Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Sun 30 May 11: Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Our last waiting day! We went to the Tezykoklova bazaar, the Sunday flea market. One can buy anything from aquarium fish and their food to bicycle spare parts, all kinds of pets, car tires, old military uniforms with the soviet medals, used land line phones, old Russian magazines. We did not leave without having a huge bowl of plov.

                                                          

Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Plov is more than just a national dish. It is an institution with National Plov Centres where loads of men and a few women go every day to eat the rice, meat and dried fruit combination with a few chick peas. At the bottom of the large Kazan ( plov casserole in which 2 or 3 men can sit) floats the oil and fat. Thursdays are considered the best day for plov . The bravest men drink this liquid which is supposed to heighten their libido. No wonder more children are conceived on that day.

Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Tue 24 May 11: Tashkent, Uzbekistan

We have not seen much of Tachkent yet. We hired a travel agent for the Tajikistan. That was cool. Kyrgyzstan visa was tough. We waited 3,5 hours for a 5 minute interview and we need to go back tomorrow for a possible visa on Friday at 16H00.

There is quite a difference between Caucasians and Central Asians, especially the Uzbeks. They have known a golden age under Tamerlane somehow lost under the Russians rule. Strong pressure to wipe out the past, and the older generation is still in-between this communist experience and the establishment of a new national identity. The young are already open to the e-world but foreign contacts remain scarce. We are approached by genuine and sincere young people who only wish to talk and exchange a little. Communication remains difficult, their English very bookish and our Russian and Uzbek almost inexistent. We were very impressed by this 51 year old man with traditional hat speaking about all the French literature classics and not about Zidane , G Flaubert, JP Sartre, M Proust , E Zola , G de Maupassant , etc

Registan, Samarkand

Today our eyes are glued to minarets, domes and all the Registan monuments, the magic of all the bazaar colours even if they are surrounded and dispersed among soviet style buildings and Japanese noisy cars. They all came here. From Alexander to conquer, Genghis Khan to destroy, Timur to build monuments as well as an intellectual centre, Omar Khayyam for knowledge, the Persians and Chinese for commerce, the Russians to rule. It was Central Asia capital, economic and cultural capital. It is unfortunate to see the aggressive renovation of the communist days and the recent urge to “redesign” the city.

But there is some mitigated feelings about the city.  The Old city has disappeared. Large avenues have been cut to create new green parks. The Old city has been walled out by high modern walls to screen off the real life of the people. These modest houses are slowly being renovated by individual efforts each one in his own personal style with new materials in a chaotic way.  It is to be feared that the grandeur of the city’s impressive monuments will not be able to divert our attention from this. The result of the main city monuments renovation leaves an impression of diluteness in a city without soul. Scattered monuments with no relation with their immediate surroundings. Khiva and Bukhara had more coherence.

Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Sun 22 May 11: Samarkand, Uzbekistan

For me this is one of the peaks of the journey, Samarkand has always been mythical, some kind of Xanadu that only existed in my imagination evocative of the splendid Silk Road. And here we are finally!

Bukhara, Uzbekistan

For a 300 000 population and for a 1000 year old city which inhabits the mind of so many people, I imagine Bukhara much busier and livelier. I imagine the bazaars to be thriving with tourists and locals. It is just a quiet, laid back city especially on a Friday which is the prayer day, par excellence. The tourists, mainly French and some Japanese are easily recognized and we meet, re-meet often and salute each other.

It is grander than Khiva with its canals and one can feel there are too many medressas, minarets, bazaars. Again this feeling of frozen architecture pervades. The city centre is amazingly beautiful. Like Khiva, it was a centre for culture and science with eminent people Ibn Sina (Avicenne) among others.

The old fortress, Royal Palace – The Ark – escaped Genghis Khan sack but not the Red army in 1920. It is just some ruins within the fortress walls. The Kalon Minaret is one of the only monuments that was saved by Genghis Khan for its beauty.  Every city we have been till now have been savagely destroyed by the Khan and luckily very often rebuilt by Tamerlane.

