05/06 – Metro Stations and a Bazaar

We are headed off to the metro station.  Apparently, Tashkent has some architecturally beautiful train stations…who knew.  We visited following stations: 

Amir Gemur Hyoboni

Mustaqilik Maydoni

Pakhtakhor

Alisher Navoi

Where we saw some school children who were police cadets.  We got a photo of them with Leo, Peiyeng’s stuffed dog that travels with her everywhere.

Kosmonavtlar (with focus on the Russian space program)

Gafur Gulom

Beruniy

Tinchlik

And Chorus.

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More Metro Stations
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We departed the system at the Chorus station where we immediately stepped into an amazing bazaar.

Our first stop in the bazaar was the bakery area.  The large hall was lined with merchants selling the Uzbek’s daily bread.

There was also a large bakery where bakers were forming and baking the bread in large tandoori type ovens (the bread is stuck to the wall of the oven for baking).  The bakers actually leaned well into the ovens to affix the bread to the walls.  Its a wonder they didn’t bake too.

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More Chorsu Bakery
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Video of baker kneading
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Video of baker chunking the dough
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Video of baker making pattern
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Video of baker applying oil
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Video of baker putting in oven
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There a large food hall...

Our lunch at the food hall

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More Chorsu Food Hall
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a large covered market with sweets

and lots of fruits and vegetables.

Picking mulberries.

There was also a second large circular building that housed mostly butchers.

Beyond this area was another bazaar with lots of household goods.  

We stopped in one shop for Tara to buy some large plates.  The ceramics are very colorful with beautiful designs. 

And there was a poultry section.

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More Chorsu Market
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We saw a few more sights as we took the bus back to our hotel. 

It was a long day with lots of walking so we decided to eat at the hotel.  The restaurant had a nice terrace and the weather was lovely so we sat outside.  The meal was just so‑so.

Remember back in the day (for us older folks) when you were in junior high and high school and you worked on decorations for the big parties.  It was almost a requirement that the decorations include crepe paper streamers.  

Turns out they use crepe paper (or something close) for toilet paper here in Uzbekistan.  The TP in the hotels is pretty good but the TP at the roadside stops and tourist areas and such definitely seems to be some type of crepe paper.