Touring Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Oct. 13, 2023-touring Tashkent, Uzbekistan We learned that Yura is unforgiving. KC, a woman in our group, slept through her alarm. She was at least 20 minutes late this morning. The guide was royally pissed. Jet lag and other excuses aside, he told us that this was the last day he’d excuse lateness. From now on he’d leave on time and we’d have to call him to find out where we could meet the group and make our way there on our own and at our expense. On a more personal note, I found out that if I’m tired enough I will forget to take my contact lenses out at bedtime and wonder where they were when I open my case to put them in the next morning. Our first stop was the memorial to those killed in the earthquake of April 26, 1966, measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale. Uzbekistan has daily earthquakes that might not even be felt. There is usually one major quake per century. Being part of the USSR at the time, it was reported that 3 people died and 120+ were hospitalized. In actuality more like 180,000 died. All that being equal, buildings were not rebuilt up to earthquake codes nor is new construction to this day. In 2017 there was one that registered 6.2. I hope that’s it for the 21st century. When we stopped at the Central Bazaar we were met with a hive of activity. We followed Yura around for 1 1/2 hours going from one section to another chatting (through him) with vendors. I’d had too much to drink at breakfast and had to use the Eastern style facilities. It was time to try my feminine urinary device. Even though I’d practiced at home, this time I failed. The funnel style cone wouldn’t open properly, my jeans weren’t positioned well, and it was too dark to see where the stream was going. You get the picture of panic. Here comes TMI. I stopped the stream and squatted. AAAh! The old fashioned solution. On to the history museum. Uzbekistan was originally submerged under an ocean. All that was left after it dried up was the Aral Sea. Now that too is gone. The ocean gave way to desert enabling trade routes to be established. There are more civilizations that ruled or passed through this area than can be listed. This tour is titled “Exploring the Silk Road.” That is a modern term. Natives called it the Road of Fate. Whether you started your journey from China to the West rich or poor, the wealth you gained or lost on your trek was in the hands of fate. And fate may have led many of us on a scholastic road to Algebra classes. Some of us emerged wiser and some floundered and sank. We owe the experience to an Uzbek, Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi. We can also thank Uzbekistan for the founder of modern medicine. And an Uzbeki theorized that the Earth was round 500 years before Copernicus. Lunch was on our own except Yura offered to take anyone interested to a plov restaurant. We all went. Plov is similar to rice pilaf. Here it can be made with horse sausage. Yes, Black Beauty is food. Yes, it’s permissible for Muslims to eat their horse if it’s a matter of saving their life. Yes, it will still be a blot on their record when they die. Yes, they eat it here anyway. We watched plov being made in 8 ft. diameter pots heated by wood then plunged into a restaurant seating 2,000 people. They do have table service and we ordered meat (chicken and beef) as well as vegetarian variety. Quail eggs were included. It was made with the usual onions and carrots with the addition of raisins and chickpeas. Mazali. That’s delicious in Uzbek. We arrived at our hotel in time for a talk about life under the USSR and now. The bottom line is that folks have selective memory. They forget about purges, starvation, and shortages and remember free apartments, education, and medical care. Today there is a conflict between renewal of radical Islamic ways and Western ideas. The government is diligent about immigration from radicalized countries and wouldn’t even take Afghani refugees when the US pulled out. They fear the Taliban like the plague. And speaking of plagues, homosexuality is illegal. Discussion of the issue is allowed, but demonstrations are not lest children be taught of it and tempted. Like that ever works. To sum up, our group attention span was at a low point. Three people openly slept (David among them) and others listened with eyes closed. We are not planning to eat dinner tonight, but may get a snack in the hotel. We’ll go to sleep early since the bus leaves for Samarkand tomorrow at 8 AM. I don’t want to be late and have to figure out that trip on our own. Toby