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Traveling in Uzbekistan in 2004 (Road to Samarkand. Samarkand)
When walked past rows of spices, sellers stickled me and eager rivalry offering one another, "sister, buy pepper, cardamom sister" and so on, to end this time, I said that to me does not make sense to buy spices because I can not Train, one moment occurred silence, dozen heads turned to us after, even Ivan made me comment, saying that good traders resulted in shock.
Night decided to sit near "Registan" and came to light musical notation. Here we first time ever trip approached documents, frankly, I was afraid of their most since read that they asked the registration, and if not, then extort money. Recording we do not ask, just asked where we stopped, we said that "Asia Hotel" for 40 dollars, praised our choice, said that very good hotel and offered to go to the minaret, with Ivan we have refused, citing pain in legs. Frankly, simply did not want to communicate with the documents.
The next morning, caught a car and went to watch the observatory of Ulugbek, Ivan was a bit disappointed, he could not believe that this is an underground tunnel Observatory. After visiting the observatory Shohi-Zinda, amazing place for its energy, I would only Shohi-Zinda arrived in Samarkand. I sat on the stairs, beside a middle-aged man in the usual costume sang, perhaps something from the "Koran", sang very beautiful. The people were not a lot to me even at a moment thought that I was able to stop the world. I even forgot about the step, they must decide if the rise and descent, saying that produced a different number. I said to Ivan, he ran convert, he obtained an equal number. And I already forces had not been raised again. I would generally held there the whole day, did not want to leave, but I promised to Ivan that we go to the park. "You, my mom, just to manhole on the ruins, but one must take into account and my interests", and now we have "to take into account its interests". But the large fleet we have not found, but found a huge beautiful fountain and visited "Gur-Emir".
Samarkand city has made no impression, but the great historical monuments. It describes them useless and photos do not convey that impression that they produce, how many times I have seen pictures Registan and when saw a living, that it has two very different things. And on the Bibi Khanum and say nothing, no picture does not convey the size and grandeur of this complex, rather it mausoleum beloved wife Timur.
Almost all madrasas and historical complexes occupied by souvenir shops. But nobody disturb you will not if you just want to sit in the yard, I do not know why but inside the madrassa becomes very calmly to the soul.
The evening before leaving for Tashkent, we simply walked evening on the town, looking for ancient baths, or why something called Jewish or old baths, found, met with the owner of saunas, it its own travel agency. It is very much interested in expanding their business, was surprised that we travel by themselves. In the hotel owner also told us that tourists from Russia is a rarity. A lot of tourists from France, Japan, Germany. By the way tourist groups we met not so much. But foreigners traveling independently in Bukhara was very much even with small children.
Early in the morning we left at the railway station, there were a car to Tashkent, except us were two more passengers, a woman and a man, then as it turned out, and the driver and passengers were on the nationality of the Armenians. Asked Ivan, whether he liked in Uzbekistan, Ivan delighted to say that it is very upset at what they were told that there is now no longer those times and all the way, we were told of life in Soviet Union, which organized chic wedding, invited musicians from Baku, as merrily spent time and had other earnings. We are all being stopped at the positions, but did not require documents.
We settled to the hotel directly at the railway station because it is not far from the airport, we morning flight to Novosibirsk. The hotel we were told that we arranged only if there are registrations VOIR. I went to the railway station in the local branch of the police to make registration. But Ivan left at the hotel and gave his custody record in Samarkand, suddenly require a record where we had all these days. Hallway back, no paper, where she and he had no notion, then confessed that it ate from the unrest.
And arrange to exchange money at the hotel, we decided to damn about anything and walk into the city. Transportation not walked, taxi refused to go because the roads blocked, went on foot, day was simply wonderful warm sun. Still, it was pity to waste time, money and where something had to spend, all shops were closed, markets, too, Broadway is empty, my dream at the time of departure to buy a picture seemingly feasible.
Here Ivan come in some cafes, incidentally, was very cool, we even remember the name specifically "Bravissimo", to recommend. But most importantly true that his dream for which he persuaded hope he had me to the last day to take place in Tashkent, the child is a child left to eat strawberries, here he met her and. I bought packaged as strawberries in winter grass no taste, but to our surprise was simply the strawberry bush, sweet and fragrant yet so large, strawberries on the same day, we probably made the cafe plan. And yet there is a wonderful pastries. I first tried samsa with pumpkin, does not compare with the samsa which we sell in the market, yet I ordered pancakes with sour cream, at first surprised price for Uzbekistan some expensive like, but when brought understood why. Huge two pancakes stuffed with real strawberries and policies not just sour cream, cream and delicious. Ivan ordered a pie with meat, when it yielded, we realized why say Tashkent city bread. Actually, I noticed that, unlike Bukhara and Samarkand in Tashkent choice of cuisine is very diverse.
Eat to fall off the subway went on the outskirts of town, here we are lucky, taxi not so capricious, we took the car and went to watch surviving madrassas and mausoleums after the earthquake, of course, after Bukhara and Samarkand, they seemed gray, small and uninteresting. But energy from them was still good. Target on the map, we as a driver himself did not know where they are, in a coffin, said, I saw all these monuments. But all of us opportunities and waited, and when I asked how much he wants for their work, said that we are guests, and to how much can so much and spent. Here in this and perhaps unlike spliced tourist places that never belonged to us not as tourists where you can earn, but always as guests.
At the end of the day when we have already gathered in a hotel, and I was lucky, accidentally stumbled upon on the antiques shop and crafts. There I bought a picture for one hundred and twenty bucks. In Bukhara, you can buy cheaper, but the choice I did not have, the morning of departure.
Now this is one of my favorite paintings. To no problems with Customs, I withdrew its stretcher and tighten in the pipe, we put it in a backpack and Ivan's handed in luggage. While the picture is only 77 years, but little whether that these customs officers in the head will come. At the Ukrainian Customs kept us half an hour, looking for art, when I wanted to even hold a crude picture, only then we learned that this was not legally on their part. The most interesting thing is that this summer in Simferopol, in the gallery, I met with paintings by the same author, but twice as expensive.
Morning we flew without delay, again passing customs, terribly tiresome, I was held in two weeks office in Syria, where I had not even noticed, as it passed.
So, what has to be recruited in advance of patience. Things are browsing at ten times, even tried to look at our strawberries. To gidzhak to find fault with, whether he is not old. I found a receipt with his worth and asked: how can an old thing cost so much, border guard a little thought and decided that probably can not.
Uzbekistan Travel Tips Part 1 (Arrival in Tashkent. Urgench. Khiva)
Uzbekistan Travel Tips Part 2 (Khiva. Road to Bukhara. Bukhara)
Uzbekistan Travel Tips Part 3 (Road to Samarkand. Samarkand)
Uzbekistan Travel Tips Part 4 (Samarkand. Shakhrisabz. Departiry from Tashkent)
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