We arrived in Bukhara late in the morning and went to the hotel to drop off our belongings. Joe and I went for a short walk around the block the hotel was situated on. It was like we stepped back into time. It was obvious that there was nothing modern anywhere in the area. We got a few English "hellos" from the kids playing in the street, however.
(View of Miri-I-Arab madrassah in Bukhara, Uzbekistan)
We all took a walking tour through the old part of Bukhara with Radik, our guide for the day. We stopped in a local bakery and watched the bread baking on the sides of the stone oven. They know when the bread is finished because it falls from the sides of the oven. It tasted so good. The mosques that we saw were very old and beautiful. Some of them were 800 years old. Outside of the mosques women were selling crafts and hand-embroidered cloths. There was a wall covered with carpets on display. That was an amazing sight. They were all so rich in color and design. There is such a strong sense of connection with past generations here. It's very easy to imagine what life would have been like back then. So much of it can still be seen in the arts and crafts, food, and houses that seem to be made out of dried mud. I really feel like I'm halfway around the world here. Even the air has more of a desert quality with the dryness and heat.
(Susie and Ryan with suzani wall hangings in Bukhara, Uzbekistan)
We saw a building that had their version of the Phoenix bird in mosaic tiles. So of course the Phoenix Quartet had to stop to take a picture. We climbed a minaret next and almost got trapped at the top by a large group of Japanese tourists. Later we were practically attacked by a few local young girls trying their hardest to sell us their crafts. At one point they were very aggressive and, in the end, followed us for about 20 minutes. When we tried to explain that we couldn't buy anymore and that we were sorry, one of the quicker girls retorted, "your 'sorry' is not in my pocket!" I was fond of them, though, and amazed at their fluency in English.
(Young bakers in Bukhara with their delicious nan)
We had a long drive from Bukhara to Samarkand and arrived late at the Bed and Breakfast. Once we put our things away we sat outside at some tables and talked with our new hosts. Nuria and her husband Yuri are very kind people. I felt that right away. Yuri insisted on carrying all of our bags when we arrived. He is a theater critic. He has so much presence even when he is smoking a cigarette in silence!
- Susie
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