Saturday March 16


Today was our promised visit to the Karakol Bazaar, selling everything from kitchen utensils to meat.   And CLOTHING.    Quite honestly, I've never, in my entire life, seen so many clothes, especially leather coats, and shoes in so many little stalls under one roof or maybe you'd have to call most of it awnings.   I'm sure the whole of Westfield Plaza at Bondi Junction does not contain as many items.   I did learn a new phrase in Russian - "Ni Nada", "I don't need it". 
The meat section was an eye opener as you'll see in the photos below.  The fruit and vegetables we bought were from a separate market  but the layout was beautiful. 

The dried fruit was beautiful both to look at and eat.   No sulphur here.



The apricots had a price tag made from a playing card.

The meat market complete with freshly severed bullock heads.

          Paprika in various forms

Russian ladies hats were in profusion and Catriona and I couldn't resist the chance to try them on. 

All were real fur, some mink and, if you'd "needed" one, a very reasonable price in our money.

Of course Catriona had to go one better with a whole fox complete with legs and tail!!



These are about the only broom available.  People, including school children, are sweeping the streets with them at present, clearing away the leaves from winter.



Lovely hats and scarves in military order.





Lunch was an interlude in the sun eating a local dish, not unlike laksa at Chinatown

Catriona found, what she and Chris always described as the best bread in the world, from when they were in Kyrgyzstan in 1999.   Lapoishka was delivered to the stall by second hand babies' pram and was indeed delicious, especially as it was still steaming from the oven.   We ate the whole loaf as we stood there.

Salt blocks were for sale.   They looked more like mini granite boulders.   We were told this is the salt people were sent down the mines for in years gone by.

The afternoon's activity was an almost wild goose chase to find some mineral baths.   Eventually we tracked down a bath house in the foothills of the southern mountains and were taken to a room of 4 individual baths in which us four ladies sat.   There will be no photos for lack of the capability to place fuzzy bits on strategic parts.  

Before we entered, we had to wait for the lady to provide white powder to clean the bath first.  I suspect it was carb soda but someone suggested caustic soda.   I was beginning to wonder whether we'd come out minus some toes.   We had a great time with the water too hot to stay in long.

The sign outside was worth translating.   In general it stated:

These are Radon baths for your health!   Hope we don't glow in the dark!

Full treatment consists of 12 visits.

Each time stay in for 15 minutes.

Follow this with a massage, gymnastics, ultrasound on sore muscles and joints.

Maybe I could get a job.   Sadly the Karakol mineral bath industry has fallen off of late but surely it could be reinvented with the increase in visitors for the ski fields in winter and the lake in summer.