Time to leave our lovely little Khiva. Next stop is Bukhara, a more substantial town along the Silk Road in Uzbekistan. Khiva was beautiful, albeit a bit empty. A combination of its size, isolation, and the low tourist season made it feel a little bit like a museum. At night there were practically no people on the streets, save for the odd tourist walking to one of three open restaurants. Bukhara, with a population of over 250,000, should be a little more active.

Our mode of transportation to Bukhara was via shared taxi. Our companion was a young Belgian tourist traveling from Belgium to Hong Kong by land. Now that’s a trek. The roads in Uzbekistan are, how should I put it, adventurous. Potholes abound and drivers have essentially memorized where they are so they know where they can drive quickly or pass a truck. A trip that would be around 3.5 hours on a good highway took about seven hours.

We arrived in Bukhara late in the afternoon and wanted somewhere to chill out. Lonely Planet recommended a tea shop and that’s where we headed. It was exactly what we hoped for (picture above). The decor was carpet-y and the tea was spicy and unlimited. All teas and coffees also came with a collection of sweets, such as sesame candy and halva. The opportunity to laze around and stretch out was most welcome after our seven hour car ride through nothingness.

We walked around for a little bit before heading to dinner. The good and bad thing about guide books is that you’re guaranteed to meet other tourists who are following the same guide book. If you’re looking for some alone time, this is bad. If you’re looking for company, this is good. Lo and behold, our Belgian traveling companion showed up at our restaurant. His afternoon was similar to ours, except he opted for a hamam bath for his moment of relaxation. Over vodka, we chatted about his job (theatre producer) and his trip across Asia.

The amount of knowledge that other people have about the USA dwarfs the amount of knowledge that we have about other countries. On one hand, this is just the natural state of affairs. The global superpower is in the public eye across the world, whereas the same cannot be said in reverse. On the other hand, it still makes me feel woefully uninformed. I mean, our Belgian friend talked to us about Ben Carson and the electoral college. I can’t even name a single Belgian politician. I don’t even know if they have a president or prime minister. In fact, I’m just assuming that they have some sort of elected government that would even produce a president or prime minister (that’s a reasonably safe assumption, but ultimately it’s still a guess).

Cindy and I talk about privilege frequently, both what we have and don’t have. Being from the USA and not having to know as much about other people as they have to know about us is definitely a privilege.

Bukhara at night