I’m holed up in our hotel room in Bukhara, recovering from being sick. Just a cold, but I had a fever last night and it was pretty rough. I’m feeling better today. I’m expecting to rejoin the group tomorrow.
The flight to Urgench was fine, aside from some issues getting Bee through customs and the lack of sleep. We met our driver, made it to the hotel about 4 am, and got a few hours of sleep before breakfast.
So. Khiva.
I don’t know how to summarize it. We spent three days there, and there was so much more than three days’ worth to see. Even just in Ichan Qala itself.
We spent the first day on our own, and our guide joined us on the second day. She was great, but honestly I preferred our independent wandering. She did bring us to several museums within the city, which were interesting, though I didn’t take many photos.
She also told a lot of stories about local history and mythology. One was about the tombs built into the walls – intended to protect against I Vader’s, as they’d hesitate to destroy them for religious reasons. Apocryphal, maybe, but they’re an interesting addition to the wall.
Toward the end of our city explorations, we climbed what was described as “the second tallest minaret in central asia,” providing exceptional views of the city.
We spent some time wandering the ramparts, as well, enjoying the sunset and good conversation.
The food has been fantastic. We found a good restaurant very early in our stay, and we ate there… four times? five? before leaving Khiva. Plenty of new things to try, every time.
I’m going to cut this off here, and go over our desert fortress adventures in a separate post. Stay tuned. 😄
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