The locals seem to live quietly with the few tourists and are very friendly. We are welcomed and called by all the children. Some adults Uzbek tourists even want to be photographed with us.  The older people are all dressed in national costumes. The younger women are beautiful but age does not help them. They quickly age and fade away.

Khiva - Uzbekistan: Being an Architect

Being an architect in the earlier days could be tough. Most clients were as difficult as now. The Khiva Khan threw one of them from the top of the 56m high minaret because he designed a better one in Bukhara. Another one got impaled because he did not want to commit himself to finish a palace within 2 years. It is not good to say no to power. However there are some few instances of lucky architects I know of. One of them married the Egyptian queen Hapshepshut. More recently Geoffrey Bawa of Sri Lanka is famous among any local person as a national celebrity. So does Louis Kahn in Dhaka, Bangladesh. But the number one remains A Tumanyan who is the national hero of the unnamed city of Yerevan, Armenia with his statue and the main avenue named after him.

Khiva - Uzbekistan

Khiva! Kim thought we arrived into faked world. Something designed and built for tourists. We crossed the West gate of the fortified city and walked to Meros Guest house. The whole city inside the walls is a frozen city in time. Frozen architecture at its best! Old origin since the 8^th century, it remained a minor outpost until its reconstruction at the end of the 18^th century. It was one of the horrible slave market of Central Asia.

Some of its 60 000 local people still live within the walls and most of them live immediately outside. We are happy to be among the few tourists (mostly European) wandering around here although the season has started yet.

We are progressively travelling from the outer posts Khiva, then to Bukhara and finally to Samarkand. Each city grows in intensity and quality of architecture and presence of history and, of course, traces of the Silk Road.

Nukus

Nukus is just a lifeless isolated city with tree lines avenues and soviet style buildings. But it contains one of the best Modern Art Museum of the world. We did not choose to go to Moynaq to see the dying, drying Aral Sea. The Igor Savitsky museum possesses around 15 000 paintings of unknown and forbidden artists from the 20’ies to the 80’ies. Unbelievable collection unseen from the rest of the world (once in Paris and once in New York only) with Russian and soviet artists extremely avant-garde and with an amazing eclecticism. The museum is worth the whole 24h train trip.

Lunch at the Nukus Bazaar with samsas (original and larger versions of the Indian samoosas) and laghman (noodles with vegetables and mutton). 

Aktau, Kazakhstan - Kungrad, Uzbekistan

Mon 16 May 11: Beyneu, Kazakhstan – Kungrad, Uzbekistan

We are now in 3^rd/4^th class social mix. The only difference is that 3^rd class get to choose their seats and the 4^th take the remaining seats.

Border pass formalities were smooth and easy with the immigration and customs officers joking to us naming all the French celebrities. Zidane always comes first.

The landscape is dry, barren till the horizon with a few horses and wild camels. These are sometimes domestic animals.  There is no tarred road to Uzbekistan and all the goods trucks and cars ride on sand tracks with a long dust trail behind. Paris-Texas film scenes and landscapes.

The real action starts at the Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan border at Karakalpakstan. All the vendors jump on board the train and start selling their wares. I have only seen that before on a bus between Douala and Yaoundé in Cameroon. The vendors are young, and old children, women, men  shouting and advertising their products. You can be fed – Pilmieni, Samsa, Shashlik. You can drink, coke, water, tea, beer. You can smoke – cigarettes. You can wash yourself after – Kleenex, soap, razor blades and toothpaste. You can get dressed and/or dress your kin – girls’ dresses, t-shirts, trousers, shawls. You can go home loaded with gifts – toys, napkins, DVD, loudspeakers, perfumes or play the music yourself – Musical instruments. You can call/write home – mobile phones and sim cards, pens and notebooks. And if you don’t have local currency, the black market exchange comes to you; 50 US$ gets you a book thick of 1000 som notes (biggest note = 0,25 US$) . It is an uninterrupted flow of vendors up and down the corridor. 

