The Baker’s Son
Bokhara, Uzbekistan 2012
These are some of the things and people who caught my eye as our guide rushed us through the market toward the next monument. Torie had the ‘job’ of listening and responding to him. We took turns at this chore. She must have seemed entranced as he completely forgot about me and soon I was searching high and low for them. And not very happy about it, to be truthful. When I finally found him, with the help of a little boy who came to my rescue, I expressed my feelings as only someone brought up by an Italian mother can. You can be sure he never lost sight of me again.
To be fair to the guide, I’m sure he couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to photograph a boy selling bread baked by his mother. And 99% of tourists wouldn’t be interested. I am, though. It’s life in Uzbekistan and I found it fascinating. The boy displays one loaf of bread and keeps the rest wrapped in a woolen shawl, just like his mama told him.
“We Deliver!”
A pushcart loaded with fresh meat waits in the jewelry market. I didn’t see many open air butcher shops. Modern shops with gleaming white tiles can be found in the main market, but this man was enterprising and brought his product to the customer.
A Movable Feast
A baby carriage used as a pushcart by a housewife who sells her homemade bread and fresh eggs in a neighborhood market. Baby carriage like conveyances are used for everything from babies to bread. It is their version of a shopping cart filched from the supermarket.
“Bismillah”
A little boy asks for alms in the jewelry market. I wondered if he was a landmine victim from Afghanistan which is just over the border from Uzbekistan. It is a tenet of Islam to give alms and I imagine he asks using the word Bismillah, which means “In the name of God”.
See www.uzbekjourneys.com to learn more about Uzbek customs, crafts, and culture.