Bukhara Uzbekistan 乌兹别克斯坦布哈拉 5/2018 (5)

10-11/5/2018. From Samarkand, I then took the train to Bukhara, just three hours away. As soon as I disembarked, a ball of fire engulfed me. It sure was hot as hell. I hastened to the nearest air-conditioned burger joint; I was sure I would be on fire if I hesitated. That must have been the day hottest I have experienced. As the un-air-conditioned taxi took me to the hotel, the air rushed my face like a hair blower. I saw well-dressed girls coolly walking on the street in their stride; that baffled me. I was later told by the hotel that today it was above 40 degrees centigrade. The hot air was more like 50. Phew!

10-11/5/2018 在撒马尔罕两天后我坐上火车到三小时外的布哈拉（Bukhara）。 一下车就被火球般热气吞噬，如身处火海，浑身几乎开始冒烟；马上拎着行李急奔最近的建筑，躲过一劫。马来西亚该是够热的了，但这布哈拉热度会死人的；后来听酒店说是至少四十度多度，多谢布哈拉的热烈欢迎。坐的士到市中心，但又没空调，风冲着脸如烘干机的热气；路上看到小姑娘们冷静的寸步行走，好像形象姿态更重要，我车上看着捏了热汗，但如春风拂面。

Bukhara is a medieval city more than 2,000 years old. I checked into a boutique hotel in the old town, feeling like I had just climbed down from my camel into a caravansary, slapping off the dirt and dust on my robe, finally relieved from the stifling heat. I found myself immediately surrounded by a world of earthy brown, of medieval madrassas, mosques, and other Islamic architecture. It is said to be one of the most complete townscapes of old times, now still largely intact. The people continue to live their normal lives here, in and around these buildings, for thousands of years, respecting the completeness and sanctity of the township and its many structures. There may be less color, but this was the only appropriate color, at one with the essence of this historical place, in this environment. This was no illusion, no mirage. I was unmistakably, in real life, on the ancient Silk Road. The absence of camels did not make this place any less the original Bukhara.

布哈拉是2000多年的中世纪城市。我入住小酒店就在老区中心，顿时时间倒流进入另一个世界 – 我像风尘仆仆，从骆驼背下跃下，把袍上灰尘拍掉，终于到站避暑了。布哈拉有保留最完整的古城镇，这里结构基本是黄土色调的老建筑，不胜其数的古伊斯兰建筑，包括无数经学院，清真寺，尖塔，广场，等。虽然没有骆驼，还是不折不扣原汁原味原色古丝绸重镇。我没做梦，没幻觉，这里笼罩的是古色古香；我戴着眼镜，好像在两千年前题材电影布景里。

The people here were simple, humble folks. The glamour of the outside world seemed like another world. Their womenfolk dressed simply but with decency and taste; I saw little high fashion. The children were similarly dressed, almost prim and proper, like how their mothers would have dressed them. A group of children invited me to play games on their phones. One of them asked how old I was, trying to practice his English. When I told him, he exclaimed, “So, you are a grandfather! But you look like a boy!” Cute, that made my day; their smile and innocence said it all. Today, a group of children with their school backpacks walked past. A few said hello; some stopped to shake hands. On the trains, young and old were so warm and welcoming. I did not see excessive outward religious zealousness. I sure felt their genuine care from the inside, and that was extra special.

布卡拉这地方人们很纯朴的， 外面的世界恍如另一个世界。昨天几个小孩跟我打招呼，然后掏出手机邀我玩手机游戏。 一个十二三岁小朋友用英语跟我对话， 他指着旁边一眼巴巴小伴说， “He is a donkey” (他是只驴)。又问我几岁了。我毫无掩饰的说了后， 他惊讶的说，”So you are a grandfather? But you look like a little boy!” (那你是爷爷了? 可是你看上去好像一个小男孩！)。但愿我也有那童真。今天一群儿童迎面过来， 好几个打哈喽招呼， 几个相继来握手。火车上，一家庭无论男女都关怀备至。走了这么多国家， 我感觉他们是发自内心的关怀。看来虽只是个小城镇，但不落后。女人穿着朴素，并不土气。他们虔诚，但没感觉他们过激；总觉得他们在从容的生活。

From the old town center, I walked toward another well-known Bukhara landmark, the Ark Fortress. In the old days, it was a military structure but also a town within a town that was inhabited by various royal courts.

从老城区中心我漫步到布哈拉另一个代表性结构，当地称之为方舟，是座古堡垒，以前是军事结构， 也是镇中之镇，古时的宫廷。

Toward the end of my Bukhara stay, I came to the Sitori-Mokhi Khosa Palace, translated as “palace, like the stars and the moon.” This was a suburban residence of Bukhara’s emirs, only a few kilometers outside the town. I was glad this was away from the old town—it simply has a totally different theme, born of a newer era (about the early 19th century. My eyes struggled to adjust to the glare of the white exterior after becoming accustomed to the brown structures in the old town these past two days. From the Silk Road, I now had to transport myself back to the present. At first look, it was almost Russian. Indeed, it was constructed with a Russian flair, but intrinsically with a strong local flavor, a fusion of East and West.

在布哈拉将接近尾声，最后一站到离城中心几公里的夏日皇宫 (Sitori-Mokhi Khosa Palace) 参观，是以前布哈拉统治者住宅。幸好这夏宫不在老城区内，不然其格调色调确跟老区格格不入。最近眼球已经适应黄土色调，今天忽然光亮白色朴过来，需要眯眼调节，理好思绪。历史也没那么悠久，大约就在十九世纪初期。西方风格在丝绸路上还是挺意外的，不过这风格混合不少乌兹别克元素，又是一个是东西结合的好东西。