BSC at Play!

Sunday, July 26 was the BSC First Annual Pool Party! Thanks to Wendy for hosting and to Bobbi for all the fun pics!!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Where in the World is Charlotte?

Huh?? Uzbekistan???  Where’s That???
by Charlotte Temple, BSC Bass and World Traveler
 
So when the company I travel with announced a new trip to Turkey with a pre-trip to Uzbekistan, I said, “Where do I sign up?”  Pete and I looked up Uzbekistan in our atlas and saw that it was surrounded by countries like Tajikistan, Kyrgyzistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakstan, not the top 10 countries you have on your bucket list.  But I like the unusual and quirky countries so I booked the trip.   
Uzbekistan is a Central Asian nation and former Soviet republic. It's known for its mosques, mausoleums, madrases and minarets and is linked to the Silk Road, the ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean. 
 
 
We flew from Boston directly to Istanbul, Turkey, spent a few hours in Istanbul and boarded a plane to Tashkent, Uzbekistan (the capital), a 4 hour flight east.  We arrived early in the morning, a little bleary eyed since we had been up for almost 2 days.  We knew that if we went to sleep then, we never would get to sleep at night.  We had no formal activities planned for the day, so 3 of us walked and walked.  Tashkent is a modern city, very 21st century, with wide shaded streets, fountains, and modern looking buildings.  It’s very clean, no graffiti and the people are some of the friendliest I ever met.   There are almost no western tourists, so we were a real novelty.  
 
We spent 2 days in Tashkent then drove to Samarkand for 3 days. Samarkand is a major city on the Silk Route and is the birthplace of Timur or Tamerlane, a conqueror feared by all -- he made Samarkand the capital of his empire.  Samarkand is known for its major landmark of Islamic architecture: the Registan, a plaza bordered by 3 ornate, madrassas dating from the 15th century.  
 
 
One afternoon in Samarkand, with no planned activities, Margaret and I walked the area around our hotel.  The houses are arranged with rooms around a courtyard and multiple generations live together.  I peeked into a courtyard on the street and was immediately seen by the woman of the house who motioned me to come closer.  From her hand signals and body language, I figured she was asking where we were from -- when I said, “America” I thought she was going to jump out of her skin. She immediately ushered us into the courtyard, brought out chairs and began to set a table with a lovely cloth and utensils.  Over our protests, she brought out Plov, the national dish of Uzbekistan, which we call Pilaf --  rice with bits of lamb and dried fruits.  There was no way we could deter her from feeding us.  She went into the house to bring her husband and grandchildren and we all attempted to converse using hand signals and laughing together.  It was a fabulous experience.
 
 
We learned so much about the history of the country under Soviet rule and its current life as an independent nation.
 
After a week in Uzbekistan, we flew back to Istanbul to begin our 3 weeks in Turkey.  Another amazing adventure.
 
I traveled with Overseas Adventure Travel (they are located in Boston).  I’ll bend your ear if you’re interested.