Thursday 14 March 2024

Looking At Local Liquor In Uzbekistan

You can buy alcohol in Uzbekistan. Sure, it may be a muslim country. Alcohol isn't forbidden and there are liquor stores around. The fancy western brands may cost you a month's rent. Are there local alternatives. Absolutely!

Vodka is popular. So are macho tropes. Take a swig, feel like a tiger or a bear. That's the Alpha Spirit.

Ahh, about those western brands. If you can't beat them, copy them. And at a cheaper price. Some local Budweiser and Heineken? Better gulp that vodka first to lessen the taste.

Tamerlain cognac, named after the most famous ancient hero of Uzbekistan. Where is our George Washington digestif?

Getting hard core, hard liquor in a can. Or barrel. Tough stuff.

Imitation getting more weird, beer looking a little too similar to the Domino Sugar label.

Back to Vodka, channeling Grey Goose and Ketel One.

Ahh, some truly local quaff, jumbo size. The can is for scale. It's about 12oz. The plastic, he-man jugs are basically mini kegs. Drink up!

Tuesday 12 March 2024

Prepping A Formula One Race In Baku

Close a few streets, throw up some bleachers, sell some soda, blow out ear drums and you've got a rip roarin' race! Not quite. Sarah and James crossed paths with Formula One race prep in Baku, lucky to be safely back home by race day.

No small affair, heavy equipment need apply and often.

The fencing is, obviously, the most abundant sign of the impending noise. Formula One (at least in Baku) races on regular streets, which remain open until the last minute. As do the regular speed limits. Portable pit stops. Spectators, not drivers.

The fencing can make the chic city look like a post apocalyptic TV show. The Walking Gucci Dead.

A photo parade of past glory, decorating the seaside promenade. Fencing and flowers, a curious juxtaposition.

Advertising lipstick on a construction fence pig. No one notices.