After the whole Abdoujaparov revelations, which for many, including us, have overshadowed even the MPs' expense debacle, we felt we needed to take some time out to just relax and think about things. Therefore, we headed to dusty Bukhara, another city on the Silk Road, and have spent four almost sedentary days lazily exploring the mazy streets and splendid architecture, interspersed with visits to the local tea house and a healthy dose of plov (the Uzbek national dish, which the locals are immensely (and misguidedly) proud, given it is essentially just rice and carrots).

History buffs with a knowledge of the Great Game period will recognise the name of Bukhara, as it was here that British officers Conolly and Stoddart had their heads ceremoniously hacked off just over 150 years ago in 1842, by the order of Emir Nasrullah, who had obviously had a traumatic childhood, and whose difficult-to-meet needs extended into his adult life. The location of the execution was just outside the front of the Ark, the Emir's palace (the entrance to the Ark is pictured in this blog's photograph). One of the officers (Stoddart) had been kept in the Bug Pit for 3 years - say what you like about the Emir, but when it came to naming his prisons, he was the kind of bloke who called a spade a spade. Visitors can still see the Pit to this day, which is a 25 feet deep hole in the ground, that was home to vermin, insects, scorpions etc.... as well as people who had really got on the wrong side of the Emir. Conolly had fared slightly better, only spending a year of captivity in there.

Today, Bukharans are a more cheerful bunch than they were in Nasrullah's day, and no one has had their head hacked off during our stay here, so far as we know. Granted, there are times when we've thought if might be a preferable fate to enduring yet another plov breakfast, but the fact is our heads remain attached.

Bukhara is simply charming and although it is high season here, it is dead quiet. Quite weirdly so. We're off to Khiva tomorrow, which is one of Uzbekistan's real highlights, apparently. We'll let you know in due course.