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Khiva, Uzbekistan

Posted on May 10th, 2010 in Asia,Uzbekistan by robjkentjr

The old Silk Route trading town of Khiva was by far our favorite and most surprising city we visited in Uzbekistan.  Entering through the old city walls to an explosion of color, markets and amazing architecture we completely forgot about the bleakness we just came from.
The Alloquli Khan Madrassa was built in the 1830s and is mirrored across the bazaar by the equally impressive Kutlimurodinok Madrassa.
The Kalta Minor Minaret is an unfinished structure and would have been the world’s tallest building if it had been completed in 1851.
The Kuhna Ark (Fort) was built in the 12th century and is a dizzying maze of striking blue tile work and colorful employees.
The Islom-Hoja Medressa’s minaret, which is the tallest in all of Uzbekistan at 57m.
The Juma Minaret is only 47m tall but still looks impressive with the morning sun creeping up behind it.
The Pahlavon Mahmud Mausoleum bathed in the moonlight.  I woke up at 4 am to take this picture in the middle of a graveyard.
At the Otabek B&B, we got the Bird Suite because all the other rooms were full.  This was the special room due to the seven bird cages and all the seeds that came with them.
A trip to Uzbekistan cannot be done without visiting this city and the surrounding forts in the hillsides.  Our next stop of Bukhara was impressive but did not compare to Khiva.

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The Aral Sea

Posted on May 6th, 2010 in Asia,Uzbekistan by robjkentjr

The Aral Sea, our first stop in Uzbekistan, is probably one of modern Man’s best examples of how badly we can destroy an environment.  From the moment we stepped off the plane until we arrived at our next stop, we were constantly humbled by the depression this area has fallen into since the Aral Sea retreated to a far off pond because of the insatiable use of water for agriculture in the middle of a desert.
I thought this was a perfect example of Soviet architecture of a dying town in the middle of nowhere.
When the taxi dropped us off in front of the only hotel in town, we did not have high hopes.
Fortunately, our room and bathroom did not disappoint when we asked for traditional Soviet standards.
The highlight of our day was when the teacher of this class practically pulled us away from our lunch to come take pictures with the students.
The Aral Sea and the stranded ships were the real reason why we came to Moynaq.
Here you can see the channel off in the distance that the town dug to try and keep the port open.
To think this was a thriving fishing port in the 1960′s and the Aral Sea was a bit deeper then.
Visiting this fringe region was an expensive detour but I am glad to have seen it firsthand so as to better appreciate how bad unintended consequences can really be.  Coming from this bleak scene, it was like stepping back in time when we entered the old trading town of Khiva next.

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