Fun At The Flower Festival In Namangan

Spring arrives in March in Namangan and the town celebrates with a giant flower festival. Blooms cover the main park and tons of people attend to celebrate the arrival of warm weather.

Boom, explosive color greets your arrival at the airport. Impressive.

Sometimes the flowers need a little artificial assistance. Piano "topiary," more like astro-turf covering. A not so wet, not so wild stream running through the festival.

The flowers are fun, the families gathering, dancing in traditional clothes is more fun.

Bambi enjoys the blooms. Western style corporate sponsorship has crept into the festival. Oil and nature, a perfect union.

Back to tradition, a camel and yurt sighting, looking a little like a set for a Central Asian Wizard of Oz.

Dioramas At The Namangan Museum of Local Lore

Usually, the best parts of a regional museum are the old dioramas. The themes, the patina, the ragged glory of how to best indoctrinate youth so many years ago. The Namangan Museum of Local Lore has a great set of old dioramas, full of grand intentions.

King cotton. Namangan is in the Fergana Valley, a major area for growing the crop. Not sure why they're growing dystopian giant cotton that dwarfs the harvesting machinery.

The local fauna is always a popular subject. Maybe those major horns keep you from seeing birds pluck major prey right behind you? Bored boar.

An elaborate set of a mountain road with military vehicle, representing the 1980s era Soviet war in Afghanistan.

More crop props, now for wheat. Fun with photo blow up backgrounds. Antelope, perhaps saiga.

Frothing wolf. "I need the dentist!"