Blogs from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Asia - page 9

I've had a great few days. When I wasn't galloping through the high summer meadows with the wind in my hair and the sun glinting off the alpine lakes I was sat in a yurt drinking tea and getting to know the life of the shepherds. They didn't try and feed me eyeballs, and I was too early in the season for kymys, so my tastebuds also survived intact. I ended up at least four kinds of sore, but happy. In fact, feeling like I'd missed out a bit, I bought some kymys from a roadside stand on the way back into Bishkek. So now I can confirm that it is not my favourite drink. One mouthful was plenty... I took about a million photos, so I'll upload those at some point - I suspect that ... read more

Green and pleasant Bishkek is as pleasant a place as I could think of to start to come down with some mystery illness. The mystery, however, was solved this morning with the sudden realisation that I hadn't had a cup of coffee for three days. It's not Kyrgyz Haemorrhagic Fever, it's caffeine withdrawal. So, a trip to the brunch clinic later, I'm feeling a little better. I'll be right as rain by tomorrow. Rain, incidentally, which hasn't fallen on me since I got here. I know that's tempting fate, but can I just say what a refreshing change that is? It's the first time I've had three dry days in a row since I left Brisbane in early March. Food here is an interesting mix. Possibly the most atmospheric meal I've had in a while was ... read more

I'm now completely moved into my apartment and getting ready for classes. Classes begin tomorrow. I've been pretty busy the last week. I've spent a lot of time with Rahat's relatives. I went over to Rahat's sister's apartment several times. She is in her late 20s and has two kids. They are really cute and very well behaved. They have a really different relationship than kids in the US usually have. The six year old acts more like a mother for the two year old girl than a sister. Instead of fighting, she babies her sister and is always trying to help her. I found that this is usual in Kyrgyz families. The older siblings are taught to take care of the younger siblings while the younger kids are taught to respect and obey the older ... read more

wie in unserem letzten beitrag angekuendigt haben wir uns in der letzten woche usbekistan verlassen und kasachstan zum zweiten mal erreicht. nach einer angenehmen und bereits gewohnten zugfahrt von bukhara nach taschkent haben wir eine ziemlich zeitintensive grenzueberquerung ueber uns ergehen lassen muessen. nicht das wir nicht mit wartezeiten gerechnet haetten, es war auch nicht die zeit das eigentlich problem, sondern die umstaende wie diese wartezeit zustande kam. ich sage nur "sowjetisches schlange stehen" geht anders als man das so gewohnt ist. der begriff "schlage" trifft es auch nicht ganz, vielmehr "haufen" , "klumpen" oder "gedraenge". die faehigkeit dieses richtig durchzuziehen duerfte in jahrelanger uebung zustande kommen, so vier deutsche koennen da nicht mithalten. wir hatten das zwar schon auf der einreise mit erleben duerfen, dieses mal war es aber schlimmer, viel... read more

After some relaxing days in Osh with its nice and big market and its lively and pleasant atmosphere (at least in daytime), I headed off alone towards Kyrgyzstan's north, out of the Ferghana valley, which is mostly populated by Uzbeks (thanks to Stalin it's part of Kyrgyzstan though) to the Kyrgyz heartland. Once in Bishkek, I had to solve some money-transfer problems which forced me to stay longer than planned in this modern and quite pretty city that's turned into a terrifying place at night by drunk Kyrgyz, Kazhak and Russian men. Without the intention to scare anyone, just some stories from me and people I personally met in the 5-7 days I was there: one French traveler was beaten up for nothing, they broke his jaw and he had to fly home Alastair, my English ... read more