Journey to the Icy Fortress

There it is! Ayaz Kala (or Icy Fortress, in Uzbek, according to our Uzbek driver). Both of the forts in the photo are Ayaz Kala, the larger one on the higher hill, is the older one. What would we find up there?!? Who knows?

Since we delved on the Karakum (aka Black Sand), we might as well cover the Kyzylkum (or Red Sand) Desert, in Uzbekistan, the place we visited after the Karakum. If you’re by this time, sick with madrasas and mosques (and you will, if you spend enough days in Uzbekistan, how many madrasas do you wanna see??), and you’re still stuck in Khiva, this is one nice excursion you could make, to break the monotony. A trip to see 3 forts, or 5 forts, or 7 forts, …take your pick! Yup, that’s the sort of package you’d get from your hotel, guesthouse or driver in Khiva. We took the 3 forts trip, and I can tell you it’s more than enough for 1 day, if you are slow coaches like us.

Tip: YandexGo doesn’t work in Khiva. So, the best alternative is to call up Islambek Travel, or negotiate with the drivers parked near the west entrance of the Ichan Kala, or your guesthouse (which would usually be a bit costlier). Islambek Travel is the more professional, as they respond, on time, every time, even if you do not use them. (We took a random taxi at the entrance after negotiating a price with him for bringing us to the Turkmenistan border and back, and the 3 forts tour…) His name is Bek, +998 914271202. But had it not been for us already agreeing with Bek (he was a tad cheaper than Islambek), we’d have used Islambek, just for their tendency to respond promptly, with the info we needed. With Bek, we were a bit worried on whether he'd come to pick us up at the Uzbek border when we returned from Turkmenistan, bcoz there is no way to call, or message within Turkmenistan (nope, our phones don't work in Turkmenistan, and all messaging apps are blocked, yup, WhatsApp, Telegram, WeChat, you name it, with ...the exception of IMO, I heard, and that is if you can get to a Wifi, which, we've not seen anywhere...). Luckily for us, when we were returning, our car passed thru an area very close to the border, and Voila! we had Uzbek line coverage, and I sent Bek a reminder to meet us. Thank God, he was there.

Nuff said. I’ll let the photos speak.


Ayaz Qala Campsite, Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan. We’ve reached. That’s as far as the car can go!


What’s it with the cannons? There, on top of the hill, lies the Icy Fortress. And it lived up to its name that time, f@$*in freezing, brrrr….


Trekking over the freezing Kyzylkum. Looks like we’re the only ones that day


We’ve reached the ancient walls! (And I mean ancient, from 300 - 400 BC). See the snow on the ground. Told you it was friggin frigid! Even with the sun bright and nice!


Breaching the walls


We’re in!


Nothing much to do, except explore the ruins. And build a snowman! Smile!


A view of the smaller Ayaz Kala below, from our vantage point


Let’s go, shadow selfie on the snow. Ayaz Kala (or Qala if in Uzbek), Karakalpakstan. Karakalpakstan is an autonomous republic within Uzbekistan. It’s the home of the Karakalpak, a tribe more closely related to the Kazakh then the Uzbek


Next stop, Topraq Kala (or Earth Fortress)


Topraq Kala, Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan


Final fort, Kyzyl Kala (Red Fort) … Do you see Justin in the hole?


The Kyzyl Kala is a partially restored fort. Both the Topraq Kala and Kyzyl Kala are easy to access from the road itself, unlike Ayaz Kala


One final photo for the post. Smile! Ayaz Kala, Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan, Dec 2023

A Madrasa Too Many

In the Itchan Kala, the old walled city of Khiva, Uzbekistan

It’s Eid! Again, this weekend. And it looks like we’ll just be spending some quiet time at home this time, with Justin, who’s back from Singapore for his school break. This is all thanks to Moldova, who did not grant Anu’s visa… (We were supposed to have a short family holiday there. We got the news only a day before our flight! But at least, they informed.) Well, things don’t always go your way. That’s how it is with life. You just have to get on with it! And wait for the next big adventure!

Meanwhile, here’re some photos of the old city of Khiva for Eid. Eid Al-Adha Mubarak! Selamat Hari Raya Haji!


