Early start to catch the 9.20 am plane to Bishkek in Kyrgystan.  It will be a two hour flight.  Taxi booked for 7am but he morning is foul - sleet and minus many degrees.
Lesson number 2.  Always take waterproof luggage to China.  You never know when you might have to catch a taxi that can only fit the bags in the boot up on end and not shut the lid.    In the rain/sleet/snow.
Zero visibility at the airport again, been snowing and now driving sleet.  Boarding on time with our breath taken away as we enter the boarding shute.  Not long before we decide it is certainly our lot this trip to sit in an aircraft, on the ground, going nowhere, for extended periods of time.  Extra half an hour to de-ice the wings but who cares if we're safe to fly, and we had a great view of the procedure.  Through the clouds, and the sun is shining brightly and the snow capped mountains make a wonderful sight right beneath us.

Coming into Biskek, it's apparent there has been a good fall of snow and all the fields surrounding the city are blanketed in white.  Announcement is made that it will be -3 degrees on the ground.   Our friends meet us and I am feelIng a great swell of excitement to finally be in this place I've heard so much about since the time Chris and Catriona were there in the late nineties.    

As we leave the terminal and drive into town, the snow is magic hanging in every tree and there are so many of them.  Even in town the roads are all lined with fir trees and there seem to be parks everywhere.  We come straight to the guest house where we will spend the next two nights, welcomed by a very friendly Ludmilla and the warmth of the heating is equally welcome.  The snow around the house and scene from my room is postcard stuff.

So it's on with the thermal layers, gloves and hats and out we go for a walk in minus three degrees

.  

The walk is several Kms through what is just a charming city of course made prettier by the snow. Despite the cold, which makes my sinuses ache, there are people everywhere, including street vendors selling balloons and fairy floss at a carnival, standing about in the cold all day as though it's the middle of summer.

Our hosts take us to lunch at a wonderful restaurant serving local food and we sit at a traditional circular table surrounded by circular padded seating where we sit with legs out straight as though on the floor.  I am seated at the far side being the Babushka or grandmother!!!!!  Food is fabulous, a huge platter of rice with spices and flaked baked lamb plus lamb shish kebabs - too much to eat.  But please get me home to the warm house.