Hand On Heart - Last Uzbek Days

11 to 14 Oct, 2022 - Tashkent - (Uzbekistan)



Our final blog entry for this trip (which, depending how you measure, has been 6 weeks in Central Asia, or 21 months since we left Australia). Currently, we're in transit at Istanbul airport, which is pretty much totally the wrong direction from Tashkent to anywhere in Australia, but the flight options out of Central Asia are not bountiful when heading to our Great Southern Land.

So, the end of the trip was very low key back in Tashkent. Some great meals, a few sights, a self created tour visiting many metro statons, and some time to repack our bags. Also, we needed a bit more time each day as Jo had a couple of job interviews to attend, via Zoom.

The final story, before the final pictures, is the beautiful gesture that accompanies a greeting or a thank you. Placing the right hand over your heart as you say hello, and especially when thanking someone, is an extra sign of respect. The best part is, that even works when you don't say anything. A young boy, around 8 or 10, riding his bicycle past us smiled, so we smiled and waved back. He did not say a word, but just put his hand on his heart as he continued past. It was so lovely and touching, and an exceptionally welcoming sign. "Hand on heart" now has a new meaning for us.

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May Peace Prevail on Earth
Japanese and German POW graves in Tashkent. Before coming here, and reading up about this part of history, we did not know that after the war, these people were not allowed to return directly to their homes and families. Despite being the "losers" in the war, we assumed that once over, surrender signed, repatriation of prisoners to their homes would have been a human right. So, for us, visiting here, and remembering that these people died, still as prisoners, AFTER the war, was both sobering and enlightening. They were required to stay for many years, and to help with the rebuilding efforts. The photo is from the small Japanese section. There are a dozen or so Japanese POW cemeteries around Uzbekistan. Nearby was a German section, which was smaller again.


Monument of Courage Earthquake Memorial
This is translated as "Monument of Courage Earthquake Memorial". In 1966, Tashkent was largely flattened by an earthquake, which although not terribly strong, was destructive due to its shallow nature and the fact that the epicentre was right under the city. The death toll was not incredibly high, but there were hundreds of thousands rendered homeless. The cracked stone with date and time are intriguing and say something. That is why I chose to include the photo. The statue itself is not be related to the earthquake itself - just striving too hard to be an acceptable Socialist artwork from Soviet times. And the images behind it also seemed rather random. To me it was odd, and explains why the translation calls it a "monument", with "memorial" almost tacked on as an afterthought. I found it more confusing than it should have been, and therefore less moving than I had anticipated.


A Toast to the Host
Back in Tashkent, and back with Caroline. A wonderful home for us to crash at while in the Uzbek capital. So chill and stress-free to stay with her. Tonight's dinner is Georgian, with double cheese kachapuri , eggplant and walnut rolls, and a bottle of red to get us started.


Watchwoman – Сторожиха
Сторожиха, 1955, by Fadeev Valentin Aleksandrovich. Relaxing with her tea, but still fully aware of keeping an eye out. What or whom for? A one-off reason to be careful, or a regular task? Was the tea green tea or black, and did it have lemon? Despite those unanswered questions, the painting still says so much, capturing a character wonderfully.


Homeless Fire Victims
Tragedy, eloquently captured on canvas.


Chilonzor
Our self created Tashkent metro tour began at Chilonzor. Grand light fittings, and many beautiful panels depicting life in Uzbekistan.


Yunus Rajabiy
Yunus Rajabiy is an interchange station in the Tashkent metro system. The steps from the other line come down mid platform, allowing appreciation of the tall hall, its columns and light fittings.


Bodomzor
The platform at Bodomzor metro station had these great light fittings, reminiscent of 1960s bar stools.


Mustakilik Maydoni
We split our Tashkent metro exploring over two days. This elegant platform is where we finished on day one, near Independence Square. Mustakilik Maydoni.


Bunyodkor
Bunyodkor, formerly Khalqiar Dustligi. This panel with pomegranates stood out. This station was the closest to Caroline's apartment, and where we began day 2 on the Tashkent metro.


Pakhtakor
Pakhtakor is another interchange station. The tiling here seems to mimic a fabric, more than a traditional tiling pattern.


Alisher Navoi
Alisher Navoi is the partner interchange station to Pakhtakor. Rows of beautifully patterned domed ceilings\, over the tracks and over the platform.


Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan station was not a planned stop. When the train pulled up, we decided to hop out and wait for the next one. The giant tulip-like lamps were the standout feature.


Kosmonavtlar
Well, the best was saved for last. Kosmonavtlar, with panels celebrating cosmonauts. Unexpectedly, the panels were quite human, almost soft, and just a touch playful. Not at all what we anticipated from a Soviet era creation. It was a fine end to our home-made Tashkent Metro expore.

