出發前往布哈拉的一大早我們認識了一對法國老夫妻，看起來有六十幾歲，活力旺盛的來中亞旅行。和他們聊天才知道他們是資深旅行家，早在二十年前就深入東南亞的寮國、緬甸等地方，南美洲也都去過了，聽著老太太眉飛色舞的講著過去的旅遊經驗，覺得好有趣! 尤其是在寮國搭乘十幾個小時的雙條小貨車，每十幾分鐘就停下來休息，還有住的地方不是有蟑螂就是老鼠，完全是望塵莫及的等級啊! 說起來在中亞真的遇到很多很酷的人，像是在布哈拉認識的一位香港剛畢業的青年，就說他從新疆要一路流浪到土耳其，全程不搭飛機。也有看到老人家騎腳踏車或是機車橫跨中亞，最令人佩服的還是很多遊客都至少五十歲以上喔!!

It is always fun to meet new people when you travel. When we were heading to Bukhara, we met an old French couple who had traveled almost everywhere. They have been to South East Asia about 20 years ago and experienced the real local life when there were still not many tourists. The stories like traveling for more than 10 hours with a truck of two rows of seats, and the room with either rats or cockroaches really amazed us! It is actually very easy to meet cool people around Central Asia, for example we met a young guy from HK who is traveling from Xinjiang to Turkey without taking a plane! Or old man crossing the Silk Road via bike or motorbike!

從薩馬爾干搭乘一般火車到布哈拉，原定三小時的車程變成將近六小時，車子停停走走，最慘的是停的時候沒有空調也沒窗戶，完全是悶燒人肉! 但是當地人竟然都可以安靜的等待，只有我們坐立難安，原本以為我們比較衰剛好遇到延誤車，沒想到遇到第二天坐同班火車的旅客也是延誤差不多的時間，看來還是坐計程車比較保險阿!

It was a tough journey from Samarkand to Bukhara by train, because the trip last for 6 hours (original it should be only 3 hours!) The train stopped from time to time, and when it stopped, there was no air con and window… amazingly the locals were waiting patiently, unlike us. It seems to be a normal thing because the tourists we met who took the train next day also experienced 6 hours of ride. So it’s better to take the taxi next time!

不同於薩馬爾干整齊有序的街道規劃，布哈拉可說是一個迷宮土城，有點類似摩洛哥的老城區，凹凸不平的泥土路，幾乎沒有柏油路。好險這裡的景點都很集中，用走路的可以全部逛完。

Unlike the flat and well organized streets in Samarkand, Bukhara can be described as a puzzled mud city, a bit similar to the old town in Morocco. Luckily the tourist sites are all located in the center, so it’s easy to see everything by foot.

我們住的民宿就在利亞比水畔區 (Lyabi-Hauz Complex) 附近，這裡是布哈拉唯一的水源區，以前俄國人為了防止疾病的傳染，把所有的水源都封閉，因為此地特別美麗而得以保持原貌。現在水畔區是當地人聚會的好地方，有餐廳和商店，晚上加入了五顏六色的燈光和音樂，特別的悠閒! 坐在水池畔吃東西還可以一面欣賞水池三側的三座清真寺。這天我走到一半發現我最重要的登山鞋居然開口笑了!!! 果然八年前買的還是敵不了歲月的摧殘.. 沒想到水池畔居然就有一家修鞋店!! 老師傅熱心的招呼我，叫我一小時再來，也不願意先告訴我價錢。民宿員工說修理費通常是3,000 som 左右，等到我回去領鞋，師傅居然開價 10,000 som。我們一臉驚訝，再度跟他確認，他兩手一攤，一臉就是這個價錢的樣子，只好摸摸鼻子付錢走人。

Our guest house is near Lyabi-Hauz Complex, and this is the only water area around Bukhara. Russian shut down all the water area before to prevent the diseases, and only this area is preserved because of its beauty. Now there are restaurants and shops around the water, and locals like to gather around here especially in the evening when the lights and music are on! Not to mention the good view of sitting here – to be able to see the 3 beautiful mosques around this square.

水池旁邊有一個雕像，是一個騎在驢上又做著好笑姿勢的人。他是阿凡提 (Khoja Nasriddin Afandi)，在回教世界是非常有名的人物，有很多跟他相關的寓言喔!!

There is a funny statue next to the water, he is Khoja Nasriddin Afandi who is very famous in the world of Muslim. There are many stories about him and always imply good morals.

布哈拉在過去是絲路上很重要的一個商城，來自各地的商人都在這裡做交易，因此可以看到很多圓頂建築 (Toq Trading Domes)，像十字型一樣展開，有四個出口，裡面販賣著各種貨品的商城。可惜現在這裡已經變得很冷清，難以想像過去繁榮的景象。

Bukhara used to be a very important city during the old Silk road time. Businessman around the world came here for trading. That’s why you can see the unique building called Toq trading domes with many shops inside the crossed road shape. It’s a pity that this place is no longer active as it was.

如同薩馬爾干，布哈拉也有一個重要的廣場叫做卡里昂廣場 (Poi Kalyan Complex)。廣場上各有一個清真寺、宣禮塔和經學院。巨大的宣禮塔不僅是中亞最高的塔，更有美麗的十二條裝飾帶。據說，成吉思汗在經過這裡時，因為仰望此塔而掉了頭盔，在低頭撿頭盔的時候，他說這座高塔值得我向它致敬。也因此這個宣禮塔能一直保存至今，沒有受到破壞。而經學院則是沒有辦法讓大家參觀，因為它目前是神學院。清真寺目前還是當地人使用的地方，我們在星期五的中午想進去參觀就被阻止，因為要讓當地人進行禱告。

Similar to Samarkand, there is also a famous square called the Poi Kalyan Complex in Bukhara. There are mosque, minaret and madrassah around the square. The minaret is the tallest tower in Central Asia, and it has beautiful 12 layer of decoration. It is said that when Genghis Khan passed this place, he dropped his helmet because of looking at this tower, therefore he said, ” I salute to this tower.” That’s why this minaret can be preserved until now without being destroyed. The madrassah is still a Muslim school now so we can only see inside through a window in the entrance. The mosque is the main place for locals to pray therefore we were not allowed to enter during Friday noon time.

我們在清真寺巧遇了香港人和另一位台灣人，就決定結伴一起去城外的亞克王城 (Ark) 和薩曼尼陵墓 (Samanid Mausoleum)。在亞克王城一樣可以看到過去皇室生活的痕跡。而薩曼尼陵墓則是一座非常美麗的中世紀土磚建築，同時也是世界遺產。

Outside the city center, we also visited the Ark castle and Samanid Mausoleum with two friends from HK and TW that we just met in the mosque. In the castle, you can see the old live of the royal family. As for the mausoleum, it is the most beautiful mud building in the middle age and also it is classified as world heritage.

最後我們特地去尋找 lonely planet 中亞篇的封面照片，Chor Minor 果真的可愛又討喜!

Finally we visited the cover photo of lonely planet Central Asia which is called Chor Minor. It is super cute!

Quick Tips:

• 從火車站到市中心的距離較遠，合理的計程車價位是15,000 som
• 之前忘了提，在烏茲別克的外國人是沒辦法購買SIM卡，俄國人除外
• 所有景點都可以用走路抵達
• 建議停留時間: 2 -3 天
• The distance is longer from train station to city center, around 15,000 som is the reasonable price.
• Forgot to mention earlier, foreigners are not allowed to buy sim card except Russians
• All the tourist sites can be reached by foot
• Suggested to stay for 2 – 3 days