Nukus Art and Commerce

Oct. 23, 2023-Nukus Art and Commerce I was unprepared for the experience that was the Savitsky Museum. We rode by bus four hours through desert, rain, and corduroy roads to spend equal time at a museum. Our docent spoke five languages. Her English was stellar. Of the 100,000 works in the collection, Savitsky saved 80,000. We must have seen 60,000. I couldn’t stop taking photos of the obscure works by tortured and imprisoned artists who never knew the notoriety their life’s work achieved. Along with paintings and sculpture, Savitsky saved ethnographic art such as weaving, embroidery, and jewelry. One wedding robe was made of a familiar looking fabric. On close examination, it was denim. Three hundred years ago, Karakalpak people were making what old Levi Strauss turned into an unparalleled fashion mania. This is a small city. Everything is walkable. With recovery almost complete our group now had pep in their step. I’m pleased to say David is not and hasn’t been the slowest. We walked to lunch and had one of the best yet. The usual salads of roasted eggplant and veggies appeared as well as cheese flatbread and lentil soup. We were spared another stew. We had various kabobs. They’re not served on skewers but are piled on a platter. There was lamb kofta, beef cubes, chicken, lamb cubes, tomatoes, and flatbread with spicy paprika and ground beef. Dessert was pistachio baklava. We rolled out of there and on to the city market. What I like about Yura is that he takes us to different specialty areas of each market, so we’re not always looking and produce or fish. This time we went to the gold section. It’s set up like a pawn shop where jewelry brought by sellers is weighed by the buyers. Prices are based purely on weight. Women working there wanted to know how old we were and were amazed that we were so spry. They then asked if we had our real teeth and showed off their gold ones. Off we marched to the tobacco sellers. This wasn’t cigarettes, but loose tobacco combined with chicken and camel poo. It’s placed under the tongue or between the lips and teeth, is extremely addictive, and carcinogenic. The smell is primarily of poo. Yura is a man of many talents. Although he comes from a wealthy family, still owns and runs his father’s factory with 150 employees, and works as a guide, his father wouldn’t let him be spoiled. He learned to do manual labor and was skilled enough to build his own house. That came in handy last night when he fixed the A/C in one of our rooms. DInner was at the home of a family that is in the restaurant business. They also cater dinners in their home for tourists. The house had oversized rooms decorated in brocade wallpaper and gilt. Food was sumptuous with literally soup to nuts spread on the table when we began. The main course was besh barmak, a noodle dish with turkey cubes. It is indigenous and served once a year at special occasions. Happy early Thanksgiving. WIne and local vodka was freely poured as was Coke and Fanta. David pronounced the vodka “very smooth.” A professional trio played local instruments and did throat singing. If I had to describe the sound the singer made, I’d say gargling while trying to speak. We had special packing instructions for our internal flight. We don’t have to take off our shoes, all liquids and aerosols must be in checked luggage, computers must be in carry-ons, and there are two x-ray checkpoints. Tomorrow, we fly back to Tashkent for a day before our flight to Kazakhstan. Toby

Home

Nov. 2, 2023-Home We’re home. It’s been a long road. Don’t know how many steps, but I’d venture to say we did at least the goal of 10,000 a day. We managed to wear all the clothing we brought, and I have the laundry to prove it. We have a long weekend to get caught up with that. I’ll try not to do it all today. One of the guilty pleasures of being back is getting to flush toilet paper and not have to place it in a receptacle. The other is not having to hoard bottled water and being able to drink tap water. One of our friends said it would be good to sleep in our own bed. Not so. Hotel mattresses have been more comfortable. I think that means we’re in the market for a new one at home. I slept 11 hours last night without ambien. I know I’ll need a nap today. We’re grateful for the people who have helped us on our trip. Besides fellow travelers. guides and drivers, there were many people who grabbed our bags and carried them down steps at airports when there were no elevators or escalators. I was even able to pay it forward a few times. Airport personnel who saw looks of confusion on our haggard faces jumped in to direct us….especially at JFK. And thanks to DHL, the rug one of our group bought in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, was delivered to her home safely by way of Dubai, New York, Cincinnati, and Phoenix. It’s better traveled than some of us. Thank you all for your comments and for joining us on this odyssey. I always appreciate your willingness to go along on our crazy adventures. We’re actually talking about “where next.” Oregon may be put on the back burner again. Toby

