The airport has been improved since my last flight and it isn't quite as much shove and push to get on board and get a seat. Most of the group is just doing carry on luggage but a few are checking bags so it's not a grab and go when we reach our destination. We are staying in the fabulous Hotel Uzboy which I think is the only game in town here. It has also been upgraded since my last visit and honestly, my roommate's and my room is just as nice as the ones we've had in the Grand Turkmen hotel so far. But we arrived a bit early for the hotel and it took them about an hour to sort our rooms and assign keys. An hour that could have been spent on the road towards Konye Urgench, the reason we came.
We finally all have rooms and we are off to lunch and the market. We don't have much time at the market as we have gotten the late start from the hotel. I am still looking desperately for the embroidered pieces that are sewn into the necks of the traditional dresses. I bought some last time at the big market outside Ashgabat but couldn't find them there this time. I figure there might be some here in this market so I am racing through the market like a mad person, ducking into the small stores looking for any embroidery. Plus I need to get my socks. I bought some great socks here last time that served me very well until they finally broke into pieces practically so I want some more. Luck is with me. I find both the embroidery pieces although the first ones I find are very dear and I didn't exchange any more money before we left Ashgabat. I find my socks next and get several pairs. There aren't as many patterns this year. And then I find some more embroidery at a much better price. Some of the vendors are delighted to have their photos taken and I try and show them the photo as do the other group members. The vendors are delighted and laugh and laugh at the photos. I have just enough time to dash around the market for one last photo shot of the melons and market before I run back to the entrance to meet our group. I am not the last to arrive thank goodness. As we walk back to the bus, there is a young girl in her school uniform and I finally get a photo of that because she was agreeable to have her photo taken. Last time here, so many of the young girls wore these huge bows on their heads but I only saw one girl with the bows this time.
On the way to Konye Urgench, we are passing fields of cotton where there are workers busy picking the cotton. The bus pulls over and we make a mad dash for the closest worker, kind of going slow as if she's a wildlife opportunity and we are trying hard not to scare her away before we get photos. Luckily she's amenable to having her photo taken and shows us her cotton sack and how to pick the cotton. She's a whirlwind. I try and pick some to make up for her lost time in posing for us but I am so slow that I doubt I made much of an impact at all. About 7 of us from the group have woven our way into the field and among the cotton pickers. They didn't seem to mind but it must have been quite an intrusion for us to descend on them like that. They were busy shouting back and forth across the field and laughing. Can just imagine what they were saying, "here come some crazy tourists with cameras again!"
Back on the bus for the continued drive to Konye Urgench which was "once a major silk route stopping point, successive ravaging by Genghis Khan and Tamerlane have left a collection of fascinating ruins here, an enormous Minaret towers over the several mosques and ancient mausoleums in the area." this is taken from our tour information brochure. We arrive at the first building which is the largest and right next to the road. There is one toilet building which might also be from that era as it is that nasty but at least it has a door, sort of.
This large building has some wonderful tile work in the ceilings and some great wooden doors which they are trying to preserve. It looks very much like a lot of the Massadras in Uzbeckistan (schools). I was busy visiting the ancient toilets and lost the explanation. Hmm, seems like I was doing the same thing years ago so I still don't know for sure what this building is.
Next we cross the road and walk into the main site which is several acres with a sidewalk running through it past the minaret, the mausoleums, the mosques and other ruins. there are also many, many grave sites, some ancient and some not so ancient. Our group gets quite separated as some members are taking a lot of photos and lagging behind to get them. Also the sun is setting and there is going to be no time to stop at another site with two mosques side by side that I remember visiting before. I don't think anyone realized that we had missed those two mosques which is a shame because I remember them as quite interesting.
We climb the small hill where there are many rocks stacked on the hillside - for good luck I believe. On top of the hill we can see the entire site below us and also a lot of graves on the other side. In one small area there were many tiny cradles where couples and women have come up here wishing and hoping and praying for babies. last time I was here, our guide told us this was a sacred site - which I am sure it still is to many people for the wishing and such - but that we were not allowed to photograph the baby cradles. We were not told that this time so everyone got plenty of baby cradle photos.
Back down the hill just as the tail end of the group is catching up to us and then we head to the last mausoleum which has some lovely brick tile work on top and then the sun has set and we are back on the bus heading back to the hotel. the road is not the best and the driver had not wanted to be driving on it at night but we just got too late of a start. Dinner is at the hotel and then we have a very early start tomorrow morning to fly back to Ashgabat. Rather a quick-y tour to Dashoguz. somehow I remember much more time here last trip but we did have less people and possible later flights.
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