in the 60’s and it’s now a restaurant. Lots of big shade trees which was lovely because it was HOT!!
Our next site was the Citadel of Bukhara built in the 4th c BC!!! A very important oasis at times thru the history of the silk road. Very impressive! To enter it you walk up a long ramp….no stairs so horses/camels and their riders could access the stable area inside. There is a big open area courtyard which is the greeting and throne room…..vendors selling souvenirs and carpets. Nice little museum with interesting artifacts….unfortunately not all descriptions were in English so at a loss for what some of the stuff was. Some supposedly original doors, not sure about that but definitely old. Many tree trunk columns with no colour embelishments.
Outside for a walk around the citadel to see the walls of it. Massive structure!! Can clearly see the wooden posts between the bricks which were used like rebar to strengthen the walls. A poor old camel tied up in the shade waiting around for someone that might want a ride.
Back into the old town for a look at the Kalyan mosque and the madrasahs by the minaret. So much history here….R showed us pictures of the damage done by the Red Army when they tried to destroy the minaret. Luckily they didn’t succeed! Also a great story about Stoddart and Conolly. Inside, the madrasah and mosque are beautiful.
The size of the mosque is deceiving….once inside it’s a huge L shaped building….can hold up to 10,000 people.
Chashmai-Morab restaurant for lunch. Terrific views in all directions from the top floor. We also got to enjoy the call to prayer. Just such a beautiful place!
Free time!!! So many beautiful things here. Gorgeous white cotton blouses….so many to choose from, lovely embroidered jackets and scarves galore. Browsed around and ended then back to the embroidery shop to pick up pot holders for gifts…..great displays of all the different types and colours of silk thread.
So, so hot today….38C. Back to the hotel for a rest and to get cleaned up for our “family” dinner this evening. Updated my journal, met up with some of our group for drinks in the courtyard.
Dinner tonight was at Laziz House in the Jewish Quarter. R gave us a tour of the area on the way. Very interesting area, it’s a maze of narrow alley like streets, there is still a Jewish school, a synagogue and a cemetery. Only a few hundred people remaining where once there were 20,000+. The caretakers of the synagogue and cemetery are, or were a Muslim family…..and they all get along just wonderfully!!
Laziz House is sort of a strange set up. Basement/ground floor was originally for animals but now it’s a rather large courtyard with the kitchen. While doing their renos they found some large urns buried and reported them to the artifact people…..they were hundreds of years old. Luckily they didn’t have to stop their digging. Up to the second floor terrace where there are a bunch of other tables all set up for guests. Only 8 of us so we had a private room (we were the only guests). Very pretty with a nice table set for us. A wall with notches/shelves for all the good dishes! Appies were deep fried cauliflower, a veg salad with eggplant, roasted zucchini and peppers and a popover type thing with meat (sort of a samso)….all were very good! Next was a delicious veggie soup. Main course was a chicken stirfry with rice which was just OK. Was a great evening chatting with Laziz, who is the son of the owner.
There are many places like Laziz House…..they’re not really restaurants as you can’t just walk in off the street. The dinners are set up thru tour guides for their groups, big and small, which is why there are different sized areas. I think R said they have to get a license or permit of some kind.
Enjoyed the rest of the evening sitting in the courtyard back at the hotel. There is a large non-secular Muslim group from the UK now staying here. Men wearing the head thingie and robes, women in abayas and or chadors (none have face coverings) All very pleasant, nod and say hello as they go by….not sure what they think of us sitting there drinking and smoking though!
Thought it would be hard to beat Samarkand but Bukhara is pretty spectacular…..not as big and just as much wonderful history.
Long bus ride to Khiva tomorrow.
June 2 Thurs
Up really early…….breakfast at 7 and on the road by 8.
One last stop in Buhkara at Chor-Minor (1866-1907). Another beautiful building. It was originally a gate house for a mosque and madrasah both long gone now. It was built by a rich Turkman merchant. Courtyard with big trees, potted plants. Nice little shop just inside….found the picture I was looking for!
Long drive today, probably close to 9 hours. Just outside of Bukhara there are lots of cotton fields that must be kept wet now during the growing season. They have pretty much drained the Amu Darya River to irrigate the fields. This goes back to when the Soviets thought they’d like to grow cotton in an area that they shouldn’t grow cotton!! Got rid of the veg and grain farms and made people grow cotton….not sure what they’ll do when the river is completely dried up, it’s pretty close now. Under the Soviets it was compulsory that EVERYONE took time off from work to go and harvest the cotton……
First thru the red desert, which isn’t very red and then the black desert, which isn’t black!