Homeward Bound

Nov. 1, 2023-Homeward Bound Luggage out at midnight. Yura was there to see us off and Sayeed escorted us. On the van at 12:30AM Not eating most of a lame boxed breakfast at 1:30AM No elevators at the Bishkek airport; flights of steps On the plane at 3:45AM A better breakfast followed by three hours of passing out; cookies and coffee Forty minutes to landing. Surprise!! Sandwich and cake. Landed after six hours Walked forever from Concourse B to F. Got to our gate in time for boarding Went through two more security checks They wanted me to take my IPad out of its case. Didn’t now how. Neither did they. I turned it on, smiled, gave a little bow, and put it back in my carry-on Recognized two flight attendants when we boarded. Flying Turkish Air too much I slept 5 hours , thank you ambien. Ate a total of about 6 meals. We’re in New York now and will be home tomorrow. Best investment was our Global Entry Pass. There was a two hour line-up at passport control. We breezed through with just a retina scan. Slept three more hours. Oy! Home tomorrow Toby

Bishkek City Tour

Oct. 30, 2023- Bishkek City Tour Miracles happen. Our gimpy group member is much better. It was a knee sprain and not dislocation. Yura wouldn’t let her join us today as there was a lot of walking. Not taking chances. Perhaps the miracle was inspired by the reading material and directional aid in the nightstands. Clearly, the Gideons haven’t been here. The city tour started with a stroll through several lovely parks. We took photos of old Soviet office buildings still in use and monuments. When I look at the pictures, I won’t remember which is which. Yura told us to send him our photos and he’ll ID them for us. He will also download pictures of what we’ve seen and of us as we traveled. Such a nice service. The overall impression is that Bishkek is an historically young city with lots of young people. It’s vibrant, clean, and safe. It is a planned city with boulevards, floral plantings and shaded parks. A sweet custom is that when you double park your car, you leave a note with your phone number under the windshield wipers of the car you blocked. We vanned over to the outskirts to American University of Central Asia. The Soros Foundation is the largest donor with minor ones listed, like the USA in third place. Bard College is a partner. AUCA is a liberal arts university attracting international students. The entrance exam includes English proficiency as 80% of classes are taught in English. The 1200 students share the one building housing classes, library, gym, cafeteria, auditoriums, etc. Tuition is $7000/year and housing is $140/month. Grants are available. Students graduate with an American and local diploma in BA and MA programs. Most Americans come to study Central Asian culture and Russian. Our guide was from here. He has a BA in law and is studying remotely in English for a MA in international law from a university in Italy. He wore a sweatshirt saying “Way of Wade.” He was well aware of the link to LeBron and Akron. I asked him about any LGBTQ+ organizations on campus. He was a bit flustered and said it was uncomfortable to talk about. I told him why I was interested, and he opened up a bit. Homosexuality is severely frowned upon and coming out is dangerous. There are “underground” groups but nothing official. There’s no jail penalty, but physical safety is compromised. After he explained, I said, “Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?” He smiled. Recently, Indian medical students have been attracted to Bishkek attending the public university. It costs less for them to study here than in the US. Then they can move to the US and become our doctors. Their presence has added welcome options for Indian cuisine. All I can say about lunch is lava cake. We walked from our hotel to a new multi-level mall. Wow! It was crowded with families on this Monday afternoon. It’s really stunning with all the designer shops you know and some you don’t. Babies were in snow suits. We were in t-shirts and sweltering. We didn’t stay long. We snagged chilled Pepsi Zeros at a convenience store and returned to our heated hotel room. The window is wide open and we’re peeled down to our skivvies. Our farewell dinner was in a yurt. I thought we’d never get there. Rush hour is gridlock. It took 1 1/2 hours to get to the restaurant and 32 minutes to return to the hotel. Yes, we timed it. The food was a glorious gourmet rendition of the Kyrgyz fare we’ve been eating. The entertainment was a group of professional traditional musicians who play with the philharmonic here. One of the men recited a chapter of the Manas. Manas is a mythical figure much like a Superman. The poem is a 600,000 line detailed epic history of culture, dress, food, rites, rituals, and battles. The epic is a compilation of oral histories from nomadic people that was compiled and finally written down in Soviet times. After the collapse of the USSR, it was used as a roadmap for reconnection to their past. Last night we listened to Mayim Bialek’s talk on Facebook. I’m sure it’s on You Tube. It’s scary, poignant, and her message is emotional. After listening, I asked David if we should change our return ticket and go to Israel. I’d feel safer there even now. I won’t give you details because I want you to hear it. Tomorrow, we go to new heights. Then it’s time to prepare for our flights home. Toby

