I am SO far behind with this blog.
The Sisters' Tour of Uzbekistan
Monday June 13: Tashkent to Nukus
Our morning was a complete schmozzle. I had booked a transfer to the airport, flights Tashkent/Nukus, a transfer from the airport to the hotel in Nukus, and two nights in a hotel in Nukus. For some reason, we were told that we would be picked up at 4AM for our flight. So we were up at 3AM, and ready to go by 4. At 4:15 I called the driver, who told me he would be there in 15 minutes. At 4:45 I called again. He yelled at me and hung up. At 5AM we dragged our suitcases down to the street near my little alleyway. I called again. He yelled at me and hung up again. At this point we dragged our bags to the main road and grabbed a cab. I turned my phone off.
When we landed in Nukus, we dragged our bags to the exit and were met by our next driver. When poor Cathy sat in the back seat, she discovered that it was soaking wet. I had been to Nukus before, so when we blew by the street where the hotel was, I muttered the name of the hotel to the driver. He responded that there were two Jipek Joli Hotels. Okay. But then we just did a big loop of the city and were heading back towards the hotel. Then he suddenly turned down another road, one that was being torn up. At this point, I just begged him to take us to the hotel. He took us to the hotel I was expecting. Unfortunately, they weren't expecting us. After a lot of worried, whispered conversations, we were shown to a room with two beds and a cot.
I immediately contacted the tour company and told them we HAD to have another driver for the next day's long trip to Moynaq. If this guy couldn't find our hotel in this tiny city, I really didn't want to be out in the middle of nowhere in Karakalpakstan. The original driver must have been a friend of the hotel receptionist, because he hung around in the lobby, and the receptionist repeatedly told us how sorry he was and were we sure we wanted a different driver. It was very bizarre and awkward. We later discovered that he had actually brought us to the wrong hotel, which is why they didn't seem prepared for us!
Once we settled down, we walked a few blocks to the incredible, amazing Savitsky Museum. I have talked about this place in a previous post, but the very existence of this place is a miracle. And a testament to one man's passion and tireless efforts to preserve Art that would otherwise have been lost. There has been a scary development since I first arrived in Uzbekistan. Marinika Babanazarova, the woman who devoted her life to this museum has been forced from her position of director. I can only imagine that that is because someone with more power than her has different ideas about what should happen to the works of Art housed in this little museum in the back of beyond.
After a late lunch, we decided to walk to the market and buy some supplies for our big adventure the next day.
Tuesday June 14: Nukus to Moynaq and back
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| We were pulled over for a passport check. |
Today was a day of adventure and exploring. After breakfast, we piled into a car driven by Hussein, and we were off! We drove and drove and drove. I sat in the front with Hussein and he taught me Uzbek words for every animal and tree we passed.
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| We had to pull over when I spotted a herd of horses in the middle of this gorgeous field. |
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And then this little guy decided to hang out with me.
When we arrived in Moynaq, our day just kept getting better and better. Dar, Cathy & I walked down into what was once the bed of the Aral Sea.
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A map that shows the enormity of the environmental disaster that happened to the Aral Sea.
After we walked around the sea bed, we climbed back up to look at the monument, and the information provided. I had of course noticed a sweet little dog wandering around, and a very poor man seemed to have attached himself to us and our driver.
The old man was the 'caretaker' of the site, and the dog his companion. My sisters and I had packed a lunch of bread, peanut butter, plums, and cashews. We sat on the small ledge of a yurt and shared the lunch with Hussein, the caretaker, and his dog. It was one of the loveliest moments of our day, maybe even our entire trip.
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Where we sat to eat our lunch.
After lunch, we piled back into the car and began the drive back to Nukus.
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On the way, we stopped for tea and a toilet break.
Just before Nukus, we made a detour to Mizdakhan, an ancient necropolis/contemporary cemetery.
Before completing our day, we had one more adventure - camels! No, we didn't ride them. We saw them wandering by the side of the road. Of course I had to leap out of the car and go photograph them, with my anxious sisters watching, no doubt expecting me to be bitten or stomped.
Wednesday June 15: Nukus to Khiva via Topraq Qala and Ayaz Qala
We left the hotel at 8AM. Before leaving Nukus, Hussein and I made a run through the market for bread, plums, and water.
Topraq Qala (clay fort) is thought to have been a royal city constructed between the 1st and 2nd centuries. It was excavated in the 1930's, but it is now unprotected from people and the elements (not that there are many people wandering around in the part of Uzbekistan).
On the way to Ayaz Qala, we saw a herd of goats. So....
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| I pretty much fell in love with this guy. |
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| My travel companions wondered when I would give up on the goats. |
Ayaz Qala contains three forts built between the 1st and 8th centuries.