Was incredibly hot at 9AM. The first hour or two we traveled on the very crappy, teeth rattling “Soviet” roads, which in some places weren’t even driveable with our bus, local buses, semi-trucks and cars having to drive off and around the road!!! In a few places, it was one way traffic, and not because of flaggers….there was only enough road for one vehicle at a time. Not sure how the people have put up with this…..can’t imagine any North American putting up with incredibly crappy roads like this. Finally on to the “German” road. Better for sure but still pretty rough. We saw that they are building new “Uzbek” roads but nothing usable yet. Sort of an odd way to build a road….new paved part for a kilometer or so, then gravel with graters and machines, then another bit of paved road….just strange to us.
Many donkey carts and people walking along the road but no sign of houses anywhere.
The only green-ish-ness is tumbleweeds!
Stopped for a break at a pretty good little rest stop. Little bar/restaurant, clean bathrooms. R cut up the melon he’d bought this morning…..still nice and cold from being up next to the AC on the bus! Bought drinks and snacks. It was beyond HOT…..40+C. Apparently in summer it can easily hit 50!
Dozed on an off, took lots of pics out the window. Just a lot of the same thing to see….desert, tumbleweeds, the odd cart.
Arriving in Khiva was such a thrill…..as with all the other cities you go thru the new modern parts with big buildings, nice big boulevards, shopping malls etc…….then you see the ancient walls of the old city (which you can walk around). It is truly like arriving in the land of Aladdin and fairytales!! Very pretty and magical.
Our hotel is the Hotel Grand Vizar. Cute little lobby but no area really for us to congregrate and chat or have drinks. Has a great rooftop terrace with spectacular views in every direction but no covered area so unbearable to spend time up there during the day. Our room is down a few stairs, small and basic but clean. No view….except for someones little courtyard/carpark area.
Off on our walking tour mid afternoon….brutally HOT here. This place is just glorious….so much to look at as you wander along.
Khiva has the tallest minaret in Central Asia and it is beautiful. Very plain brickwork but with a bit more coloured tile work than in Bukhara. The best minaret though was the one that never got finished. It was to be the tallest one in the world at that time…..would have been 80m tall (approx 250ft) but only got to be 20 some meters. The tile work on it is exquisite….very detailed and beautiful.
To the main square and into the old fort. UP a very steep, narrow old stairway to the roof/lookout spot to get a good overview of the city. Fantastic place. You can see the width and depth of the old walls (can walk around the entire thing), all the minarets and domes.
Much restoration work done here as well. A bit of controversy about it though….it is such a beautiful storybook place but did they overdo the restoration??? Would like to believe that this is just how it looked back in its glory days!
Tonight was another “home” type dinner but the place was set up like a real restaurant. As with the others, it’s for tour groups and not just anyone off the street. It’s on the rooftop with terrific views all around. Delicious appies to start….beet and apple salad (v.g.), a rice salad (v.g.), eggplant with tomato and a fantastic squash and zucchini salad (v.v.g.). Whatever the dressings were is what made them taste so good and each one very unique!
Two different kinds of flatbreads…a regular one and one that was made with pumpkin (v.g.). For the main course both Cheri and I had the stuffed peppers, mine was very good with stuffed eggplant and a green pepper, hers not so much…it was more like cabbage rolls. Russ had the variety plate of dumplings….various cheese and meat stuffing, said they were meh, some good, some not so. Linds and the others had the “lagman”, which is like spinach pasta in a sauce…..was only OK, again lacking in flavour (some places serve it more like a soup). So not the best main courses but everything else…the view, very attentive service, the company and even the wine made up for any shortcomings in food. Only one other group there.
Not sure if it’s just too soon after covid or what but we have not seen too many foreign tourists, in groups or on their own. Quite a few from Russia and some of the other Stans staying at the same hotels.
Walking back to the hotel was almost magical!! More people out and about, probably because it was still hot but not anything like during the day. Lots of vendors selling hats, tiles, scarves, souvenirs etc., guys out prepping grills for kebabs…I think we are early eaters compared to the locals. The buildings are lit up and just glow. Clear sky with a crescent moon…..just cannot get better than that! Truly a fairytale place.
Up to the hotel rooftop to enjoy our beverages and the fantastic view. Still quite warm at 10PM.
Such a good day, even with the long, bumpy bus ride. Khiva is magic!
June 3 Fri
A nice later start today. Definitely an interesting day!
Good continental type breakfast and good coffee!
Great walking tour today…..more info on the minarets and towers, lots of pretty gardens with nice areas to sit etc. R told us that some areas may not be accessible because the president was coming here for a visit with the president of Tajikistan. But that was not the case at all as we seemed to be able to go anywhere we wanted! We saw all the prep that was being done in the main square, gazebo getting set up, dancers practicing, lots of guys about in traditional garb/uniforms, groups of security detail.
