Bukhara the Noble...

Next leg on the silk road saw us hurtling East from Khiva, following the Oxus in a cramped minibus and passing acre upon acre of cotton field. This thirsty crop, the agricultural mainstay of Uzbekistan which remains the Worlds second biggest producer, is the cause of the irrigation projects that have drained the Aral Sea and caused huge environemntal problems in the country. Our immediate problems however were staying alive long enough to see our destination, as the drivers took turns weaving around potholes, overtaking on single lanes with oncoming traffic, nearly mowing down plywood "traffic calming" policemen and nursing their knackered engine with syringes of meths...all this and praying every 5 minutes at the wheel!

Arrive we did in Bukhara, most religious city of the whole of central Asia. Our interest lay in its Great Game history, for it is here that Colonel Stoddart, the very man who coined the phrase, was beheaded in the main square outside the fortress (pictured above) with his companion Capt Connolly after spending 3 years in the city's dungeons, to the outrage of Victorian England.
Rach and I have had a bit of a meander of the main sights and back streets (point taken about mosques, we'll concentrate on us us us from now) but thought you would like the answer to the riddle "how many sofas can you get on a Lada?"
The main cultural centre is a big pool in the centre called Lyabi Hauz, traditionally for washing and chat now surrounded by touristy cafes and the only place you can eat...we had been warned that people have fallen ill after eating there, but what can you do? Typically, therefore, Rach is feeling a bit fragile today, so limited sightseeing is on the menu. A couple of days will see us right here and then we'll off on Flecker's Golden Road to...