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Alleyway, China

I'm in Bokhara, after spending a few days in Termiz, where I got to see the Amu-Darya and, beyond its banks, Afghanistan. I've been in Bokhara a few days now; tomorrow I head to Khiva. Uzbekistan has been an incredibly interesting place to visit, especially in light of the Soviet influence on this region. It makes me wonder how Central Asia might have developed without that interference, but I guess one will never know.

I wasn't sure what to expect from Uzbekistan or Central Asia. I did no research really before I came, and so each place I'm visiting is entirely unexpected. That said, I did have romantic notions based on the names of the cities alone: Samarkand, Bokhara, Khiva. I've seen three of the ancient cities now, tomorrow I see the third. A Japanese tourist I met in Tashkent at the end of her travels said that of the three, Khiva was her favorite. I can't wait.

After Khiva, I hope to make it to the Aral Sea before flying back to Tashkent. I had thought to take the train, but am running out of time. It's taken longer to get to places than I had imagined (I hitch-hiked with a fishmonger and her crew to get to Termiz from Samarkand) and so I've had to cut out some of my original itinerary. As it is I'm not sure I'll be able to get to the Fergana Valley, either.

As a result I've been too busy to really spend time searching out internet cafes. Today I've given myself the afternoon to catch up on email and blogs and to write post cards. I haven't had time to do that either since arriving in Uzbekistan (I'm trying to finish reading The Great Game as well) and so this afternoon is going to be given over to errands of a personal sort. :-)

Unfortunately I can't remember exactly where I took the above photo. It was either Beijing or Shanghai, but I can't at the moment remember which. If i were home and able to look at the contact sheet I'd be able to tell immediately, but unfortunately the contact sheet is a few thousand miles away. :p

I hope all those reading this are well.