The West Gate (aka Ota Darvoza) of the Itchan Kala, Khiva, the main gate for tourists. (That's where the ticket booths are). The taller fort-like structure seen further back, along the wall, is Kiva's citadel called the Konya Ark

This ‘old walled city’ is chock-a-block with madrasas. Almost every other building is a ‘madrasa’ (i.e. school, or educational institute in Arabic, the plural for this in Arabic is actually ‘madaris’, but who knows, man?) How many madrasas do you actually need?? Are there really so many scholars and students around in this small city? Beats me, man? But that’s what the Itchan Kala of Khiva is now, a walled city of madrasas, that has been converted into museums. Yup, gone now are the scholars, books and seminaries, replaced by antiques, artefacts, artwork, photos, costumes, tacky mannequins, stuffed animals, you name it, depending on which themed museum it is. Take your pick. Music? Fine arts? Arabic writing? Natural history?... I lost count. After a few visits, every madrasa looked the same… that may be why they ‘enhanced’ them with different themes! Your ticket for the Itchan Kala ‘Open Air Museum’, (yup, you need a ticket to visit the ‘attractions’), covers all the palaces and ‘museums’ in the walled city, and is valid for umm… 2 days, if I remember correctly. (It was 150,000 Uzbek som per ticket, about AED 50, and cheaper for kids, the ticket seller lowered down the age of our kids, I forgot whether it’s Justin or Jayden, or both, to make it cheaper for us, bless them). But there’s a catch, there’re a few interesting places that aren’t covered in the tickets, like the beautiful mausoleum of Pahlavon Mahmud, the Islam Hoja minaret (the most striking minaret inside the walled city), and the city walls. You don’t actually need a ticket to enter the walled city itself, if you don’t enter any of the attractions. You can go in and out as you like, from some of the gates, or if you stay in one of the many guesthouses inside the Itchan Kala. There, explanation done, photos to follow.


A walk in Khiva (or Xiva in Uzbek – ‘X’ is the alphabet for the ‘KH’ sound in Uzbek). On the right, is the Ak Mosque (or Oq Masjid) and on the left, facing the photo, is the Allakuli Khan Madrasa (Olloqulixan Madrasasi), one of the more prominent madrasas in the Itchan Kala (Ichan-Q’ala in Uzbek)


Revellers dancing in freezing temperature for a wedding! (If you look carefully, you'd see glimpses of the bride, hidden behind the crowd). Yup, it was freezing when we were there. Friggin -13C! All the pools were ice. And we had to thaw out the solid frozen mineral water from the bottles we bought from the shops, to drink! The minaret seen here is of the Juma Masjid. Itchan Kala, Khiva, Dec 2023


Inside the Juma Mosque… So that’s where the Sohar Mosque got its ideas from… recognize those wooden pillars? They’re one of the distinguishing features of the Islamic architecture of Central Asia and Iran. You can see them all over Uzbekistan!


What did I tell you? (About the pillars I mean). Anu, at the …errrr, let’s see, the Konya Ark (Ko‘hna Ark), the citadel, former residence and administrative centre of the Khan of Khiva. Yup, Khiva used to be an independent country, called the Khanate of Khiva until it was conquered by Russia


A view of Khiva city, the parts outside the Itchan Kala, from the Konya Ark. That smooth surface, beyond that garden and just beyond the wall in the photo (centre, left), is a pool, frozen solid! (Yup, you could walk on it, the kids did!)


A bedroom in the Toshhovli Palace. No, this isn’t part of the Konya Ark, it’s on the other side (i.e. the east side) of the Itchan Kala


One of the excluded attractions, the Islam Khoja Minaret. It’s the minaret of, wait for it …a madrasa! You guessed it. Hmmm… was Khiva in the past, something like those competing tuition centres in some Singapore malls?? Nope, we didn’t climb it. On the first day, we went there a bit too late, and we just didn’t go back I guess. Besides, Anu’s scared of heights. Brrrr…. As you can see from our clothes, it’s freezing!


Inside the mausoleum of Pahlavon Mahmud. This is another additional paid attraction, not included in the ‘open air museum’ ticket. It is a complex of beautiful tombs (something like the Shah I-Zinda, but not as grand). Anu and Justin hung around outside (Anu’s not a fan of tombs and mausoleums), while yours truly and Jayden went in to explore… Pahlavon Mahmud by the way, was a Khiva poet, a Sufi teacher, a wrestling champion known for his exceptional strength (no kidding, go ahead, Google it), defender of the city, and, patron saint of Khiva! Top that!


