After an early breakfast, of which the yummy fruit will be truly missed, we caught a taxi to the Samarkand railway station. When we said goodbye to Farhot, the receptionist, he gave us both emotional hugs and thanked us for being good people. We enjoyed chatting to him and learnt he was a great Frank Sinatra fan and would listen to his music in the office. If people couldn't pronounce his name he called himself Frank. I also introduced him to Dean Martin singing with Frank and he recognised some of the songs as ones he had learnt during his English lessons.When we paid the taxi driver he returned some of the money we had given him, so we think maybe Farhot had told him not to overcharge us.
We expected a major bag inspection at the station but instead were waved through with our passports. The train we were booked on was the Afrosiab, the fast train. Most of the journey was through the desert at 230kms per hour. There were a couple of stops in small towns and the seats had lots of space and we arrived after 90 minutes. There was not much to see other than small sage bushes and broken irrigation channels.
Our hotel was recommended by some Dutch travellers in Tashkent and a little more expensive than we usually get but it was a delight. We had a huge new modern room and staff serviced it everyday which was a real treat. The hotel had a breakfast dining room overlooking a courtyard under a huge ornate wooden verandah. Nearly everyone who came to breakfast would get out their cameras and take photos.
We had a chef who would cook eggs with or without extras. John couldn't resist the omelets. I was up for the curried cauliflower and potatoes.
We were a few steps off the Lyabi Hauz- the main plaza built around a 1620's pool and surrounded by old mulberry trees that have seen the goings on since that time. We were entertained by the children clambering up the huge slippery bronze statue of a rider on his donkey, while family tried to photograph them.
A small group of grey-bearded old men clanked their dominoes down on a table as losers left the group and waiting challengers entered.
A band was playing at a stage set up outside the Nadir Divanbegi Medressa as young children danced along. They were part of the entertainment for Independence Day and sounded nothing like the military band at the rehearsals in Samarkand. Small children were out with their families licking on fast melting ice creams in the early evening. A great place for people watching.
We found a person to change money in the carpet bazaar and after looking at the top 10 restaurants on Tripadvisor chose one with a terrace a short walk away. It filled up with several tour groups as the evening wore on. They get places set for them and then have to eat a set meal while we at least got to choose our repast along with a couple of cold beers made by Carlsberg under licence in Uzbekistan.
An Australian group of tourists arrived at the hotel and at breakfast we met a retired couple who originally came from Tauranga but have now lived 40 years in Adelaide. They had relatives who live not far from our house.
As the temperatures are in the late 30's we like to head off to see the sights in the morning and then sit in the airconditioned room until the late afternoon before heading out again. If we time it right, we get to chat to our family back in NZ.
We visited the Ark, which is a huge spectacular walled fortress dating back to the 5th century BC. It housed the royal suites but today contains museums. In the 1920s, it was bombed by the Red Army so much has been rebuilt. We encountered a group of tourists in wheelchairs here. They had a lot of supporters and even a chair loaded up with ramps and various aides that they may have needed to make their sightseeing easier. There were many steps of varying heights and one side of them was often poorly ramped but they were able to get to the main areas of the Ark.
We visited the Kalon Minaret which was built in 1127 and is 47 metres. tall. Legend has it that Arslan Khan killed an imam after a quarrel. That night in a dream the imam told him to lay his head in a spot where no one can tread, so he was placed under the minaret. It's 10 metre deep foundations were also filled with reeds as a form of earthquake proofing. Chinggis Khan found it so impressive he spared it from destruction.
Nearby is the Kalon Mosque which was built in the 16th century on a mosque site that Chinggis Khan had levelled. Tradesmen were scrapping back plaster and repainting the arches during our visit. It is big enough for 10,000 people.
Under the Soviets it was used as a warehouse and reopened in 1991. Most of the area around here are being dug up and renovated. The whole outside was a mess of sand, gravel, stones and pavers. The new president is spending a lot of money in Samarkand and here.
We got a text to say our Beeline Uzbekestan telephone number had been disconnected. We have learnt to copy the SMS texts that come in Uzbek and have them translated by Google translator. We hunted out a Beeline shop and joined about 50 other locals with phone issues. I thrust the SMS text in front of the overworked salesman and after paying 6c per day for the next 20 days we were back on line with internet data to see us through the rest of our stay here. It is especially useful when using Google maps to get about, translate in shops, and to use when the internet is slow in the hotel. We have also learnt to tether the phone to the netbook as a mobile hotspot.
