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The Silk Road Journey Pt4: Shimmering Samarkand

April 28, 2012 by Bino 24 Comments

Just when I thought that Bukhara epitomized all there is to be seen in terms of mosques, madrasas and mausoleums; we venture into another such place – perhaps the most well-known among all the silk road cities – Samarkand.

the majestic registan square of samarkand – one of the most fascinating architectural ensembles I have seen

Unlike the more atmospheric Khiva and the more religious but understated Bukhara, Samarkand differentiates itself in grandeur. Also known as the “jewel of Islamic art,” the city was the capital of Tamerlane’s empire (the man responsible for bringing together the Uzbek identity) in the 14th century. Today, the city has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, credited as a “crossroads of culture” due to its pivotal role in bridging China and the West during the silk road era.

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The Silk Road Journey Pt1: Welcome to Uzbekistan

April 14, 2012 by Bino 20 Comments

Mention the country Uzbekistan and more often than not, one gets a mixed reaction. What is there to see? Why go there? Where is that? These were the most common responses I received when people heard that I was going to Uzbekistan. Ask me my opinions on Uzbekistan 5 years ago and I would probably ask the first two questions as well.

As one of the -Stans (i.e. Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, etc), people normally associate it with vast cotton fields, cold, impersonal Soviet architecture and perhaps tall, blonde receptionists all seemingly named Svetlana. In more recent times, Borat came into the picture to portray what is a backward and inaccurate depiction of the -Stans (notably Kazakhstan). Nevertheless, it did put this rarely explored region in the limelight.

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Delhi: My Absolutely Chaotic Introduction to India

March 3, 2012 by Bino 10 Comments

Even from the very beginning, there was red tape. At the Air Asia X check-in at KLIA, the counter staff asked us for a visa. It seems that not a lot of people use India’s visa-on-arrival facilities so the staff was still thinking twice whether to board us on the flight. But we eventually argued our way through.

chaos!!!

We landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Airport after a flight time of approximately 5 hours. Their terminal seriously reminds me of Changi – the carpeting and signage look like they’re copied down to a tee. But I do have to hand it to them – DEL is really pleasing to the eyes. The visa-on-arrival desk is hidden in one of the obscure corners of the terminal and took us a while to find. With only 1 guy manning the booth, it took us nearly an hour to get our visas.

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The Real Iran Pt6: Winter Wonderland, Embassy Raids & Nose Jobs in Tehran

December 1, 2011 by Bino 10 Comments

bustling and modern Tehran

I could be fooled for thinking that I was in some other place. North America. Maybe… No, it looked more like I was in Europe. Yes, definitely more European than American. The houses, they looked chic and expensive… and very western. It was un-Asian, if there ever was such a thing. There were maple trees all around me, with leaves withering into shades of red and brown. It was also freezing cold, and fresh snow was on the slippery ground. I couldn’t help it; the Christmas spirit came rushing in and I imagined I was Bing Crosby humming “White Christmas.” Very ironic thing to do, for I was very much in Iran. Humming Christmas carols in this, my last day in the Islamic State was surreal. I didn’t care even when the other passers-by heard me. It was my last day here and that was to be my excuse. After 9 days of traveling, I finally made my way to Tehran, the frenetic and often misunderstood capital of this equally misunderstood country. And what a great way to end my trip than with this winter scene.

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The Real Iran Pt4: Esfahan – Half the World in a City

November 24, 2011 by Bino 15 Comments

reflections at the sheikh lotfollah mosque

After two days of wandering aimlessly in maze-like streets and surveying what looked like Aladdin’s Agrabah, it was time to make a move again. I left Yazd with both sadness and excitement. I really liked the city, and told myself that I’d return one day. But at the same time, I was looking forward to our next city, which everyone we met along the way had been raving about. There was this rhyme that a local had taught me, it was a Persian adage that goes: Esfahan Nesf e Jahan which means “Esfahan IS half the world.” To the unfamiliar, this may seem like a cheeky thing to say. But I later realized Esfahan is one of those places where you really have to be there to see it. Home to awe-inspiring mosques, palaces, gardens, churches and bridges, Esfahan is considered the masterpiece of Persia and widely considered to be – you better believe it – one of the world’s finest cities.

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The Real Iran Pt1: Touchdown Shiraz – But No Wine?

November 15, 2011 by Bino 8 Comments

naranjestan garden

I had been looking forward to this trip since 2007 when my interest in traveling to Iran started. I had just traveled to Turkey earlier that year, and after finding it to be one of my best travel experiences, I vowed to see more of the Middle East next time. However, it did not materialize until four years later – I had constantly been putting it off in favor of nearer destinations. But this year, with all the uncertainty and the revival of the nuclear programme issue in recent months, I decided it was now or never. It had been pending in my travel list for far too long.

With only a limited number of days in Iran, I decided to depart from the usual practice that most travelers have of arriving and departing through Tehran. Fortunately, Qatar Airways started flying to Shiraz recently, which was the southernmost city in our trip so we could just make our way northwards and skip a potentially hazardous domestic flight. The actual flight to Shiraz from Doha turned out to be more like a short hop over the Persian Gulf, and before I knew it, I was in the waiting area of the airport terminal negotiating for the fare with the cab drivers. Despite all the horror stories I heard with the immigration procedures, I got my visa in a few minutes after presenting my reference code. Then, I was off to Shiraz!

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