This is the East Gate of the Itchan Kala, or Polvon Gate (named after who else, but the superman of Khiva, Pahlavon Mahmud)


Whoa, what’s this? It’s an underground chamber in the courtyard of one of the many madrasas/ museums. If I’m not mistaken, this is the Kutlug Murad Inaq Madrasa aka the Fine Art Museum. I wonder what’s this chamber for...


A restaurant with a view! When you’re hungry, you could stop at the Terrassa Café, just next to the Konya Ark’s entrance. Very nice food, but a bit pricey for Uzbekistan. Remember to try out that green lagman (noodles)! It's vegetarian. This is one of the restaurants you should definitely visit, if you’re beef adverse (like the missus, and yours truly, when he is with the missus!), as beef is the main consumed meat in Uzbekistan. That madrasa in the background, is the Mohammed Amin Khan Madrasa (Muhammad Aminxon Madrasasi) or, …the Orient Star Hotel (yup, it’s now a 3-star hotel, fancy staying in a madrasa??)


This was the second guesthouse we stayed in, in Itchan Kala. The Yulduz Hotel, near the quieter, northern walls of the Itchan Kala. Our first guesthouse was Boyjon Ota, near the centre of Itchan Kala. We stayed a total of 4 nights in Khiva, believe it or not! Nobody stays so many days in Khiva just to see the madrasas! Why we did it was because in between the stays in the 2 guesthouses, we made an excursion into the reclusive state of Turkmenistan! We didn’t want to carry all our bags for a 2-day excursion, so we put our bags in the Yulduz until we returned! Luckily, we did that, as it was not easy lugging huge bags across the cold and desolate border! Also, we stayed an extra day in Khiva after coming back to Uzbekistan, so that we could travel on a night sleeper train to Tashkent, our next stop, 1000km away, 14.5 hours by train. The night trains don’t happen every day! Didn’t fancy spending 14 friggin hours of the day stuck in a train!


Night time in Khiva. That short stunted turquoise minaret (on the right of the photo), called the Kalta Minor, is one of most recognizable landmarks of Khiva. The then Khan (ruler) of Khiva who commissioned it, wanted it to be the tallest minaret in the Muslim world, aiming to surpass the Qutb Minar in Delhi. Unfortunately, the Khan was killed in battle before the construction was completed, and it has been left in that state since then…

There you go. Have a blessed and peaceful Eid!

However Mighty You May Be

The mausoleum of Timur the Conqueror, aka Tamerlane, the founder of the Timurid Empire, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Eid Al Fitr is on the way. It’s this weekend actually. Looks like it’s gonna be another short Eid holiday. But never mind, we’ll make the best out of it, what the heck! Now, let’s see where we’d go for this short trip…

I’m leaving some photos of Islamic architecture for the season. Wishing all who celebrate, a joyful and blessed Eid Al Fitr. Eid Mubarak! Selamat Hari Raya! Happy Holidays!


The Gur-e Amir (the tomb of the king, in Persian), the final resting place of Timur the Conqueror. Timur was a Turko-Mongol general who considered himself an heir to Genghis Khan (they shared a same common ancestor). He was also the great-great-great grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire. Never defeated in battle, Timur is regarded as one of the greatest military leaders in history. But however mighty you are, you will eventually pass on, as do all things in life… Only God is permanent. All that remains is this beautiful tomb. The world is shaped by the powerful. They leave their marks and imprints from their actions, sometimes for good, and sometimes bad. Our only hope is that we have more kind leaders than ruthless ones. God help us.


Inside the beautifully restored interiors of the tomb of Timur, and some of his family. Legend has it that Timur’s tomb was inscribed with two warnings. The first read "When I rise from the dead, the world shall tremble". Once opened, another inscription read: “Whosoever disturbs my tomb will unleash an invader more terrible than I". And so it came to pass that 2 days after Timur’s tomb was opened by a Soviet archaeologist in 1941, the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union. Stalin was a believer of the curse, and had Timur reburied with full Islamic burial rites. One month after that was done, the Soviets routed the German Army in Stalingrad, which turned the tide of World War 2… (That’s something for you, history buffs…)


The gateway to the tomb, featuring elaborate muqarnas…


Hey, where does this small door go?


