Hitching along the silk road

Since it has been my primary mode of transportation, I thought that I should write a little bit about hitchhiking along in central Asia. Hitchhiking is a bit of a misnomer as waving down a car (nearly any car heading in the right direction) is quite common in central Asia as a mode of transportation. The main difference is that you negotiate a price before you get in the vehicle rather than assume the driver is doing you a favor and giving you a free ride.

I have traveled well over 1000 km across Uzbekistan now all via random vehicles we've hired along the way. Our alternatives were trains or buses but the former either weren't running at all or already booked up and the latter would have taken way too long and would have been quite uncomfortable.

Getting the right car and driver: this is much more difficult than one would think. However, at least in our case they've all gotten us to our destination. Traveling from Khiva to Bukhara by far was the longest journey to date on this trip totaling nearly 9 hours of battling the broken roads across the Karakum desert. We started off with a free ride from a coworker of Said. He picked us up at our hotel in Khiva and drove us to the larger city and transportation hub of Urgench where we switched to a 'share taxi' to Bukhara. This share taxi will wait for a full vehicle before setting out on the journey. A full vehicle is four passengers plus driver. We are three in our party so we needed a fourth otherwise we could pay for the fourth seat if we desired.

In this case the driver already had a fourth who happened to be his friend. We didn't realize that this friend of his was well over 7 feet tall until my friend Said told him that he wanted me to get the front seat so I could be more comfortable. I argued with Said saying it was not necessary I sit in the front since this man was much larger than me. Said's response was that since he is taller but not wider that he should sit in the back so that the front seat can be put up a little farther. And to sweeten the deal he told me that I should be up front since I am shorter for reason already stated but that also because I am much wider than this man so I will have more arm room. I wasn't in the mood to argue any more so I took the front seat.

Another tip in getting a share taxi is to get a driver who is a little older but not too old who might all asleep at the wheel. The younger drivers have little respect for life as Said put it. A perfect example of this was our driver from Urgench to Bukhara. He was probably no older than 20. And as many 20 year olds anywhere sent most of his time behind the wheel doing everything BUT driving - texting, talking to his friends, eating sunflower seeds, etc.

More later!

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Registan - Samarkand

Mosaic tile work - Samarkand

Shahi Zinda

Registan - Samarkand

Mehribon

Walnuts

Mantee or Uzbek dumplings that are said to come from Kashgar in Xianjiang, China.

Famous Samarkand Bread - legend says that no matter where Tamerlane was in his empire he would eat no other bread than that from Samarkand. He says the air in Samarkand is fresher making the bread much better.

Tomb of Tamerlane

My hotel in Bukhara

So far...

The trip has gone well so far. There is a lot to take in everyday with the historical sites, cultural experiences with locals, and the heat. I am currently in Samarkand and will be leaving tomorrow for Termez in southern Uzbekistan on the Afghan border but will be making a short stop in Shakhrisabz, the site of Tamerlane's palace and near to his birthplace.

I will spend a few days, my last few days in Uzbekistan, in Termez area staying with my friends' family and visiting with their friends. We will also be meeting up with Said and Maqsuda's two children - 11 year old boy and 13 year old girl - who have been spending the past few weeks staying with their grandparents.

Today it is well over 40 Celsius in Samarkand, and not unlike each day this trip so far, we have taken a break this afternoon to escape the heat for a few hours and take a nap to cool down. This morning we began our long walk around the city by visiting the Registan where there are a few madressahs and mosques built during the time of Uleg Beg nearly 6 centuries ago. They have since been restored but look as they would have when they were built. Unfortunately, many of these structures were left in disrepair for so many years they were nearly in ruins at the turn of the 19th century. The Russian and then Soviet researchers spent quite a bit of energy rebuilding these structures. There is great debate as to whether they should be restored or left in their natural states. My opinion is usually to leave things in their natural state; however, if these 600 year old mosques and madressahs were left alone they would no longer exist and we wouldn't be able to appreciate them even in the shoddily repaired state they are in now. They would be buried under modern city streets and block apartments.

Last night Said, Maqsudda and I went over to the apartment of a friend of Maqsudda's. We were invited late, nearly 830pm; and we had been back at the hotel by this hour since the stet of our trip. We decided to venture out to the apartment and on our arrival we found a massive spread of nuts, fresh fruit, boiled chicken, salami and cheese, and much more. We had just finished eating a large dinner that consisted of 8 beef shashlik, famous Samarkand bread, mantee (Turkic versions of dumplings which are quite good), a bottle of coca cola and chai, so we were very full. But out of respect for culture and hospitality, we ate again - forcing more food down my throat so not to be disrespectful. I joked with Said that if I throw up on the way home it is his fault. We had a good laugh. The entertainment for the evening was the friend's three year old daughter who enjoyed having her photo taken while trying on Maqsudda's sunglasses and Said's cowboy hat (that I've unsuccessfully been trying to throw away since it makes him stick out here more than me - everyone thinks he is the foreigner, not me). Mehribon, is the three year old's name. It means "kind" in persian. She was adorable.

We are slowly coming to the end of my journey here in Uzbekistan. I still have a few days left but I don't expect to have internet connection where we are going so you may not hear from me until this coming Friday evening or Saturday morning from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. I have another ten days in Kyrgyzstan, hopefully traveling with another friend of mine named Murtaza. This is assuming he is at the airport when I arrive to Bishkek.

