Bukhara.... Buxoro

Having passed through Urganch and crossed the ribbons of river that support a thriving horticultural zone around the Amurdayo river I headed north of Beruniy to visit three of the many ancient fortresses that lie in this region that now returns to desert largely due to the disappearance of the Aral Sea. 

They were imposing places with extensive views in every direction but slowly eroding away as the mud walls are rarely renovated after winter rains. A large 'nomad' camp with yurts provided the sort of faux experience so loved by the coach parties but having returned to the so called Royal Highway and headed towards Bukhara I turned off towards the river opposite Lebop which is in Turkmenistan and parked above a lagoon for a decent sunset. A few locals passed by and waved happily but at one point a guy stopped and liting his T shirt to show me a rather nasty looking and infected lesion asked me for money. A difficult situation as I had no idea what would be appropriate or even useful but in the end gave him the equivalent of a tenner, later finding out that rural workers earn less than £300/month so I hope it helped. My second Turkish gas cylinder has run out so I put in one of the four remaining CG 907s and am pretty sure each will last a month as with the temperatures in the high 30s and good value local food, there is no point cooking in the van and thus there is nothing in the fridge. Similarly there is no need for hot water for showering so gas use is almost non existent.

A couple of hours the following day brought me in to a park up in Bukhara right alongside the Ark (fortress) walls and by chance a car parked under the mulberry tree was just leaving so I was able to get some shade. I noticed the expedition truck of Frank and Andrea nearby so called over for a chat before taking myself off in to the Ark for its lofty views, cooling breeze and panoramic views over the flat city which assisted with orientating myself. Later I walked in to the main zone and was, as in Khiva, mesmerized by the minarets, towers, domes and arches of numerous mosques, madrasas and mausoleums. There were also a number of bazaars, usually under airy domes with avenues reaching out in various directions and it was here that traditional hand made crafts, clothes and souvenirs were on display for the tourists. These were mainly from the Stans and Russia but there were also surprising numbers of European and American tour groups and a few from the UK - this part of the world is clearly opening up to mass tourism which if nothing else will I hope dispel some of the myths, misconceptions and misunderstandings that many people unfamiliar with the region's history, culture and traditions of hospitality do not expect.

Back at the van there was a lot of activity nearby as preparations were underway for a large Gold and Jewellery Festival at the weekend with teams of lads working late in to the cooler evening to erect platforms to support enormous LED display screens to the beat of a huge sound system also being installed. The same teams started early next morning so after getting bread and yoghurt at the small shop directly opposite for breakfast I then headed off through the town once more to reach some of the further sights. On returning for lunch and a lie down in the van, shaded nicely by the tree I noticed the first UK plated vehicle in months - an imposing Iveco 4x4 with an accommodation box on the back. Colin and Liz are on an impressive journey which is well worth checking out at www.zigzaggingtheworld.blog and have undertaken a number of remarkable journeys over the years.

Later I walked in to town to see the major attractions lit up and stopped in the Lyab-i-Hauz square for a good meal alongside the pool with the impressive Nadir Divanbegi just behind. Walking back the Kalon minarets and mosque looked stunning after dark and I returned to the van stopping en route to watch rehearsals for the forthcoming dancing and entertainment.

The following day I explored a host of other sights out to the west in the morning including the excellent market, returned for the mid day cool off and then walked through the centre to visit the Chor Minor mosque and two almost identical medressas at Kosh facing each other. The Ulugbek one, built in1417, is Central Asia's oldest and led to over 100 others  being established with 10,000 students and over 300 mosques.

Colin and Liz joined me for a meal back at the Lyab square which was a great opportunity to exchange stories including the saga of their  passage throughTurkmenistan, although the singer alongside rather dominated the proceedings.

Although I had planned to move on the ever expanding attractions of the festival kept me in situ and after a much needed haircut I was off to the fairground for a rather genteel spin on the Ferris wheel to give me a novel view of the city and the oldest mausoleum, that of Ismail Samali, whose 2m thick brick walls have contributed to its longevity. In the park a guy crippled by cerebral palsy was parked in his wheelchair in the shade and it was touching how the numerous gardeners, street sweepers and passers by stopped to talk and interact with him to his obvious delight. Back at the van the parking guy said we would have to move the next morning as the area was needed for the festival and as I had spotted a large car park near the fair we both decided to move on next day, it was only a few minutes away and we didn't want to get hemmed in by the increasing numbers of barriers and security checkpoints.

Thus early next morning we moved on, parked in a corner and strung up my tarp between the two vehicles as there was no shade, incidentally my mulberry tree had dropped huge numbers of berries on my van which now had deep purple stains and looked rather a mess. I took myself off to a small shop round the corner that had a drinking water dispensing machine and to and froed with  two 10l water bottles a few times -  at 30p for 20 litres it was a bargain and the young woman in charge was delighted to meet Colin and I, as were the tourist bus drivers who all took a shine to Lolly....

6

It was his birthday, and they had kindly booked a table for 3 back in town so we walked through the large but friendly crowds out to look at all the jewellery and craft stalls that had been set up everywhere with one row dedicated to nations from around the world. I had stopped at the Great Britain tent earlier where a lovely young woman said she was actually from Afghanistan, had lived in Slough for a few years and was now in the UAE. The display of a few pieces of jewellery were hardly a showcase to the world of British craftsmanship but it was lovely to chat to her.

After a very enjoyable meal we walked back through what I can only describe as a warm river of humanity for a reasonably early night as we were to be up by 05.30 as they were catching the 7am train to Chiva neatly avoiding many hundreds of miles driving. Once the fireworks were over we slept well and were away at 6 the following morning having settled up our parking the previous evening as although the barriers were left up overnight it would have been wrong not to pay the few pounds a night.

After a safe delivery on time to the station I headed east towards the fabled city of Samerkand where I am parked up with the tour buses within easy reach of the main attractions. It is very hot with no shade so you will find out if I survive by waiting for the next post...

Onward plans for Tajikistan face some uncertainty as apparently RHD vehicles may not be allowed in and my evisa application, including payment, has produced nothing so watch this space......

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