The Great trip to Zaamin, Uzbekistan

Hello, today I would like to tell you about my two-days trip to the Zaamin Nature Reserve in October 2019. As always the team of "Mysterious Uzbekistan" announced a trip. So, me and my friends without any hesitation signed up for the group.

Zaamin National Park is located in the Jizzakh region and is rightly called "Uzbek Switzerland". The nature here is magnificent and given that for a long time the reserve was a closed territory, tourists have not had time to spoil it yet. Here is located one of the most famous sanatoriums in Uzbekistan - the sanatorium "Zaamin" which treats diseases of the respiratory system and nervous system. Due to the large number of juniper groves there is wonderful healing air. The resort is located on the side of a mountain and surrounded by trees on all sides.

I’ve been here a year and a half ago and really liked these places. The report on the previous trip can be read here. That time I really liked the places and therefore I returned with pleasure to refresh my past impressions.

As usual we left in the early morning (My God! I hate to wake up early morning!). After about three or three and a half hours we arrived at the Zaamin reservoir. Again I was struck by its lifeless landscape - not even a single tree, only hills that were sun-survived. Alas, I came again already when the sun burned out all the grass. The guide said that here is very beautiful in spring - the hills are covered with bright green grass and poppies bloom. It is worth noting - obligatory to return here in the spring.

I've already been here, but this landscape made a great impression on my friends. Taking into account that we traveled for quite some time and many of us slept all this time, the stop (especially in such a place) caused revival. Of course, we took pictures. The female part of our group could not miss such a landscape and began to make photos in various picturesque poses for their "stories" on Facebook and Instagram. Not only women! Even some men furtively took a selfie against the backdrop of these hills. Only the guide and I stood calmly on the sidelines and looked at them indulgently. Hah! I already made selfies here last time. ;-)

Finally the group loaded in minibus and we drove on to the famous walnut tree called Bobo Yongok (which in Uzbek means "The Elder Nut tree"). It is believed that this tree is 700 years old and has 7 trunks, and 777 branches. Frankly speaking, I have to say that trunks are most likely processes from the main trunk, which has already collapsed. Nevertheless, these are very large and very old processes and there really are seven.

I already wrote in my previous posts that any incomprehensible or unusual phenomenon in Uzbekistan is immediately overgrown with legends and beliefs. So here - there is a belief that if you eat the Bobo-Youngok nut, you will be cured of all diseases. Well, there are three generations of doctors in my family so, therefore I trust more in traditional medicine. However, I did eat the one nut all the same. Why? Because it’s tasty !

I really like autumn in the highlands. There are different and brighter colors than on the plains. In Tashkent, green foliage on trees lasts for a long time and then very quickly turns yellow and falls. Here, the trees manage to play with colors and shades ...

Some plants are very unusual. For example, in the hotel where we stayed on the walls was such a winding plant, which very similar to grapes but with bright red leaves.

Saying goodbye to the 700-year-old nut tree, we went to the hotel. There I was very disappointed. Still, the Uzbeks has to learn and learn how to make a service. This is a relatively new hotel, built just a couple of years ago. There was invested a lot of money and labor in construction and decoration. It is very beautiful and the furniture is fashionable and expensive. But it’s not enough to invest in construction, more important to manage the hotel well and invite a qualified personnel. With this we still have a big problem.

Zaamin is a popular place and more and more people are coming here, hotels and guest houses are growing like mushrooms, so I hope that increasing competition will force owners to work on the level of service.

But stop grumbling! Having checked into the hotel, we rested a bit and after lunch went to the Suffa plateau, where is located the radio telescope of the same name. So far not working radio telescope but only its frame. This radio telescope began to build 35 years ago. Then, with the collapse of the USSR, the construction was frozen and a couple of years ago, together with Russia, was decided to re-start and complete the construction. Apparently, the construction is underway quite actively and the object is strategically important, so we were not allowed to get close to it. It turns out that while we were riding and walking along the plateau, the border guards vigilantly watched us and talked to the guide on the radio if they saw that someone from our group was approaching the restricted area. This is strange, because a year and a half ago I almost got close to the radio telescope and no one forbade us anything. Better photos of the radio telescope can be found in my last post.

Since they were not allowed to come close to the radio telescope, we photographed the surroundings.

We approached the edge of the canyon and made a lot of photos.

This quickly bored me and I went wandering around in search of an interesting shot. The guide and the group, keen on the photo shoot did not pay attention to it, but the vigilant border guards immediately informed the guide on the walkie-talkie about it and I had to return.

Turning my head in search of an interesting shot, I saw that not only the border guards, but also the eagle soaring above us are interested in our group. Funny, but only my friend and I saw it. The rest were passionate about the photo shoot. I threw up the camera, trying to catch the eagle in the frame. Against the bright blue sky, it looked just great!

But came the time to finish. We plunged into a minibus and drove back to the hotel, probably to the great relief of the border guards.

On the way we saw such reminders that we are in the border zone.

On the way back we stopped near a healing spring called "Sher-Bulok" ("Lion Spring"). Allegedly there is a lot of calcium in it and thanks to this, the taste of water has a milky. Honestly, I didn’t notice anything like that.

In addition to the spring, there were plush figures of various animals. Why they were installed there I could not understand. The same question pestered me on a previous trip.

In addition, we stopped near one juniper tree, which (according to the local rumors) for about a thousand years. But I don’t think so ...

The next day we planned to climb the mountain, located above the sanatorium "Zaamin". I woke up early in the morning and decided that since I woke up anyway, it’s better not to lie in bed but to go take a picture of the dawn.

After breakfast, we started our trip. We stopped at the sanatorium and started climbing the mountain. I continue to be amazed by the Zaaminites' passion for big plush figures. In the sanatorium, I came across a plush gorilla.

It was a very easy climb. We went through the juniper trees...

Again we buried in the warning sign ...

Turned left and climbed the slope of the mountain. The whole climb took about thirty or forty minutes. I was disappointed. As for me if I went to the mountains, then I had to climb to the top of even the most seedy mountain. Moreover, right here was a wonderful three-thousand meters high mountain. And people climb on it, I 100% sure. We have risen all-nothing and we must already go back. The feeling of dissatisfaction did not leave me for a long time.

However, there was no time to indulge in despondency - it was necessary to return to the hotel, have a lunch and go back to Tashkent. My displeased facial expression did not seem to escape the guide, so he promised to discuss with this boss a new tour with a climb up the mountain. Well, I will wait impatiently. I will also look forward to tours here in the spring.

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