Do you think it goes all the way up there?? Into the minaret??


The tomb has a hidden souvenir shop underground. Fancy shopping among the dead!


Kids fooling around in the Amir Temur Park, flanking the boulevard leading to the Gur-e Amir


Here’s another monument in Samarkand, the Bibi Khanum Mosque… on a cold and gloomy day, brrrr….


Entrance of the Bibi Khanym Mosque. Timur had this mosque built, after one of his successful military campaigns, and named it after one of his wives, Saray Mulk Khanum, who was a direct descendant of Genghis Khan. (The title of Khanum means "daughter of a Khan or princess" by birth)


The mosque was left to slowly deteriorate for centuries after the decline of Samarkand (the seat of power had shifted to Bukhara, and along with it, the silk route), eventually succumbing to an earthquake in 1897 and then becoming a scouring ground for building materials for the local inhabitants. Only in the 70’s did the government (then under the Uzbek SSR (Soviet Socialist Republic)) started restoring the buildings…


The restored interior of the main dome. Restoration was still ongoing at the time of our visit in Dec 2023, the interior of one of the domes was still barren brickwork and peeling murals, looking like something from a horror movie


Can someone please tell me why all the minarets here have flat tops? Won’t topping them up, with a little dome, or a spire make them nicer? But then, it’d make them similar to all the other minarets in the Islamic world, wouldn’t it?..


A stone Quran stand… in the courtyard of the Bibi Khanum Mosque…


And finally, family picture time! Bibi Khanym Mosque, Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Dec 2023

Enjoy your Eid holidays!

All About Speed

Justin, on his 15th birthday, at the Dubai Autodrome, Motor City (which is walking distance from our house). See, he’d rather spend his birthday watching a race in the autodrome, than doing other birthday things that normal people do, sigh. We didn’t even know there was a race happening, until he told us about it, a Formula 4 race, if I’m not mistaken

Did a recap of Jayden’s 10th year recently, now it’s Justin’s turn. A recap of his 15th year (he turned 15 in December). He’s in Secondary 3 on a scholarship in Singapore. That means a whole lot of pressure on him to do well, …or he’d lose his scholarship, and more. Does that bother him? Not a bit, from what we see! We’re the ones worrying our heads off, while he dreams of racing, and skiing, and mountain-biking, etc… but mainly, racing. Justin, STUDIES COME FIRST! REMEMBER THAT! Oh God, please help.

Here's the recap.


Starting off with Dec 2023, right after we celebrated his 14th birthday, we were off to Central Asia! It’s the first overseas trip we did with Justin, after he started his schooling in Singapore. At the Bibi Khanym Mosque, Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Why do all the minarets have flat tops? Somebody chopped ‘em off? Or they dropped off, or something, bcoz of earthquakes?? Some little domes, or spires on them would be nicer, wouldn’t it? But what do I know?


Next stop, Bukhara, Uzbekistan. That’s the Ark of Bukhara. Friggin frigid cold when we were there, as you can see… (-13C, real feel -21C). Brrrrrr…


Next, Khiva, Uzbekistan. In our guesthouse inside the walled Inner City of Khiva. Hey kids, mind the place, OK? The owner’s a bit of a stickler for orderliness… Boyjon Ota, Itchan Kala, Khiva, Uzbekistan


Crossing borders now, into the closed-off ‘hermit kingdom’ of Central Asia, Turkmenistan. With our tour guide from Owadan Tourism, Ms Aygul who met us at the border. (Everyone, and I mean everyone (from whatever country you’re from), needs an Invitation Letter and a Visa to enter Turkmenistan. Don’t believe me, try going! It’s fun!) At the Bay Town Restaurant, Dashoguz, Turkmenistan. She doled out a lot of friendly and wise advice to young Justin during our lunch there… Which we hope didn’t fall on deaf ears


Back to Uzbekistan. Skiing in Amirsoy Mountain Resort. His first skiing trip. And he loved it. He nailed it on his first try (alright, he couldn’t stop, but he managed to ski all the way down! By the second round, he could already stop!) (Unlike, yours truly, who rolled himself down, literally. I lost count of the number of times I fell, and got back up. And it ain’t easy to get back up, OK? With the stupid, long skis sticking on your feet! Even on a friggin beginner’s slope!) At the end of the day, he was crying on why we didn’t let him go on a more advanced slope! Duh, how would we know that he’d like skiing?!? So, we took only a half-day package!


