Transit day today. We got up at about 7:30, had breakfast, and then called a car to head to the train station. Our train left at 11am which is the perfect time. Late enough not to rush, early enough not to need to fill the time.

This time we were able to get tickets for the nicer bullet train. It was clean and modern and fast, but I think we all kind of missed our little rickety cabin from the other one.

We passed through arid nothingness, with occasional agricultural buildings.

Millie wasn’t allowed movies so we read books and she spent some time drawing pictures from the books. She didn’t protest and it was a pleasant couple of hours.

We arrived and killed some time at the station so that we wouldn’t arrive at our Airbnb too early. Then we called another Yandex for a ride into the center of town.

I knew from the start it would be a disaster. When we got in his seat was so far back that even Millie couldn’t fit behind it. We had to squeeze bags in between us all. As we set off he drove so fast, weaving in and out of traffic. All while blasting Russian pop music.

When we were about 5 minutes from our destination the car engine lost power and he coasted to the curb. Mr. Responsible ran out of gas. We had to walk the remaining 10 minutes with all our stuff, but Nick wisely pointed out that we were safer walking than being in that car a moment longer.

We got into the Airbnb and Millie spent a while drawing. She loves it, and we love when she gets into drawing focus mode.

At 5ish we walked out to find dinner, and made our way towards old Bukhara. We first heard of Bukhara a couple of months ago when The NY Times listed it on their “52 places to go in 2025”. In that article they mentioned how it is hosting a Biennale and investing in the city as a result. Our dates lined up just right that we are here for the opening weekend.

Streets have been repaved and they were still painting on the lines ahead of tomorrow’s opening events. I relate to the feeling of getting a big project done in the final hours.

We have been learning of the interesting history of art and artists along the Silk Road. First, we learned that Emir Temur was a patron of the arts and kicked off what was known as a “second renaissance” during his rule. He would often kill entire villages, but spare the artists and scientists, and bring them back to Samarkand and Bukhara to study and work. And then, we learned about the role artisans played in these towns and trading as people passed through and visited the caravanserais. With such a rich, long history, I’m excited to see how this translates into this event.

We had an early dinner. Millie inhaled a bowl of Uzbek dumplings. The food here is great, but very meaty. I’m not sure how we’d survive as vegetarians.

Nick and I each got a a beer, and mine was served with a straw. I noticed a table of Russian women drinking beers with straws yesterday and thought it was funny. I guess it’s a lipstick preservation technique? Or just slightly more ladylike?

We walked slowly back to our apartment. It is much warmer here, and while the architecture is similar to Samarkand, it has a completely different feel.

Lots more exploring to be done tomorrow.