Found myself a nice hotel in Samarkand, right next to the Registan.
The Registan is an ensemble of medressas that survived Ghenghis Khan. The Registan, translates in Tajik into 'Sandy Place', haven taken their knocks from the frequent eartquakes.
May
07
It was drizzling a bit in Samarkand. Finished reading my Stephen King quadrupology. Three of the four stories are made into a movie ; 'Shawshank Redemption', 'Apt student' and 'Stand by me'.
Also decided not to back track from Tashkent to Samarkand to be able to cross the border near Penjikent. From Tashkent will move into the Fergana Valley and cross into Tajikistan from Kokand [UZ] to Khojand [TJ]. With Nargisa from Sogda Tour discussed my plans for Tajikistan. I think i am going to travel The Pamirs from Khorog through Murgab, onto Karakol into Kyrgyzstan. This means i need, next to passport and visa, an additional GBAO-permit. Of course this is all weather depending, since the passes will only open up beginning of June. I might be lucky or I might not be.
Gone fishing for the day in Lyabi-Hauz pool !
May
04
Today spend a day away from the tourists in Bukhara. They come and go in busloads (dutch included). I know i am a tourist myself, but can somebody put me in a mental hospital if i go traveling that way.
Had the idea to go see some ancient petroglyphs in the area near Nurata. Headed of to Nurata with a car and driver. At almost every police-check we were stopped and the drivers papers were checked. No problem so far, just a nuisance, but somewhere along the road we 'hit a bump'. The police-men say i need a special registration to visit Nurata. It is just a small town that normally is used as a jump-off point to visit a yurt-camp and visit Aidarkul Lake. I just want to go see the old Alexander the Great fortress, trout in a pond and try to find the 4km path to some petroglyphs. So we were send back. I thought all the way back to Bukhara, but there was a checkpoint were i was questioned what i as a single tourist want to do in Nurata. Well, i am a tourist ... 
In the end i had all my credentials written down in a book, including all the hotels i stayed in in Uzbekistan and we go ahead to Nurata.
Wandering around a fortress Alexander the Great has built i try to find the right path in the back. I try a few, but without any luck. You can of course ask somebody, but that is spoiling the fun. In the end i leave without finding the right path. We try our luck in Sarmysh. The petroglyphs are more abundant there anyway.
Finding our way to Sarmysh by asking around gets us to a picnic place filled with uzbeks. Wasn't is Sunday yesterday ? At the gate to the petroglyphs we are stopped and we somehow need to have a document to enter. Hmm, i have all kinds of documents. I have even once forged a letter from the 'Katholieke Universiteit Eindhoven' to enter a salt cathedral in South America. But none is what they, by now four men wearing army cloths, are looking for. They show me an example document with a stamp. Well, what if i grab a pen and fill it in right here. So much cleverness was of course not what they anticipated and they would not take a bribe, according to my driver. Will probably not be the last time i get banned during this trip.
Will try my luck tonight finding plov. According to some Uzbeks it is the uzbek translation of 'foreplay'.
Yesterday send the first batch of postcards. They hold 250 Sum in stamp, that is some US$ 0.15 to get to Europe.
May
03
So what do all the tourists come here for ? That is off course the medressas, bazaars, mosques and mausoleums. The two main features are The Ark (citadel) and the Kalon Minaret / Mosque and the adjoining Miri-Arab Medressa. A medressa is something like a university or school. This one is still functioning and I saw students play ping-pong. I went to see The Ark on a sunday and that happened to be the students time to take history class. The place was buzzing with kids. They kind a looked odd when i started to ask 100sum for taking a picture with me 
Thought of renting a bike for a few days, but everything is close enough to just walk. In the evening went to see a puppet show. This is a combination of puppets and human interaction, depicting a traditional wedding ceremony. So a day later I went back and told Madina i had 20 sheep and my father agreed. So, what is the next step ?
Lost - Anouk at N 39° 46,316 E 64° 24,943.
