Vignettes of the World
The hiking trail of the day would take us through three hills in Yuen Long, namely Ho Hok Shan, Cheung Ngau Shan and Tseng Hang Shan. The trail took us three hours because of the slightly hot weather (still, in November), and the traverse of …
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 …
Early in the morning we bid farewell to Samarkand. We would be heading to the Nuratau Mountains for a significant change of scenery from the ancient sites of Uzbekistan, and stepping into a wonderful embrace of its wilderness instead.
A driver from the Syyod Camp came to pick us up. We arrived at the Syyod Camp at around noon or so. The plan of the day was to simply do a three-hour pre-hike at the Nuratau Mountains. Then the next day we would be climbing 700 meters onto the peak at the ranges of Nuratau Mountains. This would take us 7 hours.
We joined this hiking tour with Responsible Travel and overall the experience was fantastic. We settled down in our yurt. It was clean and spacious. In fact, all the facilities, including bathroom, shower, cafeteria and everything at the camp were clean and spacious.
With excitement, we headed over to the cafeteria and had a wonderful lunch prepared by the staff there. Throughout this two-day stay, we found the food to be very pleasant. There was a nice focus on veggies but the meats were all very good too.
But the most significant learning at the Syyod Camp would come from our English-speaking Guide, Mr. S. He would be sharing a lot of his thoughts about Uzbekistan and the world with us. It was a rare chance to have a long conversation with a native about the country.
There was a platter of goodies at the table. Here is a snapshot of the food that we were served at the Syyod Camp throughout these two days.
On this day we would be doing a short, three-hour pre-hike to the viewpoint of the Nuratau Mountains. At this viewpoint, we would see wonderful aerial views of the desert, the flatlands, and the mountains. The intention is for us to consider which hiking option we would do for the next day. For the most comprehensive climb of the mountain would entail quite a bit of physical exercise.
We headed on over to the back of the camp and started ascending. After an hour an a half, we arrived at the viewpoint.
There were indeed exceptional views there. The deserts of Uzbekistan is a little unusual in that there is quite a bit of vegetation at the desert. From a high point of view, there is almost no distinction between a desert and a grassland.
We saw herds of animals grazing on the mountain’s slopes.
On the day that we visited the camp, the wifi there was down. But when we went up to the mountains, we could access the mobile data on our phones. My friend and I quickly launched our Duolingo app to do our language lessons for the day. Mr. S saw and heard the Duolingo sounds and said he was also on Duolingo. So we each added him and we all played Duolingo at the viewing point. I was learning Dutch, my friend was learning Spanish, and Mr. S was learning French.
When we came to this area, we noticed that 95% of the car were in white color. They also came in the invariable brand of Chevrolet. We asked Mr. S why.
He said that the people like to have white cars because it gets extremely hot. The white color also reduces the need to wash the car because it gets very dusty in the summers. Finally, the brand Chevrolet is owned by the government. If they change brands, there is a US $8,000 surcharge for a different model. Since we were on the subject of cars, he told us that there is an extremely harsh penalty for drunk driving. The fine is US $1,500, jail time plus a 2-year suspension of the driving license.
The Syyod Camp was excellent throughout our stay there. However, be sure to ask for enough blankets because the night gets very cold even in April. It was so cold for us that we could not sleep well. We did ask for additional blankets for the next evening.
After dinner, the groups of visitors set up a bonfire to chat and had vodka. In our first day at the camp, we met a French couple who live in Hong Kong. We knew we had a friend when they said “do we hear Cantonese here?”
I opted to stay in my yurt and did not join the bonfire. It was a long day for me.
I was also quite concerned that the full mountainous hike next day would become too strenuous for me.
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We took a quick lunch at the Siab Bazaar and then headed toward the Shah-I-Zinda. On our way, we passed by the Hazrati Hizr Mosque.
The Hazrati Hizr Mosque was built in 1823. Although as compared to the myriad other ancient structures in Samarkand it may have paled in terms of historical significance, it stands on a site that represents a legend.
According to Central Asia Travel, “The mosque was built on ancient foundations, and historical written sources (and later archaeologists confirmed this) say that in the XI century the very first mosque in Samarkand was erected here: ‘on the place where Muslim banners were located.’” Hizr was a holy elder that people worshipped, even as early as the pre-Islamic times. He was the patron saint for the travelers.
The Hazrati Hizr Mosque sits on a hill with a gentle incline. It shows beautiful architecture, in particular the arched iwans. Look up and you will see a beautiful wooden framed roof well-adorned in cheerful colors.
Out on the side porch one can have a full view of the Bibi Khanym monuments afar.
Suffice to say, calls to prayers are still active at the Hazrati Hizr Mosque. In fact, for some sections of the mosque photography is forbidden. Please respect that prohibition.
By the time that we were done at the Hazrati Hizr Mosque, the sun came out and greeted us with a warmth that we missed since the morning rain.