To Bishkek

Oct. 29, 2023-To Bishkek What a start to the day. The woman who is constantly late and scattered hurt her knee while asleep. Her knee replacement slipped and she’s really in pain. They carried her down the steps on a chair and to the van. They brought breakfast and lunch to her in the van and she didn’t get off until late afternoon when we arrived at the hotel. They had a wheelchair waiting and she’s confined to her room. She doesn’t want to go to a hospital. At day’s end her knee was feeling somewhat improved. In the interest of fairness, I must tell you I learned that her food particularity stems from radiation treatment for thyroid cancer. Her taste buds were compromised. We had a long day, but not a lot of driving. Our first stop was an outdoor museum of petroglyphs. Boulders carved by nomads were strewn over the landscape. The art was translatable to what we’ve seen in the American southwest, France, Bulgaria, etc. Art, the universal language. There were what looked like miniature Easter Island statues called bal bal that were tombstones. They were used later than other graves that were marked solely by a pile of rocks. On a modern note, China is perpetrating a quiet neo-colonial takeover of the world. As of now 120 countries have been sucked in. Here’s the deal: China lends money for infrastructure with an unrealistic repayment schedule and terms. When a country is unable to meet those terms, China takes over mineral rights, power production, etc. as compensation. It can be seen as far away as Italy, Cuba, Sri Lanka where they’ve built modern ports they now own. Their goal is to build up political influence and edge out Russia. Back in time, in 751 AD, Chinese and Arab armies clashed in Central Asia. Muslims won. Is China trying to get it back now? Lunch was in a home set up to cater to tourists. The food rewarded the expectations built up by Yura. There were dishes we’d eaten before and a new dessert; pieces of fried dough sprinkled with honey and cream. Luckily it wasn’t made from a favorite nomadic drink: horse milk. It comes in regular and fermented. The visual of milking a horse is now stuck in my brain. Put me on a plane for home. My reason for coming here was to see the horseback competition typical of the area and I just did. But first we saw demonstrations of two lesser games. One was horsemen riding at top speed trying to grab a rock from the ground. The second was two men on horseback “wrestling” each other and trying to unseat each other. Kok-Boru started as a rite of passage for young men. They teamed up and rode their horses until one team grabbed a live wolf by hand. The game has evolved to Ulak Tartysh which is what we watched today. The translation is “pulling the goat.” We called it goat polo. Yes folks, a goat was sacrificed today according to halal law. Its head and feet were removed and its body was fought over. The game was frenzied and aggressive as each team tried to grab the goat from the ground and race to a cauldron/goal. There are rules, but it’s hard to discern them with such fast action. Two horses and riders fell with no injury. One rider’s tactic was to have his horse rear close to another horse and try to destabilize the other rider. By the end of the competition, the goat is well tenderized and the winning team eats it for dinner. There are professional competitions with prizes worth the battle: Mercedes and cash. An archaeological find in the area is a UNESCO site waiting for excavation. Bakun Tower is the most visible remains. It was the minaret of the mosque of a prosperous former capital of the area during the 10th to 12th centuries. It was a natural destination for Chinese coming down from the mountains on their journey along the Silk Road. We walked around the staged collection of bal bals and headed to tonight’s destination, the Ramada Hotel. Yura took us on a familiarization walk around our hotel neighborhood. He pointed out restaurants, drugstores, groceries, etc. And then there was Nathan’s Hot Dogs. It’s a natural fit here. Nathan’s is kosher in the US. It’s halal here. We all caved and ate there. It was a pleasant change from “stan” food. Tomorrow, we have a city tour of Bishkek. Toby

