March 19, 2004 - April 03,2004

Day 13  wednesday  March 30, 2004
countr side from Shahrisabs to Samarkand
Submitted by Megan mshelly@shaw.ca
 

 
 

The birthdays of Carole and Fred.  Bus trip from Shahrisabz to Samarkand most interesting, getting greener and more prosperous along the way. The first stop was a mausoleum, so full of vendors that only a turret was open.  The interior space was filled with sellers and their wares, with more outside in stalls. (i.e: they sell, we shop.)  Later we stopped at a more authentic situation,  a village house where kilims were being washed in the yard.  We were welcomed inside the home, we photographed the grandmother, with her weathered skin, her toothless smile, the grace of her layered patterns of clothing, and her multi-stranded coral necklace.  Accompanied by her daughters and grand children.Also stopped at an animal market, a little too late for the auction action, but still full of fine detail.  Families were loading their groceries (onions and carrots) on donkey carts.  Stumbled upon two beheaded black sheep in the dusty sand, so presumably the hide and/or wool would be used, the meat had been taken.  Observed the local drug trade ... i.e: men chewing some fine black/brown powder, then spitting it out, one or two quite high.  Best guess - tobacco, but can't say for sure.Herds of sheep along the way, boys and men, young and old, riding donkeys.  Whenever we stopped to photograph, people would quickly appear from nowhere in amazing numbers, like popcorn popping.Lunch was at a Iranian restaurant in Samarkand at 3 pm.  Everyone was starving.  Persian food consisted of Borsht(!) and lamb kebob (prepared in three ways: ground, chunks, and alternately layered with fat {they don't marinate, or use local herbs and spices, though they abound in the markets}).

Today Meli had some news re: terrorist activity and suggested we all email home to tell our loved ones that we are safe, and that the bomb in Tashkent did not hit us.  Zenobia and I emailed home -hers was received, mine wasn't.  The shop in this Samarkand Hotel is quite fine, old things included.

 Because Meli feared our Bolshevik performance would be cancelled due to the terrorism, she arranged an evening of chamber music in a Russian Orthodox Church from 6:30 to 7:30pm.  She also supplied a glass of wine while we browsed the museum gift shop of extraordinary calibre: I.e: Russian Icons (at exhorbitant prices  - the sales clerk told me they could offer a 'slight' discount.)

The concert was performed by four musicians, a soprano, a flutist playing a primitive Uzbek instrument, a base viol and a pianist.  All were talented musicians, and the selections ranged from Brahms 5th Concerto to Russian folk music and well-known arias {Verdi, etc.).  The musicians and musicianship were excellent: The soprano was worthy of Carnegie Hall, the flutist was truly amazing, lots of passion and zeal, great dexterity on this primitive instrument.  A mystical sound, but.the acoustics were destructive.  There was an terribly distracting, split-second reverberation that destroyed the true beauty of this very familiar music and otherwise beautiful concert.  The flutist was an older man, truly amazing, practically dancing with such dexterity on the instrument.  A mystical sound.  How I would have loved to hear this concert  where the notes could be distinguished, one from another.

 Samarkand is very westernized, compared to any city we've been in.  Women are dressed as Europeans: there are lots of cars and traffic.  I only  hope the markets are open.  Apparently the government has used the bombing in Tashkent as an excuse to close public places, I.e: bazaars and possibly the Bolshevik Ballet, which we are to see on our last night in Tashkent.  The concert tonight is Meli's hedge against such suppressive power over which she has no control.

Bob and Carole supplied champagne at dinner, as did Tony the Brit for Fred, and Meli gave little clay figurines of Tohju, wrapped in famous crepe paper toilet paper to the birthday people and then we shared a delicious sponge cake.

Next page              Melitour Home Page