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Kalon ('great' in Tajik) Minaret - built in 1127. Chinggis Khan stared in awe at the site of the then tallest building in central Asia. As he looked up to the top his hat fell off. He knelled to pick up his hat and ordered that the minaret be spared in the destruction of Bukhara.

Kyzyl Qala - these walls have stood for 2500 years!

Al-Khorezmi - father of Algorithm, he literally wrote the book titled 'Al-Jebr' or you might remember it as algebra.

Toprak Qala - temple complex of Khorezm kings 4th-5th centuries

Kyzyl Qala - Karakalpakstan Republic (autonomous region)

Entrance to the Mohammed Amin Khan Medressa (Koranic school) also now converted into a hotel in which I stayed

Islom-Hoja Minaret, Khiva, Uzbekistan - 57m high, tallest minaret in Uzbekistan

Onward to Khiva

This photo is of the inner city of Khiva. Khiva is located about 30KM south of Urgench, Uzbekistan toward and just on the border of present day Turkmenistan. In the 19th century and a few centuries prior, the city of Khiva conjured up slave traders and desert crossings ridden with tales of marauding tribesmen. Luckily as a 21st century traveler I managed my way to Khiva via the Tashkent domestic airport and a 1 hour and 45 minute flight to Urgench. However, this flight makes the list as one of my most stressful, and those who know me understand that is quite the statement coming from this frequent flyer. The story goes that Khiva was founded when Shem, Noah's son, discovered a well here, and along with his people settled the area known centuries later and today as Khorezm.

My Uzbek friends and I were booked on the same flight from Tashkent to Urgench, but in an effort to compensate for the lack of aircraft, Uzbekistan Airways split the passenger list and took two smaller Russian-made aircraft instead of the much safer, stable, and larger Airbus 320 (the use of the A320 on this flight was part of my decision to book this specific flight rather than an earlier one which was scheduled to use Russian-made aircraft). If you have ever been on a Russian-made plane or simply google "air disasters Russian aircraft" you'll have a better understanding of why I simply do not trust these planes - oh, and the fact that many if them pre-date me by at least a decade also makes me cringe a little. The flight was akin to an 1 hour and 45 minute roller coaster - the first bumps can be fun but after awhile you just want to get off and visit the lazy river ride. "Please Dear God, let me get down from here safely and I swear I'll never fly on a Russian-made plane again." Unfortunately, I've said this prayer before and have broken the promise many times since and will most likely again soon thanks to the lowest bidder.

But enough complaining!! We made it safely to Urgench. It was a mild 40 Celsius, that's triple digits for my Fahrenheit friends! It's a dry heat but that doesn't really help... Look at me complaining again!

I am so excited to be in the cradle of a civilization that dates back to 3000 BC!! Of course much of what is left is in ruins but pretty cool ruined fortresses sitting in the desert... Stay tuned!

Inchon Qala, Khiva, Uzbekistan

Blue Mosque - Istanbul, Turkey

Aya Sophia - Istanbul, Turkey

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Map of Central Asia

Cities to be visited - Uzbekistan: Tashkent, Urgench/Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand, Termez; Kyrgyzstan: Bishkek, Osh, Djalal-Abad, Naryn, Karakol.

Into the Heart of Asia

In a few days I will set off for another adventure. This time to the Heart of Asia. I will start my travels in the city of Istanbul, Turkey. Few cities on Earth can compare in beauty of setting and architecture, and also conjure up images of empire and rich culture, as the city of Istanbul.

My visit to Istanbul this time will be brief, a lot more brief than my first visit nearly a decade ago during one of the coldest winters the city had ever seen and I had ever felt.

The compass needle of this journey points directly toward the center of Asia, it's heart. I will spend nearly one month exploring the silk road cities and ruined temples, palaces, mosques, and forts of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. The journey begins with a flight into Tashkent, Uzbekistan, a sameday connection to the oasis town of Urgench/Khiva near the Turkemistan border where I spend the night in a centuries old former madressa or Koranic school converted for travelers.

Traveling along the famed silk road, I step into the past by visiting the holy city of Bukhara and Timur's city of Samarkand said to be a jewel within the heart of Asia. These present day cities were once watering holes, resting places, and places of worship for the weary merchants traveling the silk road - which for centuries carried much more than just silk from one end of Asia to the other, but technology, religion, politics, and more. I will then venture south to the city of Termez, Uzbekistan - a frontier town on the border with Afghanistan - where there are more ruined Buddhist and Zoroastrian temples to explore and local villagers to greet.

I will continue my trip into the mountainous, lake-ridden, former Soviet state of Kyrgyzstan where I will be swept away upon arrival to the Radison Guesthouse (no connection to the chain and not at all similar). I will meet with a Kyrgyz friend who will also be my travel partner for the next two weeks. The very next day we will start our two week road trip navigating the mountainous dirt roads of the Pamir and Tien Shan ranges visiting isolated villages, centuries-old caravanserais, and broken temples. We may even be bumping around high mountain lakes on horseback and sleeping on the ground in yurts.

Virtually join me on this adventure. I hope you enjoy my erratic missives from the road less traveled.

Zac