Most Inspirational Moment
I don’t think a single member of our group of sixteen (enormously gifted and intrepid) travellers managed to master the Uzbek language much beyond the welcome greeting ‘assalom aleikum’ (‘may peace be unto you’), so here is my very own Uzbek Alphabet to give a flavour of our Exodus trip (Uzbekistan Uncovered). A. A is for Alexei, our calm and competent Russian-speaking driver who drove us 1500 kms in a rather cramped minivan. He negotiated urban traffic, dirt roads, uneven surfaces and potholes with aplomb. He was even gracious when, having gratefully accepted his ‘thank you’ envelope he was unceremoniously asked to return it so some of our group who’d missed the collection could add their contribution B. Breakfast was definitely the best meal of the day: peanuts, sesame bites, juicy raisins, yoghurt, dried apricots, cherry juice, pancakes and the distinctive flat bread, the latter subtly different in each location. Several of us succumbed to the decorative wooden bread stamps with metal pin roundel patterns as souvenirs C. The distinctive blue and white China, with a hint of gold, was the standard design greeting us at mealtimes and many of our friends will receive teapots or cups in this pattern as a gift D. D, of course can only stand for Dilshod, our omniscient, indefatigable and irrepressible guide. With a near-perfect command of English (interspersed with the odd, endearingly quaint ‘Dilshodism’) he negotiated, arranged, facilitated, guided and interpreted with impeccable professionalism and unbounded enthusiasm E. One of the first sites we visited was the strikingly designed Earthquake Memorial in Tashkent, a moving tribute to those who lost their lives at precisely 5.22am on 26th April 1966 F. F is for the funky Fashion Show we attended in Bukhara. To the accompaniment of local instruments, lean models twirled and twisted, showing off traditional Uzbek fabrics (silks, ikat, cottons) in garments designed with a contemporary twist (doppes, chapans, scarves) G. G is for the Gold teeth revealed by the wide and welcoming smiles of local people in the streets and shops. They’re apparently a sign of wealth and certainly more portable than wodges of the local currency (see below) H. H is for the three remarkable Hill Fortresses we visited outside Khiva. Their location amid flat, wild desert was stunning and we had the sites to ourselves. The mud structures, though repeatedly restored, had an eerie timeless quality. We clambered (carefully) over the mud walls, thankful there hadn’t been recent rainfall. We peered through arrow slits and admired the sturdy yet alarmingly vulnerable ramparts I. After a hard day’s sightseeing with snow threatening, sitting down to listen to a shopkeeper playing traditional Uzbek Instruments provided a welcome interlude. We marvelled at the mandolins and the plaintive desert flute J. One of our favourite visits was on the very last morning to Tashkent’s Museum of Applied Arts. In this building, originally the intended residence of a Tsarist diplomat, we ogled a variety of wooden objects, ceramics, fabrics and Jewellery. Many of the jewellery pieces were substantial, yet by no means ostentatious - delicate filigree, orange-pink stones, designs reminiscent of Art Nouveau. J is also for Jill, my new(ish) friend and travelling companion whom I first met last year on an Exodus trip to Burma and with whom on this holiday, too I shared many a tipple, comment, confidence and chuckle K. Kebab or shashlik is a staple – and not only after a night out on the beer. Uzbeks are partial to meat which is of a tastiness rarely encountered in Britain. The downside is that it is occasionally a tad chewy L. Luggage featured prominently on the holiday. It grew weightier, of course, as our trip progressed, laden with gifts and souvenirs. One of our group spent a couple of hours in mild panic when her case failed to arrive at the hotel, but it miraculously materialised with another tour group on the same circuit as us. Another of our group was unceremoniously hauled back through internal airport check-in with a suspect object in her suitcase, only to discover her bag had been wrongly labelled with the name of another member of our group whose innocent mobile phone had caused the alert. Dilshod leaped valiantly to the rescue on both occasions M. We marvelled at the Medley of Mosques, Minarets, Madrassahs, Mausolea, Museums, Markets, Monuments and ornate Metro stations. As well as the above, we also saw a tandoori oven being filled with samosas, ancient petroglyphs etched on shaley rocky outcrops, a bloodstained Koran – the oldest in the world, a harem (finally shit down in the 20th century), the astronomer king Ulug Beg’s sextant, caravanserais, rich carpets, buzzing bazaars… My brain befuddled by the above I tried to distinguish and recall the names and facts about all we’d witnessed on my return home. Taking a plethora of photos and notes helped N. And talking of notes, Notes of the financial variety – the ‘sum’ - are my letter N. Depending on which ‘bank’ you patronise (formal or informal), the rate of exchange fluctuates wildly. To sum up – you get one hell of a lot of ‘sum’ for your money, so group restaurant bills necessitated payment with brick-sized wads of notes and resulted in great photo opportunities to reflect this silliness O. O is for the romantic sounding river Oxus or Amu Darya. We stopped for a thankfully brief bird’s eye view of it from an exposed wild and windy hilltop P. Plov has to feature for the letter P. The most delicious plov we sampled was in what appeared to be an unobtrusive private house, where we were offered this traditional dish of meat, rice, raisins and quails’ eggs with a roasted garlic bulb atop. And another, unexpected P that evening – it was Paula’s birthday and we stoically helped her demolish her surprise cake Q. As Dilshod’s repeated refrain reminded us, “If you have any Questions, you’re very welcome” R. For my taste, over-restored, the Registan in Samarkand still impressed by its size, grandeur and decorative detail S. S is for the exotic Silk Road. The women in our group finally managed to entice the men into purchasing floaty, subtly-coloured silk scarves and brightly-coloured ‘suzane’ embroidery with vibrant pomegranate motifs, many coloured with natural dyes made from pomegranate skins, beetroot, nuts, onion skins, turquoise stone, grass, mushrooms and mulberries. Fabrics to die for T. T is for the Tiles decorating the mosques and minarets – in gorgeous turquoises, rich kingfisher blues and earthy ochres U. U is for urban Urgench, which the authoritative Macleod and Mayhew guidebook engagingly describes as ‘a flat, grey Soviet city with all of Tashkent’s faults and few of its saving graces’. This was where our internal flight was destined (we were then to drive onward to Khiva), but were diverted to Bukhara. One of our group, in a daze, calmly got off the plane, assuming we had arrived at Urgench, only to reboard after a short interval, all blushes and giggles. We teased her mercilessly V. V is for Vodka – a handy remedy for warming up the innards when facing a night on a mattress in a chilly yurt – a discreet purchase by several of our number W. W is for Water – a precious commodity here. We heard the sad and shocking story of the Aral Sea, irretrievably shrinking due to the over-irrigation of cotton fields in years gone by X. The highlight for most of us was the EXotic camel ride over the desert dunes, swathed with carpets and drifts of scarlet poppies amid grey saxaul bushes, to Aidarkul Lake where the brave amongst us had a very chilly dip followed by the reward of a picnic of fried lake fish. EXcellent Y. The night in the Yurt was for me our most exciting accommodation. Albeit a touch touristy, it was a novel experience to sleep under a felt roof, a multi-coloured fabric ‘chandelier’ suspended above and the acrid smell of felt (or was it camel pee?) in one’s nostrils Z. I had always assumed that Zoroastrianism was some cranky belief, but by the end of the trip began to understand it more fully and get my eye in for the symbols. And then… home to some well-earned Zzzzzz.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Dilshod was a delight!