Nanay Sharshara
The owner called it a "dacha", a historically Russian term for mini vacation home. I might have called it a cabin, but upon discovering our weekend rental was made from storage containers, vinyl, and glued on siding for a brick look finish, I wasn't sure I could. Regardless what to call it, it was only a five minute drive from Amirsoy Ski Resort. The inside was like a fish stick: heated on the sides but cold in the middle. We had a grill that we couldn't use which overlooked Coin Slot Mountain and the dregs of Wonka's chocolate river and our view from the front was the highway above us. There were no towels, soap, or couches, but we did have hot running water, Netflix, and a fabulous sauna. Plus, the place had the most wild wallpaper; each room contained floor to ceiling menagerie of pattern.
During this weekend, the weather was glorious but skiing was a mess. There had been no new snow so half the mountain was closed. The kids and I found out how hard it is stay upright when you hit dirt patches and we all winced when we saw the bottom of my skis after a particularly rough fall. Chunks of my soul were torn out, along with chunks of polyethylene. So when we discussed next day's plans, the decision was unanimous: we would go exploring instead, driving further into the mountains in search of a good hike and waterfall. As Mark and I lay in our twin beds that night, he found a town called Nanay, which had both.
From Gazalkent, the drive is either an hour or hour forty on the R5 and R12 roads, both which hug the Charvak Reservoir. See map for details on getting the Nanay Sharshara (Uzbek for waterfall). It doesn't matter which way you go because the mountain views are breathtaking, and the roads are... always full of character.
Driving to the end of Nanay, we parked our car on the side of the road that had seen many rockslides that day due to the unseasonably warm weather and took off on foot. We either squelched our way through thick mud in the sun, or slid along icy trails in perpetually stuck in the shadows. It takes only about a 15 minute walk to the waterfall, but you can hike well past it too. Because the paths cut through tight mountains with many bends, the urge to "see what's around that next corner" is very tempting. Outdoor bed-like frames meant for tea and social gatherings called topchans dot the path, evidence that Nanay is a popular hangout in the summer.
Tired, filthy, and satisfied, we returned to our storage container down by the river for one more night before heading back to Tashkent. Did we love our stay? Yes. Did we have good laughs? Also yes. Will we return? No, thank you.
Photo credit: dacha owner
Storage containers on both sides,
living room built in between - pretty cool idea overall.
Countertop with original plastic wrapping left on.
"Master bedroom"
The sh'tter
Post-It Note Hell
The inside was once the outside.
Coin slots and cracks:
results of erosion and construction
Admittedly a gorgeous sunset.
Credit: Mark
Mountain: our happy place.
Credit: Mark
Past the waterfall
Credit: Mark
Credit: Mark
Nanay, Uzbekistan