Char Minar, a gatehouse to a medressa that disappeared long ago. It was built in 1807.
The domes cool the interior of the bazaar.
Checked out a couple of carpet shops and got the salesman's gen on the differences between cotton and silk carpets and Japanese and Uzbek ones. There were some lovely huge carpets but it is such a complicated business to know which have been handmade and which have been made in factories in China. These things dictate the price so it can be costly for a novice. Everywhere you go someone is trying to sell you ceramic plates or embroidered fabric.
Met up with Jacky from Gran Canaries and found a restaurant with some vegetarian options for her. It ranked highly as a place to eat but we found it only had a small range of dishes but could at least enjoy the cool breeze on the top floor and a pleasant sunset. We have enjoyed getting to know more about her and her plans to go onto Nepal and then Bhutan before spending time in Vietnam and Myanmar.
The last emir of Bhukara, Emir Alim Khan, has a summer palace a short taxi ride from Lyabi Hauz. When we first arrived we couldn't believe it, it too was looking like a construction site. The receptionist was very chatty and seemed to know a lot about NZ from a TV documentary so we had a long chat with her.
Ceiling
Detail of the ceramic front of the fireplace.
The palace had a guesthouse, a harem and a pool. Russian architects designed it and it is a mix of styles. John was especially taken with the craftsmanship of the plaster work. There were many similarities with our hotel's breakfast room and the palace rooms which would have been about the same era. It was sad to see that they do not maintain the outside of the buildings as birds nest in the gutters and damaged timber work. There were lots of staff members keeping an eye on each room but some would have been better utilised working on maintenance to keep these treasures for the future.
The old city wall
We walked around the old town to see the remnants of the old city wall as well as the oldest building in the city being the Ismail Somani Mausoleum.
It was built in 905 and the patterns on the intricate baked terracotta walls are eye catching. It was situated in a children's park which in the 39 DegC heat of the day was very quiet. Other than the tourists, a small group of policemen ate at a table in the shade, and gardeners weeded and watered. It is nice to be able to spend a little of each day visiting sites rather than seeing everything in a couple of days like most of the tour groups.
Musical instruments for sale
A collection of Soviet badges for sale. We remember our first visit to the USSR in 1975 when the children would trade these for chewing gum.
Birds in cages outside the village houses.
Next stop - further along the Silk Road to Khiva.
We expected a major bag inspection at the station but instead were waved through with our passports. The train we were booked on was the Afrosiab, the fast train. Most of the journey was through the desert at 230kms per hour. There were a couple of stops in small towns and the seats had lots of space and we arrived after 90 minutes. There was not much to see other than small sage bushes and broken irrigation channels.
Our hotel was recommended by some Dutch travellers in Tashkent and a little more expensive than we usually get but it was a delight. We had a huge new modern room and staff serviced it everyday which was a real treat. The hotel had a breakfast dining room overlooking a courtyard under a huge ornate wooden verandah. Nearly everyone who came to breakfast would get out their cameras and take photos.
We had a chef who would cook eggs with or without extras. John couldn't resist the omelets. I was up for the curried cauliflower and potatoes.
We were a few steps off the Lyabi Hauz- the main plaza built around a 1620's pool and surrounded by old mulberry trees that have seen the goings on since that time. We were entertained by the children clambering up the huge slippery bronze statue of a rider on his donkey, while family tried to photograph them.
A small group of grey-bearded old men clanked their dominoes down on a table as losers left the group and waiting challengers entered.
A band was playing at a stage set up outside the Nadir Divanbegi Medressa as young children danced along. They were part of the entertainment for Independence Day and sounded nothing like the military band at the rehearsals in Samarkand. Small children were out with their families licking on fast melting ice creams in the early evening. A great place for people watching.
We found a person to change money in the carpet bazaar and after looking at the top 10 restaurants on Tripadvisor chose one with a terrace a short walk away. It filled up with several tour groups as the evening wore on. They get places set for them and then have to eat a set meal while we at least got to choose our repast along with a couple of cold beers made by Carlsberg under licence in Uzbekistan.
An Australian group of tourists arrived at the hotel and at breakfast we met a retired couple who originally came from Tauranga but have now lived 40 years in Adelaide. They had relatives who live not far from our house.