We visited the old madrasah in the fort, walking right thru the centre of all the prep. People that were part of the celebration for the presidents were using the madrasah area to get dressed and organized. Next on to the Juma (is means Friday mosque) mosque, which was incredible. Very old and dark….all wooden pillars, a couple of which were (supposedly) original dating back to the 10thc. All the pillars have camel felt wrapped around the bottom to deter the bugs from eating the wood. A great little museum. Was nice and cool in there compared to outside…..40C+ again!
On to the harem. On the way the guys stopped to try on those big furry/wooly hats…great photos! The harem was really interesting….had different areas for each of the wives (there were usually 4 of them!), each one just a little different and with their own entrances so the wives didn’t have to see each other. The other women (concubines) would be up on the second floor watching, thru mesh/woven windows, whatever activity was happening in the courtyard. Interestingly when the concubines got too old (?) they “retired” to outside the harem to live sort of normally…they would never marry so not sure how they survived…maybe they got a pension lol.
Another madrasah/museum with a chariot/cart presented to the khan from Tsar Alexander in 1876. Also a stone with an inscription at the mausoleum of Pakhlavon Mahmud, who was a wrestler and philosopher guy, kind of the St Francis of Central Asia.
Lunch was at a teahouse…..Teahouse Farrukh. Had those fun low tables and charpoys to sit around. Tried the low tables but just a bit difficult getting around and rough on the knees. Luckily they had normal tables and chairs AND beer, which was really refreshing in the heat. Just had some snackie stuff (dolmas, samso) for lunch.
Back in the main plaza everything and everybody seemed to be ready and waiting for the presidents. Unbeknownst to us, the main gates to the old city had been closed all day and people were not allowed to enter, so lucky we were staying where we were. R quickly told us to walk around the corner on to the walkway that they’d be coming in on as they were on their way. Found a spot to stand against the wall, in the shade.
Within a few minutes in they came, surrounded by security (guys in blue suits with white baseball caps….didn’t see any weapons but pretty sure there were lurking somewhere) nothing like the security we’d have at home if the Prime Minister or President was visiting….we could have literally reached out and touched them as they walked by! Dancers were dancing, the big puppets where being waved around.
We were directed to follow the procession into the square. The presidents were seated in the gazebo set up in the centre, more dancers, music blaring, more of the guys in the traditional outfits and people walking around with big baskets full of bread and other treats! Lots of press people too. Russ and Andrea got interviewed for a local TV station!
After all the photo ops the presidents got up and went into the fort to have their meeting. They had also put out high tables (with lovely tablecothes) for people to stand around. There were grills being warmed up and tables full of other goodies (halva, sesame and nut balls, pastries, taffy…that was being pulled right there) that we were told to help ourselves to the food and drinks (water and juice).
Looking around for a bit we realized that besides with local dignitaries pretty well everyone else that was in there (maybe 100 or so people…) appeared to be tourists like us. We did wonder if the whole thing hadn’t been planned that way, for whatever their reason might have been, as we were told later that other than people that lived in the old city no one else was allowed in. Hmmmm….regardless it was fun and quite the experience for sure.
Just some miscellaneous pictures
Spent a bit more time there sampling all the goodies and back to the hotel for a rest and to get ready for dinner.
Absolutely perfect spot for dinner at Café Zarafshon….in the square at the big minaret! Heard what will probably be our last call to prayer in Uzbekistan (don’t have it in Tashkent) and as the evening wore on and all the lights came on it, was just awesome. Most people at the restaurant were locals this time. Many people wanting to take our pictures….one Grandma brought her granddaughter over to Russ so she could take a picture of her on his knee! We spent a lot of time on this trip taking pictures of people taking pictures of us!! The square soon filled up with vendors selling their good and lots of people just wandering around. Still quite warm but at least comfortable at this time. Dinner was just OK. Good salads. I had chicken which was pretty dry. Sampled a variety of dumplings that were ok.
A great ending to our visit to magical Khiva!
What can one say about Khiva….whether they embellished the restorations or not there is still lots of history and I just loved it!
Wandered a bit on the way back to the hotel and spent the rest of the evening on the rooftop terrace finishing off our booze and chatting away. Back to Tashkent tomorrow….by plane thank goodness!!
June 4 Sat
Up early to catch our 9AM flight back to Tashkent. About a ½ hour drive to the airport in Urgench, which is the big-ish, new-ish city near Khiva.
Quick easy check-in thanks to R. Uzbekistan Airlines was excellent. Good service (snack and drink) during the flight and they have to have the best ever safety info video!! Flight was about 1.5 hrs.