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Southern Kazakhstan, and Out

18 to 22 Sep, 2022 - Shymkent, Turkestan, Aysha-Bibi - (Kazakhstan)



Near Shymkent, there are two sights we wanted to get to. And as it is a stone's throw from the Uzbekistan border, and Tashkent, it made sense to finish our Kazakh visit here.

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War Memorial
Most war memorials are very moving. Few things have comparable impact to listing names of lives lost. 140000 from south Kazakhstan.


Taking In the Beautiful Tiles
We hopped in a minibus to Turkestan, a couple of hours and some away from Shymkent. Here, the main sight for us was the Yasaui Mausoleum. Built in the 14th century on the site of an existing tomb. It was already a significant pilgrimage site back then, and these days it still seems the pilgrims make up the bulk of the visitors. Coloured bricks and tiles bring delightful colour and patterns to most exterior facades of the imposing structure.


A Pair of Woolly Camels
I can't ever recall seeing camels with, what at least looks like, a soft woolly coat. These too looked fluffy and, almost, cuddly. From this angle, you can see that the Mausoleum was never completed. The main facades remain bare, and structural beams are still exposed. Work ceased when the sponsor passed away. Later, they cleaned it up, but retained the unfinished appearance.


Mausoleum of Aysha-Bibi
It may have been easy enough to get to Aysha-Bibi by minibus, as they will happily drop you off as they go by. We were not quite in the mood to wait by the roadside for a return trip to Shymkent, possibly watching multiple full vehicles whizzing by. So, we decided to take the easy option of getting there by taxi. While not a large building, the beautiful terracotta bricks with various patterns made the time and effort worthwhile. Although extensive restoration was performed in the last 20 years or so, it is reportedly true and accurate to the original 11th or 12th century structure.


At Aysha-Bibi
One side had a door, three sides had windows with little spots to sit. Inside, at the tomb, pilgrims received a blessing. Some of the visitors circled the building, touching and praying at various points. We just circled and admired the patterned bricks, and rather than a blessing, went inside for a happy little chat about being from Australia.


Details
Using light and shade to bring the details of the patterned bricks to 2 dimensions.

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To finish our time in Kazakhstan, we had some, still to be explained, odd information. The big, comfy bus we were to take to Tashkent was cancelled, and the reason, they said, was fuel. That was it, a one word Google translation, "fuel". We assume not too much, or bad, so perhaps difficulty acquiring? In a fuel producing and exporting nation? Would minibuses run? Maybe not, they said. The taxi driver we had, the day before, went to four petrol stations to get fuel, but assured us there were no fuel problems. We asked in Shymkent, and got told there were no fuel problems. Yet today, on our Tashkent bound minibus, we stopped at eight or ten stations before the driver got some fuel, but only a ration or so, because we subsequently stopped at another three or four to get some more.

So yesterday, after our visit to Aysha-Bibi, we returned to Shymkent via a bazaar with a good reputation for fabrics and textiles. The whole market place was in darkness, as power was off. So we went around a few areas, and stall holders showed us their wares using the torches on their phones. We eventually found something we liked and bargained a suitable price. I left Jo chatting with them while I went to the nearest ATM to get cash, but upon seeing the blank screen, I knew power was an important ingredient in any ATM interaction. I went further and wider, leaving the market district. In the end, I realised this might be a futile endeavour, and decided to rely on some of our emergency US dollars. I knew I was gone a good while, because by the time I got back, Jo was practically one of the family. They had been teaching her Kazakh (counting to five) and more little phrases, and stumbling through descriptions of Australia and family. As we left, I joked to her about being the girl abandoned in a market and raised by a kind local family who took her in. Years later, reaching deep in to her memory, she had some vague recollections about a distant country called Australia, but didn't know where they might have come from.

Una Casa Abruzzese, and Two Aussies - Ending Winter

24 Jan to 31 Mar, 2022 - Bomba (and surrounds), Pennapiedemonte, Capriglia, Rivisondoli - (Italy)



Winter. As aluded to in the previous blog entry, the weather for winter was far from bad. Although short, the days for most of February and March were sunny, alowing us to fill them with various outdoor activities.

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Interesting Rock Carving Along the Way
Not far from Pennapiedimonte, on one of the main walking trails, this fantastically detailed rock carving pays tribute to the locals and their lifestyles.


Jo and Patrick
Lunch stop above the snow line.


Heading Back Down to Pennapiedimonte

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We spent nearly two weeks on the other side of the valley, house sitting for Sue and Sean. Well, not so much about the casa, but way more about the pets. Sam the dog, and four cats (Ella, Sienna, Sangro, and Florence). It was a delight to have them all over us, and on more than one occasion, we had pangs of wanting feline dependents in our lives again.

