Saturday March 23

A bit of a sleep in at our Sheraton digs before heading to the International Bazaar and Mosque. Entirely different from the Karakol and Bishkek markets, this was housed in a purpose built brick structure complete with minarets and a mosque next door. They made a great spectacle against the sky which was fairly clear by Chinese standards. 

This being the Old Silk Road area, everything is tainted with that past in mind. We had our photos taken with camels and genie bottles and enjoyed the spectacle of neatly set out stalls of colourful spices, knives, horse/camel whips, ornate metal jewellery, scarves, hats, fancy toed shoes and belly dancing costumes. I'm in trouble! I only know the Russian Ni Nada for "I don't need it."

 

After last nights mouth fizzing stir fry, we gave in to KFC which I had not tasted in years - it hasn't changed. The berry pastry I bought tasted of chicken batter, but I did enjoy a Milo!!!
We took our lives in hands trying to catch a taxi back to the hotel. You need to leap into the flow of traffic as soon as you see one letting people out.

We need to be on our way to the airport for the trip to Xian by 3.30 pm, so there is just time to dodge more traffic,even though there are two pedestrian crossings side by side, and cross to the Xianthang Museum to see the history of this area. Fascinating things, including mummies over a thousand years old, yurts which are the dwellings of nomadic people in this area, and brightly coloured rock paintings met us. We were able to photograph inside (except for the mummies) and I have taken photos of photographs depicting many things one could still see today along other parts of the Old Silk Road.   I would love to come back to see this stuff in situ e.g. through Uzbekestan.

 

On the plane to Xian, we finally take off after nearly an hour on the ground, the original reason for which was "waiting for two passengers who are late!" Deanne has been upgraded the premium economy - not sure what she did to deserve that. She is slimmer than Catriona or me.

Catriona and I are bored stiff waiting for take off, so I suggest we write captions on the ads and photographs in the Chinese flight magazine. At least we have a good laugh and maybe it will entertain some later English speaking person. Or the Chinese might try guessing what we wrote.

Our driver, complete with BBB (big black Buick) was on hand to meet us and take us to the splendid Shangri-la Hotel. Thanks Suzie Mann, it's great. The driver announces that it will be 14 minutes to the hotel. Catriona looks at her watch and says "OK, go!"    Smooth as, but given the goading from Catriona he hits 140 Kph at one stage and it is 10.30pm.
Immediate impression of Xian is that it is much cleaner and more pristine than Urumqi. And spring is much more advanced here with green leaves and blossoms in abundance. Of course that also adds to the appealing impression.

Friday March 22

Early start to be at Bishkek airport, still known by the old word for Kyrgyzstan, Frunze. We are very early and spend some of the last of our Com on the most expensive coffee and apple pie since being in Kyrgyzstan. Good tucker though and it was the second time I had latte done the American way with the layers of colour - or is it French?
All the way to the airport the trees are shooting, the willows vivid green and the grass coming to life everywhere. 




We passed many huge shooting poplar trees full of crows nests looking like bee hives.
Spring certainly comes quickly here. The last two weeks have seen enormous changes from our snowy start.














It is a bit sad to say goodbye but there is the excitement of the next week of sight seeing in China and the looking forward to being home for Easter with my Sydney family.
The flight is eventless and the mountains stunning with a mixture of black rock and glaciers. 

And I even saw what looked like terraced farming very high up.
Heaven knows what they're growing up there.

We flew back over Lake Issyk-kul and this time could see it in all it's glory and were able to pick out the villages we had visited on the south shore. We were even more aware of how quickly the mountains go straight up, and able to well believe what we were told, that 95% of Kyrgyzstan is mountain ranges.


Clear weather all the way back to Urumqi apart from the smog that seems to engulf every Chinese city permanently. We are back at the Sheraton and went for a walk further afield through back streets seeing the real life of many struggling people.

We ate at a local restaurant where they spoke no English. Had fun trying to get them to understand we wanted beer and discovered that in western China nearly all the dishes are VERY spicy - the spice of the tingling, make that "fizzing", lips and tongue - memories of the chilli dishes in Bhutan. 











 As we returned to the hotel we walked through a shopping arcade next door of very upmarket stores in stark contrast to the back streets just a block away.  This always distresses me.

We found the museum close by and will visit it tomorrow to get a glimpse of Silk Road days. We also have directions to find the International Bazaar, billed as something special, and the nearby large mosque. Have to fit all that in before we leave tomorrow evening for Xian.

Thursday March 21

We were full of expectation as we headed down town Bishkek for the Spring Festival celebrations with a stop over at the Sierra Cafe where the Belgian waffles were very good.   Couldn't help but smile at the contradictions of eating Belgian waffles in a Kyrgyzstan cafe owned by New Zealanders. 
On the main city square where everything including a stage was set up for ..... well we're not quire sure what.   Over a two hour period there was some testing of microphones, there were people everywhere dressed in their finest, many of them in wonderful traditional costumes. 

We saw many dear old folk in couples, some being led by younger members of their family, and they were probably the best dressed of all.  We had a wonderful time crowd watching and photographing and I was grateful for the telephoto lens for some more great portraits.



 

















The entire sides of the buildings surrounding the square were covered in a huge sign proclaiming the Spring Festival.

There were sellers of balloons and good old fairy floss and I thought of the Last Night of the Proms in the park in Glascow Helen.  But I thought customs might pull me up if I tried to bring some home to you.
 

 












   






At the end of two hours of nothing on the stage, and my camera shutter finger getting RSI, we left to go to friends that Chris and Catriona had stayed with when they first came to Bishkek in 1999.   It was a lovely reunion for Catriona and these people were just a delightful couple whom you immediately felt like you'd known for years.  They provided us a great lunch.
 

