Sept 24: 9-12 Bukhara, Khiva

Monday 9 September

Early breakfast and away by 8am. Long journey today but several stops to break it up.

First stop - part of the original silk road. The pillar stumps are where they once stood covered by a canopy. Selling would be done from here and the people would sleep nearby. The caravans of sellers were never less than 100 in total.

Gijduvan

Pottery making using traditional methods.

The man gets into the kiln to take out the pots! 

The donkey who pulls the grind stone is very well looked after - he only has to work for a day or two each month. 

Then off to Shofirkon to a typical Uzbek village for a meal with a local family.

 

Beautiful gardens and what looked like a half finished building - until you got inside!

The lady of the house ushered Mike and I to the head of the table. We wondered if it was because we were old but Lochin said she was just being polite. But it did mean that I had to do the tea ceremony thing again as the pot was by my side.. 🤣

You have to pour a little from the teapot into the cup then tip it back into the teapot. You do this three times for good luck. I couldn't remember what to say but Lochin said it didn't matter this time because I already said it yesterday 😁

.. and I didn't fill the cups today - apparently that means you don't like the person - so I had to apologise to Roz and Neil yesterday for filling their cups 🤣🤣🤣

A beautiful room and a delicious meal.

Then a walk across to the other side of the house to look at embroidery work.

Very beautiful but Amin wasn't impressed.. 🤣

Bukhara

Got to our hotel then went for a meal and a night walk around the old town.

My silk scarf.

Tuesday 10 September

Bukhara

In Uzbekistan the gas pipes are all overhead reason are two fold - cheaper (no digging) and less likely to rupture after an earthquake - they still have several every year.

Old houses and even new houses are built with a little bit sticking out to the front. Reasons are again two fold - makes the rooms a bit bigger and gives a little shade from the fierce sun in summer when you walking in the street below.

Very old mulberry tree.

This oasis was set up on the silk road and the building at the side was set up to house the travellers. 

Madeleine doesn't like photos and posed reluctantly - but she liked the result 😁 Neil photo bombing 🤣

Donkeys have a great memory and if they drink from a well they can remember where it is for next time - very useful if you're lost!

We bought one of these - showing the different people on the silk road. Painted by the local miniaturist artist. 

These men, all friends, had traveled a long way to be here and were happy to chat to us.

With our leader Lochin.

Little shop nearby - very interesting.

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Little tea shop.

Walk through the park to the mausoleum. Nice and shaded with a canal running through it.

Brick built mausoleum- didn't want any decorations.

Water museum -  obviously water was (and still is!) a very prized commodity. 

Another hostal for travellers.
 

We went for a meal in the water tower - luckily (for me anyway) our table was downstairs.

People in the area started getting ill and it was traced back to this oasis and its stagnant water. 

To ensure the water was safe to drink it was given to the donkey first - if it survived then the water was ok. 

The specialty of this restaurant was the thick noodles with an egg on top - they were delicious.

A slow walk past the palace of the last empire. It was bombed by Russians and completely destroyed.

A quick look at the medressa.

Bit of shopping - stork scissors with my name on - and some tshirts.

Meal with folk dancing, singing and fashion show in the evening. 

Wednesday 11 September

Long day of driving today. 

First stop the summer palace of the last Emir. Very Russian/Uzbeki outside but very European inside.

Beautiful colours.

Bit of deco.

Little secret compartments which unbolted the columns so they could be changed to match other decorations.

Lovely views from the windows.

Ornate mirrors.

Lovely and cool in the grounds.

An elderly Uzbeki couple wanted a picture of Mike and motioned me into the photo as well. Apparently they had seen him in his hat in Bukhara and recognized him 😁

 

The greenery (well bushes) started to disappear the further we went into the desert (Red Desert) though there were small villages every so often. Everything became more scrub like.

These desert bushes grow roots down to 10 meters in order to find enough water to survive.

Roz and Neil are very photogenic even without trying 😁🤣

Loo stop.

The German tourists did their exercises at the side of the bus 😁

Lochin talking to us.

Near empty roads.

Lunch stop.  Yurts and electric charge points 🤣

The meat was unexpectedly delicious!

Selling shoes at the truck stop.

The coaches and cars transfer on to the railway line to cross the river.

Turkmenistan is just over the river at one point - maybe the same river? The border is very near the motorway.

Fields of cotton - nearly ready to be picked.

Khiva

Arrived late pm. Staying inside the walked city. 

Beautiful ceilings in the rooms and great decorations around the hotel - it used to be a medressa.

Short walk to our evening meal.

Rooftop restaurant.

Green noodle speciality - coloured with dill.

Evening walk round the town.

Thursday 12 September

Khiva

Morning view from our window - mosque and minaret one way and city walls the other.

Posh breakfast area!

Little 12 year old skillfully driving his father's electric taxi.

The Blue Tower - unfinished as the king died and the new king wanted to build his own somewhere else.

Preparing the tandoor ovens for bread - all used communally.

Genghis Khan.

King's Palace with100 rooms.

Young girls practicing their English with us.

Little dude in his finery.

Climbing the minaret. Not me!

Views from the tower.

Sitting at the bottom with Amine watching the ambassador and all his security staff walk past. 

That explained all the flags and well dressed men with dark glasses and ear pieces 😁

Trying on the hats.

Drinks on the roof top terrace.

Scary spiral staircase to get up there. Needed a couple of glasses of wine and my hand on Ann's shoulder to get down.

Cookery demonstration - making green noodles.