Back in Tashkent and checked into Hotel Uzbekistan again by 11:30. We have another rather dowdy room at the front of the building this time. Carpets need restretching, AC barely works, cracked and rather moldy looking tile around the bathtub/shower. No pull on the toilet flusher….ah sigh. And this is supposedly one of the renoed rooms! Only one night this time.
R gave us a ½ hour to get sorted before starting our grand tour of Tashkent. Very hot today…..not as bad as the desert for sure. Tashkent is in what is classed as a “sub-tropical zone”. It almost has its own climate compared to the rest of the country.
LOL….we were worried we weren’t going to see enough of Tashkent so that is why we spent a couple extra days here at the beginning of this tour!! R kept us going all day!
Started the tour at the Timur statue and how it replaced a Soviet one. Then headed down Broadway. Got stopped in a park by a teacher and a group of students that asked if they could interview us. Lots of fun….asked where we were from, did we like Uzbek, what did we like about it etc.
Was lunch time so we stopped at a great little café just off of Broadway. Had “pub” type food. Chicken fingers and sliders were really good.
En route to the Independence Square we passed the house/palace that Duke Romanov had lived in. Beautiful building built in 1889, now a historical site. Came to the really lovely Mustakillik Fountain, art gallery on one side and the palace (Arch Duke someone) on the other. Was quite large, lots of people sitting around and just enjoying it. A few kids splashing away and the odd adult walking thru in their bare feet…..just trying to cool down I’m sure.
Independence Square is very nice. Another water feature and the monument to the independence of Uzbekistan. Originally had been a statue of Lenin but was taken down after 1991 and the new monument put up with a globe on top…the world surrounded by Uzbekistan (?). A sculpture of a woman and baby were added in 2006 to reflect “humanism” (?) . Very nice walk thru the park with big shade trees to Memorial Square and the statue of the grieving mother. The square is a memorial to all who lost their lives during WWII. All the names are displayed on the “Book Wall”. Almost half a million Uzbek soldiers lost their lives. Quite a tranquil, moving place.
Caught the subway and stopped at many of the stations we’d already stopped at except for one but R gave us a bit of the history behind each one which was helpful.
Chorsu market again….just as fantastic as it was the first time!! Went upstairs this time. Mostly candies, nuts, dried things, sweets, spices and packaged spice mixes for marinades….picked up a couple of the chicken ones, assuming that is what they are for based on the picture on the package!
Our bus picked us up and took us to the main Mosque complex where the original Quran is…..written on dearskin (no pics allowed). The mosque itself is pretty basic but nice. Some craft vendors set up in the courtyard outside.
Across from the complex the mega new Centre for Islamic Arts and Culture is being built. It’s being built as a memorial/legacy to the current president. R mentioned the cost but I don’t recall the amount other than thinking they might want to fix their roads first! The building is massive and will have a museum and be used as a conference centre.
Back to the hotel around 5. Cheri and Linds went in search of the one subway station we didn’t see, which is dedicated to Russian astronauts. Just enough time to have a couple of drinks in the hotel bar before heading out our last group dinner.
Sim Sim is the name of the restaurant. Sort of a huge bizarre place with many different areas. A couple big banquet type rooms and an indoor dining room. We sat outside at a big table but all around us were booths with velvet chairs and couches, all different colours. Lots of brightly coloured neon lights. Great people watching as it is “the place” to go in the city. Food was all quite good, wine too! Thought it might be expensive but was all really quite reasonable.
Crazy busy but fun day. Well over 20,000 steps and we only started at noon!
Night caps at the bar and said bye to Alli and James (who Linds and I will meet up with again in Istanbul on Mon). The rest of us are all on the same flight to Istanbul tomorrow morning….bright and early!
So glad this tour worked out the way it did and so happy that we came to Uzbekistan. What an amazing place it is. The history of the Silk Road, the history of the country thru the centuries is fascinating….and how it has recovered from Soviet rule.
After today we are all going our own ways. Rob and Cheri and Russ and Andrea are off to Puglia, Italy. After Istanbul Alli and James are heading to France.
Next blog post will be Linds and me in Istanbul and then from there we go back to Germany to start our visits to Berlin, Prague, Vienna and Munich!
Tours can be touch and go because of the group size and you are busy from dawn til dusk…but this one worked great. I am so glad we got to go on this trip! What a fantastic country to visit. It was all that I expected and more. Amazing history, beautiful and exotic architecture, wonderful people. Would love to explore the other “stans” one of these days.
I try to read as much as I can about where I travel to……”Sovietistan” by Erika Fatland and perhaps a bit academic, geopolitical etc. but “The Silk Roads: A New History of the World” by Peter Frankopan was an excellent read.
