Antica B&B Samarkand

... a lot to be desired. I make up in volume and then get some good ones out of every trip.<br><br> Into the courtyard and across to the other side where there is a large niche and a large statue of Ulug Bek seated with several men around him. These were his scholars and bright students who came to study here. They were looking at a globe but the globe is gone. I asked what happened to it but he didn&#8217;t hear me ...

A Beautiful Necropolis<br><br>Sunday October 18, 2009<br><br> After our yurt camping and cotton picking, we pulled into Samarkand for the next three nights. We have a lovely hotel here that is actually very close to the center of action. But we still pile onto the bus to go to the Ulug Bek observatory this morning. Ulug (also seen spelled as Ulog, Ulon and Beg) Bek was ruler over Samarkand in the 15th century. A very ...

... back up several times and reposition myself to get through the narrow passage and NOT run into the large heated samovar at the end of the carriage for hot tea and coffee.<br><br> Into my compartment #1 and my suitcase will not fit under the seat where there is a bin. Luckily it was only half a bin so my suitcase went into the space next to the bin. Everyone got on ...

<br> My wound is still bleeding and the ankle swollen. We go to the hospital. Abdullo is a fantastic fixer and knows important people in high places which is all important in Uzbekistan. He and Ziyodullo are opposites. Ziyodullo is reserved, learned, patient, full of information and wanting to impart knowledge, a born teacher. Abdullo is breezy, brash ready to take the main chance but a powerful influence on Rustam. And he knows ...

... set to work laying the single colour weave in place. There were about 50 handlooms in this factory but only three girls working. This really smells like a tourist trap as they also machine make Ecat silk fabric.<br><br> Hand weaving is seems to be about five percent of the actual factory work. The bulk of the work is done in a series of crumbling buildings using what looked like 50 year old rattling mechanical looms. The noise was appalling as 20 looms wove plain silk for an army order ...

... was somehow the same price (or a bit more expensive) as usual train. Once again, sorry, a year have passed, and I've got completely lost in prices and local currencies. I just remember that the train came to Samarkand very late at night, and Rustam's mother and me (we happened to travel in the same train) took a taxi, which got her home and me to the hotel. The hotel was very beautiful, 5 min walk from ...

... s not worth it." Instead, he has worked in Europe where he can earn far more money with fewer hassles. "I miss my family then, yes." He showed me a photograph of his truck in Europe, where his European co-workers all can't wait until he returns. "Soon I will go to a spa vacation with them in Latvia. I was in Tashkent to get visa." At a checkpoint, Borat showed me how the militsia accepts ...

... heard that the resource center at the institute is under lock and key and I get to help people have access to the info and maybe also reorganize it and help build it up more. Gee, not up my alley at all. :) I am so excited. Right after site announcements, we all went on individual trips to visit current peace corps volunteers. I went to gulistan. It was so relaxing. I read and watched movies on computers and learned how to make syrup ...