From Siberia back to the Silk Road in Uzbekistan; we link our trips.

Trans-Siberia rail and plane to Uzbekistan with in-country rail. A self guided and city guided tour, October-November 2017

It snowed in Siberia! We sat in our overly cooked cabin on the trans-Siberian railway watching Russia unfold through triple-glazed windows. Every now and then the silver birch and fur forests were broken by settlements of the smallest wooden houses we have seen. Well wrapped Russians (far too large to fit into the houses) shoveled snow from their driveways, and the myriad rivers and ponds were already partially frozen. The restaurant car offered such delights as caviar* sandwiches, roasted elk and smoked bear meat. It was meticulously clean and quiet, nobody was smoking, and the folks were gentle and reserved. All in all, a study in contrast from a Mongolian train. In our two days on-board, we passed through 4 time zones and were still only half-way across Russia. 

 Novosibirsk was our last city in Russia, and was the epitome of what a wintery Stalinest Siberian city should be – aged, snow-dirty vehicles plying the roads, watery-grey soviet architecture unbroken by anything of visual interest, and a seriously odiferous taxi driver to take us to the airport. Novosibirsk airport is used by both military and civilian planes, and a military jet was taking off just as we arrived. The noise was outrageous, and several car alarms went off in the parking lot as we gathered our luggage. Perfect.

 Another day, another country – Uzbekistan. First impressions are smiles filled with gold teeth, large shapeless women clad in velvet leopard-skin kaftans blinged to the max, and a huge surprise at the number of red-haired locals (turns out they are Tatar people who come from somewhere further north. So much mixing here – the traditional ‘Cossack’ dance we have always thought of as Russian is actually ‘Kazak’ from Kazakhstan). Also noticed the number of flat heads – apparently the result of babies traditionally being tied into position in their beds until 2 years of age. A pipe is placed on or below the genitals to capture their pee, which funnels through to a bowl beneath. No need for nappies. 

 The architecture is strongly influenced by the Arabs, who invaded here in the 8th century, bringing with them architecture (proportions are generous and airy, and intricate blue detailing is contrasted with crisp plain white walls) and Islam as well as sophisticated philosophy, medicine, astronomy and much more. Such sophistication rubbed off on the locals, leading them to be the first to say that the earth revolved around the sun (500 years before Copernicus) and to introduce the concept of zero, which changed numeracy in a staggeringly important way. Clever little f**ks.

 In contrast to Saudi, Uzbekis are Muslim-lite and many do not follow the traditions of Islam strictly. Alcohol is readily available and headscarves are not required. This softer side of Islam is attributed to the Soviets, who actively discouraged any religious practice when they occupied the area. Under Soviet rule, many mosques were closed for religious ceremony and repurposed as storage sheds, cinemas or even turned into bars (horribly disrespectful, but with their towering domes, trippy décor and great acoustics, they would’ve made an awesome venue…). Due to fundamentalist terrorism in the late 1990’s the Imams (Priest equivalent) are now monitored during prayer to ensure the message does not take a more radical turn. It makes for delightful, respectful people who are far from suppressed by their beliefs.

 We see strong links with our trip to Mongolia and China, as this is a key junction of the ancient Silk Road, which began in the far East ~1000BC and took 8 months to complete – one way! Caravans of camel traders passed through this area, shifting silk, spices, jade, china, gold and much more between Asia and (eventually) Europe. The surviving caravan serai (travelers resting places) are now hotels, but the camels are sadly gone. Remains of castles (Qal’a) still litter the desert, and the minarets – once lighthouses to beckon the caravans (they walked at night as the day was too hot) – are now places from which the call to prayer is broadcast. 

 Genghis Kahn too came through this part of the world in the 1200’s, raping, pillaging and generally wreaking havoc as was his want. Some of the buildings survived his plunder and destruction, and continue to stand today. Marco Polo also passed through taking pasta from China to Italy, but he was a mate of Genghis so came to no harm. Friends in high places…

 It’s a few days later and we are sitting in a bar/café that serves no alcohol, has no cutlery, and although it has Wifi signal, has no password and we are unable to connect. We have seen a ridiculous number of (perfect) blue buildings (wee musical reference there…Counting Crows), each and every one being slowly eaten by the salt that oozes up out of the ground. The desert winds blow in sand every evening, obscuring the morning’s clarity. Historically the buildings were slowly buried by the wind-blown sand, and pathways and doorways simply made at higher ground. These days they dig them out again. 

 We have travelled a lot on trains the past few days, and Uzbeki’s have proven to be friendly and kind. We have been invited to share persimmons picked that morning from a fellow traveller’s tree and offered guidance by many strangers. The people here are so welcoming - it is common for them to touch their heart in greeting or parting, to show their sincerity. We are struck by the uniqueness of cultures, and how we are all so easily misunderstood by others. Here, the locals comment how cold the Russians seem when they visit Russia. Yet in Russia, one only smiles at true friends - to smile at everyone would be disingenuous. Here, they only pour a small cup of tea (~1/3 cup) as a sign of respect - they are trying to lengthen the visit. We thought they were just mean. 

 Long flowing Arab garb with t-shirt slogan of the day: I’m not perfect, but I am a limited edition

 *wee side note–sturgeon, which are the owners of the eggs we call caviar, are an ancient lot who were the first of the bony fishes to evolve (cartilaginous ones like sharks are a bit older).  They look weird because they retain some of the bony plates that ancient fishes first had. Here in Russia, some species grow to be 7.5 m long! Imagine fish of that size swimming around in the Waikato!