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Trying to Work without Upsetting the Cats
While pet-sitting for Sean and Sue, we loved the attention that the animals would give us - to the point where we wouldn't even move them when they were uncomfortable or in the way...


The Dogs Join us for Coffee In the Morning
Sam, Sue and Sean's dog at the foot of the bed, joined by Bella, Tim and Katie's dog, who came for an overnight visit.


The Crowded Bed
Two people, four cats, and a dog. It was rather crowded most nights at Capriglia.


Feeding Time


Strike a Pose

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Yet more visitors from Aus. Flying visit by Giovanni and Chrysi. Really, we appreciated their effort and taking time to come down to Abruzzo. We hope the meal was sufficiently wonderful to justify the trip, if anything more than our company was required.

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Giovanni and Chrysi
Dinner at an Agroturismo, with course upon course of amazing food.


With Chrysi and Giovanni in Bomba
So nice to have visitors from Aus.

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And finally, two more reveals. I know they are long awaited, but when the renovations are not urgent or pressing, it becomes easy to push them back and delay, time and time again. The kitchen was done in a few smaller bursts, by ourselves. The bathroom was dictated by us, but the hard efforts were outsourced to the tireless Ilir, who smashed (quite literally at times) through the majority of tasks in about a week.

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Kitchen Before and After
Early on, we began the kitchen improvements with the new fridge and stove. Three walls of the kitchen have now been painted yellow - and Jo could not resist putting some glitter in the paint. That happened close to the end of last year, while I was in the USA. She decided to choose the time of least resistance. That said, when I came home and saw it, I was quite impressed with how it came up. The cupboards were next to get their face-lift with a lick of paint. And finally the tiles. All the painting was done by Jo - walls, cupboards, and tiles, but we did the tile stickers together. At least I can say I contributed.


Bathroom Transformation
Unlike the kitchen, the bathroom remodelling was only partly done by us. We did the planning, and chose everything, but our workhorse, Ilir, provided the manpower and expertise. Our chief objectives - larger shower that did not flood the whole bathroom, more space and a fresher look. The curved shower was a perfect fit with existing features that could not be moved. Putting the toilet on a slight angle with the high mounted cistern meant we didn't have to re plumb the sewage. Removing the bidet and putting in a compact corner basin bought us space, and mounting a new horizontal hot water service made it feel more open in there. We are rapt with the tiles we chose, although we had to do so under a bit of pressure. "Ilir, you'll need to have the tiles soon, won't you." "Yes, but no hurry. I won't need them before tomorrow." We rushed to a nearby bathroom clearance outlet with a limited, yet diverse range. Maybe because of this smaller number of options, we surprised ourselves by agreeing after only a single visit on which tiles would be best. Finally, we added tap-ware (including a snazzy little waterfall faucet), lighting, cabinetry and mirror, shelf, hooks, toilet roll holder, and so on.

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On a random walk close to home, we made a curious find, and inside that, we unearthed an even more intriguing treasure.

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Abandoned House in Bomba
Many villages in Abruzzo have abandoned and seemingly forgotten houses. Bomba is typical, with most streets having a smattering of buildings in various states of disrepair and ruin, interspersed with homes that are cared for and obviously loved. Of course, most ruined and abandoned buildings are entirely empty, or limited to 2 or 3 broken large pieces of furniture. One March day, we noticed a door ajar, and decided an explore, in our customary manner. This is what we found - a home with no sign of anyone being there since the late 1980s. Old television and fridge and scales, light fittings,, and cupboards full of crockery. But dating it was easy. The table was covered in letters and receipts, papers and magazines, most dated 1987 or so. The kitchen still had pots and pans, and the shelves upstairs still had shoes and clothes. The bed had a bedspread, but is now ruined due to the gaping hole in the roof and years of rain and weathering. We have our theory - when the owner passed, a relative has come and gone through all the papers, possibly searching for the will. Intending to return to take care of the property, they locked and left and for whatever reason, never came back.


And Amongst all the Papers...
So, in the abandoned house, on the top of the mess of papers from the 1980's, we found a "pocket map" of Melbourne with tourist attractions and useful numbers! How random!

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Finally, we got to have a few days in the proper snow. We had planned this for last year, but rolling lockdowns shelved those plans.

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Selfie on the Slopes
Skiing at Roccaraso. Home trail, last run.


Loving our Snow Trip
Jo, part way down Roccaraso. It's been a few years since we have been on the skis, but it seemed to come back quicker than even we thought it might. Like riding a bike…

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Una Casa Abruzzese, and Two Aussies - Promotion

10 Jan to 19 Jan, 2022 - Bomba (and surrounds), Sant'Agata - (Italy)



January turned in to a delightful month, weather-wise. I'm sure the lack of snow and rain is going to cause problems down the track, but with daily clear skies and temperatures consistently in the teens, we did our best to take advantage of the climatic conditions.

