Snow pants in the City

Timur Lane looked like he got pelted in the face with a snowball while riding upon his well endowed horse. I laughed out loud at the thought, but I clamped my mouth shut knowing his ghost could very well come back for a hearty round of torture. Timur the Lame had a bum hip and was missing a few fingers, but make no mistake: this 14th century conqueror was anything but lame. He was scary-smart, scary-brave, and scary-scary, decimating towns and villages all over South Central Asia.

The real reason I dragged the family out into 20 degree weather was to see 17 floors of Soviet style lodging: Hotel Uzbekistan. So very retro and aloof. 

We also walked along the city's canal to Memorial Square where the names of soldiers from the WWII are engraved on hundreds of pages of books. Paths within the site were wept clean of snow, but beyond that the granite steps were prime opportunities for broken wrists, elbows, or tailbones. Thank goodness for extra padding. 

Amir Temur Square

Credit: Mark

Credit: Mark

Turkiston Concert Hall in the distance.

Peaceful vision against the noise of traffic. 

The city never sleeps. Credit: Mark

 

Tashkent Botanic Gardens Walk

For about seventy cents a person, you can get fresh air in Tashkent's Botanic Gardens. The difference of clarity is astonishing and as winter approaches and the heaters turn on, dust and pollution constantly hang in the air. Inside the garden, you are buffered from the smog and city noise by a variety tall trees and thick plant overgrowth. Most plants are unlabeled, or were once labeled but have since faded. It's so fresh here, even the public drop toilets don't stink. We paid an additional fifty cents each to step inside the green house, well heated by radiators, but our favorite part of the garden was the side that backs to the city zoo. I can't identify trees very well, but of the caged birds beyond the fence, I could. Loud birds chirping and squawking made the whole experience feel a bit more wild and remote. 

Tibetan Cherry Tree

untouched photo

 

Amirsoy Ski Resort Is Real Hiking

After last weekend's unwanted political pig wrestling match, it was time to venture out of the city without a guide. Our safest bet was to check out Uzbekistan's newest ski resort: Amirsoy. It was such a hotly anticipated opening, the resort was ready before the road to get there was last year. Hairpins and 12% grades made for an impressive drive to the base where we were guided into the dusty lot in an orderly fashion, but the parking of vehicles was more like a monster truck rally event.

We paid about five dollars a person to ride up to 7,500 feet in their spacious gondola to enjoy a panoramic view from the Maygashkan Mountain. Folks in bedazzled heels, hijabs, track suits, or Jack Wolfskin gear gathered in their respective groups to drink, picnic, take selfies, and hike around the rocky summit. As usual Mark and Deets wore shorts, thus pegging us for Americans and a few folks enthusiastically inquired about the election and getting green card issues solved. Skidding down the rocky Alfa Run to the eastern saddle of the mountain, we enjoyed a short 3-mile hike to a neighboring peak reserved for future development before riding back down. But, is it even a hike if you take the chair lift? Mark says: no way. I say: do whatever it takes to be able to hike alone, and I am okay if it's considered cheating.

Come winter time, Amirsoy should have ten runs, two lifts, five magic carpets, plus a tubing hill. A daily pass costs between $15-24 USD (weekday/weekend) and a season pass is about $400. There are chalets available to rent and the restaurant has fabulous shashlik (meat kebabs) so I can see us returning for much needed mental health breaks and fresh air sooner than later.

We completed the day trip with a loop around another ski resort outside of Chimgan, where there are 6 very vintage lifts and you pay by the ride. I understand the resort is also popular for winter horseback riding and snowmobiling. How that works among the throngs of plastic boot walkers hauling equipment on ice and snow, it must be fascinating. Whatever. Sign me up.

A good chunk of Chimgan village has tightly fit vacation homes called dachas, a wildly popular sanitarium, and countless road side stands selling brilliantly colored plums, pears, apples, and nuts. Oh, and honey with many hues of brown and gold and yellow. Uzbekistan has very active beekeeping associations in all the regions of the country, and with good reason.  Honey is an important product here. According to a 2016 publication about honey in traditional cuisine of Uzbekistan, there are 134 different types of flowers that bees rely on in one region alone. There is a high consumption everywhere and the beekeepers pride themselves on meeting and exceeding international quality standards. They weren't wrong. We all got sugar highs on empty stomachs for the 90-minute drive home.

Dangerous edge! Don't come closer than 2 meters. 

Ironically, the print was so small I had to get super close. 

The edge indeed spills over immediately. 

Gondola summit to the left.

Exploring beyond.

Credit: Mark

Charvak Reservoir

Masked (yay!) vendor who told us all about his extended family living in New York.