Even with the directions there are open areas where you are free to wander and just admire the detail on pillars and walls. Many Buddha altars that are decorated…….never turn your back on Buddha, always back away! There were a couple of monks doing blessings so we all got blessed…..happiness, peace and health (lets hope so!!) The blessings are by donation….$1US. The monk was quite the character…..tried to make some jokes and laughed a lot. When Brenda went by later he splashed water on her and laughed. Many of the Buddha statues, of which there are 100’s I think, have lost their heads!! Lopped off by people over the years to sell, which is too bad.
Watched the monks at the temple next door. They were trying to get a chainsaw started….about 5 young guys working on it. Followed the others but stayed on the walkway and caught up with them in the plaza or ?? at the end, where there is a glass stupa filled with bones that was built to commemorate the horrors of the war and all who lost their lives. The bones are from mass graves that were found around the area.
Some of the carving are still in fantastic shape with sharp details. Not sure if the stone has copper in it that has iodized or whether it’s just the lichen but it’s all so beautiful…..truly one of the most amazing places I’ve been. This is better than Angkor Wat!! I’m glad we did this after because I really think I’d have been disappointed. We all got to stand by the entrance covered in tree roots that was in the movie. Inside one of the more stable looking ruins you can see how these were built using huge stones shaped into rectangles that were stacked. The outside was carved into whatever the ruler at the time wanted. I can’t even describe this place. Except for it being unbelievably hot, I think I could have spent hours and hours just wandering around Ta Prohm.
Many are little communities or “neighbourhoods” with some houses attached by ramps. Some are definitely floating while others are built on stilts. A few of the homes are just boats that the fisherman and their families live on. Quite a few boats out of the water on stilts too…..sort of drydocking to maintenance. 
Most are painted in very bright colours…..really very pretty. Apparently there are approx 180 of these floating villages on the lake. Many houses have big potted plants and boxes or pots of pretty flowers. We weren’t sure how deep the water was until we saw a little boy following his boat…..it was waist deep on him. A few other people in the water doing whatever. Lots of little kids….really cute and most of them naked or just about.
You can bring your own or they’ll prepare one for you. A very beautiful little girl was showing us around. She picked one of the unopened blooms and showed us “magic”. She twirled it quickly between the palms of her hands and it opened. She gave each of us one to try ourselves. What a cutie she was. They have a few geese, chickens and ducks wandering around.
Found a lady who made cards!! Absolutely beautiful ones with the designs made from folded paper. She is deaf and some of the money she makes goes to an association for people with disabilities……how nice. She was just lovely too. There were also a few of the fish pedicure places…….eeewwwwww. Just could not imagine having that done. Depending on how bad your feet and toes are I guess, they have different sized fish!!
Went to a pub right on Pub Street for dinner. I ordered a hamburger, which is something I don’t usually do but they sounded and looked pretty darn good. And it was!! A few drinks and a bit of chatting made for a fun last evening with Lori and Connie. They went off one way and we walked about 10ft to where the band was set up and grabbed one of the many tables set up in the middle of the street. Also grabbed a few of the cheap draft beer. The music started and so did the dancing……was really good, lots of fun. Great music!!
French influence on many buildings here too. Still most homes/shops are tall and narrow……something about the max width can be 15ft or something close to that but they can build to quite a few stories, so that is what they do! Not sure if it was because of taxes or some city bylaw type thing. We did see some pretty huge houses definitely much more that 15ft so probably taxes or ??
My tomato turned out pretty darn good I think…..and so did they! I was one of the top 3…..the winners got a free Heineken. I’d already had a Hanoi Beer, so feeling a bit loopy after that one. Lots of fun. We were divided into 3 separate groups and had to pick our “chef”. All the Burnaby boys got chosen to do the cooking. They first had to spice up and marinate the fish, then it all got tossed into a pan and stir fried with veg. Was very good. They served it to us in bowls with rice, which we thought was our lunch! NOT! A whole table was set up next door for our real lunch. When we are not moving, we are eating!!! All was very good…..soup, crab balls on a stick, veg, prawns, beef and more! I truly think this has been some of the best food on a tour type holiday. Still waiting for what I think is normal pho!!
People are set up outside the gate selling birds and turtles….mostly little guys but a couple of big ones, probably close to a foot round, to buy and release for good health/luck etc. Felt bad for the big turtles that we tied up….they just kept moving like they were trying to walk away….poor things!! Connie asked how much to buy all of them, the lady said “millions”, which may have amounted to a couple hundred CDN….wish we’d all chipped in to do that! But I guess they would have just gone out and got more….probably the same ones over and over again. At least they let them go!
