Ubiquitously Uzbekistan – Syyod, Day Two at the Nuratau Mountains and a Walk in the Village

We rose early. The hike of the day will be a full 7-hour hike onto the peak of the Nuratau Mountains Range. The ascent is between 900 meters to 1690 meters, almost 700 meters of altitude to climb.

At 1690-Meter Altitude

Unlike hiking in Hong Kong, this hike at the Nuratau Mountains has the advantage of requiring no stairs. All of the ascent was done on slopes, and they were mostly gentle. The most difficult was actually the windiness on the mountains. The wind was so strong I almost couldn’t breathe. It was fortunate that I brought enough clothing to cover my head and my face.

On our way, we did see some really nice wildlife. In the first part of the hike, there was a lot of wild rhubarb. Mr. S took some and showed me.

Without knowing how it tasted, I sucked the juice, and it was incredibly sour. I could see it as a great source of hydration though, in case anyone did not bring enough water for the hike.

Around 1pm, we made it to the very peak of the Nuratau Mountains. We had a quick lunch.

We also saw more kinds of animals grazing on the pastures, including horses.

The descent was rather strenuous with a whole lot of unclear paths. I thought the descent was harder than the ascent. But having made it back to the camp, we then quickly gathered our cameras and headed over to the Syyod Village. This was part of the itinerary for the day.

A Conversation with Mr. S

Mr. S is a native in the Syyod area. At 34 years old, Mr. S has taken up his second career by serving as a mountain hiking guide for the Syyod Camp. He speaks very good English because he studied business in the university. His first career was in private banking. About seven years ago, however, he decided that he wanted to do something he loved to do. He returned to his home town and became a mountain hiking guide for foreigners at the Syyod Camp. It is not as lucrative a business as being a private banker, but he loves his job now.

Naturally we discussed what good hiking options there are in Central Asia. He told us about a five-day hiking trip in Kyrgyzstan, and that is the country that is best known for hiking amongst the five in Central Asia. He said that the best mountainous hiking in Uzbekistan is actually close to Tashkent.

We asked him about his faith. He abides by Islam but he does not actively pursue it as a personal conviction. Like the Czech conversant that I met in Samarkand, Mr. S takes Islam as an innate part of the culture that he grew up with. Its influence in this part of the world is very strong. Although in principle Uzbek men can have four wives, he only has one, and he does not intend to take more than one wife. It is unusual for an Uzbek man to have four wives although it is allowed under Islam. There are two main reasons. Firstly, the man must treat his wives equally. This means that whatever provisions or gifts he gets for one, the other one is entitled to the same. Secondly, the first wife must agree to an Uzbek man’s taking of a second wife as well. From this conversation, I sensed that having multiple wives is simply too difficult both financially and emotionally.

Since we were on this subject, we brought up the equality of women in Uzbekistan. He said that women have equal status in Uzbekistan. They work and they are respected. Our observations on this trip does seem to confirm the status of women in the Uzbek society. The native Uzbeks do wear a hijab, but they are clearly free in their movements. They talk to strangers in the most genuine sense of hospitality and cheerfulness. And we also met Uzbek women travelling in groups. The ways that Uzbeks conduct themselves suggest that the country is moderate in its observance of Islam. Needless to say, the existence of other religious groups (many of which have long historical roots) in the country also indicates that there is a general acceptance for the diversity of beliefs.

The Syyod Village

When we passed by the Syyod Village on our way to the camp, I noted an observation to my friend. The structures that we saw were so poorly constructed that they were worse than the village homes we saw in China when we studied there 20 years ago.

It was dusk hour and we took a leisurely walk in the village. A family was just heading out and the children gave us a warm welcome. They are just like the Uzbeks we know: kind, attentive, curious, hospitable, and genuine.

Mr. S explained to us the seemingly primitive, shoddy structures that I noticed when I was on my way to the camp. He said that the mud-looking material is exclusively for livestock. That explains it.

Then he pointed out at some really nice structures nearby, these ones I did not notice. Indeed, those are the nice village homes for the villagers. Apparently, a few members of the household (and their immediate families) typically share a big structure. Multiple generations live together.

Mr. S showed us the 500 year old tree that stands next to the village mosque.

We bid farewell to Mr. S as we finished our dinner. He gifted us a bottle of Uzbek Vodka.