An Afternoon in Bukhara

I call all my journeys "My Great Adventures " and they are, indeed.  But, I never forget that this is an important part of my identity as a teacher and I work hard to bring my students along on these adventures. I try to post at least one blog a day and I take tons of video and photographs. There are, however, times I leave my cameras behind and just wonder the streets to have my own personal experience in whatever place I might be. 

I was able to do that on my second day in Bukhara. I had spent the morning visiting various landmarks but decided just to leave my cameras in the hotel and roam the streets in the afternoon. There were plenty of places to shop but, that's not really my thing. I prefer to simply mingle with the people on the streets and try to blend in. If I can find some interesting street food, I like to try it.  It's not always to my liking but, it's always an interesting part of my adventure. 

This day, I didn't find any street food calling my name but, I continued roaming down some of the side streets and I eventually stumbled upon a door with a sign that read cafe.  I entered. It was a very small room with just four tables. The room was dark with a TV playing what I guessed to be a Pakistan soap opera. Lounging in a chair behind the furthest table was a woman. She was watching the soap opera but sat up straight and said something that sounded French.  I could tell neither of us were fluent enough to clearly communicate in French. I replied, "Je ne parle pas Francais. Not giving up, she asked, "English?"  I said, "yes" and took a seat at the table nearest to the door. She moved to a threshold near the far corner of the room and asked, "Eat?"  I hesitate slightly and say, "Yes."  Still standing at the threshold she pulls back a curtain, motions for me to come and says, "Menu!"  I get up, walk across the room, through the threshold and realize there are no printed menus. 

I find myself in a small kitchen where she points to two simmering pots of soup.  One appears to be some kind of bean soup and the other has vegetables with noodles. I point to the noodle soup and smile. She then shows me two plates on the countertop. One has stuffed dumplings and the other has some kind of ground meat balls. I had eaten dumplings the night before so I pointed to the ground meat balls and smiled. She returned the smile as she'd asked, "salad?"  I nodded my head and said, "Yes."  

I'm also very thirsty and she has yet to show me any beverage choices so, I ask, "Water?"  She doesn't seem to understand so, I move my hand to my mouth as if I was drinking and she smiles and says, "Beer?"  I figure close enough and say, "yes". 

As I take my seat, she walks out the door and down the narrow street. A few minutes later she returns with a bottle of beer in a plastic bag, goes to the kitchen to get a small glass and places bottle and glass on my table. I smile saying, "Rahmat".   My order plus a couple pieces of flat bread arrive a few minutes later. We both watch the soap opera as I eat. My check came to 22,000 SOM.  That's about $3.75; well spent. 

Khiva

Khiva is my last stop before returning to Tashkent. During the 19th century, Khiva was a center of the Khiva Khanate and hosted the most renowned slave market on the Silk Road. Today it's one of the best preserved ancient cities in the region. Though it was very hot, I took some time to explore. I roamed through Tash Khauli Khan's Palace and wondered through the maze of terra-cotta buildings. But, I think my favorite was the Friday Mosque which is now a museum of 213 columns; seven of which are over a thousand years old. 

   

Sites of Bukhara

I have two Days in Bukhara before a ten hour drive to Khiva. Sites I've already seen include: the Samanid Mausoleum, the Ark Citadel, and the Minaret Kalyan complex.

  

 

Yurt Camp Fire

We spent another night in yurts. This time in the desert. After a hearty meal, we relaxed around the fire before turning in. 

Samarkand

Samarkand is one of the oldest cities in the world. 

Under the rule of Amir Timor during the 14th century, the city was adorned with many colorful domes and Minarets. 

   

  

Tashkent Metro

 

Figuring out how to use the public transportation is another fun part of travel. Tashkent has a very nice metro system. They like to compare it to Moscow's subway. There really is no comparison to Moscow but it is very nice, very clean, beautifully decorated, easy to navigate and well used. I made a point to visit the Kosmonavtlar station which honors the Soviet Cosmonauts. 

https://goo.gl/images/p4T8H2

http://steppemagazine.com/articles/notes-from-underground-the-tashkent-metro/

Welcome to Uzbekistan

I've crossed the border into Uzbekistan and it already feels very different. So, far each of the four countries have shown me some easily discernible differences. Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan seemed to retain and strong Soviet influence while Tajikistan clearly and a dominant Islamic influence. It has also been interesting to see some of the more enduring Mongolian and Persian influences in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Uzbekistan or at least Tashkent seems to be a bit more cosmopolitan.

Moving On to Khujand

After two days in the Iskanderkul area, we moved on to Khujand.  Along the way we visited a fortress stormed by Alexander the Great as well as a museum of Tajikistan history.

A Visit to the School

Though school was out for the summer, these teachers were happy to meet with us to discuss how our schools compare to one another. Like most teachers from outside the U.S., they were surprised that all of our schools were so different from one another. 

A Home Cooked Meal

This beautiful family in a mountain village welcomed us into their home and cooked us some tasty dumplings and bread. 