It is difficult to decide whether we are in the middle of nowhere or just an abandoned somewhere, a ghost city. Nearly a quarter of the population is of Russian origin, like a lost abandoned tribe by motherland Russia

Baku,Azerbaijan - Aktau, Kazakhastan

We finally gave up the Caspian Sea ferry crossing.It was more reasonable to fly for one hour by Azerbaijan Airlines instead of a 3 day sea trip. We will sleep overnight in Aktau and then try to catch a train to Nukus, Uzbekistan.

Seki and Caravanserays

Fri 13 May 11: Seki - Baku, Azerbaijan

Seki is a lovely little town near the Caucasus. The landscape is impressive especially in spring. Thick forests at the foot of snowy mountains. The village remains timeless till now. Pre-christianity temples of the Caucasian Albania. In the days of the Silk Road, caravans from Tbilisi and Baku use to converge here before going through the Caucasian mountains round the Caspian Sea through the Dagestan and Astrakhan. No wonder a small silk production still remains in the town. One of the five caravanserais still operates as a hotel. The small 1762 Xan Sarayi palace is a little jewel under the shade of its two 500 years platane. The most amazing elements are the coloured glass sebeke (a kind of moucharabieh).

Baku-Seki

On the way to Seki. I am amazed by the wealth of culture present in this part of the world. The Azeris love life and culture. They will spend hours at the table feasting with their guests. Each toast is a poetic tribute to life, to their values (family, beauty and emotions). Mugham, their traditional music, has exceptional qualities. Their modern versions have jazz tones and even “fusionned” with jazz at the Montreux Festival. Each traditional song is immediately embraced by the whole restaurant singing passionately their love for their country’s landscape or just some happy/sad love story. Till now they have poetry national competitions (des joutes oratories) widely followed and discussed by the whole population. Poets become national heroes and are remembered till now. The theatres and opera house have a full spring-summer programme from ballet to Don Quixote, Aida and Carmen.

Wine is another wonderful surprise. I would know whether we should qualify their wine as coming from the New World since it was an exceptional Shiraz, given that Shiraz the Iranian city is just a few km away. Yet another example of a very moderate form of Islamic practice. A discreet and respectful way of following one’s religion.

Baku

Tue 10 May 11: Baku, Azerbaijan

The Old City is the oriental counterpart of this European city with the fortress walls, the mosque domes, the hammam, the Sirvanshakh palace and the caravan seray. All the winding roads delicately paved and all the old buildings almost completely renovated. Our hotel is one of those in the old town.

Mon 09 May 11: Baku , Azerbaijan

Arrival without any problem to Baku round 11H00. We are so amazed and surprised by the quality of the City centre and the quality of its renovation programme. Our hotel is in the Old City. It is really becoming a world city. A interesting and surprising mix of old ladas and latest BMWs, soviet style apartment blocks revamped and gentryfied, the 19^th century Hausmanian architecture in several boulevards give it a cosmopolitan air with some middle eastern flavor. Just as much as the teahouses, expats pubs, the young dressed in the latest fashion strolling in the pedestrian avenues.

The Azeri architects seem to compete in hospitality. The 8-course meal (Lunch/Dinner) finished at 19H30. There some kind of uneasiness to sit in this revolving restaurant at the 27^th storey high tower eating caviar and overlooking some slum neighbourhoods at our feet. The chief architect Abbas shared his dry sense of humour and amazing Azeri Cabernet Sauvignon to ooze the discomfort.

Tbilisi-Baku

Sun 07 May 11

Tbilisi-Baku train. We are in “First Class” Slepny Vagon, soviet style in its most glorious time. Platform 4 and compartment 5-6 were waiting for us. Two beds/couches with flowery sheets matching the brown Scottish tartan blankets complete with a pair of pillows, a large (used?) one with cotton pillow case with the I Vaqon Deposu logo and a second more modern one without pillow case. Clean bed sheets are supplied once the train is on the way. Central Asian undefined carpet on the in between corridor. Sliding door with heavy duty lock to ensure our privacy. Net shelf for each for our minor accessories. Private bedside lamp with general ceiling fluorescent light. Fixed window with embroided gold lace curtain to frame the view.. Individual hangers for the comfort of our clothes. We have taken photos for our interior designer friends for new inspirations.

