Days 155 and 156 (Uzbekistan): rest days in Gorskiy (my body says something I can’t figure out …)

The two days are remarkably similar, so I am folding them into one posting. Sherzod and I went to Kokand by bus and headed to the bazaar (on both days), the internet cafe (on both days) and ate something (one day only). We headed back to Gorskiy and spent the time with his friends, once at the local ice cream parlor (one flavor only, chocolate flakes optional) and on day 2 with a friend of his who had invited me to his home. I owe a big thank you to Sherzod who opened up the area for me in so many ways. We tried our way through a range of foods and drinks that I would have never been able to discover. It was tasty and new … like pumpkin somsa and apricot drinks and many more things. But he also opened up the thinking of people in this area, again something that would have been hard without him.

The bazaars provided some great pictures, take a look.

And because there are many more, head over to the flickr site if you like …

It was also interesting to find out more about life here. What stunned me was the very deep distrust people have towards the government, more so here than in other places in Uzbekistan. I knew it exists, but the extent was staggering. Every time I took a picture (almost), someone asked Sherzod where I was from. This is not a new question, rather it is the standard one. But the background was to find out whether I was a government spy … there were so many people that were afraid of this, that it really does make you think. On the other hand, come to think of it. Here is the token foreigner who doesn’t speak the language, stands out as he can … good starting point for spying I should say.

We also did some sightseeing …

And this is the place for men only …

I also started to feel the onset of not feeling well. I am pretty exhausted and will most likely be suffering from a stuffy nose and some headaches. I can feel it coming. This is probably the best time for it given that I will not be biking for a few days now.

But here are some more bazaar pictures from the second day …