The Land Of White Gold: Part III

Tuesday, 26 December 2017

We woke up to an overcast morning and indeed it had even rained earlier. It was forecasted to be cold today with the temperature struggling to reach 1C so I bundled up. We had breakfast before leaving for Al Bukhari Complex about 25 km away from the city in a village called Hartang. Imam Al Bukhari was an important figure in Islam; he collected thousands of hadiths. He was a hafeez too. We spent some time here paying our respects before leaving.

Our hired driver dropped us near Registan Ensemble and we walked to the three madrasahs there: the Ulugbek on the left if you’re standing facing them, Tilla Kari in the centre and Shirdor on the right and across from Ulugbek. Ulugbek Madrasah was built in the 15 Century, followed by Shirdor (it has two tiger mosaic on the face of the madrasah) and Tilla Kari which was built 10 years after Shirdor was completed. We spent quite a while here, including a detour to a nearby mosque to use its facilities. It had started to drizzle again when we were at the Registan Ensemble.

Ulugbek Madrasah

Tilla Kari Madrasah

Shirdor Madrasah

After that, we walked down Tashkent Road to Bibikhanum Mosque. Bibikhanum was the wife of Amir Timur, a great Uzbek warrior and hero. We spent a short while here (well, short compared to Registan Ensemble!). Bibikhanum’s tomb is just across the street from the mosque named after her. We also saw Khazrat Khizr from afar; it was undergoing reconstruction. After that we walked down and took a cab to a restaurant for lunch. The rain had gotten heavier by then.

Lunch was the usual fare of nan bread, a choice of salad, soup and lemon tea. So good to have piping hot food on a rainy day!

The rain was still falling when we left for Shakhi Zinda Necropolis. There are three levels of structure: lower, middle and upper. The details are really beautiful although I couldn’t help feeling slightly apprehensive. ‘I hope I won’t get nightmares tonight,’ I told Nit. I had a long nightmare immediately after visiting Kom Ombo temple.

The rain finally petered off and we hailed another cab to Gur-Emir Mausoleum aka Amir Timur Mausoleum. We didn’t walk straight to the mausoleum though but crossed the street first to the statue of Amir Timur. It had started drizzling again then but we persevered. We climbed up and spent some Kodak moments there before making our way to the mausoleum. The mausoleum houses Timur’s tomb and his direct descendants. We sat here for a bit admiring the architecture of the mausoleum. I’m not sure if beautiful is the right word to describe a mausoleum but it certainly is breathtaking.

We were then accosted by some shopkeepers (typical!) and I reluctantly followed them and Nit down the catacombs where the shop is. I was tempted by some camel hair shawl and some lovely plates but in the end left empty-handed.

On our way to grab a cab back, we passed Rukhabad Mausoleum. We didn’t linger though as it was already getting dark. We also stopped at the train ticket office; unfortunately, we were later informed by Elzod that the train tickets to Tashkent had already sold out (we were supposed to return back to Tashkent by fast train). As it had begun raining again in earnest, we asked for Elzod to buy some dinner for us to go. Oh, and in the end, we stayed the second night at Konstantin Hotel too.

Wednesday, 27 December 2017

Alhamdulillah, the day began clear and bright. We left at 09:40 and after a brief stop, continued our journey to Tashkent. It took 4 hours and we checked back into Hotel Uzbekistan which we stayed at on the first night. I insisted on performing prayers first and quickly performed ablutions and prayers before going down to meet up Elzod. We then took a cab to a restaurant for lunch. I had some Uyghur noodles on top of nan bread and salad. Delicious!

After lunch, we drove to Khazret Imam Ensemble with the Museum of Quran where we viewed a unique manuscript of Quran of Usman (7AD) which was brought to Samarqand by Amir Timur in 14 Century. No photos are allowed in the museum though. After that, we drove to Chorsu Bazaar aka Eski Juva Bazaar. Before shopping, we went in search of a bank to exchange money and where I finally changed money into Uzbekistan Som. I was going to change USD40 but thought it was too much so changed only USD30. After all, the bazaar was closing at 6. We then set upon the task of buying our souvenirs: ceramic plates with pomegranate design and some honey for me. I finally bought four plates (dang heavy!) and Elzod offered to get me some honey. I paid USD10 for the honey.

