Surprise Ego-Trip

Came across this link to NME Shockwave Video awards

Dublin Event

Horse and Nose Redux:

Trimdon Twilight (Atton, Moffoot)

gets a public outing

NCH Dublin 17th November 2009

50

50, originally uploaded by amoffoot.

Uzbekistan 2009

http://www.amoffoot.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/travel2009.html

Tashkent -

Post-Russian concrete looking on arrival but surprisingly green, and metropolitan.

Samarkand -

Edinburgh equivalent, manageable size, vistas, extraordinary mediaeval architecture.

Qulqishloq -

10,000 population, but where on Google Earth is it? Turn left off the Tashkent highway.

Bukhara -

The most exotic, an oasis city of sand and sandstone.

The countryside -

From the train a dusty, scrubby plateau with vague buildings on the horizon. Looked shabbier than it really is due to the dust, in the Spring would resemble Lincolnshire.

An Emirate in all but name -

5000 "political" prisoners, secret police, torture, massacres (Andijan), Soviet-oldstyle micro-management of movement. However, all despots die eventually and most of the new-build is attractive. YouTube will cure all.

A young population -

Literate, smart youngsters with hardly a headscarf.

Samarkand tomorrow

Unlikely to get on for e mail or this blogspot, but possibly able to Twitter and say uncontroversial complimentary things for my new Uzbek followers.

From Tashkent

Cannot send pics from my phone alas only comments.Tashkent interesting so far, here till Sunday then on to Samarkand.

9 9 09

9 9 09, originally uploaded by amoffoot.