The Fergana region of primarily Uzbekistan is the most densely populated in Central Asia with 8m people occupied in farming and horticulture in the countryside and manufacturing and trade in the couple of large towns and cities. Reached by a fairly decent road that climbs over the Kamchik Pass at 2267m via a series of tight hairpins and a long tunnel it is a flat fertile plain with a variety of crops, vegetables and tree fruits growing amid much irrigation.
Few tourists venture this way so there are not many places identified by P4N but I decided on one adjacent to the Narbutabey Mosque and Medressa in Qoqon or Kokand with just a little shade. I walked off to appreciate the Palace of Khudayar Khan which once boasted 7 courtyards and 114 rooms, some of which now house small museums and also admired the craftsmanship in the 98 wooden pillars that support the superbly decorated portico of the Jami mosque. I called at a bank to change my no longer needed Tajik currency but foreign exchange closed an hour earlier than the main tills.
After a chat with a friendly local who had good English I settled in for a quiet night but at 04.00 was disturbed by a few raps on the window. I looked out to find that a market was setting up around me in the pre dawn light and a friendly guy indicated I should move to the other side of the parking area. This didn't take long so I was soon walking round the large number of vendors selling fruit, veg, onions, nuts, dates, potatoes, flour, rice, pasta and so on mostly from rickety tables or blankets on the ground. They were all amused by my presence and I bought plenty of fresh fruit and veg as the sun rose. I tried another bank to no avail and even the National Bank of Uzbekistan weren't interested so as it's only about £30 I will give it a Tajik lorry driver when I head south towards the Pamir Highway. Another friendly guy stopped for a chat and returned later with sachets of coffee and what I thought were bonbons.... he confirmed that the market only took place on Fridays so it was an undisturbed night. BTW the bonbons were in fact a hard salty cheese rather like parmesan : disappointing.
It was a short run down to the International Ceramics Centre at Margillon where a courtyard of craftsmen displayed some stunning pottery designs and a team of women were delicately filling in the patterns of a long tiled design.
Margillon had a park up near the centre with some shade so I tucked away and was just deciding what to go and see when a guy and his son appeared at the door. Yusuf had excellent English having studied as a post - graduate in Edinburgh and was now a senior banking official in Fergana. His wife was a teacher in the school nearby and he kindly offered to take me out for lunch as soon as she finished work. He dreams of buying a camper one day so was interested in a good look round as well as the practicalities of van life. His eldest son is graduating in Adelaide later this year and they hope to travel there whilst the middle one is about to start uni, I think in Europe. So we all jumped in to his smart new BYD hybrid and swished off to a good kebab restaurant for a very nice meal in good company. They dropped me back and I spotted an Austrian plated van whose occupants are slowly heading home after two years away including visits to China. Their stealth van with no windows looked a bit basic but had obviously served them well.
Sunday morning saw me heading up to the huge Kumtepa Bazaar spread over several acres. I drove the 3 miles there as my knee is still a source of concern but parked well short as the melee of Damas vans was barely moving. The market sticks loosely to zones with clothing sections, fruit and veg, tools and hardware and even household furniture so a large number of people were sidestepping carts, piles of produce and the ever dodgy paving to peruse the mountains of articles for sale. I had decent chicken skewers with bread, salad and tea before heading out for a final look round, the bicycle powered knife sharpener intrigued me and I felt hugely humbled by a crippled old guy limping away with a tricycle as his means of support and transporting goods.
A walk round the adjacent park back at the van took me past a fairground with rather archaic attractions and after cooling heavy rain overnight I was away to the city of Fergana about an hour away. Here the proposed stopover was in full sun but there was a small shop opposite with a water dispenser so I bought two ten litre bottles from him, put their contents in the tank and then went back for another 30 litres from the dispenser for a grand total of under £3. The shop owner then showed me an area at the rear of the shop building and said I was welcome to move there for shade and to stay overnight, a chance I jumped at. Later that evening the park grew livelier as speakers and a screen were erected for some singers and families came out to enjoy the various low key attractions and play ball games. It was an absorbing sight and I reflected on the huge contrasts I have seen over the last month in this fascinating country.
Today I have moved on to Fergana, the area's largest city, but again lacking in P4N recommendations. I pulled up at a large mall in full sun and then set off on foot to explore better options with shade. Across the road on the far side of a park I found a quieter spot with some shade so decided to first make use of a well stocked supermarket in the mall. The food hall tempted me for a beef dish with onions and peppers and could have been any similar such establishment in Europe. Back at the van I was temporarily blocked in but was soon off to the alternative for a breather from the hot sun. Behind the mall was a buzzing more traditional market, the Eski Bazaar, after which I walked up to the recently restored Devanboy Mosque where I noticed the start of every business shutting up shop for the next couple of days as the important Eid al Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice, gets underway.
As a result I will stay here tomorrow and head up to the border for Kyrgyzstan on Thursday as whilst I think it will be open it may well be understaffed on both sides. I've heard from the UK couple hoping to get a Tajik evisa via an agent - he has yet to deliver the goods and thus they are waiting out the holiday period as well and it would appear that the admission of RHD vehicles can depend on the whim of the border staff on the day. These two obstacles reassure me that Plan B is the better option for me so on that positive note I will finish - for those experiencing the heat in the UK it is currently 33°C in the van two hours after sunset with all windows and vents open so a cold shower is in order.....
Anyway enjoy some more hot pics here.
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