From Termez, we fly back to Tashkent – the train is booked solid – and spend a couple of days there. Among other things, we visit the Railway Museum.
In a pleasant gentrifying neighbourhood, we find Ming Uruk, an ancient settlement in the middle of Tashkent.
On the train again, from Tashkent to Kokand. We spend 15 minutes in darkness passing through the Kamchiq Tunnel and emerge into the fertile, often-turbulent Fergana Valley.
We stop in Kokand overnight, a quiet medium-sized town. Its claim to fame is the palace of Khudáyár Khán.
Remember I complained that people want a photo taken with Maria all the time? Finally, some kids want a photo taken with me
A white-knuckle Yandex ride takes us to Margilan, 76 KMs away, in record time. Wikipedia informs us: ‘Margilan has been renowned for its silk goods as far back as the 10th century.’
There is a crafts development centre in an old madrassa, where they sell finished silk products.
We visit a couple of producers ‘in the old style’. Each silkworm cocoon is a single thread, from 600 to 900 metres long (or more!)
In another factory, a man is doing the same thing on a larger scale.
This silk is turned into textiles using the ikat dying process. The ikat process comes from Southeast Asia originally.
According to Wikipedia: ‘Ikat (literally “to bind” in Malayo-Polynesian languages) is a dyeing technique used to pattern textiles that employs resist dyeing on the yarns prior to dyeing and weaving the fabric.’
The dyed thread are then woven by a roomful old ladies with a good sense of humour.
We go to the Kumtepe bazaar, almost exclusively the haunt of locals. I’m looking for a camel bell, but no luck.
Some samsas baking in a tandor oven. The freshly-made samsas are slapped onto the sides of the oven and peeled off when done.
Uzbeks love plov as their national dish and swear up and down it’s the gift of the gods. It’s not for everyone, though. We find it way too fatty and kind of bland. Sorry.
Getting back to our distant hotel turns into a comedy. The internet isn’t working on my phone, and Maria’s phone is dead. Our efforts to call a non-Yandex taxi is a challenge. After a few minutes, we are being helped by two schoolgirls, a cafe owner, and two random passers-by.
Sight or Insight of the Day
After approaching the end of our 30-day limit, we head for Kyrgyzstan. This means one last train ride to Andijan, then a crowded minibus to the town of Dostyk on the Kyrgyzstan border. A few formalities, a brief walk in the pouring rain, and voila! – we’re in a new country.
We’ve really enjoyed our time in Uzbekistan. It’s a very calm, welcoming place. The world needs more of these.
