Join me on my trips

Today we see archaeological sites, go through passport control and then Samarkand. Some very interesting people on the tour with first class guides but what the tours dont give is time to wander the streets. Its all much more tiring keeping to some elses schedule also all the talk when I am used to the quiet. Nevertheless the conversations are informative and often quite intellectual. First stop the amazing archarologucal site of Sarazan which dates back 4000 years and is now a world heritage site. A weight stone thpusands of years old. On going excavataions Across the border to Samarkand in a bit of rain and 9degrees. Lunch in the art cafe. A local baby wrapped up warm. The monument is Lenin so there is still a Russian connection which is surprising. Famous Ragistan Square. ...

Couldn"t sleep easy.  Bad dreams  hard matress and no aircon, its 24degrees at 4am. Staying in this opulent hotel. On we went through the southern mountains and over the pass which peaks ar around 2500meters. Very windy and not pkeasant to be on thd outside with the precipitous drop. This part of the country is ravaged by soil erosion and quite poor, nearly all manual agriculture. When there is any water orchards flourish as well as potatoes. Field of poppies. Toll road. The mountains are rich in minerals that the Chinese are interested in. Then snow but gradually it is diminishing and the rivers are dry. Where someone went over. A market in Penjikent where we went to the museum. This is tiny. Makers mark from 6th C. Then saw the...

On the way there we stopped at Rishtan which is famous for its potteries. In this lovely cool courtyard we saw these blue iris and painted cobalt blue pots. Then a long drive first to the border where I think there were 5 checks maybe 6. Streets with these white trellises for grapes. First stop. 2nd stop. 2nd last. This is a limestone area so cement works as well as vines and apricots. How they grow looks unlikely but they thrive. We could do with a mast like this. Passing a little village which goes down to a huge dam. There are 8 hydroelectric power plants so country is able to export all their surplus electricity. The next section on a road that is under constfuction and runs alongside an area fenced off with electric fencing was a bit disturbing. The soviets cleared som...