I plan to spend a quiet day today wandering in and around looking at the Registan. After the usual breakfast, which included being offered boiled or fried eggs both of which I could not face! I wandered off down to the huge Registan buildings. Past the fountains and the lion come tigers, interesting statues combining characteristics of both lion and tigers, although they looked like lions to me. I gather some where in the religion in the past it did not allow statues of live animals thus the strange looking golden beasts. More like a lion than a tiger in my opinion!
It was already busy with people coming and going. The entry fee cost 13,000uz som, I have a feeling that as a poor sucker of a tourist I was charged more! Only about $5 so I was not too worried, they are all sharks looking for the US dollar here. I also feel that each are out to make as much money as they can, as you would, but unfortunately we are not all rich Americans. I doubt that too many of them are that rich now, either.
The courtyards or madras’s are indeed worth seeing and that they are so old is a credit to the builders. The area is prone to earthquakes as well but the mosques continue to stand as they have done for hundreds of years. The courtyards so cool to sit in even when the sun is very hot. It was very pleasant to sit and watch the world go by from a seat in a courtyard alcove. Every alcove or space had its shop or seller of souvenirs. Some quite stunning items but alas lack of space continues to get in my way of buying anything. I have acquired a thick skin now so despite desperate pleas I can walk away!
The mind can only boggle at the number of mosaic tiles in this huge place, they cover a lot of space, and at great heights. Achieving this must have been stunning in itself. The patterns of the tiles are set and designed beautifully. One of the courtyards I assumed was older than the rest as it had flagstones to walk carefully on, where the others had brick. I have to watch all the time for steps that suddenly appear the number of times since being in Asia I have been caught by the unexpected step and taken a tumble. As well as the rough roads, pavements and poor maintenance it is an ever present danger.
The apparent fascination with wedding dresses is quite marked and many shops I passed were selling or possibly leasing them. After watching the people here at the hotel, clean and wash the many wedding dresses caught in the deluge of rain that struck before I arrived, gave meaning to the popularity of them. Seeing brides at some of the sights around the city, I found interesting. The girls looked very beautiful indeed.
The dreaded Asian tummy bug, which I had so far avoided, struck, so it was just as well it was a local day. A dose of pills brought from home soon fixed it but spent the remainder of the day resting. I suspect it was the apricot drink on arrival here, the first try of something original! Not particularly fond of the food here, it is very much bread based, bread, which I personally find dry, and tasteless. Tasting a pomegranate fruit for the first time, was easy once I discovered that it was the pips that got eaten! It didn’t do a lot for me though.
Heading off to Bukhara today, just a short train trip lasting a couple of hours. In fact, I would rather be heading back to Tashkent. I think have seen enough mosaics to last me the rest of my life!