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Walking with Patrick
Heading out from Gessopalena, views of Maiella accompanying us for the day.


The Site of a Horrible Incident
On the 21st of January, 1944, in the small village of Sant'Agata, the Nazis extracted revenge after two of their soldiers were killed by a partisan group. The soldiers rounded up all the people in the village, only women, children, and the elderly were there. They were locked in their houses, and grenades were thrown inside, killing 42 of the 44 villagers there.

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Even in winter, we had people around. When possible, we entertained on the terrace. I decided to make a little promo video. :)

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CLICK FOR VIDEO
Via Forno 14, Bomba, From Above
CLICK FOR VIDEO
Via Forno 14, Bomba, From Above
Early January, when we were supposed to be in the depths of winter, Bomba was instead experiencing weeks of mild, almost balmy, weather. Some friends, Donna and Andrew, and their son Xavier, came for lunch, and we dined on our recently completed roof terrace. Xavier sent his drone up a few times, and I compiled some of the footage in to this video. Music is "La Scelta", courtesy of Caparezza.

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Una Casa Abruzzese, and Two Aussies - Time Apart

28 Nov to 13 Dec, 2021 - Manchester Center, Bennington, North Adams, Hartford, Norwalk, New Haven, New York City - (United States of America)



With the USA opening its borders in November, the opportunity arose for me to visit Vermont and Connecticut, for work. I spent two weeks at two customer sites, but got to see a little of both states, as well as some of Massachusetts while driving through, and a few days in New York City on my way out.

When planning the trip from JFK airport to my first site, in Manchester Center, Vermont, I had been looking at Maps so I could arrange a check in with the Bed and Breakfast. Given the arrival time, and the amount of distance to be covered, I made a forecast in my head that had me at my accommodation by 20:30 or thereabouts. Events were to conspire against this. None of the forecasting had taken in to account that it was the end of the Thanksgiving break. Chaos reigned through the airport, particularly in the rental car pick up, where I had to wait over 45 minutes for my vehicle to be ready. Yes, it was booked, and yes, I was on time for when it was booked for. The chaos continued, on the roads, gripped in traffic snarls, where it took me an hour and a half to drive the first 15 kilometres away from the airport. By this time, it was apparent that my Italian phone roaming was not going to activate, so coupled with the lack of any map in the car, I was now on the way north, driving from complete memory.

When it became clear that 20:30 was not going to be achieved and my arrival was going to be in the order of 23:30, I pulled in to a couple of service centres, in the hope of finding a phone so I could call them. This failed twice, and I was becoming concerned about spending more time looking for a phone than covering ground. So, I figured I would have to wing it on arrival. Driving in the dark, with snow falling, not even 100% sure I was on the right roads, I must confess I was becoming concerned I would not find the accommodation until the next day. So, it was a significant relief when I saw a turn off to Manchester Center, and drove in to the carpark of my residence for the first week.

The adventure was not quite over. The owners had sent me an email with details about my room and check-in, but sans data, I had obviously not received this critical data. I wandered through a couple of the buildings in the complex, and I eventually found a room with a key in the door. I felt this was the best I could do, so upon establishing the room was indeed vacant, I moved myself in. You have probably already guessed, the next morning I found out that I was in the wrong room. Thankfully, not a big issue, given the low number of guests, but both the management and myself appeared to show equal amounts of embarrassment.

The first week was all in Vermont. Working Monday to Friday, in Manchester Center mainly, but I got up to Middlebury one day to visit the operation up there. On Saturday, I drove down to Connecticut, stopping in Massachusetts on the way, and visiting Mark Twains house in Hartford before getting to my hotel in Norwalk.

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Morning 1, Looking Out
Vermont, Day 1. Waking up and walking around pre-breakfast, taking in just how "stereo typical" New England it all felt.


Along the Road, Vermont


A Vermont Covered Bridge


Driving Through Massachusetts


House of Mark Twain
Coming through Connecticut, I diverted to Hartford to visit one of the homes of Mark Twain.


Art Gallery, Yale Univesity

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Week two had me travelling to a number of locations through Connecticut.

Friday and Saturday night were spent in New York City before my Sunday flight.

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NYC Skyline, from Hunters Point


New York City Ice Skating
Ice Skating at the Rockefeller Center seems so iconic for New York in winter.


Skyscrapers Disappearing
Cloud engulfs the higher parts of skyscrapers around Central Park.


911 Ground Zero
Memorial pool (South Tower) where the World Trade Center Twin Towers stood.


Inside the Oculus, Westfield World Trade Center


American Utopia
David Byrne's (of Talking Heads fame) Broadway show. American Utopia.


TWA Hotel, JFK Airport
A pre-flight drink at the very retro hotel, TWA. The bar on the Constellation was, unfortunately, closed - possibly due to covid?

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