Yerevan-Tbilisi

Fri 06 May 11:

Sacha Baladian organized a taxi – Mercedes – to drive us to Tbilisi and stopping thru’ the Debet canyon areas. We have a good driver, proper music. It’s a pity, it’s raining again. Kim had prepared a CD last night for our trip. Unfortunately there is no CD driver in this car.

Lunch in Pamak in a container restaurant by the river. Khoravats (Armenian barbecue) with salad and cheese deliciously prepared by an old lady.  Two stops only at Odzin and Haghpat monasteries, the 2^nd one being Unesco World Heritage. Both of them ravaged and sacked the Tamerlane. Terrible guy! Can’t wait to see his birth place in Samarkand. Reaching Tbilisi early at 17H00.

Yerevan

Thu 05 May 11:

I am struck by how European Erevan and its people are with cafés, fashion, operas, and churches. Contrasting with a persistent old attitude remains. A sort of sadness contrasting with their love for life, music, arts and cognac. A strong will to fight for the identity and a kind of acceptance of their condition as if it will always remain unimproved.

Tbilisi - Yerevan

Given the diplomatic relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, we could not mention to one that we are visiting the other country. We are now writing on our trip since Armenia, through Azerbaijan and then Kazakhstan.

-----------------

Perseverance pays. The Azerbaijan embassy finally gave us the visa after the 4^th visit and 120 Euros.

It is too late to travel by a marshrutka. The last one leaves Tbilisi – Ortachala station at noon. So we settled for a taxi, negotiated by Devid at 200 Lari. We should be there by 18H00 ie 5 hours later. The travel is in an old Mercedes with the pictures of 3 orthodox saints protecting our loud journey. Loud as the Georgian music and the hot weather. It seems we jumped suddenly into summer.

Border crossing: Georgian side with French passport to avoid showing the Azeri visa. Armenian side with the Mauritian passport. The passport officers were lost and even my world map could not help them to decide if we were from Madagascar or Mauritania. Nevertheless, they let us in without too much trouble and with a smile.

Back to the blog

The blog is now operational again as we leave Azerbaijan.
We resume the trip where we were.

Signaghi-Kakheti

Trip to Kakheti region at Signaghi, small village in the North. Splendid village looking at the Caucasian mountains with snow peaks rising to nearly 4000m and the Alazania River and valley at our feet. Sad to know the Chechnya lies on the other side of the mountain (Russia).Wine growing region, breathtaking beauty from the little village completely renovated.

Lunch started late afternoon there and ended at 18H30 with great Georgian red wine.

Mtskheta: Georgia's old capital

We deserved another round of toasts with 13 people table and tamada after the visit of the old capital Mtskheta. The 4th century old capital is Georgia’s spiritual heart where Christianity started. It is now a UNESCO world heritage. The dinner finished too late for the Barcelona- Real Madrid match.

Tbilisi: Supra, Tamada and toasts

The supra is quite something with music, songs and dancing. It is a place where no one is inhibited. This is not a Georgian quality. By the end of the evening all tables of the restaurant act like one single party and drink, toast and sing together. The Georgian national anthem would come in without notice and uniting all of them standing up and singing almost in tears, joined in an absolute patriotic urge. And the party will continue stronger after. It is not easy to drink so much but avoid getting drunk. Food is there to accompany the drinks and not the other way round. And one should never steal wine ie drink outside a toast.

Tbilisi: Abanotubani, sulphur baths.

We had our baths in the hot sulphur baths at Abanotubani which was also enjoyed by Alexandre Dumas and Pushkin. After soaking in the hot water, we were turned, re-turned, scrrrrubbed , soaped, splashed, massaged, very strongly by an old hairy full belly semi-naked masseur. Quite an experience that left us clean and new to walk around Tbilisi in the first really sunny day. Finally spring has come.