Jun 14, 2015 - Uzbek Camels to the Capital

Heading into the dessert in true Silk Road traveling style, we stayed next at a nomadic yurt camp where we road on two-humped Bactrian camels through the scrub. So much easier to ride than the one-humped camels we slid around on in Egypt! Our hosts served up a feast of Russian-influenced salads and a meaty main course. The next morning we enjoyed the sun and took a refreshing swim in the nearby lake; I tried some snorkeling and only saw a couple of small mud-dwellers by the shore. The birds, including a couple heron and cormorants, were...

Jun 10, 2015 - Khiva and Bukhara Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan. When planning this trip, Fran and I had unceremoniously lumped this country into the generic category of “The Stans.” When pressed for more details about which “Stans,” we barely managed to include it on our tentative list. And when our Turkish hosts called our bluff by asking about our exact itinerary, including which “Stans” would come in which order, we were hopelessly lost. We hoped by the end of this journey we could speak intelligently about each of the “Stans,” and I am pleased to report that Uzbekistan rose to the top of...

Apr 24, 2014 - Samarkand and Bokhara

Due to a severe shortage of wifi coverage now we have hit the Silk Road proper, I am falling way behind, in fact country behind with this log, so I shall attempt to be brief(er) and give some impression of life on the (silk) road in modern times. Fortunately there are still many almost biblical moments with gnarled peasants wending their way somewhere on hacked-off looking donkeys, weekly donkey-exchange markets in the middle of under-populated sparse landscapes, sometimes set against snow-capped high mountain ranges separating Uzbekistan...

Apr 16, 2014 - Heading for the Silk Road

I feel the heavy hand of history knowing the list of illustrious leaders who got here first: Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Tamberlane, Peter the Great (obviously helps to be great) who kicked off the Russian interest in these parts. It's geographical position has accounted for it's pivotal role in east west trade over the centuries and it's role in Silk Road commerce. There's nothing like a good earthquake to provide an opportunity to clear out the old and start rebuilding. Such an opportunity arose at 17:25 on April 26th 1966 in...

Oct 30, 2013 - Khiva

The steppe is a good place for learning patience. With the absence of landmarks, you never seem to be getting anywhere. Finally in the distance a minaret, azure blue domes announce ancient Khiva - a name redolent of slave caravans, barbaric cruelty and terrible journeys across one of the worst deserts in Asia. Shem is said to have marked out its city walls. Lonely Planet is commonly referred to here as Lying Planet. It suggests that Khiva is so well preserved "that the life has almost been squeezed out." It is true that Khiva's core, the...

Oct 28, 2013 - Bukhara

"Samarkand is the beauty of the earth, but Bukhara is the beauty of the spirit." Traditional "Bukhara, the most shameless sink of iniquity that I know in the East." Armenius Vambery, 1868 "Bukhara the Holy, Bukhara the Noble, the Dome of Islam, the Pillar of Religion, the most intact city in the hoary East, the most interesting city in the world." Bukhara certainly comes with the baggage of expectations. While its monuments may not be quite as grand as those of Samarkand, it is a very walkable and enjoyable place. There are mausoleums,...

Oct 25, 2013 - Buzkashi

The schedule calls for a side trip between Samarkand and Bukhara to visit a yurt camp where we can choose to go camel riding. I am unimpressed. I just want to get on to "Holy Bukhara" with it architectural treasures. The highway is straight and empty. Nothing for miles. Far ahead a clot of cars are pulled off on the shoulder. We stop. There are about 50 mounts and as many riders. We've come across a rare event - a pick up game of Buzkashi. I first saw Buzkashi outside of Kabul in 1970. It was a special event held to celebrate the then...

Oct 24, 2013 - Silk Carpet Factory

As some of you know, I have a passion for carpets and weavings, especially those from the tribal areas of Central Asia. This can be a very expensive addiction and I have been on a withdrawal program for the past five years. Today was a test. I am very leery of the modern carpet industry which often depends on low wages, poor working conditions, and even child labor to be profitable. On the other hand, there are a number of organizations and companies that promote good practices and produce excellent carpets. Here's what I found in...

Oct 24, 2013 - Samarkand

Salam - The Ruba'iyat of Omar Khayyam - penned by a one time resident of Samarkand. "The moving finger writes, and having writ, moves on." But there are wonderful remnants here of the glories of the Silk Route. Not just the architecture, but the achievements in art and science, poetry and astronomy, made this a cultural Mecca during the dark ages of Europe. Ulug Beg's Observatory. Ulug Beg was Timur's grandson. He focused on the arts and science rather than conquest. His observatory was the most accurate of the age. The Shahr-I-Zinda...

Oct 21, 2013 - Tashkent

Tashkent, "City of Stone", where ne'er do well Russian officers of the post Crimean war 19th century spent their time in "purgatory." A refuge for damaged reputations and shattered fortunes. Today Tashkent is just another large, ex Soviet city with wide boulevards and forgettable architecture. Not much to comment on. Several of us did find an interesting restaurant complex which was quite popular with the locals. Unlike most of my trip journals not much to say about food along this portion of the Silk Road. Some good soups were the...

Oct 19, 2013 - Uzbekistan - Background

Salam - "In another age this was not the end of the world but rather the centre of it." Best time to visit - 1370, when Timur reigned and the arts blossomed. Famous for the 2012 Republican candidate's "Uzbeki-Beki-Stan" gaff. No wonder the rest of the world questions our intelligence. Crossing the border was an ordeal - almost 5 hours of stupid bureaucratic nonsense. The first thing to notice is that most of the new cars are Chevrolets, a result of the President's son-in-law's purchase of a Chevy dealership. "Yol bolsin" (May your...

Oct 19, 2013 - Ferghana

The Ferghana Valley's history dates back to Alexander the Great whose epic trek East ended here. The valley is the most heavily populated region of Uzbekistan and its agricultural heart. Our first stop was at a silk factory where we were shown the process of making silk from cocoon to finished product. The emphasis today is on natural dyes. Aziza was required to take a different route so we were being shuttled in new Chevrolet taxis from Ferghana to Tashkent. After the silk factory we stopped to explore the Khan's palace in Kokand. This...