Khazret Imam 

Not supposed to take photo but I took a quick snap of this Quran in Hebrew with my iPad *shhh*

After the shopping was done, we took the metro from Chorsu station to Alisher Navai (a beautiful station named after a poet) where we walked to Pakhtakor (literally means cotton grower) station and took the train to Bunyodkor. We had dinner at Olmazor Restaurant and had norin, a horse meat and noodles dish. Wow, it was quite rich and I could barely eat more than a few spoonfuls. We dropped by a nearby supermarket before taking the metro back to the hotel.

Thursday, 28 December 2017

We woke up early and had breakfast in the huge hotel restaurant. We checked out at 09:30 and drive to Chimgan, a ski resort, about two hours away. Elzod’s uncle who is the GM of the local tour company drove us there. Upon arrival, we took the chairlift up. Both Nit and I were sporting inappropriate footwear (Converse All Stars for me) but well no snow was going to stop us! We spent about an hour up there before returning down to the bottom and after dealing with persistent photographers who were trying to sell the photos they took of us, we went to the car park where Elzod’s uncle was waiting. We then drove through some village and after a while came upon Chorvoq Lake. We stopped for a short while before continuing on.

We stopped at a small town and went up to a restaurant. I was heading for the washroom when I met some Singaporeans who were about to perform prayers. I asked if it was ok and they said they had asked permission to do so and the restaurant had allocated some space for them to do so. I decided to join them as I was sure we would reach Tashkent just before dark.

After a satisfying lunch, we drove back to Tashkent. Nit was content to converse and I was happy to let her talk while I read my book. Suddenly the conversation steered around the richest man in Uzbekistan and I asked, ‘Is it Alisher Usmanov?’ and they said yes (to be honest, I can’t recall Alisher’s nationality and was just guessing). I said that I knew of him as he has shares in Arsenal. The things football teach you.

We reached Tashkent at around 5 and went to collect our bags from the store room. Nit was supposed to collect the bags but she decided to browse the hotel shop first (WTH) so I took back the bag tags and went to find the man manning the concierge. After getting our bags, I wheeled them to Nit and took mine to the washroom to change. I took all of five minutes to use the bathroom and change and Nit had still not finished browsing the hotel shop. And then I had to wait for the longest time while she went to visit the bathroom. Honestly, surely people should be more considerate and thoughtful when they travel with someone else.

We then drove to the airport, stopping en route for Elzod to run and buy us some beef burgers (I tell you, meat and the Uzbeks cannot be separated!). There was a horrible jam at the airport car park entrance and we only cleared it after 15 minutes. Elzod helped show us the way to departure and we then said goodbye, wished him good luck and gave him a little tip. The check-in counters were late in opening so while waiting, we used the washroom and I performed prayers too. No prayer room is provided so I performed prayers in the vast open space outside the washroom (and I had finished Maghrib and Isya’ prayers before Nit emerged from the bathroom).

We then checked in, filled up another declaration form and went through immigration and security. I wanted to change back the remaining UZS I had (easily USD5) but the money changer said I couldn’t sell off my UZS so I had no choice but to buy fridge magnets (I’ve not bought fridge magnets for some trips now). Our flight was delayed and we finally boarded and took about an hour later than scheduled.

Friday, 29 December 2017

We landed in Singapore after 8 and after a short transit, we boarded the plane back to KL. The plane would continue on back to Tashkent after a bit of transit in KL. We landed at 10:15 and I was reunited with my bag an hour later.

The Land Of White Gold: Part II

Sunday, 24 December 2017

I woke up early and went to the lobby to access WiFi. Nit and I then went down for breakfast and my, what a lovely spread it was that awaited us! I’m a firm believer of breakfasting like a king and ate accordingly. We then met up with Elzod and began our tour.

