Hiking Around Charvak Reservoir

Well, maybe not around the reservoir, that hike would have taken days. How about near Charvak? To be precise, a bit north of it, near Besh-Khalcha. Tucked into the folds of the Pskem mountain range of the Tien-Shan. Clear? Let's go.

It's all bucolic, quaint and scalding dry in the middle of the summer.

Here's the fantasy, a clear running river, pure natural landscape surrounding it. Don't fence it in. Unless you're using natural branches you found. Clever.

A cow on the range. Little herds roam the area.

Dusty, country Lada. Trying to tame the landscape, a lone planting with protective ring of plastic. Humble.

A bigger attempt at taming the terrain, the rough bones of a compound wall of a house under construction. Fenced in. 

Tashkent, A Gated Community

My kingdom for a barrier. In Tashkent, the nice housing is set back from the road a little, leaving enough room for a driveway, maybe a patch of lawn. Why share?

Time for an imposing wall and a fancy gate.

Here's a typical house with a typical wall and a typical gate. Moat is optional. The gate is a real deal hunk of steel, finished with riche flourishes.

Your style may vary, depending on how fancy you want to be, what ancient architectural period you're emulating, how metal you want to get. Heavy!

Maybe cool Miami, Palm Springs is your palette.

The gates do have a history, their brethren found in pretty wood, more as a garage door. Back to the present day, whatever configuration you need, a company can fabricate.

Deluxe look, just keep the theme going also for the pedestrian door.

Details. A gate missing its final finish, plain sheets of metal as temporary cover. Zooming in, many gates have a Gaudi-like deep frieze finish.

Old or new, a gate for every entrance.

To Mirabad Bazaar

The housing is settled, now it's time to forage for some food. Easing into a new post means starting small. Figure out where you live, figure out where you are going to shop for staples. Basic caveman checklist for 2021.

There are a handful of modern grocery stores around Tashkent. You've got your shelf stable cartons of milk, some wrapped cheese, maybe those Barilla pasta boxes. Ho hum, what's the fun of re-creating a Safeway experience?

Time to head to a bazaar.

Here's Mirabad Bazaar. A wagon wheel of personal stalls, filled with vendors selling the bedrocks of sustenance. Pick your aisle and start loading.

It's summer, fruits and veggies are plentiful. The sellers do a nice job with the set dressing, a little greenery for trimming, a little wax for longevity. Staples of Central Asia, honey and sesame seeds.

The melon men with the day's catch. Ooof.

Spice packets, always aggressive and a little stereotypical with their imagery. Gee, which pepper is from Asia and which pepper from Africa?

The humble whole chicken, wrapped and ready for a new home. 

Hello Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Sarah and James have started their fourth Foreign Service tour, landing in exotic Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Go ahead, press pause to go get your atlas and figure out where they are. A dental hygienist recently guessed the Middle East. Note to self: Find new dental hygienist.

No matter, they're ready to start the next adventure.

What does their housing, neighborhood look like? Glad you asked.

Here's their house. Kind of contemporary oligarch. Actually, it's not their house. Fuzzy State Department rules don't allow for such preening to the public. Let's just say that if you saw their real house, you'd agree that this house looks a lot like it.

The neighborhood is an old one that's been mostly obliterated by an army of oligarch McMansions. Here's a humble old house, all basic one story hut-like and a new, massive palace. Good to protect a few plants with a little netting.

Front courtyard of a mansion, a backdrop to a more palatial location.

An old touch, the classic Lada automobile. A new touch, iron fencing to look like sticks, branches and a tree. Sure.

Modern, front yard landscaping, a grid of trees.

Maybe blue and green are your oligarch colors of choice? The Alice In Wonderland, Versailles look.

Fun with scale in front of a mansion.