Karakol Birds and Brides

Oct. 28, 2023- Karakol Birds and Brides This morning our welcoming party was a trio of friendly dogs. One was a puppy who was still young enough to be mouthy. He loved my jacket sleeve. Such joy. To distract us from our relentlessly bumpy ride this morning, Sayeed challenged us with a history quiz. What happened here in the 14th century which affected Western Europe? The Bubonic plague of the 14th century has been traced to the gerboa, a Gobi Desert rat. The plague jumped to this area and spread West. What did nomadic tribes contribute to civilization starting in 4000 BCE? Making and use of felt, domestication of then breeding of horses, chariots with spoked wheels, geometrical collapsible portable yurts, trousers,belt buckles, boots with heels, stirrups. Our ride was worth it. We arrived in Karakola at a field where we met a champion competitor who hunted with golden eagles. He is one of 50 licensed in the country. Hunters go in teams to steal eaglets from the nest. Females are preferred. The team distracts the parents as one man climbs down a rope to the nest. Birds start to train three months later and are handled with affection and consistency. You really don’t want to be on the wrong side of that beak or talons. They have elephantine memories and know who’s trustworthy. They hunt small animals ( fox, rabbits, jackal, etc) and are allowed to eat the meat of their kill. Hunters get the pelts. Adult golden eagles weigh 12 lbs. and have a wingspan of six feet. We learned how heavy that was when we were allowed to hold her on our arm. They live 50-60 years, but are only used to hunt for 20. They are then released back into the wild to live out their lives. Our 5 year old eagle was very vocal as she knew food was in the offing. One of the hunter’s sons ( 5th generation hunters) took the bird up a hill. The other son dragged a coyote pelt. As soon as the hood is removed, and the signal given, she was off. The bird quickly pounced. She was rewarded with raw meat from the trainer. The next demonstration was unnerving. A live bunny was set in the field and the eagle was released from the hill. We all rooted for the rabbit. It didn’t run and the eagle quickly caught it. The bird won’t eat or release the catch until the trainer gives a signal. In this case, the rabbit was alive and walked away. But it’s fate was not as we imagined. Because of the damage done to it in the take down, the rabbit had to be killed. It will be dinner. That is their way. Happy bird, happy family, sad tourists. We stopped briefly at a museum honoring Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky. You remember him from history class, right? He was an explorer/spy for Russian military from 1867, until he died of typhus at age 49. Sayeed said he travelled with an entourage of young men and there was never mention of any women in his life. Duh. Just say he was gay and stop pussyfooting around. The museum was unheated and I was cold. I returned to the bus before the walk to the grave. If you got upset about the dead bunny, wait until I tell you about kidnapped brides. Lunch was at the home of a Uyghur widow who told us her story. First, some background. It’s an ancient tradition of nomadic tribes of Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia for young men to kidnap their brides. Not a surprise given the historical status of women. It continued until 1941, when Soviets put a stop to it. Now there’s a penalty of jail time, but police would rather have the families work it out before prosecuting, Today, kidnapping may be consentual and pre- arranged. In that case, it’s only done for “tradition” with the bride making a big show of protesting. Sayeed said it’s more like a public elopement. In a true modern kidnapping, the bride is held at the home of her kidnapper’s family until her father finds her. Negotiations are entered and famiies try to convince the bride to stay. Upon agreement, a white scarf is placed on the girl’s head and a 30 day betrothal period starts. The wedding is simple. If she insists, she may refuse, but it taints her father’s name for a short time. Our hostess, age 59, was kidnapped at age 18 as she left her university class. Her contemporaries were experiencing the same thing. When her father came to get her, the families agreed she would stay. She never agreed. Her husband wouldn’t let her continue her education. She became a servant for his parents and siblings. After some months she realized he was a kind but firm man and fell in love with him. They were married 33 years before he died. They had three daughters and a son who drowned at a young age. She explained to her husband that her main regret was not getting an education. He vowed that he would rescue any daughter who was kidnapped before she finished university. The eldest daughter married a man of her choice , but the middle daughter was kidnapped at 17 by someone she didn’t know. Her father stormed into where she was being kept and made it clear he wasn’t leaving without his daughter. She is now married to a man of heir choice and is a college graduate. The last girl is still in school. In the end, pretend kidnappings are still popular since it saves having huge expensive wedding. Tomorrow we move on to Bishkek, our final destination. Toby

Kyrgyzstan?

