March, 2024 Update Uzbekistan

The highlight of this month was my Spring Break trip to Uzbekistan. This is another former USSR republic. Like Kyrgyzstan, it has been independent since 1991. This country is much larger than Kyrgyzstan. It has recently opened up to tourism. It has many 'Silk Road" tourism sites. Names such as Marco Polo, Genghis Khan, and Alexander the Great all played a role here. The 'Silk Road' connected China to India and Europe back in the day. The language, Uzbek, is similar to Kyrgyz in some ways. I took a 14 hour overnight train from the capital, Tashkent, to Khiva, far to the west of the country. Khiva is a step back in time--it reminded me to Venice, as it seemed to be totally focused on tourism. There were many old madrassas, mosques, and minarets here, in bright blue cobalt. Then to Bukhara, my favorite of the four cities. It had a lovely 'town square', where I saw a fashion show with other volunteers whom I met up with here. I stayed in a very nice hostel, where I met other travelers, mostly from the UK. Next was Samarkand, where the mausoleum of Amir Timur is found. He was an accomplished warrior and Uzbekistan's national hero--he lived in the 1300's.
I found the people of Uzbekistan were incredibly kind. Here is an example: After arriving in Tashkent, I took a taxi to my hotel in an unlicensed taxi. To my shock the next morning, I could not find my money, which I kept in a separate pouch. I asked the hotel owner if he could charge my credit card and pay me the cash, with me paying the credit card commission and tax. He kindly agreed to help me in any way he could. Then, later that evening, there was a knock on my door--the receptionist said someone was downstairs to see me. Sure enough, it was the taxi driver returning all of my money! So amazingly kind! What a blessing!

Spring has brought rain and mud to my village. I will be glad when the muddy season is over, which I believe will be soon.