Lots of honking. Cars, scooters, buses etc. just whizzing by….made sure to keep my arms and hands in at all times! A one point traffic came to a stop, so we waited and just as things started moving again, including us, a scooter came zooming by and cut right in front of us to turn right but had to stop quickly…..my driver was doing a lot of yelling and could NOT stop so we crashed into the side of the scooter. Not too hard luckily but hard enough to hear metal on metal…my driver yelled even more and flailling his arms ……the scooter driver had a quick over the shoulder look at us and just drove off with a dent in his tailpipe!! The rest of the ride was lovely and uneventful! Almost an hour. We drove thru the Old Quarter. Very busy, just a great area. Lots of restaurants and cafes, hostels all over the place. One area that was all produce, another selling flowers, a couple other streets for household items, electronics etc. 
Streets were packed with locals and tourists. I love the little plastic tables and chairs or stools that many stands have set up. Really an enjoyable tour. Suggested tip was $2US but I gave my driver 5…..that’s a lot of work pedaling those things thru traffic and throngs of people on the streets. Unfortunately I took a lot of video thru the food part and not a lot of pics…..too bad because that was the best part!
Had to fill in “medical forms” and have our temperature taken. Lots of boats, big and small, some are “self-drive”, like the houseboats we can rent on lakes at home, some are bigger specifically for short cruises like ours. Lots of barges, container ships and tankers. Very well kept and pretty place, nicely landscaped boulevards and medians. Many very attractive lowrise French looking apartment complexes. I’m sure it’s usually booming but not now because of corona. Such a shame because 50%, or more, of the population here relies on tourism. The marina is full of boats…..many anchored right now unfortunately…..just not busy.
It has the capacity for 60ish people but there are only 20 of us. It’s really lovely. Our cabins are small but very pretty, a good size bathroom, and nice little balcony big enough for a small table and two chairs. The main deck has the dining area, bar and seating area inside, outside there is a nice big deck with lots of chairs and seating areas, the upper outside deck has lots of tables and seating and is partially covered…..I guess for hot sunny days, ah sigh! Just not the best of days to sit out there and enjoy the scenery unfortunately. The main deck patio is at the front of the boat, so even though we’re not moving at any great speed, it’s a bit too breezy and chilly to sit out there.
Also a lot of the smaller boats out….the house boat type. Not sure if I’d do that….the water is pretty calm but it’s pretty open water, not like a lake and there are quite a few tankers and barges that you’d have to contend with. They may have a specific area that they have to go to and only use this route to get to/from the marina. Even though you can’t bring plastic bottles on board, there were still a lot of them bobbing around in the water. They are trying I guess.
A great restaurant call “Ly Club”. 
Quite the variety today including duck!!! It was the first time we’d had it and it was delicious, along with the french fries…..what a treat they were. Chicken with lemon grass, absolutely delicious spring rolls, beef, rice and a pho to start. Dessert was a little gummy type square that came in a little box….not sure exactly what they were, maybe a bean cake?? Kind of good but 1/2 of one was enough. Flavour was OK but the texture was a bit of thing for me. More than enough food…..for every 4 people they’d bring out a plate of each. More often than not there would be stuff left and not because it wasn’t good, even the guys couldn’t put anymore away.
Unreal seeing so many planes parked, there had to be a few hundred all in neat rows, wing tip to wing tip. Eddie collected us all and off we went to the gate for our connection to Saigon. Had only one hour but no problems and NO PEOPLE!! I’ve never been to Hong Kong before but I’m pretty sure the airport is normally packed. 
Honestly you could have had a football game in there. Only our gate and one other a ways down that had people. Wow!
Mines are also still a problem all these years later. We stopped in to see a video, which Jackie explained was a Viet cong propaganda video, made in the late 60’s meant, to encourage villagers to join the fight against the Americans…..it showed happy smiley people, including little boys and girls maybe 5 years old if that, holding and shooting guns. Told them all how smart they were and that fighting and killing Americans was their priority. They dug the tunnels, set booby traps……really quite horrific ones…..the things nightmares are made of! If you didn’t join them, they simply killed you, or your family…..these poor people had no choice….they were stuck between a rock and hard place. I remember thinking how horrid it was that innocent women and children were also being killed during the war but this kind of makes us understand now why the Americans shot everyone and everything in their way……you just wouldn’t know if it was an innocent villager, or small child, with an AK 47 or Kalishnikov (sp?) tucked under their shirt. Just incredible!
The city with the scooters, sidewalk food sellers, fruit/veg stands, motorcycle parts and repair shops….sometimes regardless of the type of business a bike would be parked inside!! Various modes of transport…..mostly scooters but a few other carts often pulled by a bicycle, or the person! Busy, busy…..just constant action. On the main highway and in a few other places there are separate lanes just for scooters. Just outside the city it gets green…..lots of palm groves, gardens, rice fields. Some of the rice paddies were just recently harvested….they get 3 crops a year down here. Lots of stores and 
roadside stands selling those little green packets of “fermented” meat. They looked like little presents wrapped in green paper with gold ribbon….is actually banana leaf and dried grasses or shredded corn husks.
