And onto Bukhara

Day 30 452 km (9948 km total)

 

Another fine Silk Road City, and another hard ride to it.

 

- - -

 

Not long after leaving Khiva we were stopped at one of the many checkpoints. Out with the oassport & vehicle registration documents, it all gats copied by hand into a log book. Then they want to ask about the bikes, here them revved etc etc. its all friendly emough but wastes a lot of time.

 

On our way again, but soon after another stop point. This one was more unusual.

There was a long bridge to cross a tiver, butbthe bridge was shared by the riad & a railway line. So we had to queue about half an hour to wait for the train to come over before they would let the cars.

And then it was onto open road again, not a very good road at first.

This bit looked like a canyon, but its just where they had cut through the sand to keep the road level.

 

 

Every so often there would be a river or some other body of water, which immeditely made things greener & logically tended to be where the settlements were.

 

Then we rached a new section of road, which is both good & bad. These road construction projects are massive in scale and bypass any signs of habitation. That means they are largely empty, have no fuel, food or water stops - but at least your average speed can increase.

Until you reach a bit they havnt finished yet anyway!

 

Saw a tell-tale 5 litre plastic container with brown liquid in at the side of the road, near an old shack. This signifies black market fuel for sale, so stopped & bought 15 litres each. The guy has it buried in a hole nearby covered in rocks.

And off again, as we neared Bukhara, the greenery arrived

 

And landscaping ...

 

And arrived at my hotel for the night. A really lovely spot the Chor Minor. Fantastically decorated rooms, a hugely friendly owner Mr Sultan, who spoke no English but more than made up for it with handshakes & enthusiasm. He also prepared for me a freash malon & cup of green tea on arrival - lovely.

A quick shower & change then I shot out to some of see the sights, before the light went. Bukhara & Khiva are both places I had delibertely diverted from the shortest route to see & really glad I did. They both warrant a longer stay, but unfortunately I dont have the time in this trip.

 

Wikipedia say's of Bukhara ...

 

The history of Bukhara stretches back millennia. It is now the capital of Bukhara Region of Uzbekistan. Located on the Silk Road, the city has long been a center of trade, scholarship, culture, and religion. During the golden age of the Samanids, Bukhara became the intellectual center of the Islamic world. The historic center of Bukhara, which contains numerous mosques and madrassas, has been listed by UNESCO as one of the World Heritage Sites.

Bukhara has been one of the main centres of world civilisation from its early days in 6th century BCE. From the 6th century CE, Turkic speakers gradually moved in. Its architecture and archaeological sites form one of the pillars of Central Asian history and art. The region of Bukhara was a part of the Persian Empire for a long time. The origin of many of its current inhabitants goes back to the period of Aryan immigration into the region.

And here are some of the sights within a 30 minute walk of the hotel.

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow its back on the silk road & off to Samarkand, which I think is more of a commercial hub. Rumour has it the fuel situation should start to improve as we head into the more populated reas too.