Bishkek

Why Bishkek for 3 weeks? It was in between travels, the hostel was home from home with hot water, showers, flushing toilets with seats, a washing machine, a microwave and wifi (sometimes).  I was nearly classed as staff as the receptionists didn't speak English. Also arranged some sight seeing tours for some of the "new" hostellers and collected some maps to leave at reception.  The manager did speak English but only appeared to sort out repairs (a light exploded in the toilet; the toilet ceased to flush and was wobbly). At the end of my extended stay Anya, the oldest receptionist, cooked me a farewell meal of potato and onions and special doughnut like twists rolled in icing sugar (a form of borsok)and  requested I visit her should I ever return to Kyrgyzstan but maybe I'd need to learn Kyrgzys first.

Thanks to a link from home, at church I was introduced to a lady who oversees a centre for the homeless so with time to spare there was a mountain of clothes to sort and dishes to be done once the soup had been served.  This was a new experience for me and it was great to work alongside the Kyrgyzs folk on the team and humbling to see them working so compassionately with the homeless.

Bishkek is set out in rectangular grids so along with the backdrop of  mountains, when not shrouded by clouds, and clutching a map (2nd one nearly in shreds) navigation was fairly straightforward. 
Many of the buildings in the centre are large and block like along with tall flats (got to live on the 5th floor on my return thanks to a contact) and some interesting architectural structures in between with wide tree lined streets to provide shade in the heat of the summer.  There are also many statues, some larger than life, and parks filled with trees and, at this time of year, brightly coloured flowers, especially roses which along with the lime trees provided sweet aromas. People often sat on the grass under the shade of the trees in preference to the sun soaked benches.  The main square was memorable with its dancing fountains; 2 guards, who changed over a few times a day, under the national flag and a large national museum.  Here vendors sold balloons; bags of puff candy and ice cream or would offer to take photos for a fee. At night the square became even more alive with cyclists, roller bladers and remote control cars.

Pavements are rough with dips, bumps and open manholes (some homeless live down these) making a torch a neccessity at night. Isn't that right, Andrew! There are some road crossings but sometimes you have to "brave it" and hope that the traffic will stop although driving did seem slightly saner than in Mongolia.

In the summer, not surprisingly, more women wear dresses and skirts than in Scotland although with being the capital "anything goes".  The girls and younger women are very thin considering the fatty food they consume but then they become rounder as they grow older.  Often "babouskas" seem to look after the children but maybe because the schools are on holiday from June to September.

The minibuses (mursrudkas) are the main form of transport if you don't mind rubbing noses with others who are squashed in the aisles but there are also buses and trolley buses and taxis (sometimes shared).  The train service seemed to be limited to one short route to Lake Issukul.  The markets are fascinating and in some areas narrow like the Moroccan souks.  One huge market is like "container city" built entirely from ship containers (but how did they get here in a land locked country?) and with no obvious landmarks I ended up getting lost and taking a taxi back as I couldn't even find the buses.

Had an enjoyable hour of classical music (200 com) in the Philharmonia where a German guest celloist played exquistly.  Also attended a free 60th anniversary concert for the local radio station in the Opera House featuring some Kyrgyzs' poetry, songs and dances.  Andrew and 3 friends performing a popular Kyrgyzs' song but he was still prepared to act as my guide on our travels despite his stardom.

With fluctuating electricity and wifi connections I could often be found at  "Expresso", an internet cafe with real coffee (hard to find ) and ate my way round various Kyrgzys' cuisine. Apart from Bozo (a fermented wheat drink) and small sour cheese balls I enjoyed everything else.  Food and meal prices seemed cheap for us but it seems that most Kyrgzys folk struggle to make ends meet.

Eventually I left "home" and started to explore the countryside...