Bees!! Lots of bees. Got to hold one of the slats full of them….apparently they’re quite docile when they’re busy making honey….this is good! 
The island is beautiful and lush…..very hot and humid too. Local fruit trees; banana, mango, rambutan, longan etc. We got to sample some honey tea that was very good and not as sweet as I’d expected. Various other treats made with honey…..dried banana, ginger and a kind of peanut brittle….all very good. Bought some of the dried banana. We also got to sample some of the creams and balms they make and sell made with royal jelly.
I’ve held smaller ones and a very docile cobra in Morocco, but this guy was huge and very strong. When he moved his head, you could feel the muscles, or whatever snakes have, move 4 ft away down towards his tail. Only a few people decided to hold him……the lady stood close by of course but not sure if it was for our safety or the snakes!! Not creepy at all.
They put on a nice little performance of traditional song and dance while we enjoyed more honey tea. Had few minutes to browse the market before our canoe ride on the canal. Four per boat plus the rowers in front and back. Getting in was a bit tricky…..stepping into the canoe dead centre was very important…..not the easiest thing to do from the wibbly stairs but we managed. Very, very hot, so we all got conical hats to wear. Was really very pleasant going along the canal….lots of shade. It’s not very wide, just enough room for two canoes to pass most of the way.
I really could have done without it. Didn’t notice the driver whipping him luckily but he was yelling a lot, so not terribly enjoyable. Hate seeing animals used for stuff like this. Lots of people riding bikes….apparently we could have done that, which I think I would have preferred. Nice shady, paved pathways, mostly bikes, scooters and buggies. Whatever the place was, it was really very clean and tidy. A few restaurants and food sellers, so definitely bigger than the other islands we’d been too.
Very thick but no blooms. Jackie pulled one out to show us the root that is used in cooking. Once on board we all got a coconut to drink the milk. Not very much taste but just cool enough for it to be refreshing. Smoking hot by then…..well after 1PM.
Building is rather art deco-ish. The slats or whatever you would call them on the face are meant to represent bamboo….calming and airy. No AC only the open slats create enough cool air flow to not need it! Not clear if it’s used for anything today…..meetings, art exhibitions and a tourist attraction. A rather austere building inside and out. Toured it from top to bottom…..the rooms are huge, lots of local Vietnamese woodwork, inlay and lacquer. Some artwork on the walls but basically not a very warm and welcoming place.
Quite a few steps to prep the material and even more interesting was besides just paint and shells, they also use crushed duck eggs to make some of the designs. Bins and bins of duck egg shells…..who knew!! Very time consuming and apparently there are a lot of “fakes” so we were told. Not sure I’d be able to tell real lacquer from fake so it’s a good thing that I’d be unlikely to buy any but some very nice stuff.
The entry is fairly modern with lots of glass and the usual gift shop. No photos allowed! Assigning times limits the number of people in the museum at any given time, which I think is a very good idea (the Vatican Museum could take a hint from them!!). Along with all the art, it also tells the story of Van Goghs life……start on the top floor! Lots of art by his contemporaries too. Took just over an hour to go thru the whole thing. It’s laid out very nicely so easy to follow thru the rooms. We started at the top and worked out way down the 4 floors.
Laughed at one Mom trying to cover her teenagers eyes as they went along. Many “services” on offer…..singles or groups, couples “cabins” and goodness knows what else. Shows too of course. Some of the girls in the glassed in cubicles were just beautiful!! How on earth and why did they end up here?? You just have to wonder. Very busy and crowded on both sides of the canal for blocks. Certainly a fun and interesting walk! Apparently there is also a “blue” light district….didn’t see it so not sure where it would be.
Lots and lots of guinea fowl……or bush chickens as they’re also called……really fun to watch them scurry along. Very bright blue heads and necks! There’s usually quite a few of them together…..they’ll squawk and run like crazy then fly a few feet. More termite mounds than anthills here….some are huge and have taken over the entire base and halfway up the trees. Interestingly though….they will not ever kill a live tree! They only burrow into dead trees or wood. Some of the mounds are hundreds of years old. You can tell which came first by whether there are roots on top of the mound, if so, the tree started growing out of the termite mound.
