Living it up in Bukhara & Khiva

If there is one way to sum up our time in Bukhara it would be self-indulgent.

Part of our time was taken up with the walking tour of the old city seeing the various mosques mausoleums and the obligatory carpet shop.  Once again we followed our Uzbek guide, Beck, around these sights just the same as the coach loads of German tourists on their one week whistle stop tour! Having had our fill of the coach tour lifestyle the rest of the time was taken up with exploring the city and beyond without a guide, relying on sense of direction, non-existent Russian and many hand gestures which found us spread all over the city.  Lots of haggling was the order of the day with the various traders in the streets selling all kinds of wares; intricate knives, decorative paintings, silk scarves, tapestries, embroidered jackets, ceramics and hats in various styles.  Some of the group decided that having spent seven weeks on the road they were a little grubby, even after spending 5 nights in hotels with varying degrees of hot water, ranging from tepid to boiling.  So it was off to the hammam for a decent scrub down, including Alison, who was especially filthy after helping Simon change the oil in the truck. The experience was not what the western traveller may have expected, but was  one of  time honoured local tradition and not so private.  Despite this fact it was greatly enjoyed and the feeling of cleanliness was much appreciated.

An overload of information from our local guide - when there is around  5,000 years' worth of history, there is plenty to talk about!

Markets

Listening intently

Stunning mosaic tiling, a photographers' paradise!

Ann H

Andrew E

Cathy

Teresa

Ann H and the photo stance again!

The more discerning members of the group enjoyed delights such as the tea at Silk Road Spice.  Here they serve a variety of delicious spiced teas and coffee accompanied with a complimentary selection of sweets, sugars and nuts.

Anne W

Nigel H

Nigel H & Jacq

Shisha was discovered at Minzifa café and enjoyed while sat on the roof terrace while looking out over the city sky line of domes and minarets.  We were tended to by their excellent and attentive staff.  The group enjoyed their evening meals here, tucking in to tasty Plov, flaming kebabs, succulent salads and fruity desserts. The reappearance of vino classico wine was met with jubilation from a select few, and the restaurants small supply was rapidly consumed.

Phil & Annie

Once our time was over in Bukhara it was just a matter of 10 hours’ drive on intermittently terrible roads to Khiva.  Beck, who is used to travelling in the style of our German friends in air-conditioned coaches complete with microphones, let it be known he was suffering a great deal on this journey and not just because he had to raise his voice. I’m not sure if this is related but he left us once we arrived in Khiva and we met our new guide for the next day’s tour, Mohammed.

The old town of Khiva is set within the ancient wall and in times long passed served as a minor fort and Silk Road trading post. It now contains many sights for us to visit and all in a short distance of each other.  Similar to Bukhara there are many vendors peddling their wears in the streets who as normal quote extortionate prices leading to the now usual game of haggling. Many of us decided to leave the confines of the walled tourist corral and head outside for some more local experiences and cheap food for lunch which although small in variety the quality was excellent.   Our presence was met with a warm welcome from the locals, some even offering to share their vodka. After a pleasant day it was an early night for most in preparation for the border crossing to Turkmenistan the next day. 

Ann S & Anne W