Oct. 27, 2023- Kyrgyzstan? The van goes over the mountains and what do you think it finds. Another van to go over other mountains. We navigated the border crossing from Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan faster than estimated. Yura hired porters to carry our bags, which certainly facilitated everything. For some reason understandable only to bureaucrats, luggage on dollies pulled by porters don’t have to be x-rayed. The crossing was muddy, congested, dirty, but new pavement covered the path we took. Border control on both sides examined us as closely as they did our passports. I’ve never seen officials turn documents sideways and upside down to be sure they’re genuine. Some dilemma was caused by women whose passports photos were pre-Covid and had recently let their hair go gray. Our new local guide, Sayeed, met us with a lovely Mercedes van. He took us to a money exchange then launched into history. Kyrgyz people were nomads. They didn’t wander hither and yon. They had fixed summer and winter camps. Today many are semi-nomadic. They work in cities in winter, but yurts dot the hillsides as they tend flocks in summer. They were first mentioned as an ethnic group in China, migrated to Siberia and showed up in this area in the 14th century. The official language is Kyrgysh with Russian being the second. English is compulsory starting in 5th grade and is mostly used by younger people. The country is secular by Constitution. The largest religious group is Suni Muslim, then Russian Orthodox, then Jewish. There are two synagogues in the capital, Bishkek, but I doubt we’ll see either one. Writing is predominantly in Kyrgysh using Cyrillic letters, then Russian. Sayeed thinks it will be a long time before the Latin alphabet is adopted There were so many horses grazing in the fields that I wondered what they do with them all. Sorry I asked. They’re used as meat for special festivities and kept as we do money in the bank. If a family needs to cover a large expense, a horse is sold. Cattle is also valuable, but not as much as horses. Sayeed is a Uyghur. There are also Dungan Chinese Muslims who live here. He’s adamant about the world not only seeing Uyghurs as oppressed and in concentration camps in China. He wants people to know there are 25 million in the world and they’re very successful. The Uyghur capital of the US is Chicago. Central Asia politically does not recognize their persecution in China. I guess trade is more important. We’re back in the land of good food. Lunch was at a resort/party center that adopted a Hawaiian theme and decor. I’m certain none of the designers had been there, as they feature statues of tigers and crocodiles, oh my. We were served lagman, a Uyghur dish of thick homemade noodles with beef and veggies. We ate with chopsticks. Cuisine is definitely moving in the right direction. The woman who was late to the bus by 20 minutes the first day has been a trial, She misplaces things (Yura now holds her money), broke her camera (Yura loaned her one of his and she broke that), and is particular about what she eats and always requests substitutions (which have been provided). This morning she came late to breakfast and said she just woke up. She hadn’t set an alarm and told Yura not to leave a wake-up call, because she always wakes early. She got a big eye roll from me and I left the table. Yura went out of his way and found her a Pepsi Zero (Coke wouldn’t do). She then stated she’d only drink it with ice. Ice is rare and has to be made from purified water. Everyone has been solicitous and polite and I know we can hang on a few more days, but I’d hate to be on another trip with her. We’re staying at the mile high Kapriz Issyk-Kul Resort on a lake the size of Erie in Cholpin Alta. The views are stunning, The town population quadruples in summer. Lest you think we’re at Canyon Ranch, think more Grossingers. Rooms are adequate although there’s no A/C and heat is controlled by plugging and unplugging electric wall heaters. Our windows are open now. Luckily, it’s in the 50’s. I spoke too soon. Dinner here was lame and we eat here tomorrow night too. The only thing I ate was greasy, soggy fries. Hoping for a decent breakfast. Tomorrow, we fly with eagles and lunch with Uyghurs.