Breakfast spread. Note the ceramic plates by the wall. The teapot, tea and coffee cups and even plates bear cotton motifs (cotton is the white gold of Uzbekistan). They do love their meat and the humble nan bread (in the basket) accompanies all Uzbek meals

We crossed over to The Ark which is a massive fortress which was a mini-town way back when. It was the used as a fortress to protect the city until the Battle of Bukhara when the Red Army invaded the city. There is a mosque, a hall to receive guests, stable and some museums. We also had a good view over the city from the fortress.

After spending some at The Ark, we crossed over to Bolo Hauz Mosque (bolo means children) and had a look inside. We then made our way to Chasma Ayub Mausoleum. After that, we walked past Saminid Shrine before taking two taxies in our search for Plov rice, which is the national dish of Uzbekistan. Alas, it being a Sunday, we were not successful and finally we had an inadequate lunch at Moxi Chechri Xamon Restaurant. The restaurant was clearly expecting a large group of diners but was unable to cook up any substantial meal for us apart from some soup and salad.

We took a cab to the bazaar and spent about an hour there before returning back to the hotel. The day had started turning overcast by now. We ventured out again in the early evening and had dinner at a restaurant near Bolo Hauz Mosque. It was here when I heard the call to prayer for the first time (Isya’ prayers) in Uzbekistan. Elzod had told us that call to prayers are not made loudly over there due to government regulation. How sad when Muslims made up the majority of the population! We had a satisfying meal, including a plate of noodles cooked according to Uyghur style; however, I had a lot of wind in my tummy and had a tummy ache not unlike gastritis and did not particularly enjoy my dinner. As there were leftovers, we asked the restaurant to pack the chicken and noodles for us.

Monday, 25 December 2017

We were supposed to leave early this morning so we went down for breakfast at 7. Nit brought down the chicken and noodles from the previous dinner and asked the kitchen staff to help heat them up for us. We left just after 8 – Nit was running late as usual and I had to help wheel her suitcase to the stairs and asked Elzod to help lug it down (no lifts in the hotel). It was an overcast morning. We drove to Bakhautdin Naqshband (Bahouddin Nakshbandi) Mausoleum just outside Bukhara. He was an important sufi figure who established the Nakshbandi sufi order. We spent about 45 minutes here before driving on to Samarqand, stopping twice for restroom and then to refuel.

We arrived in sunny Samarqand at 12:30. Samarqand is the third largest city in Uzbekistan but is more crowded than Bukhara. We were caught in the lunchtime rush hour and it took a while before we reached Konstantin Hotel. Our travel agent back in KL had advised that our hotel in Samarqand was supposed to be Regal Palace Hotel but I didn’t say anything as I thought the plans had changed. We had checked in and enjoyed some hot tea and coffee when Elzod told us that we had checked into the wrong hotel. The hotel he had on his info sheet was Konstantin Hotel. Elzod then spent some time discussing with the reception and on the phone with his office to settle the issue. Finally it was decided that we would spend one night there and check out the next day.

We then took a cab to a very near Zafar Restaurant for lunch. There were a lot of people in the restaurant and a few of them even got up to dance to the music. After lunch, we went to a nearby supermarket before crossing over to the Museum of History and Culture. Elzod was keen to bring us to the bazaar but having experienced the bazaar in Bukhara just the day before, we were not too keen to visit another one. Besides, we would be visiting a bazaar in Tashkent and the museum is just around the corner from our hotel that it’d be a shame if we didn’t visit it. We could learn a lot from museum visits too. So we paid 17,000 Uzbekistani Som (UZS; USD1 ~ UZS8,050) for the ticket and an additional UZS5000 each for our cameras. We spent about an hour in there before returning to the hotel.

We ventured out in the evening in search of dinner. We went to Zafar Restaurant but left shortly after. Elzod then told us there would be some strippers coming to the restaurant and he didn’t want to be a part of it. We finally had dinner at Bogishamol Café. It looked like a fast food restaurant but still served us soup, salad, nan bread and lemon tea.

