Trips
Fri., 10/5/18 - Samarkand
Today we escaped from the city! We drove out to a village, Ohilik, in the foothills of the Gissar Mountains for a hike. The village was a place of mud brick houses and yards for growing food or containing cows or sheep at night. People sweep the dirt at the entrance to their houses and the ones we have seen the inside of have been neat but sparse and functional. Many have very pretty, elaborate “garage” doors into their courtyards. We entered one to use their clean, cement, long-drop toilet.
In this village are three “pioneer camps.” These were instituted during Soviet times to brain-wash school children. They continue to operate now under the continued communist system.
We saw a man in a black uniform who was an “officer of compulsory payment.” He is like a tax or bill collector who knocks on doors of people who owe on their gas or electric bill, etc. He has the authority to take a TV or computer or furniture if the person can’t pay what they owe.
Patterns at our hotel
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Patterns at our hotel
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Statue of Tamerlane (Timur)
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Even in Uzbekistan
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Hanging out - Roadside meat market
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Closeup
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Gas is piped throughout the city in pipes that go from house-to-house over the rooftops
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Bus stop? |
Interestingly shaped long-drop toilet
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Front door |
Front porch and yard |
Kids are always curious about foreigners
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The road outside the house
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River bed |
Our hike was along shepherd paths up into dusty and rocky open areas where there was very little “grass” or greenery for any animal. The views back down into the village and the trees along the stream made you realize how hard these people work to eke out a living in this arid country. There is one stream here that flows from snow melt, and springs that sustain life. We had a rest stop near the top of a hill, with cookies and hot tea or coffee provided by our local guide. We enjoyed the exercise and the rock hopping to cross the stream. We saw a herd of sheep on the barren hills and cows roaming free. Afghanistan lay across the next set of hills about one mile away.
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We hiked that direction
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Farm house |
The road/trail
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Fall color |
Resting cows
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Keeping the birds off
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The way up was not always easy
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View of the town |
Looking back toward the city |
More fall color
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Looking down at a farm
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Pasture land with Afghanistan in the distance
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Neat farmhouse |
Animal grazing trails on the hillside
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Queen of the mountain
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We made it almost to the very top |
Looking down at the animals on the hillside where we came from
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Stream below
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Rock formations |
A stile
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Helping hand to rock hop across the stream
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Design on the fence
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Tin roof |
We stopped briefly at a school to visit with some of the kids and then continued on back to the hotel to clean up a bit and have lunch.
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School kids
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School kids looking at a map so we could show them where we came from
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Water line
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Fruit tree orchard |
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Paint samples
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Outdoor market |
Camel sculpture
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Super market |