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We were up at 0630 today for the 0830 drive to Tashkent and our beloved Hotel Bek. The drive was pretty uneventful and we got to the hotel and the same room as last time at about midday. We dropped our bags and headed off to take a tour of the city and the sights that we only briefly glimpsed on our first half day with Rusty.
We already know quite a bit about the history of this former Soviet nation as we have heard so much about it during our stay. Anyway, Uzbekistan gained independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991 and to mark the occasion everything connected with the Soviet era was torn down and replaced with suitably appropriate alternatives.
First, we visited the memorial garden that contains 2 wall mounted brass 'books' bearing the names of the 2.4 million Uzbeks who fell during the First World War. We took a look at the engravings sharing Rusty's surname and he pointed out his grandfather's name. Next to the memorial is a statue of a sad women, presently bedecked on both sides with floral wreaths which were laid on 9 May, memorial day. We walked through the beautiful gardens to the statue of a golden globe, not the acting variety, standing on a pedestal that has replaced the former statue of Lenin, the outstretched arm of whom apparently pointed to the only KFC in town before it was removed (both the statue and the fast food joint). Next we saw a statue of a woman carrying a baby which signifies the new birth of the country and we walked under the park gates bearing a wonderful sculpture of 3 stalks, gleaming in polished silver, also signifying a new beginning after the country's 70 year 'occupation' by the Russians.
We strolled past various government buildings until we reached Broadway, a rather chic park area of the city with an extremely long avenue. Street vendors displayed their wears neatly on a side avenue and we took a look at the paintings being displayed in the hope of finding a little gem. We didn't so moved on to a burger bar for lunch. I bought myself a new Quicksilver cap from a Levi store (go figure?) and Maria told me I looked like a corporal! Oh how the mighty have fallen, demoted to a cpl after only 6 weeks!
We changed some more dollars on the black market, where we got 2200 Sum to the dollar instead of the official bank rate of approx 1590, ate our pepperoni pizza and headed home.
Communism brought security for the population, food and affordability, for what few commodities existed at that time, but the new era of freedom in a market economy means that the average professional wage of $200 per month is insufficient to buy a car in less than 10-15 years of saving.
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