To be continued

The Land Of White Gold: Part I

I have always wanted to visit Central Asia and as my plan to visit another region failed to materialise as neither of the two travel agents that normally organise trips there had it on offer for the last week of December, I decided it was time to visit Uzbekistan. I contacted a travel agent and was informed that it could arrange a tour for at least two people and then persuaded Nit, a colleague, to come along for the trip. We had to pay a slightly higher price for the tour package as the usual airline allocation had sold out and had to go on the next higher economy fare. The first payment was made to secure the air ticket while the balance was made about a month before departure. We then had to fill up visa application form and provide two photos for this purpose and the travel agent then submitted our application to the embassy.

Friday, 22 December 2017

I had spent the evening before at Akak’s place and my nieces drove me to Putrajaya station just after 08:30 for the KLIA Transit train to KLIA. I used my card to buy the ticket at the kiosk to enjoy the 10% discount off ticket price and then sat to wait for the train. The check-in counter at KLIA for Uzbekistan Airways is at counter M and I was queuing with other fellow travellers before long and used the time to observe the exotic locals. I then went in immediately and browsed some boutiques before heading for my gate.

The flight took off an hour later than scheduled. I was not happy with my assigned seat and moved places twice (I had just sat at row 20 when two girls came up breathless having just boarded the plane *opps* and had to move again, to row 13 this time). There were a lot of families in that section and I wondered if that was why I was assigned to the back row.

I couldn’t sleep but of course and spent time reading my book and the inflight magazine, which turned out to be a good thing for it was full of information on the country. Prior to landing, we had to fill in two copies of landing form (one copy will be retained by the customs officer while the other copy is to be kept by passenger until he departs the country) where among others we have to declare all foreign currencies brought in (this is because the Uzbek Government doesn’t want precious foreign currencies leaving the country), the jewellery brought in and any electrical equipment brought into the country. I went to ask a cabin crew twice on how to fill up the form and left detailed instructions to Nit on how to fill it as she was sleeping every time I went to check on her.

We landed at 17:15 local time (Uzbekistan is three hours behind) and had to be ferried to the terminal building by buses. I tried looking out for Nit but didn’t see her even until after I had collected my suitcase and cleared the customs. It turned out that she had cleared immigration and customs ahead of me and was already waiting outside. I dithered if I should change some money at the airport before deciding not to.

Our young guide, Elzod, was already waiting for us and we were heading out of the airport before long to the city. There was a traffic jam heading out of the airport which we managed to shrug off after a while. We were taken to a local restaurant for dinner (tomato and cucumber salad and some meat on a skewer and lemon tea) before we were driven to Hotel Uzbekistan to check in. Our room was huge and overlooked Amir Timur Square. The hotel (and subsequent hotels) did not provide electrical kettle in the room – good thing Nit brought one in her huge suitcase – or tea/coffee for guests. I went to bed after performing prayers as I was too knackered and I didn’t manage to doze off during the flight. Plus we had an early morning start.

Saturday, 23 December 2017

I woke up at a quarter to 5 and took a shower. After packing up, we left and went to check out. The front desk returned our passports and gave a slip which we needed to keep. Elzod had told us to be ready by 6 and although we had informed the front desk that we wanted a packed breakfast, we ended up waiting for 20 minutes before it was ready. It was a good thing that the roads were clear and we reached the domestic airport in good time. After checking in, we went in and waited for our flight. I had gotten hungry and had the pear which was in the breakfast pack.

We had to take a bus to our plane which was an ATR aircraft. I was hoping for a sandwich and some warm drink during the flight but we were only served a cup of soda each. We landed at Bukhara Airport at 9 and waited a while for our bags before walking out and taking a taxi to Caravan Hotel. It felt somewhat colder in Bukhara that morning compared to Tashkent even though we arrived in Tashkent in the evening. Elzod had informed that we would begin our tour in Bukhara at noon but when I met him later at the lobby when I was utilising the WiFi (only available at the hotel lobby and not in the room. This and the faint unpleasant smell in the bathroom are my only complaints about this hotel), he said we could commence our tour an hour earlier so we left at 11 for the old town nearby. We first went to Kalyan Mosque, Kalyan Minaret aka Death Minaret because criminals were pushed off the minaret back then to their death, and Miri Arab Madrasah. The madrasah is still functioning to this day; unfortunately, women are not allowed inside. We also visited a few other nearby madrasahs which no longer function as madrasahs but instead housed shops. We also walked past the bazaar before having lunch at the restaurant of Lyab-I Hauz.

