After a very full two weeks in Uzbekistan we had a few final memories to add.
Uzbekistan has some beautiful crafts with skilled artisans still producing local products such as this form of silk embroidery known as suzaniPuppet shows have been popular over the ages. We visited a small museum of handmade puppets in BukharaWe were struck by the importance of this part of the world in terms of innovation and discoveries through the ages. For example this man, who lived in Bukhara, was very influential in the early development of medicine We saw huge amounts of construction work almost everywhere we went. For example this is an “Olympic Park” just outside Tashkent. It includes numerous stadiums such as Olympic standard velodrome and aquatic centre. It was built by a Chinese construction company but is yet to host a major international event to match the facilities.Some tourists seemed, in our view, to miss the point of the amazing sights of the Silk Road cities, treating the buildings as a backdrop for photo shoots. Above and below, Registan Square, Samarkand on our our pre breakfast visitsAt the end of our trip we had a half day in Tashkent before an early flight. Opposite our hotel there was a three day flower festival. Not quite what we are used to – many of the flowers are artificial and most are still in their pots. The flower festival, which was free, was also an opportunity for locals (we only saw a couple of other tourists) to have a party with picnics, food and craft stalls, music and dancing. These ladies were excited by the novelty of foreigners in their midst !With Nodira, our Uzbek guide. She shared with us her love of her country as well as her sense of humour. We learned a lot from her that we never would have read in a guide book.Blog in action
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