Kyrgyzstan – Pt 1
My travels have next taken me to Kyrgyzstan for the start of
the Central Asia tour. I arrived into the capital Bishkek and was amazed at how
big things are – new houses, 4x4 cars, graves. Soviet times are still visible
however at least in the capital times have moved on.
In the capital people could still speak Russian although
younger generation some could also speak English but much less than I had been
used to. When I asked the driver about the graves and why some of them were so
big he said Kyrgyz tradition so this was something that set them apart from
Russia.
Temperature on arrival was 28 degrees (afternoon).
My first excursion was to Osh Market (for pictures click the link as I did not take my camera), depending on who you
talk to as what the experience is. Some people say there are plain clothed guys
acting as policeman who demand your passport and rifle through your bags
wanting money. I’d left my passport in the hostel but did not have this
experience luckily. I went with two other travellers who had been in Bishkek
for a while and soon we were talking to a woman who was an English translator
and wanted to practise her English. This was handy to talk to the stall owners
and negotiate prices.
Outside of the main bazaar people were sitting on the ground
selling fruit and veg not the best quality but ok to cook with or eat that day.
You could buy a bucketful of strawberries for £1.50. Raspberries were sweet and
good quality and a 2 ltr bottle with the top cut off full was 60p.
Main staples over here are tomatoes and cucumber for salad
and cabbage which were as big as our pumpkins. Squashes and melons are also
plentiful at this time of the year.
Bread sellers and fried snack sellers were more in the
centre of the bazaar. I stopped to buy a piece of Kyrgyz delicacy which was
meat sausage, a small slice cost 20p. Spices of all colours were also piled up
for sale. The rest of the bazaar was
taken up with clothes, shoes, household and toiletries. Mostly cheap items made
in China.
Dinner that evening was at a Georgian restaurant along with
three other travellers. We shared tomato and cucumber salad for starters and
then dumplings, shaslik and cheese bread (the other travellers raved about
this) for main. Drink was a fruit stew, we could not get a translation as to
what was in it. However it tasted sweet and fruity. Total cost each was £4 and
that was considered expensive.
Ala-Archa Canyon
I hired a taxi to take me to the Canyon about 40 minutes
outside of Bishkek. The scenery was spectacular as soon outside of the capital,
mountains some with snow-capped peaks were visible which is why tourists visit
Kyrgyzstan. Another hot day temperatures in the top 20’s again.
Men wore local kryg tall white felt hats and woman brightly
coloured headscarves, an alternative to the hajib. As we got further into the canyon locals were
having bbq’s down by the river. The purpose for the visit was to climb a hill
up to the waterfall. As the paths were sand it was hard going underfoot. As I
started the walk the weather became overcast and the views become more cloud
than mountain peaks which made the walk easier as it was not in the heat. There
were about 20 people walking that day some were continuing on to the next peak
and sleeping overnight in a shepherds hut. These guys as with all 2 day treks
meant they were carrying all their kit including food. In the case of one girl
that included bottles of vodka and schnapps.
I reached the top with a guy from
Austria and a couple from Russia so we sat and chilled out collecting water in
the cascade. It was only when we reached the bottom again that the clouds
disappeared and the snow-capped mountains reappeared.
Just before getting back into the car a wedding party came
out to take photos I managed a quick snap of the bride and groom before
leaving. The photographer had suggested he took a photo of me with them but not
quite in the right clothing to be snapped at a wedding.
On the way back we passed houses selling buckets of apples,
this I realised later was common all over Kyrgyzstan. Other products seen for
sale on the side of the road included honey, dried fish and plums. Watermelons
and another yellow melon are also commonplace, these stalls often sell large
glass jars, not sure if they are making something with the melons or pickling
other veg such as gherkins which seem to be a favourite here. Roses also line
the important streets (the president’s residence and larger houses) and in the
many park areas. The roses have beautiful colours and a fragrance which can be
appreciated from a distance.
Later that day I was talking to Iris, a girl from Holland
who is sharing my dormitory. She is making a documentary on bride snatching
which is a tradition in Kyrgyzstan and still occurs in some of the villages. If
a man sees a girl he likes he may ask her to marry him, if she says no he will
kidnap her and get married anyway. Sometimes if the couple want to get married
and the parents are against it then bride snatching could occur. More education
is being carried out with younger girls to educate them on their rights so they realise they
have a choice if they want to get married.
We took a walk around the local area, taking in the local
park full of roses, whilst there we watched a local extended family having
photographs so I stood next to the person taking the photos and took my own,
after a while I decided to get in on the action and be included in the photos.
They found this funny and then out came their mobile phones to take selfies
with me.
Then bumped into a group of boys climbing over a statue,
they were mad on football and wanted to know which team we supported.
At the end of the road we came across a few stalls selling
dumplings, carrot salad, bread and horsemilk balls (quite the delicacy). As
soon as they saw the camera they wanted their photo taken and wanted to look at
them on the screen. We continued to find dinner, Duck shashlik on a street
stand. 60p for 6 bits of meat, with rye bread and raw onions. We took two and
sat at a plastic table and chairs outside the front of the a joining shop.
Eventually we ordered another and then once this was finished we were politely
asked to leave as they needed the table for others.
Trekking in the
mountains
Before the six hour bus journey I went for an early morning
walk with another traveller and discovered a huge pair of human size sunglasses
on a side street that was great for a photo opportunity. Later on the way back
we were approached by two Jehovah witness recruits speaking perfect English
whilst we were chilling in the park, really this city at times could be
anywhere in the world (ok maybe anywhere in Asia).
£1 = 100 som
Shared Minibuses known as Marshutka’s are flagged down from
the side of the road. This I learnt after walking a kilometre and a half trying
to find a bus stop or a group of people. It’s been much easier ever since….. I took a Marshutka from the bus station, the
long distance ones are harder to wave down in the street as they tend to wait
until the bus is full before leaving from the station. This means there is no
schedule on what time you are leaving or will get to your destination. It also
depends on the seasons. Tourist high season bus leave much more frequent
whereas now it is deemed low season.
To accompany my journey I purchased local bread which is the
main food staple. It is dinner plate sized and best purchased in a morning as they
are cooked at the bakery and then delivered by a bread man to the supermarkets
and stalls. The bread costs between 18 – 20 pence depending whether it is plain
or has sesame seeds on. Cakes and biscuits are also popular snacks and can be
purchased for anything from 20p for a fairy cake upwards. I am trying to work
my way through the different varieties as with the fried snacks which are available
everywhere in shops so far the samosa style triangle is best with the taste of
a Cornish pasty and being a Muslim country it is halal.
The bus journey eventually finished six hours later after we
had stopped to drop people off or for people to run out and pick up gerkins (?)
and cardboard boxes and other such oddities on route.
Dinner that night was kebab from a street stall. After all
the normal basic questions, hello where are you from, how old are you, are you
married (yes of course as I show the wedding ring) do you have children? Finally
got the kebab, in a wrap, lots of cabbage salad, fries and mixed chicken and
beef meat all for £1. A European guy got a hamburger, they were more strict he
could not have fries oh the joys of being a female travelling.
Images from Karakol near Lake
