Exploring Khiva, Uzbekistan

We had a wonderful walking tour of the Old Town today and learned about the city’s history and the stories of the beautiful buildings we toured. About 3,000 people still live within the walls of the old town, about 150,000 live outside it. Uzbekistan in general is becoming a popular tourist spot for Europeans, especially those from France, Spain, and Italy. Most go to the larger cities of Samarkand and Tashkent. Khiva will soon be discovered as well.

The morning started with a chilly 17 degrees but warmed up quickly to about 26 by the afternoon. We had lunch with some of our travel mates and then went wandering around on our own. We’re charmed by this city. It feels quite fairytale.

At 6 pm we attended a high wire performance by a family - two brothers and one of their sons, a six year old! It was only 20 minutes long and $5 U.S. but well worth it. Really entertaining.

Dinner tonight was with the whole group at a restaurant overlooking the city. The food here has been good, particularly the lamb dishes. And I couldn’t resist ordering a bottle of Uzbeki “champagne.” Don’t need to do that again. 😉Read more