The little one decided it would like a drink from the pool…..filled it’s trunk and promptly spluttered it all back out. Did it again but this time giving itself a bit of a bath. She moved along and the others came to join her, with the big one putting it’s foot on the stair again……we moved right inside just in case she actually managed to come up the other two steps and on to the deck. Eventually she joined the other two walking right through our fire pit….another reason not to use it!! Then the medium sized one tried to go between the end of the deck and tree….didn’t look like she was going to fit thru and did get a bit stuck, but wiggled around and carried on. OMG…..what fun!
Off we went down the bank and over this road….you can’t even see the sandbags because their under water a good 6 – 12 inches. Unbelievable!! It was a bit scary in that I’m pretty sure a few of the sandbags were missing…..bump, thump, bump we went….all the time holding on for dear life and keeping an eye on the crocs and hippos in the river. We made it safe and sound of course…..was quite the thrill!
Even as he was pointing to it we couldn’t figure out what heck we were supposed to be looking at. He reached over and picked it up….about 6 – 8 inches and looked just like the leaves on the tree….once he put it back it was easy to see how we missed it.
Sounded like they were killing each other, which they may have been doing! Interesting to watch…..like 2 gangs going to war. Two or three would start across the road, then a couple from the other side would charge at them, then they’d all scurry back to their corners and start the whole process all over again…..screeching, some blood curdling screams etc. the entire time.
We were treated with a visit from the elephants in the main area. They had closed the main camp pool until they moved on……was fun to watch them. They really could care less if people were around. Watched a monkey having fun with the place settings on one of the outside tables…..knocking the cutlery off and flipping the place mat over it’s head.
Ordered our lunch around 1…..just how much and how often we are eating is ridiculous!! But it’s all really good so you just can’t help it! Today we ordered appies again to share…..pizza, one clubhouse sandwich cut into 4, a mixed salad (which came with buns!!). And more beer and Savannahs. Just so hot….a bit of high cloud, maybe smoke?? Although not nearly as much burning around here as in Busanga Plains.
……5 – 10 yards it about the max away from their prey they can be for the element of surprise to make a successful kill…..anything beyond that the antelope will take off and scatter too quickly. Sat for quite a while watching her go up and down the gully, then creep up to have a peek at the antelope. The gully is a good hiding place for them…..the antelope can’t see them or pick up their scent in the wind/breeze. She finally gave up and wandered off down the gully and out of sight.
The common area is all open with a dining area, bar, seating area all undercover and another seating area not undercover that is cantilevered out over the river……absolutely beautiful!
The plan was that we would have our drive on the other side of the river and then take a boat back across the river to camp. Drove around in search of some elephants but saw none….a little disappointing to say the least but we’ve got a number of days left, so not discouraged yet. They are out there!! Somewhere!!
It’s set up as a little buffet. We had delicious fish and chips and a really good coleslaw. The fish is the local talapia…..so good and such a treat because we’re not supposed to buy it at home (comes from Vietnam or ??? where they dynamite the fish!).
Dessert was a spice cake with a dollop of a cream. All was excellent! Whoever told us to not expect gourmet food was so wrong…..everything we’ve had so far has been really good and presented so nicely.
They look like big smooth shiny rocks….until you notice the nostrils or ears sticking up. If they catch site of you they’ll lift their heads and maybe half of their body just to shift around. They are HUGE!
My first zebras! Lots of them in big herds…..a couple of really tiny babies. More elephants, some huge ones. One had two smaller ones, not quite babies, but pretty small….asked Newton if they were twins….he said, no that she was probably just “babysitting” one of them. Saw quite a few wildebeests….they seem to hang out in pairs, quite a few cape buffalo.
he stopped short about 10-15 ft from us. He turned around and started walking back to where he’d came from but then turned around again and made like he was going to charge again. At that point Newton said we’d annoyed them enough and should move on……no problem!
Chatted a bit and got our escort back to our tent. Somehow managed to get a very nasty puncture wound on my big toe from one of the chunks of mulch. Big chunk sticking out of my toe!! Got that out and then tried to clean it as best I could with antiseptic wipes, put some polysporin on it and a band-aid. It bled a lot so hopefully nothing left in it.
Once the rain stopped people were quickly out and about. We had a little song and dance show put on by the local orphanage.
We saw the typical family home, which consisted of 2 or hut like structures…..one for cooking and one or two for sleeping. The sleeping one was very small, even had a fire going inside for warmth….pretty well the whole family slept in it huddled together….would not be possible for them to lay down! The women were at the cooking one showing the types of vegetation they would cook up. They all dipped into the pot (boiling hot!!) and ate it. The lady holding a very cute little baby pulled some apart into little pieces and put it in the baby’s hand and took it up to it’s mouth.
All the food was prepared and served on tables that were also in the water. All was delicious! The staff did some dancing and invited people up to dance with them. Just a great time. I could have spent all afternoon there.
My Travel Journals 