 The Osh Bazaar then beckoned and if I thought Karakol Bazaar was big, this was the daddy of them all. - utterly overwhelming, but I did buy a scarf - one of those times when you see something and know it's meant for you.




 












Our last meal in Kyrgy took us back to the Chelebat Restaurant, where we'd gone the first night here two weeks ago.   We wanted to try the same dishes that had been so good then, plosh and kebabs.

Off to Urumqi tomorrow morning.

TuesdayMarch 19 

The morning has been taken up with visitors with health problems coming to our house. There are some There are speech problems for Catriona and Deanne and much more simple musculoskeletal problems for me - a breeze after yesterday.  After this session Catriona and Beth have gone horse riding in the hills and I've gone for a walk to try and snap some local interest photos.   I'm loving the times when I can do this on my own and not be feeling I'm holding others up.  Of course Catriona is still worried about letting me go.  She doesn't want to have to tell the family she's lost Granny.

Old woman with street stall of home grown produce

Local Corner Store complete with big add for mobile phone company

Hitec dish on meagre dwelling

Wednesday March 20


Off in the mashutka back to Bishkek today.  A big farewell to the family who has looked after us so well and the mashutka driver has to take a group photo on three different cameras. 

The day is promising to be quite warm and unfortunately the mountains are in deep haze.   I chose to sit in the front with the driver to try and catch some photos of typical Kyrgyz scenes, signs and characters.   BUT as we take off I find the seat belt has no clip to lock into AND I'm in the front seat, and the roads are fairly rough in places.   I can't really be rude and ask to go further back, so a prayer and the knowledge that this is the same careful driver we had coming over will see me through.   And the photos are worth it.

An even better roundabout than last time

 

We have booked into the Silk Road Backpackers Hotel and have been told we are overflow and are to be placed in a unit.  We arrive to find the girl who is to be preparing the beds for us is still there, stuff everywhere and at first we thought she was occupying it.  So it's downtown for a coffee at an old Soviet theatre, now a restaurant and very ornate. 

Back to the unit to find everything in order and I have a double bed to myself.  The block of units is about ten stories high and relatively new with another wing extension almost complete. Things are moving ahead in Bishkek and Catriona says she hardly recognises it from 13 years ago.

Tomorrow is the Spring Festival in Bishkek so we're looking forward to seeing some parades and dancing and maybe even a game of Ulak.

Monday March 18

Back along the south side of Lake Issuk-kul today to visit village children.   We aren’t going as far as Friday, but to a pretty little village off the main road, tucked under the mountain range.   The snow is now disappearing fast from the lower slopes.   The thick fog of Friday has passed from the road and the lake, but is still shrouding the mountain range on the northern shore.  I would love a vivid blue sky above it for a postcard photo.

 

Today we meet in a nicely appointed school, in a room which has been set aside for the NGO in this village to use for rehab of disabled children.  This is the NGO that has received funding from Samaritan’s Purse.   We are again welcomed very enthusiastically and the entire time is taken up with seeing a multitude of children, brought by parents and/or grandparents.   We don’t stop for lunch till 3pm.

This is a village that benefits some families who are fit and able, by working in a local gold mine.  So there are many children being looked after by grandparents.  It was a mixture of joy to be able to give some advice, and frustration in not being able to follow through with ongoing care.   There were even two adults who sought advice.   They were sad cases from both a physical and social perspective.

Many of the school children spoke to us in broken English and my interpreter was the English teacher, a delightful lady, obviously doing her job well.   She is applying for a scholarship from the States to do six weeks training under an “Excellence in Teaching” programme.  

 

 I was fascinated by the school uniform being worn by some of the girls.   Apparently the lace pinafore is common in this area.  I imagine they are not so white by the end of the day, unless they’re teaching the girls to be neat little ladies.  But there were some playing basketball dressed like this.

 

 The lake was behaving a little better on the way home and I think you can just see the mountains if you squint.

 

 

Sunday March 17

Early start to go to see the live animal market.  We'd been told it was a tourist attraction and that it starts at day break and all over by 10am.
The three of us took a taxi on our own for the first time, relying on Catriona's Russian which is improving by the day.  I'm amazed at how quickly it has come back to her after 13 years.
Our first glimpse was of cars, cars, cars.  No car park here.  Bumper to bumper took on a whole new meaning, or make that bumper to door.  They were just all over the place.  Those in first would have no chance of getting out till the end (although some did seem to be trying) and I can't imagine what 10 am would be like. 

There were hardly any trucks - you just put the sheep you buy in the boot of your car!

Sale yards?   Not heard of them.   You simply take your few sheep, goats or cows, or a mixture, on bits of rope and stand anywhere you can till someone comes by and makes you an offer.

 

 

There was an absolute sea of men and women and animals but interestingly, not a lot of bleating or mooing.

Tourist attraction or not we saw no other foreigners, but people were very friendly and happy to have their photos taken.   I was able to get some great portraits of local folk.

 

 

 

 

The weather is warming up, the snow is now only on the mountain tops and the sun is shining brightly - very similar to Armidale in the spring without the wind.   Trees are shooting and the bulbs coming through.

I have just come in from a bunya - sauna in other words.   It was ferociously hot and I bailed after 15 minutes but not before we had used a cream face mask and did some beating of one another with a traditional bunch of leaves.   The face mask began to drop off my chin within a minute or two with the heat.  AND I gave Catriona an extra severe beating with the leaves for allowing her new jeans to go through our wash today turning my beige travel pants grey and my pink and grey knickers mauve.   And she knows I don't like purple clothes. 
 No photos of the sauna for the same reason as yesterday.

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.