A rainy/muddy day in the Mountains

The rain wasn't too bad but the muddy ground made it difficult to walk around some of the homes built on the slippery slopes. Nonetheless, the locals were very curious and eager to pose for a few pictures. 

 

 

Heading up into the Fann Mountains of Tajikistan

Leaving the city of Dushanbe, I am now heading up into the mountains. 

The air is very thin at this altitude which can be seen by this inflated bag of chips I purchased in Dushanbe; before ascending. 

Welcome to Dushanbe

Let's take a short walk in the market. 

Leaving Kyrgyzstan and Heading to Tajikistan

Today I fly from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan to Dushanbe, Tajikistan.  I think the 90 minute flight will provide an excellent opportunity for me to reflect on my experience so far and also talk a bit about what might be ahead. 

Before I began my journey, I mentioned that I was eager to see how the Soviet and Muslin influences can be seen in Central Asia today.  Central Asia has been predominantly Muslim since the early part of the 8th century. The area fell under Russian control in the 1860's. While Islam was a concern for Russia's ability to control the people, it was tolerated. 

The Russian revolutions and rise of Soviet rule in 1917 continued the governments concerns over Islam as the young Soviet Union encouraged atheistic beliefs.   As Marxist Ideology spread, the practice of Islamic traditions began to be suppressed. Many mosques were closed or repurposed and Muslim rituals were restricted to these limited remaining mosques. By 1930, the Soviet government had moved from a position of tolerance to condemnation of Islam.  All religious practice was now highly regulated by the government. These restrictions also included the Orthodox Church. 

   

The glasnost policies of Mikhail Gorbachev began to relax restrictions on religion and the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union allowed a more complete revival of Islam and other religions practice. 

   

As I traveled through Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, I observed a very strong Soviet influence remained in the cultures of both countries with a less obvious display of Islamic culture. I expect this to change significantly as I move into Tajikistan. So, as I continue my journey, it might be interesting for us to compare and contrast how government and religion interact in the U.S. and the rest of the  Western Hemisphere verses Central Asia. It might also be interesting to compare and contrast how religious influences vary in the various regions of the U.S. and Central Asia.

Don't forget you can still earn house points by posting questions and comments on my blog. So, keep following along as I continue my "Great Adventure in Central Asia".

Burana Tower

Climbing up the Burana Tower; a large minaret that is part of the remains of the 9th century city of Balasagun. 

Spending a day in Ashu, Kyrgyzstan

Heading down from the mountains, we spent the night in Ashu; where we took a hike up the mountainside over looking the small village. 

Finally Back to Wifi

We have been without any wifi, high in the mountains so I haven't been able to do I get blogging. We spent two nights at Ozero Sonkel sleeping in a yurt and exploring the area. 

Hanging Out with the Locals at Issenkul Lake

Stopping for lunch and a cold swim at Issenkul Lake offered another great opportunity to interact with the locals. 

A Long Day on the Road

We left Almaty at 7am this morning and we are currently traveling east along the Kazakhstan/Kyrgyzstan boarder heading toward the mountains.  We will stop at Cheryl Canyon where we will have a bit of lunch before crossing the border. Our final stop today will be Karakol; where I will stay in a home styled hotel. I think it will be like a bead and breakfast. 

Settling In

            

With the first full day complete the other teachers and I are settling in to our travel routines and learning more about each other, our schools and our students. 

Our first morning started with an overview of the history of Kazakhstan and a tour if Almaty that included several monuments and the Zenkov Cathedral. 

The rest of the day we were free to explore on our own. I spent most of my time with Nicole and Kevin who both teach at Nightingale-Bamford School in New York City.  We enjoyed seeing how much each of our schools surprisingly have in common despite the geographic and sociological differences.  

Let's hear a bit more from Nichole and Kevin:

A Brief History Lesson

We had a brief history lesson before taking a tour of Almaty.

Beginning First Full Day in Almaty

I was the last teacher to arrive and only had about an hour to check into my room before our first group meeting.  After introduction, itinerary review and a double check of papers, we all went out to dinner and had a chance to learn more about each other and our schools. 

This is the hotel. I'll just have one more night here before heading off to Kyrgyzstan. 

There will be much more exciting sites to come. For now I'm off for a bit of breakfast. 

Jet Lagged and Just Arrived in Almaty

After a long and uneventful flight, I'm now in Almaty. I have about an hour before I will need to meet-up with the other U.S. teachers. So, I'll make a quick post to my blog and do a bit of exploring on my own. 

T minus 02:15

The day has finally come. My Great Multi-Stan Adventure begins today and the first leg of my fights to Almaty takes off in just a couple hours. 

Special thanks to my Kilimanjaro Adventure buddy, Lisa, for dropping me off at DFW. 

I usually look for the cheapest airfare and that means I'll have a few layovers. But that's not always a bad thing. In this case, I'll have a long layover to in Copenhagen that will give me a chance to leave the airport to explore the city and have a nice dinner before I continue my journey to Almaty, Kazakhstan. 

So, now it's time to do a bit of research to plan my day in Copenhagen.