2017/09/13

Day 46: Samarkand - Buchara

In the morning: big show in the hotel foyer where the bike is parked when I get ready for leaving. First it's time to refuel. A tube with a top-applied plastic bottle as a filler neck, all very improvised. I hope that the 80 octane gasoline (in Uzbekistan you always have to ask for "benzine") will not cause me any major problems. I experience it more or less ok, only if you're speed up from a low rpm level the motor is knocking/ringing.

The ride to Bukhara is rather dull. There are many, many petrol stations along the way, but only for gas. I only see one petrol station, which also has petrol - and there is a long queue of more than 20 vehicles. That's why I'm asking in Bukhara at the hotel on arrival, where I get gas/benzine. The caretaker of the property rides as pillion on the bike and shows me the way to a place I would never have found - we both without protective clothing and without helmets.

The accommodation is very nice with a lovely courtyard and feels very French. Michel has arrived in the meantime, but has stomach problems, he is not feeling well.

I'm going for an evening walk and find out that Bukhara is a big construction site. It is necessary, the sights are partly only in moderate condition. But there are comparatively many tourists (mostly from France, there seems to be a good connection flight) and accordingly many shops with silk scarves and carpets and balderdash.

I go to dinner in a big restaurant and eat dumplings called Manty. It turns out later that it was unfortunately what Michel had the night before and I feel like him - everything comes out at night. I think if I did not get rid of the food it would have totally poisoned me. At least I suffer from it for several days.