As the temperatures are in the late 30's we like to head off to see the sights in the morning and then sit in the airconditioned room until the late afternoon before heading out again. If we time it right, we get to chat to our family back in NZ.
We visited the Ark, which is a huge spectacular walled fortress dating back to the 5th century BC. It housed the royal suites but today contains museums. In the 1920s, it was bombed by the Red Army so much has been rebuilt. We encountered a group of tourists in wheelchairs here. They had a lot of supporters and even a chair loaded up with ramps and various aides that they may have needed to make their sightseeing easier. There were many steps of varying heights and one side of them was often poorly ramped but they were able to get to the main areas of the Ark.
We visited the Kalon Minaret which was built in 1127 and is 47 metres. tall. Legend has it that Arslan Khan killed an imam after a quarrel. That night in a dream the imam told him to lay his head in a spot where no one can tread, so he was placed under the minaret. It's 10 metre deep foundations were also filled with reeds as a form of earthquake proofing. Chinggis Khan found it so impressive he spared it from destruction.
Nearby is the Kalon Mosque which was built in the 16th century on a mosque site that Chinggis Khan had levelled. Tradesmen were scrapping back plaster and repainting the arches during our visit. It is big enough for 10,000 people.
Under the Soviets it was used as a warehouse and reopened in 1991. Most of the area around here are being dug up and renovated. The whole outside was a mess of sand, gravel, stones and pavers. The new president is spending a lot of money in Samarkand and here.
We got a text to say our Beeline Uzbekestan telephone number had been disconnected. We have learnt to copy the SMS texts that come in Uzbek and have them translated by Google translator. We hunted out a Beeline shop and joined about 50 other locals with phone issues. I thrust the SMS text in front of the overworked salesman and after paying 6c per day for the next 20 days we were back on line with internet data to see us through the rest of our stay here. It is especially useful when using Google maps to get about, translate in shops, and to use when the internet is slow in the hotel. We have also learnt to tether the phone to the netbook as a mobile hotspot.
Char Minar, a gatehouse to a medressa that disappeared long ago. It was built in 1807.
The domes cool the interior of the bazaar.
Checked out a couple of carpet shops and got the salesman's gen on the differences between cotton and silk carpets and Japanese and Uzbek ones. There were some lovely huge carpets but it is such a complicated business to know which have been handmade and which have been made in factories in China. These things dictate the price so it can be costly for a novice. Everywhere you go someone is trying to sell you ceramic plates or embroidered fabric.
Met up with Jacky from Gran Canaries and found a restaurant with some vegetarian options for her. It ranked highly as a place to eat but we found it only had a small range of dishes but could at least enjoy the cool breeze on the top floor and a pleasant sunset. We have enjoyed getting to know more about her and her plans to go onto Nepal and then Bhutan before spending time in Vietnam and Myanmar.
The last emir of Bhukara, Emir Alim Khan, has a summer palace a short taxi ride from Lyabi Hauz. When we first arrived we couldn't believe it, it too was looking like a construction site. The receptionist was very chatty and seemed to know a lot about NZ from a TV documentary so we had a long chat with her.
Ceiling
Detail of the ceramic front of the fireplace.
The palace had a guesthouse, a harem and a pool. Russian architects designed it and it is a mix of styles. John was especially taken with the craftsmanship of the plaster work. There were many similarities with our hotel's breakfast room and the palace rooms which would have been about the same era. It was sad to see that they do not maintain the outside of the buildings as birds nest in the gutters and damaged timber work. There were lots of staff members keeping an eye on each room but some would have been better utilised working on maintenance to keep these treasures for the future.
We walked around the old town to see the remnants of the old city wall as well as the oldest building in the city being the Ismail Somani Mausoleum.
It was built in 905 and the patterns on the intricate baked terracotta walls are eye catching. It was situated in a children's park which in the 39 DegC heat of the day was very quiet. Other than the tourists, a small group of policemen ate at a table in the shade, and gardeners weeded and watered. It is nice to be able to spend a little of each day visiting sites rather than seeing everything in a couple of days like most of the tour groups.
Musical instruments for sale
A collection of Soviet badges for sale. We remember our first visit to the USSR in 1975 when the children would trade these for chewing gum.
Birds in cages outside the village houses.
Next stop - further along the Silk Road to Khiva.
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