Uzbekistan - our last days

This post is to have photos added 

References mentioned are from Penelope Price's Uzbek Journeys blog.

Monday October 12^th

From Yurt camp, about a 2 hour drive back to Khiva. 

Penelope had booked and paid for 3 rooms at our hotel so we could have a shower and repack for the evening flight back to Tashkent. 

On the drive back she received a message that the hotel had received a better offer (ie a larger group arrived unexpectedly and wanted rooms so they checked in.)  Thankfully another hotel was found and we had an enjoyable long showers and spent the afternoon relaxing in Khiva.

Our flight was booked from Khiva to Tashkent at about 9pm.  Early afternoon Penelope found out that the plane would now go Khiva to Bukhara to Tashkent.  Adding extra hours to the trip.  Why??? Maybe an important person wanted a lift back to Tashkent from Bukhara, so our plane was diverted.

Arrived back at the Grand Orzu at about 12 midnight.  Felt strangely familiar to be back and maybe not as Fawlty Towers as it had seemed.

Tuesday 13^th October

Tashkent

Last day of tour.

Visited the Barak-Khan Madrassah complex in the old city.  Saw the oldest Koran in the world.

This is a huge complex and has space for about 25000 people to pray (inside and out).  New complex and seems to include the administration center for Islam in Uzbekistan.

Last lunch at a local restaurant. 

Wed 14^th October

Picked up at 7.30 to catch flight to Delhi via Amritsar.  (couldnt see any golden temples out the window of the plane.)

Newspaper with missing persons and bodies to be identified.

Visited the Museum of Repression built on a site where people had been shot during the Soviet era.  Had a tour with a guide who sounded more Russian than the Russians.  I think her script had been written by President Islam Karimov. 

Intellectual, artists, politicians had been targeted.  It appeared reminiscent of the Nazi’s with a concentration camp and cattle cars that transported people. 

Much of the information was gained from former KGB archives.  There is even a book that has been printed with details from the archives of 700+ people who were shot.  A very sobering experience.  A beautiful park has been built along with the beautiful museam.