It was a quiet few days in the house without our daughter Ocean. She competed this week at the Central Asian Federation of Athletics & Activities High School Volleyball Championship in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Ocean is the captain of a very young team and they finished in fifth place. Our seniors do not play in the spring tournament because they are preparing for IB examinations in May. This puts us at a disadvantage when competing against the non-IB schools in the region. I picked her up from the airport after midnight last night. It was worth getting up because she was in a talkative mood upon her return and we had fun together at home until almost 2:00 AM. A rare late night for me! She is an excellent athlete and will probably play a big role in soccer, basketball, and volleyball next season, her last at TIS. We are hosting the volleyball tournament so our seniors will be able to participate. Above are some photos shared on the Telegram Channel from the tournament.
Saturday morning, I practiced my newly learned kayak paddling skills! Robin, Kim, and I went for a relaxed paddle on the Chirchiq River, near the Charvok Dam. It was a reconnaissance trip to see conditions for kayaking in the section of the river next to the dam. As you can see on the map below, we paddled under two bridges pretty far down the river and came back up towards the dam. We were stopped by a soldier in a lookout above the river as we approached the Soviet-era monument below the dam. No boats are allowed close to the dam for security reasons. The 168 meter-high dam was built in 1970 and captured the flow of three mountain rivers. Today the Charvak Reservoir is a place of recreation for many Uzbeks. One surprise as we approached the dam was the statue on the far right. I think it is Tork the Ugly, an Armenian diety known for his great strength, size, and ugly appearance. One of his tactics was to hurl huge boulders at enemies. In 1970, Uzbekistan was part of the Soviet Union and Armenia was one of the Soviet Socialist Republics. The dam builders probably had to move a lot of rock, hence the statue.
It was a refreshing paddle, and I hope to explore other waterways of Uzbekistan. I bought a roof rack for my car and learned how to secure a kayak.
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