The Sha-I-Zinda is a necropolis housing the burials for a number of both holy and royal persons. More than twenty mausoleums for known and unknown persons line the complex, along with a number of mosques. The Ulug Bek Pishtaq was Ulug Bek’s contribution in or after 1434 and invites visitors into the necropolis on a grand entry.
But there was nothing quite so out of the ordinary for this introduction of the necropolis. The initial structures, including the chortak’s (domed transition halls) are beautiful but not unlike what we have seen so far. We passed by a series of “other structures.” We then climbed the Staircase of Sinners.
When we reached the first group of mausoleums, we could not help but to marvel “wow.” And then we fell silent. The beauty before our eyes took our breaths away. We were overwhelmed, mesmerized beyond words. My friend and I parted our ways here, drawn to the view of every perspective of these monuments that we each found appealing.
The first four mausoleums that line the two sides of the avenue of the dead left an indelible impression. I was, simply put, blown away. And the pictures here do not fully convey that sense of marvel at the first sight of this grandeur. It also helped that I had not looked at images of Sha-I-Zinda before I went, and the mystery was under wraps until the complex stands tall and imposing before me.
In my opinion, the Shah-I-Zinda is the crown jewel of Samarkand.
Shah-I-Zinda, meaning the “Living King,” is a complex of mausoleums built between the years 1360 and 1434. There is one burial that was considered sacred throughout Samarkand’s history, and that is, first and foremost, the tomb of Kusam Ibn Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad. Legend has it that he arrived in Samarkand during the pre-Islamic period. His preaching was effective and angered the pagan worshippers. They beheaded him, but apparently he picked up his head and walked into this area. People believed that he lived to this day.
The Timurids then continued to build their royal tombs surrounding the scared site during the 14th and 15th centuries. Amongst others, there was the Tuglu Tekin Mausoleum, built in 1376 and dedicated to Amir Hussein and his mother. Amir Hussein was one of Amir Timur’s generals. The 1386 Amirzoda Mausoleum was dedicated to one of Amir Timur’s sons. These are the first two mausoleums across from each other.
The next two mausoleums are perhaps better known for their elaborate adornments. The Shirin Beka Oka Musoleum (1385, on the right) and the Shadi Mulk Aka Mausoleum 1372, (on the left) are dedicated to Amir Timur’s beloved female members of his family. The Shodi Mulk Oko Mausoleum bears an inscription “This is the tomb in which a precious pearl has been lost,” where Amir Timur’s beautiful niece and her mother lie in rest. The Shirin Bika Aka Mausoleum is the burial for a sister of Amir Timur.
Go on and you will see many more such beautiful mausoleums in the complex.
Photo: The Octagonal Mausoleum houses the remains of an anonymous person.
Be sure to also admire the interiors.
In one of the crypts, I overheard a tour guide telling an interesting story to his tour group.
Hidden in the crypt’s typical band of Arabic inscriptions, there is a secret. The secret was told to the craftsmen that built the mausoleum and it was supposed to be encrypted into the Arabic inscriptions. But it was eventually lost because all the craftsmen were killed in the end, in order to preserve that secret.
I guess myths and mysteries of morbidity arise naturally during the process of building a necropolis of such scale. This story reminds me of Amir Timur’s curse, which we learned the day before at the Gur-I-Amir.
There is that unifying theme of the turquoise, marine and azure blue on the mausoleums’ portals, plus the typical earthy tones in the plain bricks that made the other structures in the Shah-I-Zinda Complex, but the similarities end there. The adornments of each mausoleum are notably different, as they were each built in different times and adorned by different architects.
In terms of adornments, these mausoleums showcase every technique of Islamic architecture that existed in those times of antiquity and exhibit the height of craftsmanship that has enabled such grandeur. Tile mosaics line the blue base tone in the front portals of these monuments, in glazed ceramics, terracotta and majorlica.
Glazed bricks and carved wood also show prominently in some of the structures. In the Shodi Mulk Oko Mausoleum, “the most elaborate and most spectacular is that of pierced glazed tile décor which combines delicate sculptures with the subtle transparencies of glazing.” (Dominique Clevenot at 99).
A good walk at the Shah-I-Zinda must take at least two to three hours, in which time you will marvel at the beauty of the structures, one after one.
We went in the late afternoon. Around 3pm or so, there were a whole lot of tourists and that made photography difficult. However, by around 5 or 5:30, most of the crowds will have left. Indeed, many tourist sources suggest that the best time to go to Shah-I-Zinda is during the late afternoon, early evening.
Descriptions on site as the Shah-I-Zinda.
Sophie Ibbotson, Uzbekistan, Bradt Travel Guide (2020).
Calum Macleod, Uzbekistan: the Golden Road to Samarkand (2014).
Moya Carey, An Illustrated History of Islamic Architecture (2012).
Dominique Clevenot & Gerard Degeorge, Ornament and Decoration in Islamic Architecture (2000).
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Hiking on a late autumn day in Hong Kong is exceedingly pleasant, and we had such a day in Lamma Island. It would be my first walk from Sok Kwu Wan to Yung Shue Wan, and it took less than two hours. We saw wonderful aerial views on the way.
We took the ferry to Sok Kwu Wan, which lies on the eastern side of Lamma Island. We first picked a restaurant to have a traditional seafood lunch. Peach Garden Seafood restaurant had a owner that was very kind and generous. Our lunch was less than $600 for three and it was good.
Then we began an easy hike to Yung Shue Wan. During this route, we passed by the Tin Hau Temple, the Kamakaze Grotto, and an abandoned building of Lo So Shing School of the Lo So Shing Village. Then we saw aerial views at the pavilion and stopped by the Hung Shing Yeh Beach. Finally we reached the very happening area of commercial activities and restaurants in Yung Shue Wan. We made a final stop at Corner 84 for coffee and egg tarts before departing at the Yung Shue Wan Ferry.
There are quite a few options in terms of proper hiking in Lamma Island. The walk between Sok Kwu Wan and Yung Shue Wan would be the very beginners’ level. The Yung Shue Wan section of the walk is on a family trail (that usually suggests an easy walk).
Departing from Sok Kwu Wan, head out on the opposite direction from the Sok Kwu Wan Pier. You will arrive at the Tin Hau Temple very soon.
Tin Hau is traditionally viewed to be a goddess of the sea.
It is obvious to any passer-by that this Tin Hau Temple is a new structure. Due to a fire in 2004, the original temple was destroyed. Then the Lamma Island (South) Rural Committee gathered the donations to rebuild the temple.
In the temple, the incense burner was cast in the 6th year of the Daoguang reign (1826) of the Qing Dynasty. A bell was cast in the 21st year of the Guangxu reign (1895) of the Qing Dynasty. The plaque of the temple was dated the 8th year of the Daoguang reign (1828). This evidence suggests that the original Temple was constructed in the earlier parts of 19th century and possibly underwent restoration in 1895.
Keep on going along the coast, pass the estuary. Then keep on walking along the coast.
Soon, you will see the Kamikaze Grotto on your left.
Pass the estuary, where the river meets the sea. Take on the path along the coast, and you will see the Kamikaze Grotto.
During WWII, the Japanese Imperial Army maintained “the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II.” (Wikipedia). Kamikaze, meaning “divine wind,” came to be associated with suicide missions of the Japanese military.
In Hong Kong, the Japanese took over the Lo So Shing Village area in Lamma Island to be its naval port. As such, thousands of Japanese soldiers stationed in this area of Lamma Island. They dug the caves (therefore these caves are not natural caves) and hid speedboats there. According to the Wikipedia, there used to be some 20 such caves in all of Lamma Island. Now only a few remains visible.
When you visit these caves you will see that they are located for this specific purpose. The caves lie right by the waterfront. They are not too big, about ten meters wide and several tens of meters deep.
The intention was for them to be able to quickly launch suicide speedboat missions if the Allies arrive in their naval fleets. A suicidal speedboat mission was envisioned to be like this: speedboats carrying a large amount of explosives in its front would be launched at high speed to crash into a naval ship passing by. The Japanese military believed that this would sustain the largest amount of damage against their enemies. According to the description on site, however, the war ended before this work was completed.
After the Pacific War, the British military in Hong Kong destroyed all the kamikaze speedboats in Lamma Island.
Having seen the Kamikaze Grotto, you will come upon this split road. Take the path to the left. You will continue onto the Lo So Shing Village and see the Lo So Shing School.
The Lo So Shing School was the only school on Lamma Island. Due to insufficient enrolment, it closed its doors in 2004. Lo So Shing Village itself had three hundred years of history. But as far as we could observe, few villagers live there now.
Having passed the Lo So Shing School, you will soon see these stairs. If you go up these stairs, you will find a public toilet. But you should head back on the path on the right to go on with the trail.
You will soon see Lo So Shing Village, and at this point with the tent, go on the way to your left. You will then head up the hills.
When you see the pavilion, be sure to take a look at the panoramic and aerial views of Lamma Island there. At this spot, you see the Sok Kwu Wan Pier.
All throughout this way, you will see signs and follow the sign for Yung Shue Wan.
There were actually quite a few beaches that we could see from the high points on the hill when we walked the family trail. There did not seem to be standard paths of access for most of them. But once you have descended from the hill on the family trail, you will arrive at the Hung Shing Ye Beach, which is a proper beach.
We were just about ten minutes away from Yung Shue Wan.
Finally, we stopped by Corner 84, a bakery with just one high table for seating. We had a drink there and Portuguese egg tarts that were surprisingly good.
The ferry to Lamma Island departs from Pier Four in the Central Pier. Please be very careful when boarding because the left side of the pier goes to Sok Kwu Wan and the right side of the pier goes to Yung Shue Wan. Ferries to Yung Shue Wan are more frequent. But in any case, you should check the ferry schedule and plan accordingly.
Descriptions on site in Lamma Island
The Wikipedia on Kamikaze.
The Wikipedia on Kamikaze Grotto (Chin).
Home Affairs Department, Hong Kong Fun in 18 Districts.
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