Time to go, on a train in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, heading to Samarkand, to catch our flight back to the UAE. This was the first trip which we used trains as our main mode of transportation! We tried all the different trains in Uzbekistan, the Afrosiyob (the fast train, the best), the Sharq (slightly slower, older, which is the one in this photo), and the night-trains (for long distance, buy in advance, or you may have to share cabins, or sleep 3rd class, which we did on one of the legs of our journey!)


Back in the UAE. At a sand pyramid in Abu Dhabi’s Fahid Island’s Kite Beach. It was a temporary art installation by US Artist, Jim Denevan, who created hundreds of sand pyramids and cones arranged in a concentric pattern in the barren beach. It was made with natural, available materials and was meant to disappear over time… This was right before, he flew back to Singapore to start Year 8 (Sec 2), Dec 2023


It’s the mid-year break already?? Back to Dubai for a holiday, Jun 2024. A treat at the Dubai Indoor Kartdrome, Motor City, near our house. His second time go-karting (after the time at the RAK Track, in Dec 2023). (He’s been bugging us ever since to let him go again). How you doing, son? Can you please stop thinking about racing for a while, but study hard, and stay focused?


Back to Singapore. Here’s a photo I nicked from his phone. One of his outings with friends in Singapore. I only recognize the friend on the left of Justin in the photo, Garren Tang, a fellow Malaysian scholarship recipient


Another outing in Singapore, this time with family (a photo I got from WhatsApp, hehe). In the middle, is my uncle (in blue, dad’s youngest brother) and Aunt Betsy, his wife (with walking stick). On the left, is Carol, their daughter, my cousin, whom I’ve not met for more than ermm… 20 years, at least. She and her family (white man in the middle, daughter and son) reside in Adelaide, Australia. (I’ve never met them, by the way). They were in Singapore to visit Carol’s parents. Flanking Justin is my brother Jason, and his wife Fang. Jason and Fang’s daughter, Stacey (with glasses) is on the right side of the photo. On the far right, is my cousin June, who was in Singapore for a short visit. Accompanying June, was her son, Mark (behind Stacey) and daughter, Jamie, who works in Singapore


Receiving a visit from his parents, Aug 2024. Here’s Justin with Mommy in front of his hostel, St Andrew’s Hall (the building on the left), beside the Kallang River, Singapore, Aug 2024. “Your exam’s coming up son (in September & October), study hard, we’ll see you back in Dubai soon, OK? Love you.”


Justin’s finished his year end exams! Back in Dubai, just in time for Diwali! Oct 2024. He nearly missed his flight, because he only remembered about his passport at the last minute! The night before his flight, he was on an overnight school camping trip, and he got back to his hostel after midday on the day of his flight (which was at 9pm that night). When he was about to head to the airport from a restaurant where he was eating with his friends, he suddenly remembered that he had to get his passport from the hostel administrators. It was all a rush from that time on, and we kept praying… and waiting for his updates (what else could we do? Jason was in NZ). But he managed to get back to his hostel, get his passport (after a bit of a wait), and got to the airport’s check-in counter, just before it closed, exactly 1 hour from departure time! Whew, nearly gave us (and himself) a heart attack!


Racing again! First time in the Outdoor Kartdrome, near our home, Nov 2024. He was so much looking forward to this! "It ain’t cheap, OK? Next time, bring back some money!" (he didn’t, because he nearly missed his flight, so he travelled with whatever money he had in his wallet & pockets…)


A bit of tea at home with his little brother, Jayden, Nov 2024. No, it’s not his birthday yet. There’s no big occasion actually. His mom just like to do treats like this, once in a while!


And this was his 15th birthday treat, which he arranged himself! A go-kart race at the Dubai Kartdrome with his Dubai friends, ex-schoolmates Shaun (left) and Matei (middle). He asked us not to get a birthday cake (but we got one, anyhow, hehe. What?? We also wanna have some fun, duh?)

Anyway, we wish you all the best, Justin. Stay focused, study hard, play hard, always be kind, righteous and brave. (And put that racing away for a while!) Love you!