Permission to Pass

Before leaving Alma Ata, the Prince was forced to attend an audience with his dad. The Great Khan was bent on ruling the world, but this no longer interested William any longer as he discovered that shopping was far better than pillaging. Less headache, more happiness, and less breakage. He played along and nodded his head until he could get out of the ger and get back on the road with his friends.
Taking their time they soon arrived in Samarkand the home of Amir Temur and his hundreds of eponymous statues, the most important and most huge just inside the city gates. As his older and more annoying half-brother, William felt Amir was a bit over the top with the kitsch and statuary. What would be wrong with some nice tile work, maybe with a purple chiffon accent, and some places to lounge? Enough with monoliths and brutalist lines. They never did see eye-to-eye, and William felt even more distant from his marauding relatives.
William did make a new friend though. Alex was great, really great, and was an excellent shopping companion. He found them the best souvenirs, and introduced them to a local delicacy: bubblegum. More about Alex later…