Bukhara

The train ride from Samarkand to Bukhara was easy enough. When booking through the Uzbek Train app, you are two ticket options, which I missed because I honestly don't pay attention. The high speed modern fast train and the cheaper slow train with limited or no AC. Guess which one I booked because I can be dumb more times than not. My train was to travel for five hours, compared to the two hours for the modern beauty. The price difference was about $10. Train travel, like everything in Uzbekistan is very reasonable, much like the Yandex taxi rides. Now to add to the agony of a train with NO AC on a blistering hot summer day, my train ran two hours longer than it posted. Good Times.

I did go for a bit of a wander and I found the restaurant car that was bathing in cool air from a strong AC. There were a few decent bits of food but it was mostly sugar. I shared this small victory with the French couple and their two kids (I am guessing 10 and 8) who I was chatting and suffering with. They were on a one year world tour and said that experienced worse on a bus ride in Thailand. Even the kids had this epic attitude. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that they took their kids out of school and traveled the world for a year with them. That is top notch parenting in my books. I did not have the heart to take photos inside the train, but I can tell you that after my disastrous Pakistani bus trip, this was a walk in the park. We all went to the restaurant car and dig into soft drinks, water, snickers bars and other assorted garbage, bathing in the luxury of AC as if we were the Rockefellers.

I said goodbye and goodluck to my 2 hour French friends and prepared myself for the "Taxi Tout Olympics." Normally I will chat, be friendly, and just politely say "No Thank You" as I keep walking. This time however I had my game face on. It was a long day, I was amped up on sugar and was really not in the mood. The first guy grabbed my shoulder and I pulled away easy enough. The second dude started following me and kept telling me that "Yandex does not work in Bukhara.". Let me be clear. My Yandex fare was 25000 Som, which is less than $3. This guy wanted to charge me 40000 Som, an outrageous $4.25. It becomes a game of sorts and  yes,I realize the absurdity of it. 

I found my Yandex after running the gauntlet then relaxed and enjoyed the 20 minute ride to my hostel. That is when the  real fun began. I knew I was going to have a problem finding my hotel because of the name, The Best cheap guest house Muxta-Sham Karavansaray.  When I finally did arrive the actual name of the hotel is Muhtasham Hotel and it includes signage on the main street and in the alleyway. The alley way is a just a term for a one lane very tight street the weaves through buildings and neighbourhoods. Keep reading..

The Yandex driver dropped me off at the side of the main road that I was hoped was near to my destination. I put the actual address into the app and not the dumbass name. It turned out that "yes" it was a short walk but naturally I headed off in the wrong direction because I forget that Google GPS and me are in a constant "state of war". Now, under normal circumstances and in normal towns you can "forrest gump" your way around with the tools that you have at your disposal and be successful. In Bukhara you need a bit more "Jenny" and a lot less "Forrest". 

Entering a neighbourhood off the main street suddenly becomes a scene from James Bond or Jason Bourne. The road is narrow and winds tightly coming upon hidden intersections while enclosed by buildings on both sides. Each turn gets more complex, although random signs for "other hotels" appear on walls and on overhangs. I walked with confidence as the address I entered had me roll up to a nice place with an older couple out front. "How nice, a welcoming committee, they must have seen me."

I said hello and asked if this was the hostel which resulted in confused and puzzled looks from them as an "Ah Shit" thought passed through my brain. I show them the reservation and the old guy and his wife go back for forth, which brought the neighbour over. Old guy then yelled into the house and out bounced a smiling teenage girl who must have been their granddaughter. After the Uzbek madness calmed a bit, I explained to her that I had a reservation for a hotel which led me to their house and I showed her the booking page on my phone. Without hesitating she found the phone number and called the place. This was my kind of "Alpha Girl. As it turns out I was not far off and "yes" I did put the address in wrong. She hung up and happily explained where I needed to go. I picked up my pack was about to leave when she "Alphaed Up" again and said "No, he will take you". I turn to see the old dude pulling an ebike from his garage.

I am sorry I did not take any photos or even ask the names of my saviours but the daughter was all smiles and proud of her accomplishment. We jumped aboard the e-Bike and set off,  two fat guys and a rucksack. This was no Easy Rider moment that's for sure.

Every Bar has one, the poor bugger

Off we went, bouncing down his street like a couple of National Lampoon International Spies. Cars would slowly make an appearance now and then and we had to pull over and let it squeeze by. When we finally hit a main street my Old Guy decides to stop at his friends shop. He turned to me to get off the bike and said "You like beer?" He did not wait for an answer and I just followed him into the shop like a lemming. The two guys in the shop greeted us and opened 4 beer 1 litre bottles of beer and mine disappeared rather quickly, so I bought a second round. Each was 30,000 som, about $3.25 and  I am not sure if it was because I was dehydrated but the second one was just as cold and delicious as the first. They boys were talking to each other and it was obvious it was about my situation with the hostel. The owner of the bar then called the hostel and told them to come and get me because it is their fault that the directions were so poor. I loved these old guys. Sure enough, 5 minutes later a younger guys enters the shop and joins us. Now there are five of us sitting around a large table drinking cold Uzbek beer. The only other guy in the place was asleep at the table beside us. He was finally chased out. Their broken English was great and the young guy was fluent enough to understand easily. My E-Bike guy said no to a third and pointed to his bike (loved that) and the hostel worker and I walked the 5 minutes, down two narrow alleys to the hostel. I checked in, tossed my bag into my room, took a shower and went back to the shop and sat in front of a floor fan and had a few more beer. That my friends is how I was introduced to Bukhara Uzbekistan. 

Bukhara at night

Night Views

People come out at night, hide from the sun in the day

I met a Japanese American Girl name ChinaTse but she said to call her Summer, so I did. We hung out a bit in Samarkand and made a point to meet up in Bukhara. It was nice to hang with someone for a couple of days and we met the next morning for coffee. It was going to be hot so we scrambled to see some of the historical sites before we went our separate ways to enjoy our hotels AC. We met again in the early evening and went to The Plov, for dinner, where we had Plov for dinner. I had plov quite a few times in Afghanistan but it does not compare to the Plov of Uzbekistan. Then it was off to the Mosques and Madrassas for the night show. It did not disappoint. Bukhara is 2500 years old, making it one of the oldest cities in Central Asia. Once the sun went down the people came out, in droves. I found the entire place quite mystical at night and made sure to sit and take in the environment I was a part of and the History that surrounded me. Our friend Genghis Khan conquered much of Uzbekistan in the early 13th Century and destroyed much of Bukhara and Samarkand, as was his calling card, plus Bukhara was a major stop on the Ancient Silk Road.

Uzbekistan boasts a rich history, with evidence of human settlement dating back to the Paleolithic period. It's been a crossroads of civilizations, influenced by Persian, Greek, Arab, Turkic, and Mongol empires. Key periods include the ancient Bactrian and Khorezmian kingdoms, the Samanid and Timurid empires, and the more recent Russian and Soviet eras, culminating in its independence in 1991.-- Wiki

Yes, it is a Lada

This one was a bit older, and I liked it better

If you consider that Uzbekistan finally achieved independence in 1991, that is only a short 34 years ago. You know that many of the older dudes walking around were conscripted and served in the Soviet Army and may have fought in Afghanistan of all places. When you get outside the major tourist areas and walk the old neighbourhoods, you can see the remains of Soviet Style apartment blocks and parks, large ornate government offices and failing infrastructure. You also see Babushkas (Grandmothers) everywhere. These are ladies that have seen some shit in their live, but are always ready with a wave and a smile.