I've made it to Kerpichli! This is a town three days ride across the steppes form Dzehbel.
I made double speed by the kind permission of the Naiman elders. Since i am now part of thier tribe i have ridden on ahead amongst 16 other young men as an advanced hunting party. This way i can travel faster than if i was to trundle along with the tribes fammilies and children. I was shocked at first by the sheer number of horses, goats and sheep and cattle these people own the horizon was full of horses!
I joined my fellow brothers and dispensed clothes and gifts to all the families and children especially books and cd's as well as some money. In return i was given some native Turkoman clothes and some fur blankets and cloaks, as well as a rather nice dagger. :D
In three days my legs feel as if they will drop off, most of the day i've been riding at a comfortable trot along the vast steppes. Even when i want to eat i simple stradle the horse side fashion and have a meal. We only stop twice a day for rests and i am eating a few bread and dried beef slices and thats all!
Tommorow i will ride and by nightfall my Naiman bondsmen and i will have reached the Ammu Darya nature reserve. This is the a vast space of wilderness beside the river Oxus, it should allow me to spend a day there before moving on across the frontier and into Uzbekistan.
I am still three days hard riding from Bukhara. But today me and four of the stronger lads including Baharam (he's known as my shadow and since i'm part of the Naiman tribe he is like my bodyguard ;) )Who is a massive tribesman who has a reputation, strode into this small town to visit the internet cafe and to buy soem more ammo.
We are all armed becuase out on the steppes clashes with bandits and occasional tribal disputes are common. Also these rifles are perfect hunting weapons and yesterday i saw a thirteen year old lad wearing leggeings and a little jacket take a rifle and shoot a crow on the wing! He said it was to prevent a bad omen.
The Naimans are a very old tribe and part of the Tukic/Mongol nation. They are predominantly Muslim though they hold onto a few superstitious beliefs and are also deeply spiritual. Every morning Mahmood the leader of our party scatters some bird seeds on the high ground and prays. I asked him about this ritual and apparently he told me that they believe that birds like doves can carry a mans prayers to Allah if a man wants his prayers answerd fast he can pray and feed some birds or children or place flowers on a sufi-shrine any of these methods will ensure that angels present will vouch for the man before Allah.
Unfortunatley though some would see my Naiman brothers as barbarians, i still believe they are among the best of people becuase so far they have acted with great courtesy and are truly very noble people. Sadly though on tuesday we were reminded that some people are not this simple becuase there were signs of a Tartar hunting party on the loose as well. (Tartars are not Muslim and some are said to partake in cannabalism) There were carcasses of dozens of sheep just lying out in the open. We knew it werent wolves becuase the sheep had been shot.
Apparently tribes kill each others livestock these days to starve one another into sumbmission. Direct conflict between the tribes would be needless to say very brutal since everybody has guns these days.
Anyway i have no desire to pursue the Tartars since i am merely passing through. My brothers too merely want to go to Bukhara. So on we ride. Farewell.
hope u have a safe journey, InshaAllah! :k: