All the President's Men

Reaching Bukhara from Samarkand, we found a hive of activity. The place was abuzz with police, street cleaners and security agents wearing blacks suits and white shirts in plus 40c heat. These men were hardly incognito. The President of Azerbaijan's visit to the ancient city was imminent. I must say that in 24 hours, the roads got painted, zebra crossings gleamed, the flower beds were stocked with colour and most of the roads were blocked off. 

A big regret. I didn't buy the sheep hat

This was effort on a grand scale. The centre of the old city is Disney-fied to the extreme. Renovations to buildings that had fallen into disrepair began in tbe 70s under Soviet rule but went on apace from the 90s onwards. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Ready for action

Flowers from far and wide planted together

The cities on the Silk Road are fully geared up for tourists. It only had the finishing touches added for the President's benefit. It is amazing and very neatly manicured. I know the Silk Road is essentially about retail but I am incredulous that anyone makes a living as there are stores galore in every corner. 

By the time I got to Bukhara, I felt a little domed-out. I had seen so many; and they are all so beautiful. The sheer amount is overwhelming. 

Moving on from Bukhara, we caught a Soviet style train through the Red Desert to Urgench and then immediately onwards to the desert by minibus to see a few of the one thousand fortresses that were established in the first century AD. This swathe of Asia has had upheaval and wars aplently throughout its long history. Then with Soviet control, the ethnic groups became mixed, religion was squashed and now it is peaceful. This is surprising considering its proximity to Afghanistan. 

I have found it hard to put into any order the rise and fall of so many little empires. The history goes back fifteen centuries where there are so many khans, rulers, tribes and shifting borders. Algorithms and algebra came from Khiva in the nineth century. Astronomy also had its grounding in the region through Ulugh Beg. These famous people have statues and mausoleums - so many that I hardly remember any.

Khiva

My holiday has gone by in a blur because of recerring tummy troubles. The low point was when I threw up in a plastic bag while travelling in the minibus. The bus stopped for me. I splattered the verge, knotted the bag up and held it for many more kilometers before I could find a bin just to uphold my green credentials. 

Now I am in Turkey. I am almost scared to order anything that might set me off again. My flight on Uzbek Airlines didn't help. Universally the food offered was rejected by everyone on the plane. Everyone wanted to get to the front, heave their heavy bags and ignore all other passengers and obstacles.

I tried to visit the loo. Queuing didn't help. Just when it was my turn, the staff asked me to move inside the food prep area so they could move the trolley. Two other people jumped in before me. I couldn't even claim my aisle seat. A hefty woman climbed on and over me three times to get into the aisle and then wanted me to get out of the way so she could get off the plane when there was no room for me to move anywhere. Being under the weather made this all the more irritating and I found myself resentful of the way people behave in some parts of the world. I tried to watch Wuthering Heights... aah... I never did get to finish it... I'll never know whether Cathy does meet Heathcliffe in the hereafter in this version... Hindley is MIA.

The plane landed. The pilot got a round of applause. Why? I am sure the President of Azerbaijan would have had edible food and a more restful flight. I can only tick this one off as one of the worst flights I have taken. EVER. 

My time in Turkey has been blessed yet again. This time I met up with Maram, a friend from Syria. We hit the high life visiting a hi tech toilet. It washed and dried you at the press of a couple of buttons.. Woohoo. Match that UK! Istanbul is party central. It lights up at night and everyone is out on the street.

And now... onward...