Hotel courtyard

After lunch, we continued walking to the older parts of the old town before returning to the hotel to rest. I saw some hostels and budget hotels but Elzod told me the hostels are for local travellers. We went out again at 18:30 and took a cab to Cho Xona Chinor Restaurant (cho = tea and xona = place so it literally translates to Tea House) for dinner. We had mastovo soup and nan bread (this and salad are a must for all Uzbek meals!).

To be continued

The Year That Was: 2017

2017 was another year that started slow enough but sped along somewhere along the way and before I knew it, the year was almost gone. It was another year full of challenges, trials and tribulations, sweat and tears, and at times testing, tiring and trying. As usual, the headlines focused on natural catastrophes and disasters, calamities, displacements, tragedies, the continuing senseless war in Syria, starvation in Yemen, war against IS and terrorism, and the debate over global warming (it’s real, accept it and deal with it already!). There were also the news of the mass exodus of the Rohingyas, the uncovering of the sexual harassment and rape by Harvey Weinstein and the never-ending hilarious statements by the President of the U Ass if you care to be bothered to follow his tweets. We also have our own comedy right here involving money (lost but of course), poor governance and financial mismanagement. After all, those are what made the headlines: sensational, disturbing, shocking, mind-numbing news.

I continued following some accounts/pages on Twitter, IG and Facebook to have an idea of the world and its happenings but that’s about it. I’m hardly on FB otherwise. Alhamdulillah, I managed to equal my previous year’s reading total of 150 books and spent almost every night reading the Quran, especially Yassin for Mummy and those who had departed and a couple of other surahs. I would admit to stumbling from the straight and narrow every now and then and am continuing to be a better Muslimah.

I had to take more emergency leave as my dad’s health started failing which meant I took more leave compared to the year before. Alhamdulillah, I still managed to squeeze in some trips:

January: Had office teambuilding in Cherating during the third weekend then flew to Dubai via Cochin, India, on the first day of Chinese New Year before travelling overland to Oman

February: Came back from Oman and a few days later, spent Thaipusam weekend at Tanjong Jara Resort

March: Didn’t manage any trips

April: Spent a short weekend in Penang then flew out to Warsaw at month-end

May: Came back from Europe after brief pitstops in Paris and London

June: Didn’t manage to make any trip ;’(

July: Flew to Sydney to meet Arsenal

August: Didn’t manage to make any trip ;’(

September: Trip to Kota Bharu and returned to Pangkor Laut Resort

October: Trip to Singers

November: Day trip to Kuala Pilah

December: Year-end trip to Uzbekistan

Arsenal won the FA Cup again and as mentioned above, I flew to Sydney to meet them. But I’ve not been pleased with them thus far this season and have stopped being emotionally invested in them. After all, there are a lot of other things more important in life in the larger scheme of things anyway: death, life, good health, wealth, a strong iman, love. I do catch the occasional match but I have stopped following them as fervently as I used to.

I have continued cutting down on chicken and meat consumption but can’t quite stop eating junk food. I continued my morning walks and have even taking to jogging 4 km on every other Sunday. Whenever I do that, I feel like collapsing and throwing up but boy, does it feel so good after that. I walk an average 5 km daily (even more on weekends) and take short cat naps during lunchtime after some reading. I continue carrying my water bottle and shopping bags almost everywhere. I aim to shop only for quality brands now and not waste money on lower quality goods which won’t last long anyway. I want to eat healthily (save for the occasional junk food craving) and purchase food items just enough that I don’t run the risk of wasting them. I think even Jamie Oliver said it’s better to buy in small quantities if you’re cooking for a small number. Sure, it would be economical to buy in larger quantities but what’s the point if you’re going to end up wasting them? I also want to continue trying to be a responsible and environmentally-aware citizen of the earth and traveller.

Anyway, Happy New Year 2018. May this year bring us all much joy, happiness, love, iman, good health, wealth, success and prosperity, peace and good fortune. May we be strong enough to face come what may, insyaAllah and amen.