Day 19, In the Southern City Of Osh

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Day 19, July 14, 2009, Tuesday, Sheishembi:

The day yesterday was interesting, Marat woke me about 6 am as planned and told me that I should have breakfast and we would head out to climb the stairs of the mountain to a Museum in a cave at the top of Soloman's Throne, or Suleman's Throne. The rock is a promontory of jagged mountain that dominates the Osh skyline. It sits more or less in the center of the city. From the observation area about half-way up you can look out over all of the city of Osh. Last year when I was here in late July, I was unable to climb the steps due to being even more overweight than I am now, and the fact that the temperature had hit 104 degrees and it was 3 pm. This time I plan to climb it just to prove I can.

There is a museum carved or blasted out of the rock that is supposed to be interesting. But, I learn shortly after breakfast from Marat that the car will not start. I consider it a blessing. Since it means I can just take my time and eventually the problem will be solved.

Sometime around 10 am I decide that the problem will have to be solved without any action on my part. I had offered money, the mobile telephone, anything to help get movement on the problem in a typical Amerian way, and was told it would be fine. That the guy would be around sometime and they would tow the car to the shop. So I sat outside on a concrete bench in the courtyard of a Soviet-style courtyard and watched the children play. Like children everywhere they have games involving cards that involve capturing cards from one another. They play chase and organize themselves. There is very little adult supervision. There are older youngsters who seem to break up the inevitable squabble. In some senses there is a small group of 12 year olds who seem to control the action of the courtyard. I met Emil, Abraham, Daniel, Marcel and others who appear to be the enforcers and the conflict resolution crew.

Marat knows them all, of course. His family has lived here a long time. We are on the fourth floor of the building. The complex is six structures in a square around what was supposed to be a pedestrian courtyard with a playground area for the children. Each building is five stories tall. The apartment that Marat, his mother Gulbara, the five-year-old Kuba, Marat's sister Elgiza, and the head of the family Colonel Erkin Nurmatov, has two bedrooms, a living and dinning area, a small kitchen with a small table in it, a toilet cabinet and a bath cabinet. There is also an enclosed balcony area where I am sitting at a window that allows a breeze to come in from the courtyard.

After a nap, I woke up and realized that the car was gone and so was Marat. So, Kubie and I watched Pokeman videos on the largest television screen I have seen in Krygyzstan, and waited for the return of Marat. He showed up about 2 pm and wanted to go to the Museum and I said maybe later when it cooled a little. With his mother and sister we went to visit a sick friend in a hospital. The boys waited in the car. We also went to a pharmacy for the friend and picked up some medicine. We watched the people passing by and took some street scene photographs while we waited. Then we headed to the mountain to go to the Suleiman Too Museum. Where the exhibits are mostly only described in Kyrgyz and Russian. Some of it is understandable because of the graphics, but a benefit to tourism from other countries might be to have it in English, French, maybe German as well. There was also incredible access to the exhibits because almost none are behind glass. There is a wide range of topics presented about the history of the culture.

I am finishing this entry the following morning, because suddenly we departed to look at wedding dresses for Marat's sister and a visit to Gulbara's aunt who lives out of the city in a small village.
It was the beginning of a great afternoon.

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Photos

Osh from Above
View of the city from the observation deck

The Museum
Blasted out of the mountain